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US 7,008,143 B1Granted
Modified angled silt fence
AssigneeCivil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.
InventorKevin B. Wolfe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A silt fence includes a support comprising having a rear strut pivotally joined with an articulated front support. A geo-textile sheet attaches to the support forming a filtration barrier having compound slope. A lower section is sloped at the first angle sufficiently steep to shed non-colloidal silt. An upper section is sloped at the second slope angle sufficiently shallow so as to expose a proportionally greater barrier surface area to ponded water to increase the water flow capacity for given height of water. Additionally, the second slope angle is sufficiently steep to shed a portion of the non-filtered colloidal silt.
Claims34
A filtration barrier for filtering waterborne sediment comprising:
- a rear strut, the rear strut having an rear strut upper end and a rear strut lower end, the rear strut lower end adapted for attachment to a ground surface;
- an articulated front support, the front support comprising an upper front strut and a lower front strut, the upper front strut having an upper front strut upper end and an upper front strut lower end, the lower front strut having a lower front strut upper end and a lower front strut lower end, wherein the upper front strut upper end is flexibly attached to the rear strut upper end, wherein the upper front strut lower end is flexibly attached to the lower front strut upper end, and wherein the lower front strut lower end is adapted for attachment to a ground surface, and
- a geo-fabric sheet attached to the articulated front support, the geo-fabric sheet adapted for filtration of non-colloidal slit from a flow of water.
A filtration barrier for filtering waterborne sediment, the filtration barrier comprising:
- an articulated front support, the articulated front support comprising a plurality of front struts, the plurality of front struts assembled in an articulated, linear configuration, wherein each front strut is disposed adjacent to at least one other front strut, and wherein each the front strut is flexibly attached to each the adjacent front strut, the plurality of struts comprising:
- a lower front strut, the lower front strut having a lower front strut lower end, wherein the lower front strut lower end is adapted for attachment to a ground surface;
- and
- at least one intermediate front strut;
- and
- at least one rear strut, each the at least one rear strut having an rear strut a rear strut lower end, each the rear strut lower end adapted for attachment to a ground surface, wherein each the at least one rear strut is flexibly attached to a front strut,
- a geo-fabric sheet attached to the articulated front support, the geo-fabric sheet adapted for filtration of non-colloidal slit from a flow of water.
4 more elements
A filtration barrier comprising:
- a plurality of filtration barrier supports, each the filtration barrier supports comprising
- a rear strut, the rear strut having an rear strut upper end and a rear strut lower end, the rear strut lower end adapted for attachment to a ground surface;
- and
- an articulated front support, the front support comprising an upper front strut and a lower front strut, the upper front strut having an upper front strut upper end and an upper front strut lower end, the lower front strut having a lower front strut upper end and a lower front strut lower end, wherein the upper front strut upper end is flexibly attached to the rear strut upper end, wherein the upper front strut lower end is flexibly attached to the lower front strut upper end, and wherein the lower front strut lower end is adapted for attachment to a ground surface;
- and
- a sheet, the sheet adapted for filtration of waterborne sediment, wherein the sheet is attached to the plurality of filtration barrier supports, each of the articulated front supports of each the filtration barrier support attached to the sheet at intervals along the sheet.
3 more elements
A filtration barrier comprising:
- a plurality of support frames, each the support frame adapted for installation upon a ground surface at interval points along a spanning path, the spanning path being transverse to gravity-directed water flow, and the spanning path defining an upstream ground surface area and a downstream ground surface area;
- and
- a geo-textile sheet, the geo-textile sheet affixed to each the support frame,
- wherein when the plurality of support frames is installed at interval points along the spanning path, the geo-textile sheet forms a filtration barrier surface extending along the spanning path such that the filtration barrier surface impedes the water flow, the filtration barrier surface comprising an upper filtration barrier surface and a lower filtration barrier surface such that
- the lower filtration barrier surface and the upper filtration barrier surface extends adjacently along the spanning path, the lower filtration surface proximal to the ground surface and the upper filtration barrier surface distal to the ground surface,
- the lower filtration barrier surface extends over the downstream ground surface area at a first slope angle, the first slope angle orthogonal to the spanning path,
- the upper filtration barrier surface further extends over the downstream ground surface area at a second slope angle, and
- the first slope angle is steeper than the second slope angle.
5 more elements
A filtration barrier comprising:
- a plurality of support frames, each of the support frames adapted for installation upon a ground surface at interval points along a spanning path, the spanning path being transverse to gravity-directed water flow, and the spanning path defining an upstream ground surface area and a downstream ground surface area;
- and
- a geo-textile sheet, the geo-textile sheet affixed to at least two the support frames,
- wherein when the plurality of support frames is installed at interval points along the spanning path, the geo-textile sheet forms a filtration barrier surface extending along the spanning path such that the filtration barrier surface impedes the water flow, the filtration barrier surface comprising an upper a lower filtration barrier surface and further comprising at least one intermediate filtration barrier surface such that:
- the lower filtration barrier surface extends along the spanning path, the lower filtration surface proximal to the ground surface,
- each intermediate filtration barrier surface extends along the spanning path in a sequential, articulated panel configuration, each intermediate filtration barrier surface more distal to the ground surface than each sequentially previous intermediate filtration barrier surfaces,
- the lower filtration barrier surface extends over the downstream ground surface area at a first slope angle, the first slope angle orthogonal to the spanning path,
- each intermediate filtration barrier surface sequentially further extends over the downstream ground surface area so as to form a plurality of slope angles, and
- the first slope angle is steeper than each the intermediate slope angles, and
- each intermediate slope angle is steeper than each subsequent intermediate slope angle.
7 more elements
A filtration barrier assembly comprising:
- a support assembly installed upon a ground surface along a spanning path, the spanning path being transverse to gravity-directed water flow, and the spanning path defining an upstream ground surface area and a downstream ground surface area;
- and
- a geo-textile sheet attached to the support assembly so as to form a filtration barrier surface for impeding the water flow, the filtration barrier surface adapted to filter non-colloidal silt from the water flow, the geo-fabric sheet having a nominal water flow capacity proportional to the height of an intercepted water flow,
- the filtration barrier surface comprising an lower filtration barrier surface, the lower filtration barrier surface extending from the ground surface upwards above the downstream ground surface area at a first slope angle, and the filtration barrier surface further comprising an upper filtration barrier surface, the upper filtration barrier surface extending from the lower filtration barrier surface further upwards above the downstream ground surface area at a second slope angle,
- wherein the first slope angle is steeper than the second slope angle,
- wherein when the filtration barrier surface intercepts a water flow of sufficient height that the lower filtration barrier surface and at least a portion of the upper filtration barrier surface are submerged beneath the surface of the water flow, the first slope angle is sufficiently steep so as to cause a portion of the non- colloidal silt filtered by the lower filtration barrier surface to fall away from the lower filtration barrier surface, and the second slope angle is sufficiently shallow so as to expose the intercepted water flow to a sufficiently greater area of the filtration barrier surface so as to increase the water flow capacity of the geo-textile sheet as proportional to the height of the intercepted water flow.
3 more elements
A filtration barrier assembly comprising:
- at least two support assemblies adapted for installation, each at interval points, along a spanning path across a ground surface, the spanning path dividing the ground surface into an upstream area and a downstream area, each the support assembly comprising
- a rear strut, the rear strut having an rear strut upper end and a rear strut lower end, the rear strut lower end adapted for attachment to a ground surface;
- and
- an articulated front support, the front support comprising an upper front strut and a lower front strut, the upper front strut having an upper front strut upper end and an upper front strut lower end, the lower front strut having a lower front strut upper end and a lower front strut lower end, wherein the upper front strut upper end is hingedly attached to the rear strut upper end, wherein the upper front strut lower end is hingedly attached to the lower front strut upper end, and wherein the lower front strut lower end is adapted for attachment to a ground surface;
- and
- a woven geo-textile sheet, the woven geo-textile sheet adapted for filtration of waterborne sediment, the woven geo-textile sheet attached to a plurality of the articulated front supports, the woven geo-textile sheet further comprising a ground skirt, the ground skirt attached to the lower filtration barrier section,
- wherein each support assembly may be installed at an interval point along the spanning path such that:
- the lower front strut is attached to the ground surface at the interval point such that the lower front strut extends away from the upstream area so as to form a first tilt angle, the first tilt angle comprising a tilt angle of between 90 degrees and 45 degrees,
- the upper front strut further extends away from the upstream area so as to form a second tilt angle, the second tilt angle comprising a tilt angle of between 75 degrees and 25 degrees
- the first tilt angle is steeper than the second tilt angle, and
- the rear struts is attached to the ground surface at a point in the downstream area and extended toward the upstream area so as to provide bracing support to the articulated front support, and
- wherein the geo-textile sheet is attached to the articulated front supports so as to form a filtration barrier having a lower filtration barrier section sloped at the first tilt angle and an upper filtration barrier section sloped at the second tilt angle.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.