AU6409500A - Earth anchor - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT EARTH ANCHOR The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me: Submitted by the Inventor Royden Whitten of 158 Manns Road, West Gosford Royden Whitten, Inventor EARTH ANCHOR This invention relates to improvements in devices for securing or anchoring all types of contraptions that need to be fastened securely and permanently on dry land or on shallow waterways and estuaries.

There are many instances where the hereto employed methods of securing objects into the ground or on sea-beds are either too awkward, too difficult or not sufficiently reliable or strong enough to hold items, so fastened, for any period of time.

Boats on moorings, for instance, usually rely on large submerged blocks of concrete, with suitable chains, to hold them in an allocated position and place.

In strong winds, heavy waves or foul weather many of these devices fail for various reasons but chiefly because they do not provide adequate, secure 20 hold. Each one of these blocks commonly weigh in excess of 500 kilograms as a lesser ballast would cause a moored vessel to drag the block along the harbour or bay floor, thus rendering the mooring useless, in some situations dangerous. Even the precise positioning of such blocks can be hazardous.

0 0: Concrete mooring blocks can also become hazards presenting considerable 25 risk of damage to boats moving about the proximity of such submerged mooring blocks; especially at low tides, or at night, when the probability of a moving craft running into one of the blocks is greatest.

These problems are overcome with this invention.

The EARTH ANCHOR can be used on land (as retainers or anchor points) or at sea (estuaries and bays) in hundreds of varying function. In this document the chosen example explains the use of the EARTH ANCHOR as a mooring or anchor point for boats or yachts. The use of an EARTH ANCHOR as an uncomplicated, easy to install boat-mooring will illustrate the unique utility of the device as well as communicate the devices application in other areas, land-or-water-based.

Royden Whitten, Inventor. Earth Anchor The EARTH ANCHOR, as a secure mooring facility, in a boat harbour, will afford positive, permanent and safe anchorage. In the case of its potential uses on water ways and bays it can be used to secure oyster beds, pontoons or boats, marker buoys, warning systems, bell buoys etc.

When positioned correctly and when the mooring is not in use (no boat), the EARTH ANCHOR will not protrude above the seabed The retrieval line (safety line) is used to lower the chain to the sea floor with a floating marker 0io remaining on the surface. The anchor chain will lie in a little pile on the bed of the bay thus representing absolutely no danger to shipping. When tying up to a mooring, a skipper simply retrieves the marker buoy, the line and chain, the sea bed will be entirely free from obstruction. The EARTH ANCHOR is invisible when positioned at a prepared depth.

On land EARTH ANCHOR can be used wherever a secure yet inexpensive anchor point is needed, i.e. in cyclone prone areas. EARTH ANCHORS can also be used to hold down caravans or even buildings that may otherwise be subject to wind damage. Circus (tents), temporary structures, guy wires for power poles or transplanted trees. In fact the possibilities are unending.

EARTH ANCHOR has been designed to anchor itself solidly into any position, even horizontally as embankment stabilizer.

The basic unit consists of a 'core module' to which are attached a number of 'arms' (usually four). These arms are hinged horizontally on the core module in diametrical directions and can fold back to lie flat against the core module.

Limiting chains can be used, if needed. These restrict the downward movement of the arms. On the inside of the core module are attachments which accept a chain as well as a centralized 'driving locating tube'.

The length of this 'tubing' depends on the EARTH ANCHOR's designed purpose (depth to be reached). In essence it is a removable extension to the core module which is to be removed when the EARTH ANCHOR has been positioned.

Royden Whitten, Inventor Earth Anchor The EARTH ANCHOR is a device best constructed from metal or other suitably strong material such as new generation industrial polymers. As a rule, it has a core (center) module of predetermined length; the length and outer dimensions dependent upon the load demands and relative to other components such as chains and attachments. Diameters, length and weight will vary according to designs and fitting particular applications. Units from as l0 small as a few centimeters across to large units weighing tonnes can be constructed.

Operation and use.

On land use the soil which will be loaded on top of the EARTH ANCHOR will only be in place to fill in the hole. In practice, the dynamics exerted through the anchor chain by lifting the EARTH ANCHOR upward will force the arms of the device outward until the limited span has been reached. At this point the EARTH ANCHOR arms are forced into the walls of the hole resisting its removal aided by the soil returned into the hole. The dynamics are that the more upward force is applied, the more permanent the anchorage will become. The small resulting void below the EARTH ANCHOR is readily taken by the loose soil surrounding the anchor. A small prototype (300mm across) has been tested to a depth of 1 metre and withstood the lifting force of •more than 6.5 tonnes.

Used to secure floating oysterbeds in soft bay estuaries the EARTH ANCHOR is forced into the bed with arms folded. When attempting to remove it, it will resist removal as its arms unfold and the dynamics of the system come into play. The applied pulling force increases the resistance. If pulled on an angle the resistance is increased correspondingly.

When used on a sandy bay floor EARTH ANCHOR variants are used. These rely on a mixture of forced water and air pressure, emitted from the entry point of the EARTH ANCHOR's core module. As the water/air mixture, under pressure, is pumped through the specially designed Omni-directional jets of Royden Whitten, Inventor Earth Anchor the EARTH ANCHOR the sand, under assault, is blown into the surrounding water. The jets and flow may be varied according to obstructions encountered or difficulty of penetration. The jets utilize pulsation for easier infiltration. The area vacated by the sand is progressively occupied up by the downward motion of the EARTH ANCHOR but eventually closing in behind it. When the required depth is reached lift is applied to the EARTH ANCHOR first in small burst to enable sand to accumulate around the now submersed EARTH ANCHOR. When totally settled, pulling power can be applied via the chain assembly. The force required in an attempt to dislodge the EARTH ANCHOR depends on the depth of the hole and the size of the EARTH ANCHOR used.

The EARTH ANCHOR can be manufactured to any specifications and any S 15s size depending on its final application. Materials used may vary depending on the final utilization and intention, i.e. EARTH ANCHOR used on land or at sea.

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To assist with understanding this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which depict one typical example of the invention: 0000** The example core module (fig.A), chosen to demonstrate the claim, was made from standard galvanized 75mm x 250mm long square steel tube. The arms, when attached (fig.E), extend the Earth Anchor's width to 735mm. This example shown here has a withholding pulling weight of more than 7 tonnes from a depth (hole) of 1200mm.

At the very top of the core module there are four open ended cut-outs (fig.

Al) made to accept limiting chains. There are four elongated, horizontally placed slots (fig. A2), one each on the lower part of each side of the core module Each of these elongated slots will accept one hinged, movable arm (fig. Other holes (fig.A3 4) are for the attachment of the chain assembly (fig. F) In this configuration four arms are used but depending on the design specification fewer or additional arms can be used.

Royden Whitton, Inventor Earth Anchor The length of these arms (330mm) is directly related to the size and length of each core module. The fulcrum detail (fig. C) allow the arms to move freely from a resting or 'neutral' attitude, (collapsed against the core module) (fig. D) to an 'active' attitude, or to a specific, predetermined angle away from the core module (fig. Each arm's movement can be restricted by limiting chains (fig. or other suitable retainers, thus limiting the movement away from the io core module beyond their designed limits (fig. G) A control rod and chain, is used to guide the EARTH ANCHOR during deployment and will hold the arms (fig. J) in a neutral (closed) position against the core module. When used in water this rod, with extensions to any length as required by the depth of the water, becomes the 'driving post' to drive to EARTH ANCHOR into the sea- Is bed.

Function The EARTH ANCHOR works as follows on land. The EARTH ANCHOR with the arms in a neutral (closed) attitude (fig. J) is lowered into a prepared hole of desired (planned) depths and diameter. The diameter of the hole must be somewhat smaller than the span of the unfolded arms. When positioned in the hole and with the holding chain relaxed, gravity will unfold the arms (fig. K) to the active (open) position. The arms will fall back against the wall of the hole restricted by the size of the hole. The maximum O:V. 0 movement and spread of the arms limited by the 'limiting chains' (fig. G).

When the EARTH ANCHOR is activated (lifted) by the lifting chain (fig. L) the arms of the unit will progressively force themselves into the side walls of the surrounding soil of the shaft and take firm hold until the maximum extent, determined by the length of the limiting chains, has been reached. Soil can be replaced into the open on top of the positioned Earth Anchor. If additional strength is required, soil can be replaced by concrete or gravel. The rod and chain assembly (fig. H fig. I) to which the EARTH ANCHOR has been attached (umbilical) becomes the main attachment point above the ground or, in the case of boat anchorage, it becomes the main mooring chain. When used on sea-beds, or estuaries and bays, the methodology to place the EARTH ANCHOR into a hole is somewhat different but ultimately achieves Royden Whitten, Inventor Earth Anchor identical results. The EARTH ANCHOR is temporarily attached to a control rod (fig. H) and suitable anchor chain and chain assembly (fig. I) Arms are folded back in the neutral (closed) position (fig. The assembly is then lowered to the top of the sea bed. When positioned, the control rod with the anchor chain attached, is used to'drive' the EARTH ANCHOR into the sea-bed to a predetermined depth. When completed the connecting device is separated from the EARTH ANCHOR and the retained chain will io become the principal anchor point.

To locate the EARTH ANCHOR in a planned or desired position, i.e. land, EARTH ANCHOR at sea, in rock, ice, in fact anywhere where a positive anchorage is required, a 'connecting device' is used. This connecting device S 15 is commonly a galvanized pipe with the length determined by the purpose and oo:oqb depth of the planned anchorage (fig. H) The EARTH ANCHOR and the connecting device are connected via an Sanchor chain assembly (fig. or similar fastening method, which will allow the EARTH ANCHOR to be manipulated by an operator to control the positioning of the EARTH ANCHOR as well as becoming the main anchor point when the EARTH ANCHOR has been located in its final position.

Quick reference sketches to the principal parts.

Fig. D Shows the EARTH ANCHOR as it appears as a folded unit (neutral attitude) without attachments.

Fig. E Shows the EARTH ANCHOR as it appears as an unfolded (active attitude) unprepared and without chains or attachments.

Fig. F Shows details of one EARTH ANCHOR hinge fulcrum mechanism and chain attachment method.

Fig. G Shows details on an EARTH ANCHOR ready to be used with limiting chains but without positioning attachments.

Fig. J Shows a completely assembled EARTH ANCHOR lowered into a hole.

Fig. K Shows an EARTH ANCHOR in position ready to be activated with arms released for work.

Fig. L Shows an activated EARTH ANCHOR with arms forced into soil by lift.

The claims defining the invention are as follows: EARTH ANCHOR is an inexpensive yet very efficient holding locking device that can be used in any number of situations and in unlimited variations from land and sea from horizontal to vertical applications.

The EARTH ANCHOR device can be manufactured from any one of many suitable materials strong enough to withstand the rigors of its application and the demands put upon the unit.

EARTH ANCHOR is of superior methodology to secure or anchor any object that has to be secured permanently, at sea or on land.

Abstract: An EARTH ANCHOR device is hereby disclosed. The device is an engineered object that can be used to securely fasten objects that need to be fastened on earth, in the earth, on estuaries, in bays and waterways.

THE APPLICANT: Royden Whitten ADDRESS: 158 Manns Road, West Gosford, NSW 225 3o DATED: October 05 2000 Signed by the inventor applicant on this date: