AU673123B2 - Anchoring reservoirs in the ground - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For A Standard Patent

ORIGINAL

tot.

*0 *00* C. C Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: JOHN BRENDAN BERRY JOHN BRENDAN BERRY Address for Service: or WRAY ASSOCIATES, Primary Industry House, 239 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

Attorney code: WR Invention Title: "ANCHORING RESERVOIRS IN THE GROUND" Details of Associated Provisional Application: No: PM5545 (11/5/1994) The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- -2- THIS INVENTION relates to reservoirs and in particular to reservoirs which are intended to be buried in the ground.

The difficulty with buried reservoirs which may be used in storing water or in sewage installations relates to a difficulty in ensuring that those reservoirs are not displaced in the event of the ground becoming waterlogged or flooded. In the past this difficulty has been overcome by forming the reservoirs of a very dense material such as concrete in order to resist any buoyant force which may be exerted on the reservoir in the event of the ground becoming flooded or waterlogged. There has in recent years however been an increasing trend to form such reservoirs of fibre reinforced plastics material due to the ease of forming such reservoirs from these materials and the light weight nature of such materials which reduces the difficulty in handling and installing the reservoirs and which also reduces the costs in freight. While such reservoirs are convenient to manufacture and transport, they do present a significant problem when they are used in ground which may be subjected to flooding or water logging.

It is an object of this invention to provide means which can be used in association with reservoirs to facilitate their retention in the event of ground becoming water logged or flooded.

In one form the invention resides in a reservoir intended to be buried in the ground comprising a body which defines an enclosed space and which comprises a base, side walls and an upper wall, an anchoring means fixed to the body of the reservoir said anchoring means being intended to extend laterally into the soil surrounding the reservoir when the reservoir is in position.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the anchoring means comprises a plurality of arms which extend laterally into the soil from the base.

According to an alternative preferred feature of the invention, the anchoring means comprises a plurality of arms mounted to the side walls and which extend laterally from the body.

According to a preferred feature of each of the features referred to above, the arms are inclined upwardly.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the arms are resiliently flexible.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention the anchoring means comprises one or more of flexible webs fixed to the body and intended to be located in and buried in the soil surrounding the body. If desired according to one embodiment of the invention, the webs are resiliently flexible.

The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description several specific embodiments. The description is made with reference to the ooeol S accompanying drawings of which;

*SSS

S Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of a sewerage valve pit according to the first embodiment; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a sewerage valve pit according to the second embodiment of the invention; and Figure 3 is a side elevation of a sewerage valve pit according to the third embodiment of the invention.

Each of the embodiments are directed to a valve or access pit which is used in association with a sewerage delivery system.

Figure 1 illustrates the valve pit according to the first embodiment installed in a sewage installation. The valve pit shell 11 is buried in the ground 10 such that its upper face is below the level of the ground. The upper face is closed by a lid 12 which can be formed of concrete, metal, fibre reinforced plastic, or any other suitable material. The lid is provided with a central opening which accommodates a closure 13 in order to control access to the interior of the valve pit.

8 -4- The shell 11 has a generally cylindrical profile in that the side walls 14 are of a circular cross-section however the base 15 of the pit has a area which is less than that of the upper face of the valve pit and is circular in plan. The centre of the base 15 is offset laterally from the centre of the upper face whereby the side walls 14 of the pit have a generally convergent eccentric configuration in that the side wall at one side is substantially parallel to the central axis of the valve pit while the opposed side wall is inclined downwardly whereby the portions of the side wall at the one side and opposed side are convergent.

The valve pit 11 is intended to accommodate an inlet pipe 16 and an outlet pipe 17.

The inner end of the outlet pipe 17 is associated with a suitable valve and pump 18 which are accommodated within the valve pit in order to effect delivery of the contents of the pit to the outlet 17. In addition breather pipes 19 are connected to the valve pit at its upper end.

•goa The valve pit is to be intended to be formed of a light weight material such as fibre reinforced plastics. In order to prevent the valve pit from "floating" out of the ground in the event of the ground surrounding the pit becoming waterlogged or flooded an anchoring means is provided to retain the valve pit in position in the ground. The anchoring means according to the first embodiment comprises a pair of saddle members 20 and 21 which are fixed to the base and define a pair of laterally directed passageways 22 on the underneath of the base 15 which substantially intersect each Sother perpendicularly. The passageways 22 can accommodate lengths of tubing or pipe which are clampingly to be received in the passageway in order to extend radially from the base to provide radial extensions of the base.

In use the arms 23 are fixed in position onto the base immediately prior to the pit being installed in the ground. On the pit being installed in the desired position, the hole is then filled to bury the arms 23 in the soil.

If desired the arms 23 may be configured to maximise the resistance to their upward movement in the soil. This may be effected by forming the arms 23 such that they are "paddle shaped".

The second embodiment as shown at Figure 2 relates to a valve pit 111 of the same form as that of the first embodiment where the valve pit would be used in the same manner as the first embodiment with the difference between the first and second embodiment relating to the nature of the anchoring means. In the case of the second embodiment, the side walls 114 are provided with a set of circumnferentially spaced pockets 125 which are directed upwardly to have an open upper face. Each of the pockets 125 are intended to receive arms 123 which are formed of a flat material and which have a generally arcuate configuration such that when one end is engaged in the respective pocket 125, the arm 123 diverges upwardly and outwardly from the side wall of the body. The arms 123 may be formed of any suitable rigid material which is strong enough to be able to withstand the loadings which may be exerted thereon in the event of the ground becoming water logged and buoyant forces being exerted upon the pit body 111. In addition, the arms may be formed to maximise the resistance to their upward movement in the soil. This may be effected by forming the arms 123 such that they are paddle shaped. If desired the arms may be resiliently flexible.

The third embodiment shown at figure 3 again relates to a valve pit of the same form as that of the first embodiment which is intended for the same purposes. The anchoring means in the case of the third embodiment comprises a plurality of flexible webs or strips 226 which are mounted at one end to the upper edge of the side wall 214 of the Sbody and which have a length corresponding substantially to the depth of the valve pit S or longer if such is required. In mounting the valve pit to the ground, the hole for the valve pit is dug to be significantly larger than the dimensions of the valve pit. As the valve pit is buried, the webs or strips 226 are laid in the spoil surrounding the valve pit to become buried therein. If desired, the web 226 can be mounted to the side wall of the body intermediate of the upper edge and base or alternatively to the base. The webs can be formed of sheet material, mesh material or netting. If desired, the webs can be resiliently flexible.

According to a further embodiment which is a variation of the third embodiment, the anchoring means comprises a piece of sheet or mesh material or netting fixed to the base to be capable of extending laterally from the side wall of the base. In installation, -6the piece of material is spread over the base of the hole on installation of the pit in the hole.

According to a further embodiment which is also a variation of the third embodiment, the anchoring means comprises a annular piece of sheet or mesh material or netting fixed to the side wall of the reservoir and which is intended to extend laterally from the sheet. The material can be fixed to the side wall at any position between the base and the upper edge.

A feature of the configuration of the valve pit of each of the embodiments described above is that the shells of the valve pits because of their generally circular tapered configuration are stackable. This feature together with their lightweight nature makes the items readily transportable.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention the valve pit shells may have a polygonal cross-section.

It will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment described above.

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Claims (15)

1. A reservoir which is intended to be buried in the ground comprising a body which defines an enclosed space having a base at least one side wall and an upper wall, an anchoring means comprising one or more members fixed to the body, said one or more members being capable of extending laterally from the body to be received in the soil surrounding the reservoir when in position in the ground.

2. A reservoir as claimed at claim 1 wherein the anchoring means comprises a plurality of arms mounted at one end to the body.

3. A reservoir as claimed at claim 2 wherein the base supports a fixing means oeo I adapted to receive and support the arms. S 4. A reservoir as claimed at claim 2 wherein the sidewall supports a fixing means S. adapted to receive and support the arms.

5. A reservoir as claimed at claim 4 wherein the fixing means comprise upwardly directed pockets.

6. A reservoir as claimed at any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the arms extend upwardly and outwardly from the body. .0000

7. A reservoir as claimed at any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the arms are resiliently flexible.

8. A reservoir as claimed at claim 1 wherein the anchoring means comprises one or more flexible webs fixed to the body.

9. A reservoir as claimed at claim 8 wherein the one or more flexible webs comprise a plurality of strips mounted at one end to the body, said strips being spaced around the body. -8- A reservoir as claimed at claim 9 wherein the strips are fixed to the side walls of the body adjacent the upper edge.

11. A reservoir as claimed at claim 9 wherein the strips are mounted to the lower portion of the body.

12. A reservoir as claimed at claim 9 wherein the strips are mounted to the side walls intermediate of the base and the upper wall.

13. A reservoir as claimed at claim 8 wherein the flexible web comprises a piece of flexible web material mounted to the base. S 14. A reservoir as claimed at claim 8 wherein the flexible web comprises an annular Spiece of flexible web material fixed at its inner edge to the side wall of the body. .e

15. A reservoir as claimed at any one of claims 8 to 14 wherein the flexible web is selected from materials comprising a sheet material, mesh or netting.

16. A reservoir as claimed at any one of claims 8 to 12 wherein the flexible webs are resiliently flexible. 0

17. A reservoir as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the upper wall .S.SSS comprises a removable lid and wherein the remainder of the body comprises a shell which is nestably stackable with the shells of reservoirs of an identical form. -9-

18. A reservoir substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this ELEVENTH day of MAY 1995. JOHN BRENDAN BERRY Applicant Wray Associates Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorney for the Applicant go* *o* ABSTRACT A reservoir (11) which is intended to be buried in the ground comprising a body which defines an enclosed space having a base (15) at least one side wall (14) and an upper wall an anchoring means comprising one or more members (23) mounted to the body and being capable of extending laterally from the body to be received in the soil surrounding the reservoir when in position in the ground. e *99* *e ea 99 *9