CA2227091A1 - Apparatus and method for making booms and bags - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler is mounted on a truck and includes: a roll of flexible material; guide rollers and a support surface for providing a horizontal elongate sheet of material from the roll, the sheet having side edges; a hopper and conduit for depositing filler onto the sheet; a heavy duty sewing machine for attaching together the side edges of the sheet; blades for cutting the material to form a boom or bag having open ends; a stapler for closing the open ends; and a moveable conveyor for depositing the boom or bag. A method for making booms or bags containing filler, includes the steps of: providing a substantially horizontal elongate sheet of flexible material, the sheet having side edges; depositing filler onto the sheet; attaching together the side edges of the sheet; cutting the material to form a boom or bag having open ends; closing the first and second open ends; and depositing the boom or bag.

Description

CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MAKING BOOMS AND BAGS

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for making booms and bags and, more particularly, for making elongate booms and bags having an outer covering of flexible material and a filler of sand or other material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Throughout the world, floods cause billions of dollars in property damage and the loss of thousands of lives every year.

Major floods damage residential properties and all types of commercial and industrial enterprises. They destroy roads and bridges, and disrupt transportation across whole regions.
Electrical and other utilities may be disrupted, and clean water and sewage distribution systems are often damaged for weeks at a time. The destruction may be extensive, and affect thousancLs of people.

Oft:en less obvious is the extensive damage caused to agricult:ural lands, to forests and to the wildlife resources of a region. These effects may be even more devastating to communit:ies since their full effects may last for years.

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In the United States, for example, nearly 10 million householcls are estimated to be at risk for flooding, and each year property damage totals well over $1 billion.
Approximately, ninety percent of all disasters are flood-re]ated, and yet insurance policies for individual home and business owners generally do not cover flood damage.

In order to address the growing problem of the damage caused by floods, governments and institutions around the world have now directed resources into comprehensive studies and scientif:ic investigations relating to floods. Flood plain mapping and accurate record-keeping have now confirmed the magnitude of these disasters, and atmospheric modelling is assisting to determine their causes. As an example, these efforts have established a direct correlation between global warming and the dramatic increase in precipitation in the mid-latitudes. General circulation models demonstrate that higher concentrations of rain, snow and hail saturate the land surrounding natural waterways and exaggerate the eventual run-off and overall water levels. Mapping flood-prone areas provides fair warning of the risks of building in such areas and discourages unwise land use. Using these maps and other relevant data, communities can better plan and design public structures and highways. Governments can also draft zoning and building regulations to prevent land use that could further increase the risk of flooding.

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These predictive approaches will provide long term solutlons to address the problem of flooding. However, flooding continues to cause damage in many parts of the world.
Preventive measures are still required to lessen the damage caused by flooding.

Preventive measures include the design, construction and operation of spillways, levees, reservoirs, and the like, for controll:ing floods. By using these devices, the damage caused by floods can be dramatically reduced by relieving peak flows or by diverting water through bypasses. To date, more than 7,000 miles of federally or locally constructed levees separate the Mississippi from its natural flood plain. While highly structured flood control systems protect homes and save lives, the constriction of natural water ways often increases flood crests downstream, which may cause damage to wildlife and other natural :resources.

In Canada and in the United States, for example, extensive programs have already been instituted to map flood plains and collect ,~etailed information relating to the characteristics of major waterways. Peak heights, discharge rates and total volumes are incorporated to produce flood plain maps which assist in the reduction or avoidance of construction in high risk areas.

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Additionally, flood insurance programs which provide money to assist communities in preventing or preparing for flood disasters have been established. However, in order to qualify for coverage, communities must demonstrate proactive actions to prevent catastrophes.

Such preventive solutions, however, also take time and massive amounts of money to be implemented effectively. A huge commitment of manpower and equipment is required, and the relative effects of the long term disruption to the environment must also be considered, as an integral part of the process.

Millions of dollars are expended across America each year developing and implementing comprehensive flood aversion programs. Every year, however, the problem grows, leading to an increased need for reactive measures.

When floods threaten property or buildings, an army of volunteers must be mobilized to construct temporary dikes, typically with thousands of sand bags. Sand bags are generally filled by hand at a remote location and then delivered to the flood site where they will be employed. Laid in rows to form a contimlous barrier, the bags must be placed in an overlapping pattern to avoid leakage and they must be tamped firmly to ensure the integrity of the overall wall. Polyethylene sheets are usually draped over the entire structure to ensure the barricade remains waterproof.

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Sand bagging is an expensive process because of the huge amounts of materials and labour that are required. A typical dike thal is five feet high and five hundred feet long requires about 42,700 sand bags to construct. For example, in 1985, the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, utilized the Army Corps of Engineers and over 7,500 volunteers to fill and place some 200,000 sandbags in dikes along the Maumee River. Their direct costs were as follows:

Labour and Equipment$146,026 US Army Corps of Engineers334,000 Volunteers 180,000*
American Red Cross Services 43,924 Total $703,950 (*) based on 7,500 people at an average of six hours per volunteer and a value of $4.00 per hour Clean up costs after the flood waters had receded added another~?183,725 to the overall bill. This single effort, over twelve years ago, cost the city almost $1 million.

In April of 1997, the Canadian Armed Forces dispatched over 6,000 troops to battle flooding along the Red River in Manitoba. More than 20,000 private citizens were also involved, and this combined "army" laid over 18,000,000 sand bags through CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

the region. Six weeks later, many of the dikes were still being reinforced as the waters slowly receded.

Sand bagging remains the only practical method of reacting to major and minor flooding throughout the world. Although sand bagging is effective, it is also associated with many disadvantages. For example, it is costly to supply, it requires the mobilization of large numbers of people and equipment, it is prone to breaching and leaks, and it is costly to clean up.

Another problem, which may or may not be associated with flooding, is that of spills of hazardous material, such as oil or dangerous chemicals. It is important to contain such spills using bo~ms. Generally, such booms are elongate and generally cylindrical in shape, and float on water. The booms may simply act as a barrier to the further spread of the spill, or may contain a material for absorbing or neutralizing the hazardous material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for making booms and bags having an outer covering of flexible material and a filler.

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A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for making sand booms and sand bags for use in t]he making of dikes.

A further object of the present invention is to provide and appa:ratus and a method for making absorbent booms for use in the combatting of spills.

According to the invention, there is provided a mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler, comprisi:ng: a moveable frame; sheet means for providing a substantially horizontal elongate sheet of flexible material, the sheet having side edges; filler means for depositing filler onto the sheet; attachment means for attaching together the side edges of the sheet; cutting means for cutting the material to form a boom or bag having open ends; closing means for closing the open ends; and depositing means for depositing the boom or bag.

According to the invention, there is further provided a method for making booms or bags containing filler, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a substantially horizontal elongate sheet olE flexible material, the sheet having side edges;
(b) depositing filler onto the sheet; (c) attaching together the side edges of the sheet; (d) cutting the material to form a boom or bag having open ends; (e) closing the first and second open ends; and (f) depositing the boom or bag.

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In:response to an environmental disaster such as flooding or hazardous material spills, extensive resources must be mobilized quickly and effectively. The response effort can involve thousands of volunteers, military personnel and many vehicles and equipment. Long hours and days can be spent manually filling sand bags or absorbent booms, transporting them to a site, forming them into dikes and then maintaining the barrier to contain the spilled material or the rising water. The present invention automates the process of sand bag, sand boom, or other boom, production and allows the operator of the invention to mechanically place these barriers in the appropriate configuration at the site. Sand booms and/or sand bags can be assembled to form a dike, sorbent booms can be oriented to contain spills, and other types of booms or bags can be assembles for various purposes. Utilizing the present invention, the response is faster, more effective and significantly cheaper than conventional containment methods.
The term sand boom as used herein means an elongate sand bag, which could be only slightly longer than a conventional sand bag, or ,-ould be of an indefinite length.

Other advantages, objects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a :review of the following detailed descriptions of a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the invention will now be described with ref~_rence to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figllre 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figl]res 3 to 23 are detail views of the embodiment of Figure 1; and Figure 24 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.

Similar references are used in the Figures to denote similar ,-omponents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figures 1 to 23 illustrate a first embodiment of a sand boom or sand bag maker 5 in accordance with the present inventio:n. The sand boom or sand bag maker 5 may also be used to make absorbent booms, or many other types of booms. Such booms may be used to combat spills of hazardous material, such CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

as oil or dangerous chemicals. It is important to contain such spills using booms. Generally, such booms are elongate and generally cylindrical in shape, and float on water. The booms may simp]y act as a barrier to the further spread of the spill, or may contain a material for absorbing or neutralizing the hazardous material.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sand boom or sand bag maker 5 is mounted on a truck 10. An alternative would be to mount the sand boom or sand bag maker 5 on a trailer, barge, wagon, or other conveyance.

The sand boom or sand bag making process begins with aggregate material (not shown), such as sand, that is stored in the on-board system reservoir 15. The aggregate material is forcecl into a forming tube 20 by an auger 25 (see Figure 5) at the base of the reservoir 15. Integrated with the delivery auger 25, wrapping material 30 is folded over the forming tube 20 through a series of guide rollers 35 (see Figure 10). The two edges 40 (see Figures 1 and 11) of the wrapping material 30 are :3ewn together to form a sand tube containing the aggregate material. The sand tube will be converted into one or more sand booms or 13and bags later in the process. The completed sand boom or bag is then carried into a deployment chute 50 at the rear of the sand boom or sand bag maker 5, where the positioning of the sand boom is directed by an operator.

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The length of the sand tube may be determined by the operator. At controllable intervals, the flow of aggregate material is temporarily halted and the wrapping material 30 at the ends of the sand tube is cut and stapled by the stapling and cutt:ing system 55 (see Figure 13). The wrapping material 30 is gathered by two sets of mechanical forks (not shown).
Staples (not shown) are automatically inserted at the two resulting gathers and the sand tube is horizontally sealed to form a sand boom or sand bag. The wrapping material 30 is then severed between the stapled ends and the extrusion process restarts.

Production rates of the illustrated embodiment are approximately as follows:

Sand Bags (12" x 24" - approximately 40 pounds each) - 514 units/hour Sand Booms (12" x unlimited length approximately 110 pounds/foot) - 88 linear feet/hour The reservoir 15 is a hopper that holds about 300 cubic feet of aggregate material, in this case sand. The reservoir 15 is mo~mted behind the power plant 60 and elevated about two feet above the chassis 65 of the truck 10. This elevation allows for the operation of the material rollers 70 below the CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

reservoir 15, and positions the extrusion point 75 (see Figure 2,l at least five feet above ground level. The top 80 is open to allow the loading by a material intake conveyor system by an alternative pumping system or by a front end loader. The reservoir 15 also contains sensors (not shown) which constantly monitor the level of the aggregate material in the reservoir 15. The volume of the reservoir 15 enables the sand boom or sand bag maker 5 to operate independently and extrude approximately 375 feet of continuous boom, while another feeder vehicle, such as a dump truck, moves into place.

Referring to Figure 5, the mechanical auger 25 operated by a high torque auger motor 85 is positioned centrally at the bottom 9() of the reservoir 15. The rotation of the auger 25 forces the aggregate material to the rear 95 of the reservoir 15 and into an extrusion forming tube 20. The packed aggregate material is pushed through the forming tube 20 towards the wrapping and sewing system 100. The continuous movement of the auger 25 provides a constant flow of the aggregate material being ext:ruded. To finish a boom, the rotation of the auger 25 is ha:Lted, allowing the flow of aggregate material to be stopped while the wrapping and sewing system 100 continues the wrapping and sewing process. When the rotation of the auger 25 is rec,umed the extrusion of the next boom begins.

In t:he illustrated embodiment, the wrapping material 30 used for sand booms and sand bags is typically woven CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

polypropylene, from one to three millimetres thick. A full roll of material weighs between about 300 to 1,000 pounds, depending upon the material thickness, width and moiqture content. The wrapping material 30 used for absorption booms is typically spun-bond polypropylene or nylon, which is thinner and light:er in weight. The following chart lists some of the standard materials that can be employed by the sand boom or sand bag maker 5. Other materials may be used in specific situations or for particular applications.

Materia,l Thickness Roll Roll Roll Use Width Weight Length Woven Poly- 2.7 oz6.2 ft 840 lb 7,500 ft Sand propyle:ne Woven Po:ly- 3.0 oz 6 ft 95 lb 750 ft Sand propylene Nylon~' 1.2 oz6.5 ft 50 lb l,000 ft Sorbent Typar~' 1.0 oz6.5 ft 374 lb 3,900 ft Sorbent The wrapping material 30 used by the sand boom or sand bag maker 5 is stored on the material roller 70 which is located in front of the reservoir 15. The roll 150 of wrapping material 30 can be up to about six feet wide and up to about four feet: in diameter.

.

Referring to Figures 6 to 8, to load a roll 150 of wrapping material 30, a ~et of temporary tracks 105 are pulled from the bed 110 of the chassis 65 and supported by retractable legs 115 that fold downward. The roll 150 of wrapping material CA 0222709l l998-Ol-l~

iS stored in a carriage 120 consisting of the support structure 125, axle 130, braking shoe 135 and water repellant hood (not shown). The carriage 120 rests on wheels 140 that roll along straight permanent tracks 145. The empty carriage 120 is rolled onto the temporary tracks 105 from the permanent tracks 14 5. Two winches (not shown) are attached to the axle 130 of the new roll 150 of wrapping material 30. The roll 150 of wrapping material 30 is raised between the temporary tracks 105 and attached centrally on the carriage 120. The winches are then detached. The roll 150 of the wrapping material 30 and carr:iage 120 are rolled back onto the bed 110 of the chassis 65 and locked into place.

Referring to Figure 9, once the roll 150 of wrapping material 30 has been loaded onto the bed 110, it is manually fed through five sets of guide rollers 35. The first set of rollers 160 iS motorized and pulls the wrapping material 30 off of the roll 150. The second and third sets of rollers 165, 170 are spring loaded to maintain tension in the wrapping material 30 as the wrapping material 30 travels toward the sewing head 185. The fourth and fifth sets of rollers 175, 180 function as guides that prevent the wrapping material 30 from gathering before it is sewn together. The wrapping material 30 is pulled up and each edge 40 is wrapped around a curved forming shield 190, into a cylindrical shape. Along the forming shield 190 there are three horizontal wheels 195 under the wrapping material 30 that pull the wrapping material 30 towards the CA 0222709l l998-Ol-l~

sewing head 185. Three drive wheels 200 operate on each side so that the wrapping material 30 remains taut against the forming shield 190. Once the wrapping material 30 iS pulled up and around the forming shield 190, it surrounds the sand extrusion or forming tube 20 and two pairs of pinching wheels 205 feed the edges 40 of the wrapping material 30 into the sewing head 185. The braking shoe 135, synchronized with the motorizecL first set of rollers 160 is attached to the axle 130 to maintain proper tension in the wrapping material 30 and prevent the roll 150 from spinning.

When the wrapping material 30 comes off the forming shield 190, the edges 40 are fed into a sewing guide 210 by pinching wheels 205. The sewing head 185 stitches the edges 40 of the wrapping material 30, creating a continuous seam. The speed of the sewing head 185 iS integrated to the drive motor (not shown) that feeds the wrapping material 30 from the roll 150.
The speed range is from about 1,200 to 2,200 RPM. The stitch range is~bout two to five stitches per inch using Federal Type 401 thread. The sewing head 185 iS self-lubricating and specifically designed to withstand harsh environments with minimal maintenance.

Three v-shaped sets of forks 225 are mounted downstream from the sewing head 185. A fixed fork 235 of each set of forks 225 iS fixed to a frame 240 and a moveable fork 230 moves towards it hydraulically. To end a sand boom or sand bag, the CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

extrusion process is temporarily halted and the wrapping material 30 is allowed to move forward. The moveable forks 230 then travel towards the fixed forks 235, trapping a section of the empty wrapping material 30. As the forks move together, the material is gathered and compressed. A stapler 245 is mounted cn the outside of each of the outer forks. After the wrapping material 30 is gathered, one stapler 245 closes the trailing end of the completed sand boom or sand bag and the other stapler 245 fastens the leading edge of a new sand boom or sand bag.

After the staples are secured, a blade 250 attached to the middle set of forks 255, severs the wrapping material 30. The blade 250 is mounted on the same assembly as the moveable forks 230 but has a full range of motion to allow the shearing action. When the material is cut, the blade 250 and moveable forks 230 return to their original positions. The finished sand boom or sand bag is then released.

The deployment chute 355 is supported by a telescopic support boom 265, which comprises a first boom member 270 and a second boom member 275. The first boom member 270 is a hollow, square boom that is fixed to a pivoting joint 272. The second boom member 275 is an extendable, mating section of boom. Each of the first boom member 270 and the second boom member 275 is about eight feet long and about six inches square. The bottom side 280 of the second boom member 275 has CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

two smooth tracks on either side, and a central rack of gear teeth. All of the weight of the second boom member 275 is transferred to the first boom member 270 through the tracks.
Inside the first boom member 270, a large gear 295 fits into the rack 290 of the second boom member 275. This creates an extension movement of the second boom member 275 relative to the first boom member 270. A boom motor 300 located beneath the first boom member 270 drives a gear (not shown) that moves both the boom extension/retraction gear 295 and the conveyor belt (not shown).

The first boom member 270 is mounted to the chassis 65 by a force distribution system 310. The force distribution system 310 consists of an upper horizontal disk 315, which is about three feet in diameter and about six inches thick. The upper horizontal disk 315 is fastened to the top of a lower horizontal disk 320, which is about four feet in diameter and about six inches thick. The lower horizontal disk 320 is attached lo the bed 110 of the chassis 65 and is free to rotate up to about 120 degrees. Both the lower horizontal disk 320 and the llpper horizontal disk 315 are encased in a steel support structure 325 which transfers the forces of the telescopic support boom 265 to the chassis 65. The extra six inch lip 330 of the horizontal disk 315 transmits the force and torque of the extended telescopic support boom 265 to the steel support structure 325 in all positions of rotation.

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The telescopic support boom 265 iS attached to the upper horizontal disk 315 at two points. It is attached at the end 335 of the first boom member 270 by a hinge (not shown) which is mounted about six inches from the back edge 340 of the upper horizontal disk 315 and about nine inches above the upper horizontal disk 315. This arrangement allows the telescopic support boom 265 to articulate up and down. The second point of attachment is by a large hydraulic piston 345 (e.g. 40,000 pounds) located about one foot from the front edge 350 of the upper horizontal disk 315. This hydraulic piston 345 extends to a maximum of about one foot, giving the telescopic support boom 265 its full vertical range.

The chute 355 draws and guides the telescopic support boom 265 as it is extended. It is mounted on the telescopic support boom 265, each of which is about eight feet in length. The wider seclion 360 iS fixed to the first boom member 270 of the telescopic support boom 265. The narrower section 365 rests inside the wider section 360 and extends about six feet from the end oi- the wider section 360. The narrower section 365 iS
fixed to t,he ~3econd boom member 275 of the telescopic support boom 265. The narrower section 365 slides within the anchored wider sect,ion 360 with the extension of the telescopic support boom 265. The telescopic support boom 265 can be positioned up to about 60 degrees to either side of the centre of the chassis 6'~ of the truck 10. After moving the chute 355 into position, it is locked in place to provide additional support.

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The ,-hute 355 iS about two feet wide, with side walls 370 that are about eight inches high. At the bottom 375 of the chute 355 are seventy-two, one inch diameter, passive rollers 380, equally spaced along the chute 355 and arranged perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the chute 355.

Each of the two side walls 370 of the chute 355 includes a swing wall 385. Each swing wall 385 includes a hinge 390 oriented perpendicularly to the bottom 375 of the chute 355.
Each swing wall 385 extends from the hinge 390 toward the pivot end 395 of the chute 355. Each swing wall 385 overlaps a flexible wall section 400 of one of the side walls 370. The flexible wall sections 400 are preferably constructed of a flexible~polymer material. Each flexible wall section 400 has a spring end 405 overlapping and adjacent one of the swing walls 385, and a pivot end 410 opposite the spring end 405.
Attached to each spring end 405 iS a pair of wall springs 415, which are under tension, and which are attached to an anchor 420. The anchor 420 iS mounted on the outside face 425 of the ~wing wall 385. Each pivot end 410 iS pivotally attached to a flexible wall housing 430 by way of a horizontally oriented axle 435, the arrangement allowing for vertical pivotal movement of the flexible wall sections 400 relative to the flexible wall housing 430.

The tension in the wall springs 415 pulls on the flexible wall section 400 and keeps them taught. When the telescopic CA 0222709l l998-Ol-l~

support boom 265 rotates sideways, the flexible wall sections 400 bend with the movement and maintain continuous chute side walls 370. The tension in the wall springs 415 prevents the flexible wall sections 400 from bowing out under the cornering pressure of the extrusion sand booms or sand bags. When the telescopic support boom 265 iS moved up or down, the flexible wall sections 400 rotate relative to the flexible wall housing 430, allowing the length of the chute side wall 370 to correspond with the rotation of the telescopic support boom 265 and maintain continuous chute side walls 370.

A conveyor 440 having a first set of drive rollers 445 and a second set of drive rollers 450 pull the sand booms or sand bags along the chute 355. The first set of drive rollers 445 iS located at the pivot end 395 of the chute 355.
The conveyor 440 iS about two feet long and about 1. 5 feet wide and is driven by a small, high torque motor 455 with a gear down to reduce the conveyor speed. The second set of drive rollers 450 iS located at the free end 460 of the chute 355.

Preferably, the rollers 380 are one inch rollers, except for those located within about two feet of the free end 460 of chute 355, which are preferably two inch rollers which are connected to a high torque motor which gears down to reduce roller speed.

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The sand boom or sand bag maker 5 includes an independent power plant 60 mounted on the front of the chassis 65. The power plant 60 includes a diesel engine that produces approximately 100 hp, and which is employed by the following:

Material Intake Conveyor 120 V 40 A 5,000 W
Auger 230 V 24 A 5,500 W
Material Roll Loading 12 V 70 A 840 W
DC
Material Roll Brake 12 V 10 A 120 W
DC
Material Deployment1/3 HP 115 V 7 A 800 W
Rollers Sewing Head 12 V 9 A 500 W
Material Forming Rollers 3 x 115 V 5 A 600 W

Air Comp:ressor/Staplers 2 HP 115 V 24 A 2,700 W
Hydraulic Pump 1 HP 12 V 200 A 2,400 W
Articulalion Rollers1/3 HP115 V 5 A 600 W
Telescop:ic Boom Motorl/2 HP115 V 9 A 1,100 W
Chute Ro:Llers 1/2 HP 115 V 9 A 1,100 W
Control Sensors 120 V 2 A 240 W
Control ',ystem (valves, 120 V 5 A 600 W
drives) Lighting 120 V 20 A 2,400 W
Extra Power 120 V 20 A 2,400 W
Deployment Extension 120 V 17 A 2,000 W
Conveyor Power Surge for Motor 120 V .15,000 Startup .W
.
Total: 38,900 CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

The sand boom or sand bag maker 5 includes the following sensors:

Generators and Motors Diesel Engine Standard Sensors Generator Standard Sensors Shaft Speed Engine to Generator RPM, % HP Used Shaft Speed Engine to Pump RPM, CFM
Auger Shaft Speed RPM, CFM
Hydraulic Pump Standard Sensors Loose Material Volume in Reservoir Standard Material in Forming Tube Standard Material SYstem Motorized Roller RPM
Fabric Speed to Sewing Head RPM
Sewing Head Speed RPM
Boom Closure Displacement Boom Cutting Displacement DeploYment Chute Boom Height Spring Gauge Boom Orientation Disk Rotation Piston Overload Strain Gauge Chute Length Spring Gauge CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

Motor Overload Standard Clo~ed Circuit Television Camera Industrial TV B~W

Intercoms Standard The sand boom or sand bag maker 5 includes the following switches and speed controls:

Power Generation and Motors Diesel Engine Standard Controls Electrical Generator, Standard Controls Power Take Off Engine and Generator Clutch Full Load, No Load, Variable Loads Hydraulic Pump On, Off, Variable Loose Material Control Auger Speed Variable Speed Material and Sewinq Controls Material Loading Winches On, Off and Variable Speed Mate:rial Roll Brake Off and Variable Resistance CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

Motorized Roller On, Off and Variable Speed Guide Wheels on Shield On, Off and Variable S p e e d , a 1 1 Synchronized Guide Wheels at Sewing Head On, Off and Variable S p e e d , a 1 1 Synchronized Sewi.ng Head On, Off and Variable Speed Staplers On, Off and Variable Speed Gathering Forks On, Off and Variable Speed Cutt:ing Blade On, Off and Variable Speed Deployment Chute and Controls Chute Rotation On, Off, Counter Cloc kwise and Clockwise Chute Piston Up, Down and Variable Height Left and Right Lock Lock, Unlock Extension Extend and Retract Seccndary Movers On, Off and Variable Speed, Synchronized CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

Agqregate material, such as sand, can be transferred from a source,.such as a dump truck or a pile of aggregate material on the ground, into the sand boom or sand bag maker 5 by a directionally controllable conveyor system 470, which includes a conveyor belt 475. The conveyor belt 475 is about eighteen inches in width and is mounted on a support mechanism 480 on the fron.t of the truck 10. The conveyor system 470 includes a boom 4B7 having a primary boom section 485, extendable about ten feet in front of the truck 10. The primary boom section 485 can rotate through about 120 degrees, allowing it to access a source of aggregate material from either side of the truck 10. The boom 487 also includes an articulating boom section 490, which is about eight feet long, attached to the end of the primary boom section 485. A scooping wheel mechanism 495 is attached to the free end 500 of the boom 487. Rotating at sixty RPM, the wheel mechanism 495 delivers approximately one hundred and twenty-five cubic feet per minute of aggregate material to the conveyor system 470. The conveyor system 470 includes hydraulic pistons 505 attached to the support mechanism 480 to allow an operator of the sand boom or sand bag maker 5 l_o raise or lower the conveyor system 470 to position the scooping wheel mechanism 495 correctly relative to the source o:E aggregate material.

A c:Losed circuit TV camera (not shown) is mounted on the primary boom section 485 to allow the operator of the sand boom or sand bag maker 5 to control and monitor the aggregate CA 02227091 1998-01-1~

material intake. The articulating boom section 490 is positioned by a control device 510 that can be operated by the vehicle driver or by an operator at an exterior position.

Sand booms and sand bags can be retrieved from a dike into the sand boom or sand bag maker 5 by the conveyor system 470.
The scooping wheel mechanism 495 is removed from the conveyor system 470 and a guide fork attachment 515 is added. Sand booms or sand bags are directed onto the conveyor system 470, where they are pulled to the reservoir 15. At the top 80 of the reservoir 15, the boom or bag is slit open longitudinally, allowing the aggregate to fall into the reservoir 15. The empty bag is then wound around a material roller (not shown), to be recycled or discarded.

A deployment extension system (not shown) can be attached to the free end 500 of the boom 487 to increase the deployment reach of the sand boom or sand bag maker 5. The deployment extensions system may include conveyor extensions that are electricaLlly powered from the power plant 60 and are mounted on a frame that is designed to be rolled into position and then fixed on site. Once they have been locked into position, the deployment extension system allows the operator to move sand bags or sand booms to a secondary vehicle, to an offshore boat or nearer to the work site.

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Figure 23 shows an alternative embodiment of the sand boom or sand bag maker 5, in which aggregate material is transferred from a source (such as a dump truck) to the reservoir 15 by a plastic, flexible, crushproof tube 520. The tube 520 is about eight inches in diameter and is mounted on a support boom 525 with a wide range of motion. The boom 525 rests about nine feet from the ground and extends out to a maximum of about fourteen feet. The boom 525 is raised and lowered as needed so that: the tube 520 can reach over the edge of a feeder vehicle such as a dump truck. The tube 520 extends down below the boom 525 to intake the aggregate material. Aggregate material, such as sand, is drawn from the source and though the tube with a vacuum system 525.

Numerous modifications, variations and adaptations may be made to the particular embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the claims.

Claims (19)

1. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler, comprising:
a moveable frame;
sheet means for providing a substantially horizontal elongate sheet of flexible material, the sheet having side edges;
filler means for depositing filler onto the sheet;
attachment means for attaching together the side edges of the sheet;
cutting means for cutting the material to form a boom or bag having open ends;
closing means for closing the open ends; and depositing means for depositing the boom or bag.

2. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 1, wherein the sheet means comprises an axle for receiving a roll material, an upwardly facing surface for supporting the sheet of material from a roll, and feeder means to unroll the material from a roll onto the surface.

3. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 2, wherein the surface is curved in a concave upward fashion.

4. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 1, wherein the filler means comprises a reservoir for receiving and storing filler, and a conduit for transferring the filler from the reservoir to the sheet.

5. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 4, wherein the conduit comprises a substantially horizontally oriented pipe for depositing filler onto the sheet.

6. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 3, wherein the filler means comprises a reservoir for receiving and storing filler, and a conduit for transferring the filler from the reservoir to the sheet, wherein the conduit comprises a substantially horizontally oriented pipe for depositing the filler onto the sheet, and further comprising guide means for wrapping the sheet around the pipe.

7. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 1, wherein the attachment means comprises a sewing machine for stitching together the side edges of the sheet.

8. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 1, wherein the cutting means includes at least one metal blade.

9. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 1, wherein the closing means comprises a stapler.

10. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 1, wherein the depositing means includes, a moveable arm for supporting and directing the sand booms or sand bags.

11. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 10, wherein the moveable arm includes a plurality of rollers.

12. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 11, wherein the moveable arm includes a powered conveyor.

13. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 1, further comprising a reservoir for receiving and storing filler prior to the depositing of filler onto the sheet by the filler means.

14. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 13, further comprising transporting means for transporting filler from a source to the reservoir.

15. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 14, wherein the transporting means comprises a moveable arm for supporting the filler.

16. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 15, wherein the moveable arm includes a powered conveyor for propelling the filler along the transporting means.

17. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 15, wherein the moveable arm includes tube for receiving the filler, and a fan for propelling the filler through the tube.

18. A mobile apparatus for making booms or bags containing filler as defined in claim 1, wherein the moveable frame is a truck.

19. A method for making booms or bags containing filler, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a substantially horizontal elongate sheet of flexible material, the sheet having side edges;
(b) depositing filler onto the sheet;

(c) attaching together the side edges of the sheet;
(d) cutting the material to form a boom or bag having open ends;
(e) closing the first and second open ends; and (f) depositing the boom or bag.