EP1950352A2 - Flood protection system - Google Patents

Abstract

Flood protection device comprises a barrier (2) which moves vertically in an upper open shaft (5) and can be flooded via feed lines. Stops (10) delimit the vertical movement of the barrier in the upper region of the shaft and sealing devices (7) are arranged between an upper abutment of a shaft wall and a sealing surface of the barrier. Preferred Features: A rear wall of the barrier lies in an extended position on an upper region of the rear shaft wall and horizontal sealing devices run over the length of the shaft in this region to prevent washing round of the barrier.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a flood protection device according to the preamble of independent claim 1.

STATE OF THE ART

From the EP 0726364 A1 is known an extendable dam, in which a vertical retaining wall is housed with a bottom-mounted float in a chamber. The chamber has at its top a slot through which it communicates with the environment and in which the vertical retaining wall is received a filling channel connects to the chamber and extends to the watercourse. The extendable dam is arranged in a dike body, so that at low water, the float rests on the bottom of the chamber, which is arranged in the interior of the dike body. In this position of the floating body is the upper edge of the vertical retaining wall in the slot and thus at or below the level of the top of the dike body. In this position, the extendable dam is neither in operation nor visible, As soon as the water level exceeds a certain level, the water flows through an upper-side filling channel into the chamber and floods it. As a result, the float is lifted in the chamber up and pushed the retaining wall through the slot up out of the dike crown. At high tide, the effective dike height is automatically achieved. According to the doctrine of EP 0726364 the chamber is placed in a sufficiently covered depth in the dam body to reinforce the upper portion of the chamber. The chamber tapers accordingly at its upper end to the slot and the upper chamber inner walls are provided with sealing means intended to cooperate with the upper surface of the raised floating body,

A major disadvantage of this design is that the chamber is no longer accessible after installation from the outside. The float is trapped in the chamber and can not be removed for maintenance or cleaning of the chamber. If any debris or debris, such as rocks or branches, have penetrated the chamber, they can not be removed without structural measures. In view of the high investment costs and the low fault tolerance of the security-relevant applications, it must be assumed that the system will be rejected solely because of this lack of serviceability. The potential customers are first and foremost municipalities or other public bodies that can not afford to invest millions in an infrastructure whose functioning is not 100% guaranteed in an emergency.

It is in the EP 0726364 already recognized that sealing means are necessary to achieve a reliable operation of the inventive dam. The seal between the chamber inner wall and the float shall prevent water entering the chamber through the filling channel from escaping along the float and through the slot at the back of the vertical retaining wall under the influence of the high water pressure Top of the float and / or the cooperating portion of the chamber inner wall arranged. As soon as the float is moved upwards due to the water flowing through the filling channel into the chamber, the upper side of the float touches the upper wall of the chamber. Tests by the applicant of the present patent application have shown that the buoyancy of the floating bodies shown is just sufficient to lift the thin vertical wall. A sufficiently high pressure on the sealing means, however, can not be achieved by the buoyancy of the float, as this the weight of the vertical wall counteracts. However, a high pressure would be necessary to prevent flushing of the float and leakage of water through the slot at the back of the vertical retaining wall. The applicant of the EP 0726364 describes the effect that increases with increasing flood level, the force with which the float on the inner wall of the chamber increases. Since the buoyancy of the float does not change even with increasing flood level, it can not contribute to an increase in the sealing force.

The water pressure to which the sealant is exposed, however, increases with the increasing water level and can be increased even in rivers significantly by the back pressure. If the seal does not withstand this load, flushing occurs and the vertical wall remains completely ineffective in the worst case, since it is not effectively reached by the flood.

Another disadvantage of the device according to the EP 0726364 This is because the chambers could not easily be created on-site, for example in a continuous process, because the float elements can not be retrofitted.

A disadvantage of systems with water supply lines below the dam crown, as for example from the WO 00/01892 are known, is that the floating walls already extend, when the flood has not yet reached the dam crest. Depending on the situation, this can be very disturbing. Especially in the area of roads, pedestrian or cycle paths, it is not desirable that a deterioration in use or obstruction takes place only in acute floods The sealing problem is in the WO 00/01892 not very important. It is only mentioned that the floating walls according to a first embodiment with rubber strips are permanently sealed against the guide slot in the upper cover. From the FIG. 2 of the WO 00/01892 It is clear that this gasket must even be gas-tight, as the water level inside the trough is also high High water level does not reach the top cover and thus the seal in the slot, but only compresses the volume of air trapped above the water. Such a seal can not be formed with low friction. Therefore, the one-piece floating walls must be extremely light or very voluminous, so that the buoyant portions can actually provide the necessary buoyancy. In the systems of WO 00/01892 In addition, the vertical guidance of the floating walls in or outside the trough is extremely complex and prone to failure.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a flood protection device which does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages. It should be provided a device that provides the highest level of flood protection in case of emergency, by working well in case of pollution and is sufficiently dense at any water pressure. In addition, production, installation and maintenance of the device should be cost-effective.

This object is achieved by a device having the features of claim 1.

Further advantageous embodiments of the inventive device will become apparent from the dependent claims.

The devices according to the invention do not impair the appearance of the village or the riparian zones, since they can be lowered in the ground or in existing dike installations or can be attached to existing protective structures in such a way that they represent an aesthetically pleasing element in design. The installation of the new device can be made without the flow cross section is reduced in rivers.

The construction according to the invention, in particular the reduction to a minimum of moving components, leads to a low maintenance expenditure at the same time, higher Reliability in use. The inventive construction makes it possible to use for cleaning, respectively for maintenance, even direct environmental influences such as rain.

A particular advantage of the invention is that the locking body can be removed with little effort from the shafts. Maintenance and / or control work on the barrier bodies and / or the shafts, including inlets and outlets, can be made inexpensively. In the case of damaged or deformed barrier bodies, this allows for quick removal for repair or replacement.

The new device is truck overrun at ground level installation, so that the partially navigable banks at normal water level, the traffic is not hindered It has proven particularly advantageous that the usual road-building road gradient of at most 1 to 1.5% of the inventive device can be overcome.

The new devices can be activated and operated according to advantageous manual embodiments of only a few or even only one person. In a fully automated version, at least the extension of the blocking bodies with the retaining walls is controlled by a controller with corresponding sensors. In any case, the new device means that no longer numerous helpers in the case of floods on site dams or mobile barriers must be established. The independence of numerous helpers makes the new system particularly attractive for use in poorly accessible or sparsely populated areas.

For training purposes, such as annual flood tests, the new devices can be tested easily and without much effort.

The production of the devices according to the invention is extremely cost-effective even with small quantities of blocking bodies and shafts, since they are simple in terms of production engineering, ie, can be carried out without special equipment or tools For larger quantities, the production can be rationalized, so that the acquisition costs can be reduced to an interesting for public or private builders Mass.

In the new flood protection device for riparian areas of a water body with variable water level at least one locking body is housed in a top open shaft at least vertically movable. The lock body includes a vertical baffle mounted on a buoyant body. Depending on the embodiment and application situation, a plurality of blocking bodies are preferably accommodated in a shaft. In larger systems, several shafts or structurally separate shaft sections can be lined up, so that a flood protection over many meters or even kilometers is possible. At normal water level, the blocking bodies are preferably fully sunk in the shafts. Each shaft is floodable via at least one Beflutungsdurchlass, the flooding of the shafts is preferably active that is, the wells are flooded not with the rising water from the einzemmämmenden water, but via pressure lines with tap water or water, which is pumped from a suitable reservoir. This allows the system to be controlled independently of the level of the water body.

It is an essential feature of the present invention that the shafts are formed open at the top so that the locking elements can be removed. In preferred embodiments, stop means are arranged in upper regions of the shafts which limit the vertical mobility of the blocking bodies. When flooding the shafts, the blocking bodies are lifted by the buoyancy bodies until they rest in an upper extended position on the stop means. The stop means are releasably attached to the upper regions of the shaft wall and can be removed with little effort. This ensures that the lock body, without having to make structural changes to the shaft, can be removed from the shafts. Preferably are on a bottom edge of the locking body corresponding stop means formed, which cooperate with the stop means of the shaft wall.

A crucial role is also the sealants that seal the locking body at least against a shaft wall to prevent flushing of the locking body. Preferably, these are arranged at least between an upper abutment of the rear-side chamber wall and a rear-side sealing surface of the blocking body. Under front, respectively front, should be understood in the context of the present invention, the water to be contained facing side. Unless otherwise stated, the reverse or rear side is understood to mean the side facing away from the water to be contained.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stowage wall is not arranged centrally on the buoyant body, but is placed at a rear area of the buoyancy bodies, so that the blocking body is not completely balanced, but tilts backwards when flooded. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the rear side of the stowage wall is aligned with the rear side of the buoyant body and both side surfaces lie in a common plane. In the retracted state, an upper portion of the rear wall abuts an upper portion of the inner side of the rear shaft wall. In this area, preferably the sealing means extend in the shaft wall. These preferably include rubber press seals and are designed with low friction to not slow down the upward movement of the locking body too much. Since the center of gravity of the locking body is moved from the center to the rear, the float is in the rest position during the floating and in the extended position continuously to the rear shaft wall on. This ensures that no foreign material can penetrate and impair the sealing. As the flood increases, the water pressure against the inside of the barrier wall increases, with the baffle wall acting as a lever urging the rear wall of the barrier member against the continuous longitudinal sealing means. Also at dynamic water movements, for example, when waves, is always ensured by the inventive construction a sufficient sealing effect Additionally or alternatively can be on the rear wall of the locking body in a lower region, which presses in the extended state against the shaft wall sealant attach.

In systems with a plurality or plurality of blocking elements, the sealing between the retaining walls of adjacent blocking elements and between adjacent buoyancy bodies and the shaft wall is additionally ensured. For sealing the butt joints of adjacent blocking bodies against each other, the blocking bodies are preferably designed with a sealed rear grip, wherein the relative vertical mobility of the blocking bodies is not restricted to one another

Since the design of the volume of the buoyant body and the buoyancy force achievable therewith is limited, in particular the barrier elements have to withstand high, static and dynamic loads, they have to be optimized in terms of weight, choice of material and stability. The blocking elements are divided into two parts with regard to the functions to be taken over buoyancy and flood barrier. This is reflected in the subdivision into buoyancy body and retaining wall. Since the baffle wall does not have to contribute to the buoyancy, it is optimized for high stability at the lowest possible weight The buoyant body must be able to absorb the forces introduced into the bulkhead and is accordingly maximized for high stability, high water displacement at low weight. Structures made of aluminum and / or fiber-reinforced plastics have proven to be advantageous in tests. The large hollow bodies of the buoyancy bodies are preferably each foamed in order to increase the stability. The volume of the buoyant body is primarily limited by the manufacturing costs and the cost of constructing the well, which must be so deep that it can accommodate the buoyant body together with the bulkhead. As additional benefits, further installations such as cable ducts or pipes can be provided or laid in the shaft.

In order to ensure the Überfahrbarkeit the device without increasing the weight of the locking body, in particular the baffle, a separate cover is provided, which closes the shaft stable and preferably dirt-tight. The covers are according to a preferred embodiment designed so that they are automatically opened by the blocking element when floating and completely release the shaft. In other embodiments, they can be opened or removed by hand or a corresponding drive. In particularly preferred embodiments, the cover is formed as a lid, which is pivotally mounted with hinge means on the upper edge of a shaft wall

The geometry of the shaft elements is designed so that narrow guides with small tolerances between locking body, in particular the buoyancy body and the shaft walls are avoided. This ensures a sturdy system and prevents even minor soiling such as stones or branches can affect or block the mobility of the locking body in the shaft. If, however, flooding of the shafts still leads to the blocking of individual blocking bodies in positions which are not completely extended, the blockings can usually be released by simple shaking or reciprocating movement of the blocking bodies by hand.

The shafts of the inventive devices have in addition to the already described inlets and outlet channels in the bottom area, so that they can be emptied after flooding. The bottom of the shafts is inclined to the outlets so that when emptying no water in the shaft remains. The outlet channels are preferably directed towards the water and each secured with barrier or preferably non-return valves against uncontrolled ingress of water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Fig. 1

eine Seitenansicht einer Hochwasserschutzvorrichtung gemäss einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform der Erfindung mit einem Sperrelement in einer oberen ausgefahrenen Position;

Fig. 2

die Ansicht gemäss Fig. 1 mit dem Sperrelement in einer unteren Ruheposition, wobei ein zusätzlicher unterer Schachtbereich nicht dargestellt ist;

Fig. 3

ein Sperrelement gemäss der Ausführungsform der Figuren 1 und 2 in perspektivischer Ansicht von schräg vorne, wobei die Dichtmittel zum Abdichten gegenüber benachbarten Sperrelementen weggelassen sind;

Fig. 4

das Sperrelement gemäss Figur 3 in Seitenansicht;

Fig. 5

das Sperrelement gemäss Figuren 3 und 4 in einer Ansicht von vorne, wobei die Dichtmittel zum Abdichten gegenüber einem Sperrelement dargestellt sind; und

Fig. 6

das Sperrelement gemäss Figur 5 in einer Sicht von oben.

In the following, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention shown in the figures. Show it :

Fig. 1

a side view of a flood protection device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention with a locking element in an upper extended position;

Fig. 2

the view according to Fig. 1 with the locking element in a lower rest position, wherein an additional lower shaft area is not shown;

Fig. 3

a blocking element according to the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 in a perspective view obliquely from the front, wherein the sealing means for sealing against adjacent blocking elements are omitted;

Fig. 4

the blocking element according to FIG. 3 in side view;

Fig. 5

the blocking element according to FIGS. 3 and 4 in a front view, wherein the sealing means are shown for sealing against a locking element; and

Fig. 6

the blocking element according to FIG. 5 in a view from above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the FIG. 1 a first embodiment of the flood protection device 1 for riparian areas of a water body G is shown with greatly increased water level P _max in a flood situation A in a top open shaft 5 vertically movable housed Lock body 2 is in an upper extended position. The blocking body 2 comprises a vertical stowage wall 3 which is mounted on a buoyancy body 4. The stowage wall 3 is arranged at a rear area of the upper side of the buoyant body 4, so that the blocking body 2 is not balanced, but has a center of gravity shifted to the rear, so that he tilts when he floods backwards. The vertical stowage wall 3 is arranged directly above the upper trailing edge of the buoyancy body which is approximately rectangular in cross-section, so that its rear side is aligned with the rear side of the buoyant body 4 and both side faces lie in a common plane. The rear wall of the float abuts against an upper portion of the inside of the rear shaft wall 51. In this area preferably sealant 7 extend over the entire length of the shaft 5 in the shaft wall. The sealing means 7 preferably comprise rubber pressed seals and, in cooperation with corresponding sealing surfaces 9 of the blocking elements, prevent flushing of the blocking elements in the event of an emergency. In the in FIG. 1 shown extended position, the seal is enormously reinforced by the pressure of the flood against the inside of the retaining wall 3. The stowage wall 3 acts as a lever, the shaft wall in the region of the sealing means as a tilting bearing and arranged on the front shaft wall stop 10 as an abutment.

Since the blocking elements are already pressed by the asymmetric weight distribution against the sealing surfaces and the flood increases the sealing effect, a sufficient sealing effect is ensured even with dynamic water movements, for example, when waves

The shaft 5 is substantially U-shaped open at the top, wherein the top-side opening is dimensioned so that the locking elements 2 can be removed from the shaft 5. Stop means 10 are arranged in upper regions of a front shaft wall 53 in order to limit the vertical mobility of the blocking bodies 2. When flooding the shafts 5, the blocking body 2 are lifted by the buoyancy bodies 4 until they rest in an upper extended position with a stop rib 41 on the stop means 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the stop means 10 are releasably attached to the upper regions of the shaft wall 53, preferably screwed, and can be removed with little effort. For maintenance, cleaning or repair, it is sufficient to unscrew the stops and already let the lock body lift out of the shaft.

For the function of the stop means it is sufficient to attach two or a few stops for each locking element on the shaft wall. In a further preferred embodiment, the stops 10 extend over the entire length of the shaft 5 and cooperate sealingly with the also continuously arranged at the lower front edge of the buoyancy element rib 41. Sealing means are preferably attached to the longitudinal stops sealing means on the longitudinal ribs 41 of the locking elements would rub when floating on the front inner wall of the shaft 5 and could be damaged or slow down the startup.

From the FIG. 1 is clearly seen that a lid 11 is pivotally mounted with hinge means on an upper edge of the rear shaft wall 51, In conjunction with the FIG. 2 it is clear that the lid 11 is automatically opened by the blocking element 2 during the floating and the shaft opening completely free. The lid can also be opened by hand or by means of a non-marked drive. In the closed position, in FIG. 2 is shown, the lid 11 is at ground level to the lining of a road F to lie, so that the Überfahrbarkeit the device 1 is ensured

In the retracted state, an upper portion of the rear wall 3 abuts an upper portion 51 of the inside of the rear shaft wall. The shaft is deep enough that the locking body 2 can be fully absorbed, respectively sunk, and the lid 11 For flooding, water can be pumped via a supply line 6 via pipes not shown in the shaft interior 55 and for draining or pumping out the water at least one outlet channel 12 is mounted in the bottom region of the shaft. The shaft bottom 54 has a slope towards the outlets, so that no water remains in the shaft when emptying. The outlet channel is directed towards the water side, while the inlet is arranged on the water-remote side of the device 1.

The decisive role played by the sealants has already been generally discussed above. From the Figures 1 and 2 It is clear that the locking body 2 is pressed with the rear wall 9 of the buoyant body 4 at least in the region of the sealant 7 against shaft wall 51 and thus prevents it being washed around, especially in pending flooding, the sealant extending in the illustrated embodiment longitudinally in the shaft wall 51st and are preferably constructed as a rubber seal of suitable resistant material, for example EPDM rubber seals, friction, so as not to slow down the upward movement of the locking body 2 too much.

In the FIG. 3 a blocking body 2 is shown according to a preferred embodiment, as in a device according to the Figures 1 and 2 can be used. The high demands on the construction and the conflicting goals have already been explained above. The volume of the approximately cuboid buoyant body 4 is adapted to the weight of the top stowage wall 3 In order to withstand the static and dynamic loads, the blocking elements according to the preferred embodiment of plastics, preferably glass fiber reinforced plastics (GRP) or light metal, preferably made of aluminum. The stowage wall 3 comprises a vertical rear wall 30 and a number of vertically oriented reinforcing ribs 13, which for example have a triangular cross-section. The FIGS. 5 and 6 clearly show that the reinforcing ribs 13 evenly distributed over the entire length of the front of the retaining wall 3 are. The reinforcing ribs 13 sit with their base on an upper side 42 of the buoyancy bodies and taper upwards. Since the stowage wall 3 does not contribute to the buoyancy, it is optimized for high stability with the lowest possible weight. If, in the event of an emergency, the pressure of the impending flood on the baffle wall 3, the illustrated reinforcing ribs 13 stabilize the wall against bending, and at the same time they introduce a considerable part of the forces in the buoyancy body 4. This is made of aluminum, for example, and the inner cavity is foamed to increase stability. An upper edge 31 of the vertical wall 3 is stiffened by means of a double fold.

From the side view of FIG. 4 shows that the buoyancy body tapers slightly towards the top. A front wall 43 is inclined from the stop rib 41 at the lower edge upwards by a few degrees to the rear. This slight wedge shape additionally prevents the buoyant body 4 from hitting the stop during startup with the front upper edge.

The views of FIGS. 5 and 6 show further sealing means 50 which are attached to the right vertical edge of the baffle 3, to effect the sealing of the butt joints between the baffles of adjacent locking elements in devices with a plurality or plurality of locking elements. The joint seal 50 extends from the upper edge of the wall 3 to below the sealing region 9 on the buoyancy body 4. At the right side, the wall 3 projects laterally over the float, so that this supernatant engages behind the vertical sealing means of a blocking element on the left and the two Walls are sealed against each other. The vertical sealing means 50 extend down to a region between adjacent buoyancy bodies. The sealing means 50 thereby ensure that the sealing of the butt joints extends below the horizontal sealing area on the rear side of the blocking elements, thereby keeping the flood protection device tight in the area between adjacent blocking bodies. The vertical sealing means do not restrict the relative vertical mobility of the locking body to each other and are designed so that they do not catch or hinder each other when floating.

Basically, the geometry of the shaft elements is designed such that narrow guides with small tolerances between locking body, in particular the buoyancy body and the shaft walls are avoided. In the FIG. 1 and the FIG. 2 such a system is shown in which the rear wall 52 of the shaft 5 is exempted up to an upper region 51 soiling such as stones or branches, which can penetrate into the shaft, especially when used in rivers, place in the spaces 56 space and obstruct the Mobility of the locking body 2 in the shaft 5 not.

In the FIG. 1 is indicated that can be accommodated in the shaft 5 or in a separate compartment 57 below the shaft 5 as additional benefits other installations such as cable ducts or other lines. The shaft is preferably made on site, for example, with a wall thickness of 14 cm made of reinforced concrete, cast steel fiber or polymer fiber concrete, or prefabricated finished parts of such materials are installed in corresponding trenches In both cases, civil engineering work is required, with little overhead as described above can be used.

In other embodiments, not shown in the figures, the devices are not sunk in the ground, but formed as parts of infrastructure in the bank area The device according to the present invention may serve as part of quay walls or as above-ground barrier walls, which in an emergency by means of extendable barrier body to increase the effective height of the dam wall.

List of reference numbers

1

Flood protection device

2

blocking body

3

retaining wall

4

buoyancy

5

shaft

6

supply

7

Horizontal sealant

9

sealing surface

10

attack

11

cover

12

exhaust port

13

reinforcing ribs

30

rear wall

31

Top edge of the stowage wall

41

stop rib

42

Top of the float

43

Front wall of the buoyancy body

50

Vertical sealant

51

Rear shaft wall

52

Lower area of the rear shaft wall

53

Front shaft wall

54

shaft bottom

55

Tray core

56

free space

57

compartment

F)

roadway

G)

waters

P)

level

Claims (10)

Flood protection device (1) for riparian areas of a water body of variable water level with at least one blocking body (2) comprising a vertical retaining wall (3) with a buoyancy body (4), characterized in that the blocking body (2) in an open-topped shaft (5 ) is housed at least vertically movable and via at least one supply line (6) flooded, wherein stop means (10) in the upper region of the shaft (5) limit the vertical movement of the locking body (2) in the shaft (5) and sealing means (7) at least between one upper abutment of a rear shaft wall (51) and a rear sealing surface (9) of the locking body (2) are arranged. Flood protection device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a rear wall of the locking body (2) abuts in an extended position on an upper portion of a rear shaft wall (51) and in this area horizontal sealing means (7) over the length of the shaft (5 ) and prevent flushing of the blocking body (2). Flood protection device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the baffle wall (3) at adjacent high water as a lever, the shaft wall (51) in the region of the sealing means (7) as a tilting bearing and a front wall of a shaft (53) arranged stop (10 ) acts as an abutment. Flood protection device (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the sealing means (7) comprise rubber seals. Flood protection device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the center of gravity of the blocking body (2) is moved out of the median plane, so that the blocking body when floating to the back of the shaft (5) tips out. Flood protection device (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the baffle wall (3) at a rear portion of the top of the buoyancy body (4), preferably directly above an upper trailing edge of the buoyancy body (4) is arranged, and its back with a back of Floating body (4) lies in a common plane Flood protection device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the shaft (5) is formed open at the top, wherein the upper-side opening is dimensioned so that the locking elements (2) from the shaft (5) are removable. Flood protection device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that stop means (10) limit the vertical mobility of the locking body (2) in the shaft (5) upon reaching an upper working position. Flood protection device (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the stop means (10) are preferably arranged detachably on an upper region of a front shaft wall (53) and cooperate with a rib (41) arranged on a lower front edge of the buoyancy element (4). Flood protection device (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the stop means (10) extend over the entire length of the shaft (5) and cooperate in a sealing manner with the rib (41) which is likewise arranged uninterruptedly on the lower front edge of the buoyancy element.

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