JP3064071B2 - Waterfall generator and drainage structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterfall generating apparatus for artificially generating a waterfall, that is, a waterfall, and to a drainage structure which can be used for this apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a waterfall generating device for artificially generating a waterfall for the purpose of show-up or realism has been used in various theme parks and amusement parks. A conventionally proposed waterfall generator is a waterfall tank (fluid source)
The fluid stored in the waterfall deck flows along the flow path built in the falls deck, or the fluid pumped from the lower fluid source flows along the flow path, and the fluid drops from the fluid discharge edge of the flow path The waterfall is artificially generated.

[0003]

In the case where a waterfall is generated at a position distant from the audience to some extent, there is no particular problem with the conventional apparatus, but when a waterfall is generated at a position closer to the audience, the waterfall of the waterfall is generated. Must be kept away from the audience as much as possible. In addition, there is a case where it is required for the production to stop falling of the droplets from the waterfall generator in a short time as soon as possible after the waterfall is generated. However, in the conventional apparatus, the dropping of the droplet cannot be stopped until the fluid remaining in the flow path is exhausted, and this request cannot be met. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a state of a waterfall when the flow rate is reduced in the conventional waterfall generation device. As shown in FIG. 8, when the amount of the fluid falling from the fluid discharge edge of the flow path decreases, one fluid stream is divided into a plurality of narrow fluid streams. The divided fluid flow becomes a thin water film and gradually becomes narrower as it goes downward. This is the effect of surface tension acting inward from both sides in the width direction (x direction) of the fluid flow, as indicated by arrows in FIG. The flows coming from both sides will collide with each other and form a twist of the water film of 90 °, thereby generating droplets flying in the yz direction. The generation of such droplets is caused not only by the waterfall generator, but also when, for example, water flows from the roof used for stage equipment, or the roof of a general house having a structure in which a large amount of water may concentrate and flow down. But it also happens.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a waterfall generating device in which splash is less likely to be generated during the fall of a fluid. It is another object of the present invention to provide a waterfall generating device that is less likely to generate droplets during the fall of a fluid and that can stop dropping in a short time. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a drainage structure which can be used for a waterfall generating device and can effectively suppress the generation of droplets during the fall of fluid. Another object of the present invention relates to a draining structure that can be used for a waterfall generating device and can stop falling of drops in a short time.

[0005]

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, a fluid is caused to flow along a flow path from a fluid source, and the fluid is dropped from a fluid discharge edge of the flow path to artificially generate a waterfall. Floating waterfall generator is targeted for improvement. According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of convex portions are provided along the upper end of the fluid discharge edge. Then, the shape and arrangement of the plurality of convex portions are adjusted so that the fluid flow falling between the two adjacent convex portions does not form a water film that is sprayed due to its width being narrowed by surface tension. It has established. According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the features of the first aspect, a surplus fluid discharge port is provided along the fluid discharge edge in the middle of the flow path, and the surplus fluid discharge port communicates with the surplus fluid discharge port. A channel is provided. As specified by the third aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the surplus fluid discharge port is provided close to the plurality of convex portions. The inventions of claims 4 and 5 are directed to an improvement of a draining structure that can be used for a waterfall generating device and other devices. In the draining structure according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to prevent the fluid flowing along the flow path from dropping from the fluid discharge end of the flow path, the fluid is attached to the upper end of the fluid discharge end. A plurality of convex portions are provided, and the shape and arrangement of the plurality of convex portions are such that a fluid flow falling between two adjacent convex portions becomes droplets due to its width being reduced by surface tension. It is determined not to form a water film. The draining structure of the invention according to claim 5 is
A draining structure is constituted by a surplus fluid discharge port provided along the fluid discharge edge in the middle of the flow path and a surplus fluid discharge flow path communicating with the surplus fluid discharge port and discharging surplus fluid.

[0006]

The present inventor has studied the conventional apparatus. As a result, when the amount of the falling fluid decreases, a lot of droplets are generated during the falling of the fluid, and the cause is the surface tension acting on the falling fluid flow. I found that. When a plurality of convex portions are provided along the upper end of the fluid discharge edge as in the invention of claim 1, since the generation of a water film that is scattered due to the narrowing due to surface tension can be prevented, It is possible to prevent the generation of droplets that fall on the audience. When the flow rate decreases, the fluid that falls through between the plurality of convex portions falls in an interdigital shape as shown in FIG. If the excess fluid discharge port is provided along the fluid discharge edge in the middle of the flow path as in the invention of claim 2, when the amount of fluid flowing along the flow path decreases, the excess fluid discharge port Almost flows into the surplus fluid discharge port. Therefore, draining of the fluid flowing down from the fluid discharge edge can be completed in a short time. If the surplus fluid discharge port is provided close to the plurality of convex portions as in the invention of claim 3, draining can be completed with almost no generation of drops.
According to the draining structure of the fourth aspect of the present invention, draining can be performed by the same operation as that of the first aspect of the present invention without generating a splash. Therefore, the draining structure of the present invention can be used not only for the draining structure of the waterfall generating device but also for draining a roof of a stage device or a roof of a general house. According to the drainage structure of the fifth aspect of the invention, the drainage can be completed in a short time by the same operation as the second aspect of the invention.
Therefore, the draining structure of the present invention can be used not only for the draining structure of the waterfall generating device but also for draining the roof of a stage device.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment in which a waterfall is generated in front of a guest seat using the waterfall generation device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a spectator seat, and a reservoir 2 is provided in front of the spectator seat 1. Reference numeral 3 denotes a waterproof ceiling made of a concrete, which constitutes a waterfall deck. The upper surface 3a of the ceiling 3 is inclined so as to descend from the front to the rear. Upper surface 3a of ceiling 3
Constitutes the bottom surface of the surplus fluid recovery tank 4 which forms a part of the surplus fluid discharge channel. At the rear end of the ceiling 3, one end of a drain pipe 5 that connects the surplus fluid recovery tank 4 and the reservoir 2 is open, and the other end of the drain pipe 5 is opened into the reservoir 2. The surplus fluid recovery tank 4 and the drain pipe 5 constitute a surplus fluid discharge channel. At the front edge of the upper surface 3a of the ceiling 3, an upright wall 6 is provided which rises upward and forms a fluid discharge edge of the inclined flow path. The details of the upright wall 6 will be described later. Reference numeral 7 denotes a channel floor which forms a channel together with the upright wall 6. The flow path floor 7 is disposed so as to form a gap defining the surplus fluid discharge port 8 between the flow path floor 7 and the upright wall section 6. The flow path floor 7 is formed on the upper surface 3 a of the ceiling section 3 by a columnar member (not shown). It is fixed for. In addition, according to the contour shape (shape when viewed from above) of the ceiling portion 3 constituting the waterfall deck and the contour shape (shape when viewed from above) of the upright wall portion 6 constituting the fluid discharge edge. The shape of the channel bed 7 will be determined. For example, if the upright wall portion 6 has a straight contour, the channel floor 7 may have a simple flat plate shape. When the upright wall portion 6 has a curved contour shape or a bent contour shape having a plurality of corners, in order to make the front edge along the upright wall portion 6 and to average the flow rates of the flow path portions. In some cases, it is better to form the channel floor 7 in a three-dimensional shape. Further, in the above embodiment, the channel bed 7 is inclined so as to descend from a fluid discharge port 9b to be described later toward the fluid discharge edge, but the channel bed 7 is necessarily inclined as in this embodiment. It is not necessary, and the channel bed 7 may be in a horizontal state, or may have a gradient opposite to that in the embodiment. Even when the channel bed 7 is in a horizontal state or in a reverse slope, the fluid drops from the fluid discharge edge due to the rise in the level of the fluid stored on the channel bed 7. Further, in the above embodiment, the inclination angle of the channel bed 7 does not need to be constant, and the inclination angle can be changed at an appropriate place to adjust the flow velocity of the water flow.

A water storage tank 9 constituting a fluid source is provided at an upper rear portion of the channel floor 7. This water storage tank 9 may be composed of a single tank or a plurality of tanks. At the lower part of the peripheral wall portion 9a on the front side of the water storage tank 9, a fluid discharge port 9b that can be opened and closed by remote control is provided. In this drawing, the fluid discharge port 9b is schematically shown as one faucet, but the structure of the fluid discharge port 9b is arbitrary, and for example, a water gate type fluid discharge port can be used. In addition, the supply of fluid (water) to the water storage tank 9 may be performed by using tap water, but may be performed by pumping water from the reservoir 2 using a pump. In the present invention, the structure of the fluid source is not limited to the water storage tank 9 as in the present embodiment. For example, the fluid source may be configured to directly discharge water pumped using a pump.

FIG. 2A is a partial plan view of the embodiment in which the contour of the upright wall 6 is straight, as viewed from above. FIG. 2B is an enlarged sectional view showing the vicinity of the upright wall 6. In this example, a horizontal portion 7 having a predetermined width is provided at the front end of the channel floor 7 in order to adjust the flow velocity of the water flow.
a is provided. The upright wall portion 6 is provided integrally with a plurality of convex portions 10 at predetermined intervals along an upper end thereof, and a thin drainer plate 11 is provided integrally with a lower end thereof. The drain plate 11 prevents water flowing along the outer surface of the upright wall portion 6 from flowing to the back surface side of the ceiling portion 3. FIG. 3 shows an example of the shape and arrangement of the convex portions 10.
(A) to (I). The shape and arrangement of the plurality of convex portions 10 prevent a fluid flow falling between two adjacent convex portions from forming a water film that becomes droplets due to a reduction in width due to surface tension. It is stipulated that

In FIG. 3, W1 is the width of the base of the protruding portion 10, W2 is the distance between two adjacent protruding portions, and H is the distance between the tip of the protruding portion 10 and the protruding portion. It is the height dimension between the base. According to experiments, the thickness of the water film is about 3mm
It was found that when smaller, droplets were generated. Therefore, it was found that the height dimension H required 3 mm or more.
If the height H is too high, there is a problem that the waterfall is cut and the scenery of the waterfall deteriorates, and the convex portion 10 has strength enough to withstand the high water pressure released for the formation of the waterfall. This is not practical. In the case of an experiment using the inclination angle and flow rate of the channel bed shown below, if the height H is set to 10 mm or less, the upright wall portion 6 and the convex portion 10 can be made of an iron plate or a plastic plate having a thickness of 1 to 2 mm. It was confirmed that even when formed using, it was possible to sufficiently withstand water pressure.

Further, according to an experiment, the width W1 of the convex portion 10 is measured.
However, it was found that when the diameter was smaller than about 2 mm, the water film cut at the convex portion 10 was recombined after release to form a water film that would generate droplets. If the width W1 is too large, the water flow is blocked by the convex portion 10, and the thickness of the water film generated along the fluid discharge edge when the water flow passes over the convex portion 10 becomes uneven. It makes the landscape worse. Further, if the width of the convex portion 10 is widened, when the water film of the water flow over the convex portion becomes thin, droplets are generated from the thin film. Therefore, the width W1 is preferably 10 mm or less.

There is no problem if the interval W2 between the convex portions 10 does not depend on the shape thereof. However, if the interval W2 is too wide, a water film that generates droplets will be generated. According to an experiment, when the distance W2 is larger than about 10 mm, a water film that generates droplets is generated.

The upper limit value and the lower limit value of each dimension in the above description are merely examples, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these values change depending on conditions such as the amount of water and the angle of the flow path bed 7. Incidentally, when the above values were determined, the amount of water was 5 liters / sec / m, the average flow rate at the time of waterfall formation, and the angle of the channel floor 7 was 3 degrees. . The preferred dimensions of the respective parts when using the convex parts having the shapes and arrangements shown in FIGS. 3A to 3I determined under the same conditions are as follows. Since the generation of the droplets is caused by the surface tension, the shapes and the dimensions of the convex portions are the same in both the experimental model and the actual apparatus.
Therefore, even in the case of an experimental model, it is possible to confirm whether or not there is an effect due to a difference in the shape and size of the convex portion.

FIG. 3 (A): W1 = 10 mm; W2 = 10 mm; H = 3 mm FIG. 3 (B): W1 = 10 mm; W2 = 10 mm; H = 8 mm FIG. 3 (C): W1 = 10 mm; W2 = 0 mm H = 5 mm FIG. 3 (D): W1 = 10 mm; W2 = 10 mm; H = 5 mm FIG. 3 (E): W1 = 10 mm; W2 = 0 mm; H = 5 mm FIG. 3 (F): W1 = 6 mm; W2 = 8 mm; H = 3 mm FIG. 3 (G): W1 = 2 mm; W2 = 10 mm; H = 3 mm FIG. 3 (H): W1 = 2 mm; W2 = 10 mm; H = 5 mm FIG. 3 (I): W1 = 2 mm; W2 = 10 mm; H = 5 mm The shape and arrangement of the convex portions are not limited to the above example, and the width dimension W of the convex portion in one draining structure.
1, at least one of the spacing dimension W2 and the height dimension H may be changed, and a plurality of types of convex portions may be used in one draining structure.

In the above embodiment, the surplus fluid recovery tank 4 is formed below the flow path floor 7, but in order to prevent the falling fluid from splashing, the surplus fluid recovery tank must be provided. There is no. For example, as shown in FIG.
A flow channel floor 17 may be provided on a. Further, when the surplus fluid outlet 8 is formed in the immediate vicinity of the convex portion 10 as in the above embodiment, depending on the amount of water discharged and the width of the surplus fluid outlet,
Although the distal end surface of the convex portion 10 is positioned slightly above and below the extension of the flow path floor 7, when the excess fluid recovery tank is not provided as in the embodiment of FIG. What is necessary is just to make the projecting part 10 directly project from the upper surface of the channel floor 17.

When the fluid is discharged from the fluid discharge ports 9b provided at a plurality of locations, in order to ensure a uniform discharge flow rate over the entire length of the fluid discharge edge, as shown in FIG. 27 on the partition wall 27 for limiting the flow direction of the discharge fluid
.. May be provided to form a plurality of channels on the channel floor 27.

In the above embodiment, water is used as the fluid, but a fluid in which ethylene glycol is mixed, such as an antifreeze, or a liquid organic compound may be used as the fluid. When a fluid other than water is used, since the viscosity and the surface tension are different, the aforementioned width dimension W1 and gap dimension W
2 and the height dimension H need to be set to appropriate values according to the viscosity.

In the above embodiment, the upright wall portion 6 and the protruding portions 10 constitute a drainage structure according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, which prevents the generation of droplets. The draining structure according to claim 5, for quickly cutting up excess fluid by an excess fluid discharge port 8, an excess fluid recovery tank 4, and a drain pipe 5 provided along an upright wall 6 constituting an edge portion. It is configured.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, when the amount of water decreases, almost all of the water flowing through the channel floor 7 flows into the surplus fluid discharge port 8 and is collected in the surplus fluid recovery tank 4. Therefore, the discharged water runs out quickly, and the dropping of the droplets can be stopped in a short time. The width dimension of the surplus fluid discharge port 8 may be any as long as the fluid forming the cascade is not collected more than necessary and the surplus fluid can be surely discharged. In the present embodiment, the width dimension is set to 10 mm to 20 mm. Is preferred. The surplus fluid outlet 8 need not be formed continuously, but may be formed by an aggregate of a plurality of through holes. It is most preferable that the excess fluid discharge port 8 is formed at a position close to the convex portion 10 as in the embodiment, but it may be provided in the middle of the flow path floor 7, and in this case, the excess fluid discharge port 8 is provided. Excess fluid upstream of the outlet 8 will be collected. Also, the structure of the excess fluid recovery tank 4 may be any as long as it does not collect the fluid forming the waterfall more than necessary and can reliably discharge the excess fluid. The structure of the inlet portion is shown in, for example, FIG. Such a structure can be adopted. With this structure, the capacity of the surplus fluid recovery tank can be increased.

The two types of draining structures shown in the above embodiments can be used for draining other than the waterfall generator. For example, the present invention can be applied to a roof of a stage equipment house. In addition, the draining structure of claim 4 is shown in FIGS. 7 (A) and 7 (B).
The present invention can also be applied to a roof with an edge gradient structure used for a roof of a private house as shown in FIG. In this roof, the slope 37a
At the ends of the inclined surfaces 37a 'to 37d, reverse inclined surfaces 37a' to 37d 'whose inclination directions are opposite to those of the inclined surfaces are provided, and a boundary between the inclined surfaces 37a' to 37d and the reverse inclined surfaces 37a 'to 37d' is provided. A drain D as a water collection manhole is provided at at least one location (two locations in this example). With this type of roof, when the amount of rain increases, drainage from the drain cannot catch up, and rainwater overflows and flows down from the edges of the reverse slopes 37a 'to 37d'. In addition, the drain D often causes clogging, in which case the rainwater may overflow even with a small amount of rainfall. In that case, the inclined surfaces 37a 'to 37d
When the convex portion specified in claim 4 is provided along the edge of ',
It is possible to prevent the falling water from splashing, and it is possible to prevent rainwater from being applied to the side wall of the house more than necessary.

[0021]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a water film which may be formed by the narrowing of the width due to the surface tension, thereby preventing the generation of the splash to the audience. According to the second aspect of the present invention, drainage of the fluid flowing down from the fluid discharge edge can be completed in a short time. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the draining can be completed with almost no drops. According to the draining structure of the fourth aspect of the present invention, draining can be performed by the same operation as that of the first aspect of the present invention without generating a splash. According to the drainage structure of the fifth aspect of the invention, the drainage can be completed in a short time by the same operation as the second aspect of the invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment in which a waterfall is generated in front of a guest seat using the waterfall generation device of the present invention.

2A is a schematic partial plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG.
2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2C is a partially enlarged view showing a modification.

FIGS. 3A to 3I are diagrams showing modified examples of the shape and arrangement of convex portions, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a view schematically showing a state of a falling fluid flow generated by the apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a modified example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a plan view of an example in which the drainage structure of the present invention is applied to a roof of a house, and FIG. 7B is a plan view of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a state of a falling fluid flow generated by a conventional apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... spectator seat, 2 ... reservoir, 3 ... ceiling part, 4 ... surplus fluid collection tank, 5 ... drain pipe, 6 ... standing wall part, 7, 17, 27 ... channel floor, 8 ... surplus fluid collection port, 9 ... water tank, 9b ... fluid discharge port, 10 ... convex part, 11 ... drain board, 12 ... partition wall part.

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-258281 (JP, A) Jiko 5-20559 (JP, Y2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B05B 17 / 08 A63G 31/00 B44C 5/06

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A waterfall generating apparatus for generating a waterfall by flowing a fluid from a fluid source along a flow path and dropping the fluid from a fluid discharge end edge of the flow path, thereby artificially generating a waterfall. A plurality of convex portions are provided along the upper end of the edge portion, and the shape and arrangement of the plurality of convex portions are such that a fluid flow that falls between two adjacent convex portions is formed by surface tension. A waterfall generating apparatus characterized in that the waterfall is determined so as not to form a water film that is splashed when the width is reduced. 2. A surplus fluid discharge port is provided along the fluid discharge edge in the middle of the flow path, and a surplus fluid discharge flow path communicating with the surplus fluid discharge port is provided. The waterfall generator according to claim 1. 3. The waterfall generating device according to claim 2, wherein the excess fluid discharge port is provided near the plurality of convex portions. 4. A draining structure for preventing a fluid flowing along a flow path from splashing when the fluid drops from a fluid discharge edge of the flow path, wherein the drainage structure is provided at an upper end of the fluid discharge end. The plurality of convex portions are provided, and the shape and arrangement of the plurality of convex portions are such that a fluid flow that falls between two adjacent convex portions has a width that is reduced due to surface tension and thus is sprayed. A draining structure characterized in that it is set so as not to form a water film that changes. 5. A draining structure for draining a fluid flowing from a fluid source along a flow path toward a fluid discharge edge and dropping from the fluid discharge edge, wherein the drainage structure is provided in the middle of the flow path. A draining structure comprising: a surplus fluid discharge port provided along a fluid discharge end edge; and a surplus fluid discharge flow path communicating with the surplus fluid discharge port to discharge surplus fluid.