NL2024106B1

NL2024106B1 - A facing for separating a body of soil from a body of water to prevent erosion of the body of soil, a facing installation method and a facing replacing method

Info

Publication number: NL2024106B1
Application number: NL2024106A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Sebastiaan De Hollander David
Original assignee: Gebr De Hollander Holding B V
Priority date: 2019-10-25
Filing date: 2019-10-25
Publication date: 2021-07-19
Also published as: NL2026773B1; NL2026773A

Abstract

This invention relates to a facing for separating a body of soil from a body of waterto prevent erosion of the body of soil, said facing comprising over substantially its entire length a wooden lower portion releasably connected to a non-wooden upper portion, wherein a transition region from lower portion to upper portion is located substantially at or below the waterline.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION A facing for separating a body of soil from a body of water to prevent erosion of the body of soil, a facing installation method and a facing replacing method

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a facing for separating a body of soil from a body of water to prevent erosion of the body of soil. Such facings are generally used at the banks of ditches, ponds, lakes and rivers to reduce the maintenance requirement of the banks and/or keep a clear fairway for boats.

Such facings are typically made from wood, in particular hardwood, in which adjacent wooden planks are vertically driven into the ground one-by-one and connected to each other to form a rigid barrier between the body of soil and the body of water.

Although such facings are used to prevent erosion of the body of soil, erosion or decay of the facing itself cannot be prevented entirely, so that maintenance or replacement of the facing is required about every 20-30 years. Erosion or decay of the facing typically occurs at the waterline or just above the waterline where oxygen and moisture are usually present in amounts as preferred by organisms causing e.g. wood rot.

A drawback is that replacing a facing is a time-consuming operation in which the wooden planks need to be disconnected from each other and removed from the ground after which new wooden planks need to be driven into the ground and connected to each other.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an improved facing to solve at least partially one or more of the mentioned drawbacks.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a facing for separating a body of soil from a body of water to prevent erosion of the body of soil, said facing comprising over substantially its entire length a wooden lower portion releasably connected to a non-wooden upper portion, wherein a transition region from lower portion to upper portion is located substantially at or below the waterline.

For clarity purposes: - a length of the facing is to be determined in horizontal direction at the level of the waterline, wherein substantially its entire length means over at least 75% of its length, preferably at least 80% of its length, more preferably at least 85% of its length, even more preferably at least 90% of its length, and most preferably at least 95% of its length; - a wooden lower portion means that the portion for at least 50% is made of wood, preferably at least 65%, more preferably at least 80%, and most preferably at least 95%; - a non-wooden upper portion means that the constructive material in an area between at least 1cm below the waterline, preferably at least 5cm below the waterline, more preferably at least 10cm below the waterline, and most preferably at least 15cm below the waterline, and at least 5cm above the water line, preferably at least 10cm above the waterline, more preferably at least 20cm above the waterline, and most preferably at least 30cm above the waterline, that is able to get into contact with water and oxygen is non-wood. This means that non- constructive, i.e. only provided for esthetic reasons, material may comprise wood, e.g. when a wooden cover is provided on the facing to give the facing a wooden look without contributing to the separation of the body of soil and the body of water. However, in an embodiment, also the non-constructive material in said area is non-wood; - releasably connected means that the connection between the lower portion and the upper portion can be disconnected and that connecting and disconnecting is reversible. Destructive methods damaging the lower portion and/or upper portion to disconnect the two portions are not falling within the meaning of releasably connected. Destructive methods only damaging replaceable connecting elements, e.g. bolts or nails, and not the lower portion and/or upper portion fall within the meaning of releasably connected.

An advantage of the facing according to the first aspect of the invention may be that the portion, i.e. the constructive portion, above the waterline which is highly susceptible to erosion is not made from wood allowing to choose materials that are less susceptible to erosion and thus increasing the lifespan of the facing. The wooden portion below the waterline is already less susceptible to erosion as it is more difficult for oxygen to reach this wooden portion. Another advantage may be that in case a material is chosen that is susceptible to erosion, it will be easier to only replace the non-wooden upper portion than to replace the entire facing.

A further advantage may be that the use of wood is reduced thereby making the facing eco-friendlier. Another advantage may be that replacing only the upper portion is quicker and/or cheaper than to replace the entire facing.

Itis noted here that although Dutch patent application NL1005501 discloses a facing having a similar purpose, namely, to extend the lifespan of the facing an/or to make replacement of the facing easier, the manner in which this is achieved in this disclosure is completely different. NL1005501 discloses a facing comprising a plurality of wooden piles of which the upper part is covered with plastic and which are positioned at a certain distance from each other with plastic bulkheads arranged in between. As a result thereof, NL1005501 does not disclose that the facing over substantially its entire length comprises a wooden lower portion releasably connected to the non-wooden upper portion. In NL1005501, only the piles have a wooden lower portion and a non-wooden upper portion, but these portions are not releasably connected to each other.

In an embodiment, the lower portion includes elements having a height that is larger than a width of the elements, said width in turn being larger than a thickness of the elements of the lower portion, and wherein the upper portion includes elements having a width that is larger than a height of the elements of the upper portion, said height in turn being larger than a thickness of the elements of the upper portion. An advantage thereof is that less elements of the upper portion need to be installed or replaced leading to a time reduction. Preferably, a height of the upper portion is identical to the height of a single element of the upper portion resulting in an even larger time reduction.

In an embodiment, the elements of the lower portion are wooden planks, preferably made of hardwood. In an embodiment, the elements of the upper portion are made of sheet material, e.g. of metal, polymer, ceramics or non-wooden composites. Suitable materials at least include concrete, stainless steel, coated steel, galvanized steel, hard plastic, etc. In an embodiment, the upper portion is provided over a top end of the lower portion, wherein preferably the upper portion comprises one or more U-shaped connector elements to receive the top end of the lower portion.

In an embodiment, the lower portion and the upper portion overlap each other in transition region and are connected to each other in the transition region, preferably using bolt connections extending through the lower and upper portions, and/or using screws.

In an embodiment, the facing further comprising substantially horizontal anchoring elements to be connected to the upper portion in order to extend into the body of soil. In an embodiment, the upper portion of the facing comprises a horizontally extending girder to connect the elements of the upper portion together and/or to act as an impact absorber at the body of water side of the facing, which girder may be made of wood, plastic or metal, and is preferably positioned at least 5cm above the water line, preferably at least 10cm above the waterline, more preferably at least 20cm above the waterline, and most preferably at least 30cm above the waterline.

In an embodiment, the substantially horizontal anchoring elements are connected to the girder of the upper portion.

In an embodiment, the connection between the substantially horizontal anchoring elements and the upper portion is concealed by the girder of the upper portion.

In an embodiment, the transition region is located at least 1cm below, preferably at least 5cm below, more preferably at least 10 cm below, and most preferably at least 20cm below the waterline.

The first aspect of the invention also relates to a method for installing a facing for separating a body of soil from a body of water to prevent erosion of the body of soil, said method comprising the following steps: a) driving a wooden lower portion into the ground; b) releasably connecting a non-wooden upper portion to the wooden lower portion, wherein steps a) and b) are carried out such that a transition region from lower portion to upper portion is located substantially at or below the waterline, and wherein steps a) and b) are repeated until a desired length of the facing is obtained. The first aspect of the invention also relates to a method for replacing at least a part of an already existing facing for separating a body of soil from a body of water to prevent erosion of the body of soil, said facing comprising over substantially its entire length a wooden lower portion and a wooden upper portion, wherein a transition region from lower portion to upper portion is located substantially at or below the waterline, said method comprising the following steps: a) removing the wooden upper portion; and b) releasably connecting a non-wooden upper portion to the wooden lower portion.

5 In an embodiment, prior to removing the wooden upper portion horizontal anchoring elements connected to the wooden upper portion are disconnected. In an embodiment, after connecting the non-wooden upper portion to the wooden lower portion, the disconnected anchoring elements are connected to the non-wooden upper portion.

In an embodiment, the wooden upper portion is removed by sawing, cutting or milling.

In an embodiment, the transition region is located at least 1cm below, preferably at least 5cm below, more preferably at least 10 cm below, and most preferably at least 20cm below the waterline. Hence, any removing operation, such as the sawing, cutting or milling, is performed under water.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a facing for separating a body of soil from a body of water to prevent erosion of the body of soil, said facing comprising a lower portion with elements arranged next to each other and having a height that is larger than a width of the elements, said width in turn being larger than a thickness of the elements, and an upper portion releasably connected to the lower portion, wherein the upper portion has elements arranged next to each other and having a width that is larger than a height of the elements, said height in turn being larger than a thickness of the elements, and wherein a transition region from lower portion to upper portion is located substantially at or below the waterline.

Features and embodiments described in relation to the first aspect of the invention may be applied to the second aspect of the invention as well and will not be unduly repeated here. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for removing a decayed portion of a facing configured to separate a body of soil from a body of water to prevent erosion of the body of soil, said method comprising the following steps, starting from a situation in which the facing comprises elements arranged next to each other and connected to each other to form a barrier between the body of soil and the body of water,

in which the elements have been driven into the ground with an overlength extending into the ground, and in which the decayed portion is present in a region at or above the waterline: a) pulling the elements of the facing upwards over a distance equal to or less than the overlength; and b) removing an upper portion from the facing including the decayed portion. In an embodiment, prior to pulling the elements of the facing upwards, the elements are disconnected from each other, and reconnected after pulling the elements of the facing upwards. In an embodiment, the elements are subjected to vibrations during pulling of the elements upwards. In an embodiment, the method is applied to only a part of the elements, but it may also be applied to substantially the entire length of the facing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in a non-limiting way with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like parts are indicated by like reference symbols and in which: Fig. 1 schematically depicts a cross-sectional view of a facing according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 schematically depicts a starting point of a method for replacing a part of a facing according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 schematically depicts the facing of Fig. 2 including some reference lines to indicate elements in the environment of the facing; Fig. 4 schematically depicts the facing of Fig. 2 after removing an upper portion; Fig. 5 schematically depicts the facing of Fig. 4 with a new non-wooden upper portion releasably connected to a lower portion of the facing; and Fig. 6 schematically depicts the facing of fig. 5 including a girder connected to the upper portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Fig. 1 schematically depicts a cross-sectional view of a facing FA according to an embodiment of the invention. The facing FA is arranged between a body of soil BS and a body of water BW to separate the two to prevent erosion of the body of soil BS.

The facing FA comprises a wooden lower portion WLP, which preferably extends to below a bottom BBW of the body of water BW.

The wooden lower portion WLP is preferably made of wooden planks or other wooden elements having a height H that is larger than a width (not shown but extending perpendicular to the plane of the drawing) of the wooden planks or other wooden elements, said width in turn being larger than a thickness T of the wooden planks or other wooden elements.

The facing FA further comprises a non-wooden upper portion NUP releasably connected tothe wooden lower portion WLP in a transition region TR from lower portion WLP to upper portion NUP, which transition region TR is preferably located substantially at or as in this embodiment below the waterline WL.

The non-wooden upper portion NUP comprises elements made of sheet material, e.g. a plate P of steel, polymer or non-wooden composite, with a U-shaped connector element CE attached to a bottom part of the plate P, and a girder G attached to a top part of the plate P.

The U-shaped connector element CE is configured to receive a top end of the lower portion to be releasably connected thereto by for instance bolts, screws or other releasable connection means.

Also shown are substantially horizontal anchoring elements AE including an anchoring plate AP connected to the upper portion NUP by a rod R.

The length of the rod R is preferably significant such that the ground pressure exerted on the plate P is transferred via the rod R to the anchoring plate AP and subsequently to the body of soil itself, which body of soil provides sufficient resistance to withstand the ground pressure.

The anchoring plate AP may be embodied in various way and shapes.

The rod R can be bolted to the plate P or the girder G or the rod R can be welded to the plate P.

The girder G can be used to conceal and/or protect the connection between the plate P and the rod R.

The girder G may thus have one or more functions, including but not limited to: - horizontally connecting elements of the upper portion together; - acting as impact absorber for boats or other vessels; - connecting the upper portion to the anchoring elements;

- concealing or protecting connections between the upper portion and the anchoring elements; - providing a top surface of the facing to e.g. stand on thereby protecting a top end of the upper portion.

At the body of soil side of the upper and/or lower portion, ground retaining cloth RC may be provided as a protective layer. Figs. 2-6 schematically depict different steps of a method to obtain a facing according to the invention. Fig. 2 depicts a starting point of such a method and shows a facing FA made of a plurality of wooden planks WP that are vertically driven into the ground one-by- one to be arranged next to each other. The wooden planks WP form elements having a length L that is larger than a width W, wherein said width W is larger than a thickness T of the elements.

The adjacent wooden planks WP are connected to each other to form a rigid barrier between a body of soil (not shown) and a body of water (not shown) by two girders, namely a first girder G1 and a second girder G2, extending in horizontal direction along the entire length of the facing FA.

Connector members CM are used to extend from one girder G1, G2 to the other girder G2, G1 through the wooden planks WP to clamp the wooden plank in between the two girders G1, G2. The first girder G2 is also provided with a recess RE to accommodate a nut BO to be provided on a rod R of a substantially horizontal anchoring element thereby connecting the anchoring element to the facing FA. Fig. 3 depicts the facing FA of Fig. 2 including a line indicating a waterline WL of the body of water and a line indicating a bottom BBW of the body of the water. Also indicated in Fig 3 is an upper portion WUP of the facing FA using shading of the upper portion WUP. This means that the non-shaded portion may be referred to as lower portion WLP. As in this case the facing is made of wood, the upper portion WUP is a wooden upper portion and the lower portion is a wooden lower portion. Decay of the wooden planks WP occurs at or just above the waterline WL and thus in the upper portion WUP of the facing FA. To improve the state of the facing FA, the upper portion WUP with the decay is removed by separating the upper portion from the lower portion, e.g. using sawing, milling or cutting. The result after removing the upper portion is shown in Fig. 4. A distance DI between a top of the lower portion WLP and the waterline may be at least 5cm, preferably at least 10cm, more preferably at least 15cm and most preferably at least 20cm.

The wooden upper portion WUP with decay is replaced by a non-wooden upper portion NUP having a U-shaped connector element CE that is provided over the top end of the lower portion WLP and supports a plate P extending vertically from the connector element CE, see Fig. 5.

The connector element CE includes through holes TH to receive bolts or screws to connect the connector element CE to the wooden planks WP. The plate P includes holes H2 allowing to connect a first girder G1 and a second girder G2 to the plate P using connector members CM, see Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 also shows a first anchoring connection AC1 and a second anchoring connection AC2. The first anchoring connection AC1 allows the non-wooden upper portion NUP to be connected to the anchoring element also referred to in Fig. 2. The second anchoring connection AC2 allows the non-wooden upper portion NUP to be connected to an additional anchoring element provided in the body of soil similar to the already present anchoring elements.

Fig. 6 shows that the non-wooden upper portion NUP in this example consists of a single element having a width WU that is larger than a height HU of the element, which height HU is larger than a thickness TU of the element. It is of course possible to arrange a plurality of element next to each other to form the non-wooden upper portion NUP, wherein adjacent elements can be connected using the girders G1, G2.

Although the girder in the shown embodiments is connected to a top part or top end of the upper portion, the girder can be connected at any height above the waterline.

As shown in Fig. 3, the wooden planks WP may be driven into the ground with an overlength OL, meaning that they are driven deeper into the ground than required for constructional reasons. When the overlength OL is equal to or larger than a height HU of the upper portion to be removed to remove the decayed region of the facing, the facing can also be repaired by pulling the elements of the facing upwards over a distance HU and removing the upper portion from the facing.

Claims

CONCLUSIONS

A sheeting for separating an earth body from a body of water to prevent erosion of the earth body, the sheeting comprising substantially its entire length a wooden lower part detachably connected to a non-wooden upper part, a transition part from lower part to upper part is located substantially at or below the waterline.

A sheeting according to claim 1, wherein the lower part comprises elements having a height greater than a width of the elements, the width in turn being greater than a thickness of the elements of the lower part, and wherein the upper part comprises elements having a width greater than a height of the elements of the upper part, the height in turn being greater than a thickness of the elements of the upper part.

A sheeting according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a height of the upper part is identical to the height of a single element of the upper part.

A sheeting according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the elements of the lower part are wooden planks, preferably of hardwood.

A sheeting according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the elements of the upper part are made of sheet material, for example of metal, polymer, ceramic or non-wood composites.

A sheeting according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper part is provided over an upper end of the lower part, preferably the upper part comprises one or more U-shaped connecting elements to receive the upper end of the lower part .

A sheeting according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower portion and the upper portion overlap in the transition portion and are joined together in the transition portion, preferably by bolt connections extending through the lower and upper portions.

A sheeting according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising substantially horizontal anchor elements to be connected to the upper part to extend into the ground body.

A revetment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper part of the revetment comprises a horizontally extending beam to interconnect the elements of the upper part and/or to act as an impact absorber on the water body side of the sheeting, wherein the beam may be made of wood, plastic or metal, and is preferably positioned at least 5 cm above the waterline, preferably at least 10 cm above the waterline, more preferably at least 20 cm above the waterline, and most preferably at least 12 inches above the waterline.

A sheeting according to claims 8 and 9, wherein the substantially horizontal anchor elements are connected to the horizontal cross-beam of the upper part.

A sheeting according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the connection between the substantially horizontal anchor elements and the upper part are hidden by the horizontal cross-beam of the upper part.

A method of installing a sheeting for separating an earth body from a water body to prevent erosion of the earth body, the method comprising the steps of: a) driving a wooden lower part into the ground; b) releasably connecting a non-wooden upper part to the wooden lower part, wherein steps a) and b) are performed such that a transition part from lower part to upper part is located substantially at or below the waterline, and wherein the steps a) and b) are repeated until a desired length of sheeting is reached.

13. A method of replacing at least a portion of a pre-existing revetment for separating a soil body from a body of water to prevent erosion of the soil body, wherein the revetment has substantially its entire length a wooden lower part and a wooden upper part, wherein a transition part between lower part and upper part is located substantially at or below the waterline, the method comprising the steps of: a) removing the wooden upper part; and b) joining a non-wooden top portion to the wooden bottom portion.

A method according to claim 13, wherein prior to removing the wooden top part, horizontal anchor elements connected to the wooden top part are loosened.

A method according to claim 14, wherein after connecting the non-wooden upper part to the wooden lower part, the detached anchor elements are connected to the non-wooden upper part.

A method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the wooden top part is removed by sawing, cutting or milling.

A method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the transition portion is located at least 1 cm below, preferably at least 5 cm below, more preferably at least 10 cm below, and most preferably at least 20 cm. cm below the waterline.

18. A sheeting for separating a ground body from a body of water to prevent erosion of the ground body, the sheeting comprising a lower portion having elements placed side by side and having a height greater than a width of the elements, the width in turn being greater than a thickness of the elements, and an upper part detachably connected to the lower part, the upper part comprising elements juxtaposed and having a width greater than a height of the elements, wherein the height in turn is greater than the thickness of the elements, and wherein a transition portion from lower portion to upper portion is located substantially at or below the waterline.