SE1750191A1

SE1750191A1 - Wave damper

Info

Publication number: SE1750191A1
Application number: SE1750191A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Anderberg Göran
Original assignee: Anderberg Dev Ab
Priority date: 2014-08-22
Filing date: 2015-08-24
Publication date: 2017-02-22
Also published as: WO2016026982A1

Abstract

A wave damper (100) is disclose comprising an enclosure (101) having an opening (102) for receiving water (201, 201') from a wave (200) impinging from a horizontal direction (202), perpendicular to the vertical direction. (203) of the field of gravity, wherein said enclosure comprises a substantially fluid tight void (103), arranged in the opposite end of said enclosure relative said opening, wherein said void is shaped and configured to form a seal (104, 104') around a body of said water relative the exterior (105) of said enclosure when said water is received in said opening and moving towards said void along said enclosure.Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Wave damper Field of the Invention This invention pertains in general to the field wavebarriers. More particularly the invention relates to a wave damper for reducing the effect sea waves along shore lines.

Background of the Invention It is well known that the energy stored in waves iscapable of causing significant damage to coastal structuresand/or shorelines if not dissipated prior to impact withthe structures and/or shoreline. This is a global concernthat has environmental and economical consequences.

Problems with previous wave barriers include lessthan optimal damping of the incoming waves, which resultsin that a significant ratio of water and energy is stillcarried by the wave into and over land structures in someconditions, leading to damages. This is in somecircumstances due to that a significant amount of water inthe wave is still able to bounce off into the air, andtravel over land due to the inertia of the water and/or thewind.

Another problem with prior art is complicated andtherefore expansive constructions. This is a critical aspect due to the nature of the problem, i.e. the vastcoastlines.

The above problems lead to challenges in providing anefficient, reliable, and reasonably economical solution forcoastline protection.

Hence an improved wave damper would be advantageous,in particular for providing efficient dissipation of waveand further without energy, low manufacturing costs, lO compromising the aesthetics of the coastline to beprotected.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, embodiments of the present inventionpreferably seek to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more deficiencies, disadvantages or issues in the art, such as the above-identified, singly or in any combination byproviding a wave damper that provides efficient dissipationof wave energy, according to the appended patent claims.

According to a first aspect of the invention a wavedamper is provided comprising an enclosure having anopening for receiving water from a wave impinging from ahorizontal direction, perpendicular to the verticaldirection of the field of gravity. The enclosure comprisesa substantially fluid tight void, arranged in the oppositeend of said enclosure relative said opening, wherein thevoid is shaped and configured to form a seal around a bodyof said water relative the exterior of the enclosure whensaid water is received in the opening and moving towardsthe void along the enclosure.

Embodiments of the invention provide for a wave damperthat facilitates and optimizes the dissipation of waveenergy.

Embodiments of the invention provide for a wave damperthat reduces the damage of waves on the coastline.

Embodiments of the invention provide for a wave damperthat reduce the amount of water that bounce off coaststructures that receive an inflow of waves.

Embodiments of the invention provide for a wave damperthat is less complex to manufacture.

Embodiments of the invention provide for a wave damper that is less costly to manufacture. lO Further embodiments of the invention are defined in thedependent claims, wherein features for the second andsubsequent aspects of the invention are as for the firstaspect mutatis mutandis.

It should be emphasized that the term”comprises/comprising” when used in this specification istaken to specify the presence of stated features, integers,steps or components but does not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawings These and other aspects, features and advantages ofwhich embodiments of the invention are capable of will beapparent and elucidated from the following description ofembodiments of the present invention, reference being madeto the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a schematic illustration of a wave damperaccording to an embodiment of the present invention in aside View; Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of a wave damperaccording to an embodiment of the present invention in aside View; Fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of a wave damperaccording to an embodiment of the present invention in aside View; Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of a wave damperaccording to an embodiment of the present invention in aside View; Fig. 5a is a schematic illustration of a wave damperaccording to an embodiment of the present invention in a front view; lO Fig. 5b is a schematic illustration of a wave damperaccording to an embodiment of the present invention in afront view;Fig. 5c is a schematic illustration of a wave damperaccording to an embodiment of the present invention in afront view;Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of a section of awave damper according to an embodiment of the presentinvention in a side view; andFig. 7 is a schematic illustration of a section of awave damper according to an embodiment of the present invention in a side view.

Description of embodiments Specific embodiments of the invention will now bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.This invention may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, to those skilled in the art. and will fully convey the scope of the inventionThe terminology used in thedetailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to likeelements.Fig. l illustrates a wave damper l00 comprising an enclosure l0l having an opening l02 for receiving water201, 20l',direction 202. from a wave 200 impinging from a horizontal The horizontal direction is perpendicular toTheenclosure comprises a substantially fluid tight void l03, the vertical direction 203 of the field of gravity. which is arranged in the opposite end of the enclosureSubstantially fluid tight shouldbe construed as sufficiently fluid tight for providing the relative the opening l02. effect of the invention, namely having the void 103 forminga pocket of air that acts as a damper to the water flowinginto the enclosure 101.fluid tight, the damping will be less than optimal.

If the void is not sufficientlythe water will be pushed out of the void, andThe void 103 isaccordingly shaped and configured to form a seal 104,around a body of the water 201, 201', relative the exterior105 of the enclosure 101, when the water 201, 201', is received in the opening 102 and moving towards the void 103 104', along the enclosure 101, i.e. moving along the horizontal direction 202 as illustrated in Fig. 1. Numerals 104 and104' sealing area against the body of water 201 that seal the in Fig. 1 illustrate the momentaneous position of the void 103 from the exterior 105. A pocket of air is therebyformed in the void that will act as damping medium for thewater 201 flowing into the enclosure 101, due tocompression of the air in the void 103 from the moving body(Fl) that is also illustrated in the of water, and the resulting counter forceexerted on this body of water,isolated section of the wave damper in Fig. 7, for clarityof presentation. The speed and thereby energy of the waveis thereby effectively damped, and the amount of water thatbounce off into the air is minimized. The potential damagecaused by such waves being cast into the air andsubsequently striking land structures and/or the coast lineitself, Thus, the G-forces that the incoming waves exert on the coast line can be reduced since is thereby minimized. the velocity of the wave is reduced over a longer distance,due to the gradual damping provided by the air pocket thatthe void 103 provides.

The void 103 being shaped and configured to form a seal104, 104', 201', should beconstrued as the void being dimensioned to allow the around the body of water 201, formation of a sealing interface against the exterior 105thereby creating a pocket of air as the body of water 201,201', the void 103is shaped to have a volume of air, when the void is travels towards the void 103. Further, momentaneously drained from water, that is substantialenough to allow formation of a pocket of air that exert aIf the the force of the magnitude required towards the wave.void 103 is too shallow in the horizontal direction,volume of compressible air in the void would not besufficient to create a pocket of air that exerts such forcetowards the wave. The volume should be dimensioned so thata pocket of air is maintained in the void when the air iscompressed. Openings that are just arranged to channelwater or prevent splashing of water are shallow openingsthat are not able to provide for formation of an air pocketas in the present invention. Further, if the volume of thevoid 103 is unproportionally large in relation to theamount of water that move in the void, the air will not besufficiently compressed to exert a damping counter force.Thus,by the water when moving from the opening 102 towards thevoid 103, is compressed to exert a counter force the void 103 has a volume of air to be compressed whereby the volume is dimensioned so that the air(Fi)body of water for damping movement thereof. against the The volume of the void 103 may be varied depending on the wave conditions. In this respect, besides fromcustomizing the wave damper 100 to the wave conditionswhere the wave damper will located, it may be possible tovary the volume and/or the shape of the void 103continuously by active manipulation of the same, e.g. usinge.g. that further could vary the space filling material or space modifying units,cylinders or inflatable units,amount of volume in a continuous and reversible manner.The enclosure 101 may comprise a tapered portion 106 being tapered from the opening 102 towards the fluid tightvoid 103,may facilitate the formation of the air pocket in the void103,upward direction by the inclined surface of the tapered as illustrated in Fig. 2. This tapered geometrydue to the body of water 201 being pushed in the portion, and thereby contacting the upper surface of the enclosure 101,2. as indicated by the sealing area 104 in Fig.

The tapered portion 106 may thus be arranged in thebottom part of the enclosure 101 in the vertical direction.It is also possible that the tapered portion is arranged inand the body of water 201may instead be pushed down towards the bottom of the the top part of the enclosure,enclosure, which may also facilitate the formation of anair pocket in the void 103 that is being sealed towards theexterior by this water.The enclosure 101 may comprise a protrusion 107 extending radially inwards into the enclosure 101 from a 3 and 4. Anarrow waist portion is thereby formed between the void 103 periphery thereof, as illustrated in Figs. and the opening 102. This narrow geometry may alsofacilitate the formation of an air pocket in the void 103,since the protrusion may extend into the body of waterwhere a sealing area may be formed,3-4.part of the enclosure as illustrated in Figs. as indicated by numeral104 in Figs. The protrusion may be arranged at the top3-4, but itis also conceivable that it may be arranged at the bottompart. The relative position of the protrusion in thehorizontal direction inside the enclosure 103 may be varieddepending in the wave conditions. Here it is alsoconceivable that an active or continuous control of aprotruding element 107, such as vertically movableprotruding element 107, can optimize the wave dampingfunction over time depending on current wave conditions,without having to make any other significant and costly tothe wave damper installment as a whole.

The void 103 may be arranged vertically offset from theopening 102, whereby the enclosure 101 extends with anangle 108 relative the horizontal direction 202, asillustrated in Fig. 1. This may also facilitate theformation of a pocket of air as the water flows into theenclosure 101, since the upward displacement of the void 103 will prevent water from filling this space, e.g. in l0 case the water flows inside the enclosure by flooding thebase of the enclosure first and subsequently buildingupwards, which may be the case in conditions where thewaves are smaller or travelling at slower speeds.

The enclosure may extend with a first angle l08 and asecond angle ll0 relative the horizontal direction 202, asillustrated in Fig. 2. The position of the second angle ll0in the enclosure is offset from the first angle l08 in thehorizontal direction 202 for forming the tapered portion.The combination of having a generally inclined enclosurel0l, having a tapered portion l06, with a first angle l08, as illustrated in Fig. l, anddue to having a second anglell0 further inside the enclosure l0l, may further optimizethe formation of a damping air pocket in the void l03 andconsequently the ability to provide a damping effect on theincoming waves. Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment where theenclosure l0l additionally has the protrusion l07 foraiding in the formation of a compressible air filled volumein the void l03.The wave damper l00 may comprise a plurality ofl0l', vertical direction 203. enclosures l0l, arranged adjacent one another in the Figs. l-4 illustrate a side-view ofsuch vertical arrangement of a plurality of enclosures,5a-c show a front-view. The number ofl0l', varied depending on the wave conditions at the location of whereas Figs. enclosures l0l, stacked on top of eachother may be the wave damper l00. The illustrations in Figs. l-5 are just an example in this regards. I.e. it would also bepossible to have l0, l5, 20, 25, 30, 40, The vertical position of 50 or moreenclosures l0l vertically stacked.the wave damper l00 as a whole relative the waterline mayThe enclosures l0l may for example also be placed under the also be varied depending in the circumstances. waterline to affect the flow dynamics and reduceturbulence. 5a-c illustrate a plurality of enclosuresl0l, l0l", direction 204 being perpendicular to the vertical direction Figs.arranged adjacent one another along a shoreline 203 and the horizontal direction 202. The number of101", 204 may also be varied as desired depending on the extent enclosures 101, arranged in the shoreline direction of wave protection required along the shore. The modularand building block-like structure of the wave damper 100facilitates expansion and customization of the wave protection. I.e. enclosures 101 may be added in theThe where each module vertical 203 and shoreline 204 directions as desired.wave damper 100 may provided in modules,comprise a number of enclosures 101.

As already elucidated above, the plurality ofenclosures 101 may be arranged adjacent to one another in amatrix shape in the vertical direction 203 and in the 5a-c. 101' ofthe plurality of enclosures may be offset in the horizontal1-4. the horizontal direction 203 may additionally improve the shoreline direction 204, as illustrated in Figs.

The least a first 101 and a second enclosureThis off-set in direction 202, as illustrated in Figs. wave damping ability, due to the gradual and step-wiseoutline in the profile of the wave damper. The step-wisearrangement would also allow for easy access to thewaterline if desired, i.e. functioning as stairs. Thus,wave protection does not have to compromise withaccessibility for e.g. recreational activities at thewaterlines.

If the case of having protrusions 107 as described3-4,a protrusion 107 anchoring a first enclosure 101 of theof the while providing the benefits above, and illustrated in Figs. it is possible to haveplurality of enclosures to a second enclosure 101'Thus, as described above with respect to the protrusions 107, it plurality of enclosures. is additionally possible to have the protrusion 107 functioning as an anchor between two adjacent enclosures101.enclosures on top of eachother, This may additionally facilitate stacking of severaland maintain stability,even if the enclosures are inclined at an angle 108. For example, in case each enclosures comprises a hollow channel with an enclosing wall, the wall may have a recess in theoutside surface that also forms a protrusion 107 on theinside surface. The opposite outside wall may then have aprotrusion as well. Two channels may then be anchored toone another by engaging the respective recesses andprotrusions. 101', 101", extend substantially parallel to one another.

The plurality of enclosures 101, mayThis mayallow for optimizing the amount of volume of the enclosures101 in the wave damper 100, and thereby keeping the size ofthe wave damper at a minimum while maintaining sufficientwave damping ability.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the void 103 may comprise aresilient material 109 arranged to be compressed by thewater when moving towards the void 103. This compressionlike the compression of air in the air pocket described above. will also provide damping of the water,Theresilient material may improve the damping ability incertain conditions.

The enclosure may comprise a rectangular cross-section,as illustrated in Fig. 5a.

The enclosure may also comprise an oval or circular5b. Further,section of the channels of the enclosure may have other cross-section, as seen in Fig. the cross- shapes, such as for example hexagonal shape, which is illustrated in Fig. 5c. The hexagonal shape allows thewalls of the channels in the wave damper to be of uniformthickness, which may be advantageous with respect tooptimizing the amount of volume of the wave damper that isavailable for the enclosures, while maintaining sufficientstructural rigidity. By having such large portion of thefront area of the wave damper provided with enclosures, thewave damping ability can be optimized. The dimensions ofthe cross-section can be customized to the conditions as desired. lO ll As will be appreciated by one of skill in theart, the present invention may be embodied as device,system, or method.

The present invention has been described above withreference to specific embodiments. However, otherembodiments than the above described are equally possiblewithin the scope of the invention. Different method stepsthan those described above, may be provided within thescope of the invention. The different features and steps ofthe invention may be combined in other combinations thanthose described. The scope of the invention is only limited by the appended patent claims.

Claims

1. (100)(101) having an opening (102)(201, 201') (200)from a horizontal direction perpendicular to the(203)said enclosure comprises a substantially fluid tight void (103),opposite end of said enclosure relative said opening, 1. A wave damper comprising an enclosure forfrom a wave(202), of the field of gravity, receiving water impinging vertical direction wherein arranged in the wherein said void is shaped and configured to form a seal(104, 104') around a body of said water relative theexterior (105) received in said opening and moving towards said void along of said enclosure when said water is said enclosure, 2. Wave damper according to claim 1, wherein said(106) from said opening towards said fluid tight void. enclosure comprises a tapered portion being tapered 3. Wave damper according to claim 2, wherein saidtapered portion is arranged in the bottom part of saidenclosure in said vertical direction. 4. Wave damper according to any of claims 1-3, wherein(107) radially inwards into said enclosure from a periphery said enclosure comprises a protrusion extending thereof, whereby a narrow waist portion is formed betweensaid void and said opening. 5. Wave damper according to any of claims 1-4, whereinsaid void is arranged vertically offset from said opening,whereby said enclosure extends with an angle (108, 110)relative said horizontal direction. 6. Wave damper according to claim 3 and 5, wherein said enclosure extends with a first (108) and a second (110) l0 l3 angle relative said horizontal direction, and wherein theposition of said second angle in said enclosure is offsetfrom said first angle in said horizontal direction for forming said tapered portion. 7. Wave damper according to any of claims l-6,(l0l, l0l',arranged adjacent one another in said vertical(204)perpendicular to said vertical direction and said comprising a plurality of said enclosuresl0l")direction, and/or in a shoreline direction being horizontal direction. 8. Wave damper according to claim 7, wherein saidplurality of enclosures are arranged adjacent to oneanother in a matrix shape in said vertical direction and insaid shoreline direction. 9. Wave damper according to claim 7 or 8, wherein at(l0l) (l0l')plurality of enclosures are offset in said horizontal least a first and a second enclosure of said direction. lO. Wave damper according to any of claims 7-9, whereinsaid plurality of enclosures extends substantially parallel to one another. ll. Wave damper according to any of claims l-lO,(109) arranged to be compressed by said water when moving towards wherein said void comprises a resilient material said void. l2. Wave damper according to claim 4 and 7, whereinsaid protrusion anchors a first enclosure (l0l) of saidplurality of enclosures to a second enclosure (l0l') of said plurality of enclosures. 14 13. wherein said enclosure comprises section. 14. wherein said enclosure comprises hexagonal cross-section. 15. Wave damper according Wave damper according to Wave damper according to any of claims 1-12, a rectangular cross- any of claims 1-13, an oval, circular, or to any of claims 1-14, wherein said void has a volume of air to be compressed by said water when moving from said opening towards said void, whereby said volume is dimensioned so that said air is compressed to exert a counter of water for damping movement 16. volume is dimensioned so that Wave damper according in said void when said air is force (Fl) thereof. against said body to claim 15, wherein saida pocket of air is maintained compressed.