US2632582A

US2632582A - Portable dam

Info

Publication number: US2632582A
Application number: US210169A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Alonzo Blevins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-02-09
Filing date: 1951-02-09
Publication date: 1953-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 1970-03-24

Description

March 24, 1953 A. BLEVINS, JR

PORTABLE DAM I Filed Feb. 9, 1951 INVENTOR. flz. a/vzofi 4 1- V/MSJI? BY Patented Mar. 24, 1953 Alonzo Blevins, J r., Huntington, W. Va.

Application February 9, 1951, Serial No. 210,169

3 Claims. (01. 22086) i This invention relatesto portable dams and more particularly to a dam for keeping water out 'of ground openings, such as the filler openings .for gasoline storage tanks.

In operating gasoline service stations it has been found necessary to locate the filler openings for the underground storage tanks in the pavement adjacent the service pumps in order to render the openings readily accessible to the tank trucks which supply the gasoline or other fuel to the storage tanks. fessary to locate the closure caps for these openings substantially flush with the pavement so they will not'interfere with vehicles or pedestrians It has also been found necmoving over the pavement. When a closure cap is removed'for any purpose, such as supplying additional gasoline to thetank or inserting a meas- "uring stick, the top of the opening is flush with the surface of the pavement and surface water,

such as that from heavy rain or melting snow, will run into the opening and into the storage tank for which the filler opening is provided.

While means are provided for periodically pumping water from the storage tanks, an excessive amount of water entering the tanks not only necessitates frequent pumping but may rise in a tank to the intake of the service pump so that water may be pumped into the fuel tanks of automotive vehicles.

' It is, therefore, among the ob ects of the present inventionto provide a portable dam which can be placed around such a ground opening and sealed to the pavement to preclude the flow of surface water into the opening when the latter is open or uncovered: which dam-comprises a unitary structure which is easy to carry and to place in' operativeposition around a ground opening and will remain in position and in sealing engagement with the pavement by its own weight a and without the use of fasteners of any kind;

which carries a body of plastic ,sealing'material for contact with the pavement around the ground opening to provide a watertight seal; which includes an outer body of resilient material to pre- --vent breakage and facilitate making and maintaining a sealwith the pavement; and which is scription and-the appended claims in conjunctionw'ith the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is-adiagrammatic cross sectional view fragmentarily illustrating a storage tank, filler openingf and covering pavement with a portable dam, illustrativeoftheinvention, disposed on the pavement surrounding the filler opening;

Figure 2 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of the portable dam and a fragmentary portion of the dam supporting pavement; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

With continued reference to the drawing, the underground storage tank I!) is illustrated as disposed below a pavement II having a flat top surface, and a filler pipe I 2 extends substantially through the pavement and has its lower end secured to the tank In surrounding an aperture l3 in the latter. An annular recess or counterbore is provided in the pavement at the upper end of the filler pipe l2, this recess being lined by an annular collar l4 and the filler pipe I2 is provided with screw threads I5 at its upper end to receive a closure cap, not illustrated. When the closure cap is threaded onto the upper end of the pipe 12 it closes the pipe and has its upper surface disposed substantially flushwith the surface of the pavement ll. When the cap is removed the filler opening through thepavement has its upper end, corresponding to the upper end of the collar [4, flush with the pavement and in position to receive surface water flowin across the pavement from rain, melting snow or other source. I

In order to stop this flow of surface water into the filler opening the portable dam, as generally indicated at It, may be placed on the pavement surrounding the filler opening. I

In the arrangement illustrated, the portable dam comprises a circular body of resilient material, such as vulcanized rubber, having an inside diameter somewhat greater than the diaccidentally driven over the filler opening a vehicle wheel would pass over the .dam' without damage to the-vehicleor to the dam.

The annular body of resilient materialhasi 'a i substantially rectangular cross sectional area except that its peripheral surface is tconcavely curved in a transverse direction so that the body is somewhat thicker at one end than at the other. The body has flat and substantially parallel end surfaces and has an inner annular surface of cylindrical shape and substantially perpendicular to the end surface. Two annular grooves l1 and it are provided in and are concentric with. the body with the groove ll opening to the end surface at the narrower end ofthe body and the groove l8 opening to the end surface at the thicker end of the body. These grooves, as illustrated. are equal in diameter (see Figure 3) are of square or rectangular cross sectional shape and are separated by an annular intermediate body portion [9. A cylindricalwall 20 of substantially uniform thickness covers the inner sides'of the grooves and an outer annular wall 2| which tapers in thickness from one end of the body to the other covers the outer sides of the grooves.

The groove ll' opens to the thinner and upper end of the annular body and an annular body 22 of heavy material, such as lead, is disposed in the groove I! to increase'the weight of the dam. An:

annular body 23 of plastic sealing material, such as water pump grease, is disposed in the groove [8 so that its exposed surface will contact: the sur face of the pavement when the portable dam is. placed in position on the pavement surrounding a filler opening therein. By manually pressing the dam down around the filler opening the material of the body 23 can be forced' against the pavement with suflicient pressure to provide a watertight seal between this body and the pavement and, because of the plastic nature of the material, the material will adhere to the pavementand assist in holding the dam in operative. position around the. filler opening. In this connection, the. fact that the grooves are equal irrdiameter and concentric withv the axis of the annular body in which they are formed will cause the groove ll to be disposed immediately above and vertical alignment with the groove 18-, as a result of which the downward pressure exerted by the weight of the lead istransmitted downwardly throughthe resilient body portion l9, di-

rectly against the: body of plastic sealing material, thus to force the plastic body into sealing engagement with asupporting surface on which pavement in the manner indicated above, the Y cover cap for the filler opening may be removed and therewill be no danger of surface water flowing into the filler opening. An object, such as the hose: nozZl-eld, may then be inserted through the damand into the upper end of the filler pipe 1:2 to flow liquid, such as gasoline or other motor fuehinto the undergroundstorage tank.

The portable dams may be manuiacturedand sold without the plastic sealing material and this material may be filled intothe groove it when it is desired to use the dam and may be replenislred whenever necessary since grease of suitable characteristics-.iszcarried by nearly all filling stations. The dam. may be carried on'thev fuel transporting tank: truck or may be kept at the; filling station, as may be: desired, since it is of light weight and occupies: very little space and can be stored or transported without deterioration.

The invention may be embodied in other specifio forms" without departing fromthe spiritor essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all ,cross. sectional shape and having therein spaced apart annular grooves opening to respectively opposite end faces of said body, said grooves being equal in diameter and being concentric with said body for disposition of the grooves in. substantially vertical alignment when the body is positioned upon a substantially horizontal supporting surface, an annular body of heavy material in one ofs-aid grooves, and an annular body of plastic sealing material in the other of said grooves, said body'of heavy material constituting means efiective to transmit pressure to the plastic body along lines paralleling the axis of the first named body to form a seal between said first named body and a surface supporting the same.

2. A portable dam comprising a body of elastic material having an opening therethrough and having substantially parallel end faces extendin around said opening, said body also having groove therein opening oneto each of said end faces and extending around said. opening, said grooves being equal in diameter and being con centric with said bodyfor disposition of the grooves: in, substantially vertical alignment when the body is positioned upon a substantially horizontal supporting surface, a body of heavy material in. one' of said grooves to increase the weight of said dam, and a body of plastic sealing material in theother ofsaid grooves, said body of heavy material constituting means efiective to transmit pressure to the plastic body along lines paralleling the axis of the firstnamed body to form a seal between said first named body and a surface supporting the same.

3. A portable dam comprising an annular body of vulcanized rubber having an inner annular surface, a peripheral surface and substantially parallel flat end faces, saidbody alsohaving annular grooves surrounding the opening therein and opening one to each of said end faces, said grooves being separated by an intermediate portion of said body, said grooves being equal in di- 1 ameter andbeing concentric with said body for disposition of the grooves in substantially vertical alignment: when the body is positioned upon a substantially horizontal supporting surface, an annular body of lead in one of said grooves, and an annular body of plastic sealing material in the other of saidgrooves, said body of lead constituting means effective to transmit pressure to the plastic body through saidintermediate portion along lines paralleling the axis of the. first named body, to form a seal between said first named body and the surface-supporting. the same.

ALONZO' BLEVINS, J R.

REFERENCES GHJED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 248.901 Wetherill Nov. 1, 1881 1,733,261 Higby Oct. 29, 1929 1,89%,867 Hoflman Jan. 17, 1933 2,047,580 Dewey July 14, 1936 2,049,955 Gilbert Aug. 4', 1936 2,152,719 William Apr. 4, 1939 2,389,672 Lippold Nov. 27, 1945 2,553,447 Fechheimer May 15, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,456 Great Britain of 1908 338,124 Germany June 13, 1921