US3659540A

US3659540A - Monolithic floating wharves

Info

Publication number: US3659540A
Application number: US20198A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kenneth L Toby; Rodney W S Wells
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-03-17
Filing date: 1970-03-17
Publication date: 1972-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-02
Also published as: CA936045A

Abstract

Monolithic reinforced concrete flotation units constructed to be assembled as single or multiple wharves with provision for the safe carriage of power, fuel and communication services and with provision for storage lockers. Such units are designed specifically for boat moorage but with modification in arrangement and assembly of the units or modification in size or shape, the units may be used for a variety of other purposes such as floating walkways or causeways, diving platforms, breakwaters, flotation units for boat moorage sheds and marine refueling stations.

Description

United States Patent Toby et a1.

[ 51 May 2,1972

[54] MONOLITHIC FLOATING WHARVES [72] Inventors: Kenneth L. Toby, 1551 Mount Douglas X Road; Rodney W. S. Wells, 1329 Stanley Street, both of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 22 Filed: Mar. 17, 1970 211 Appl.No.: 20,198

Morton et a1. ..1l4/0.5 F Vermeulen ..114/0.5 F UX Primary ExaminerTrygve M. Blix Attorney-Anthony A. OBrien [57] ABSTRACT Monolithic reinforced concrete flotation units constructed to be assembled as single or multiple wharves with provision for the safe carriage of power, fuel and communication services and with provision for storage lockers. Such units are designed specifically for boat moorage but with modification in arrangement and assembly of the units or modification in size or shape, the units may be used for a variety of other purposes such as floating walkways or causeways. diving platforms, breakwaters, flotation units for boat moorage sheds and marine refueling stations.

8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures Patented May 2, 1972 3 Sheetsfiheet 1 FIG. I

FIG.2

Patented May 2, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGQ4 Patented May 2, 1972 FIG? 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIGS e nun-nu MONOLITHIC FLOATING WHARVES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There have been other systems used for floatation units for wharves and boat moorage but none of the known systems have utilized the salient features of the present invention such as the various combinations of the following factors contained in the present invention:

a. Concrete construction;

b. Monolithic construction;

0. Floatation dependent upon positive retention of interior air pressure;

d. The use of high density concrete to protect the floats from water damage and attack by marine creatures and organisms;

e. Differing densities of concrete to improve bouyancy and floatation characteristics;

f. Simplicity of design and assembly with versatility of use;

g. Safe means of carrying power, fuel and communication services;

h. Interior lockers;

i. Methods of adjustment of floatation levels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to construct units made of monolithic concrete utilizing different densities of concrete to improve the buoyancy and floatation characteristics of the units.

Another object of the present invention is to construct floatation units in such a manner that their assembly into multiple wharves is simple and that the units are so versatile that numerous types of wharves may be assembled by using the same unit.

It is a further object that the units of floatation apparatus be constructed so that a safe method of carrying power, fuel and communication services through these units is created and maintained.

A still further object of the present invention is that floatation units be constructed in such a manner that the floatation level of the units may be adjusted.

A principal advantage of the present invention is that since the floatation units are of concrete construction, they will not deteriorate when exposed to the elements or to marine creatures or organisms and that because of this, their life span will far exceed that of the present material used for the construction of wharves and floats. There has always been a difficulty in conveying electric power through floats when located near the water and a major advantage of the present design is that the required wiring is placed so that it is not exposed in the present invention as it is in other floats and a similar comment is applicable for wiring for communication services and for fuel lines. In summary, the present invention is characterized in that floatation apparatus is constructed from a floating unit having a deck, a base and sidewalls connecting the deck and base to define a closed chamber, with the deck, base and sidewalls being integrally formed of concrete into a monolithic concrete unit and with the deck being formed of a concrete having a density which is less than that of the sidewalls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the main access float embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view ofFlG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the secondary float according to the present invention;

FIG. Sis a side view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an assembly of main and secondary floats of FIGS. 1 and 4; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of another assembly of main and secondary floats of FIGS. 1 and 4, which further illustrates the potential use and the versatility of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the main access float of the present invention is constituted of a concrete deck 1 carried upon longitudinal floatation chambers 2 which are filled with rigid expanded floatation material.

Service ducts

5, 6 and 7 are carried beneath the deck above normal water level and nestled between the floatation chambers. The deck 1 is constructed of normal light weight concrete of medium strength and is reinforced with steel bars and/or steel mesh; such reinforcing steel is carried down and spliced with reinforcing steel of the walls of the floatation chamber 2 in such a manner as to form a completely monolithic shell.

The base and sidewalls of the floatation chambers 2 are constructed of a high strength, fine aggregate concrete with a high cement content and reinforced with steel bars and steel fabric. This high quality concrete has a greater weight than that of the deck 1 and is used to resist attack by marine creatures and organisms and to resist abrasion and chemical attack. The reinforcing steel fabric is a fine mesh which will hold the concrete in place should it be fractured by impact.

Crosswalls or ribs 3 of similar concrete to and integral with the floatation sidewalls are provided the full width of the deck 1 and are located in each end of the unit in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3. These give structural integrity to the unit as a whole.

The floatation chambers 2, with the exception of the levelling voids 8, are completely filled with rigid expanded floatation material 4 of low density such as one of the expanded foamed plactics; these bulks 4 provide resistance to water pressure on the sidewalls of the floatation chambers 2.

' A plurality of

service ducts

5, 6 and 7 which extend the full length of the unit are formed of fiber glass and may be completely protected by extending the concrete shell around the underside of these ducts. The

service ducts

5, 6 and 7 are open at each end for passage of the service lines to the next floatation unit, the junction being made with a hinged or rocking fiber glass duct section of similar profile. Any of these service lines could be tapped by means of an offset cast into the deck 1 of each or any main float in such a manner that moored boats would be serviced.

Voids 8 are formed on the top of the expanded floatation material 4 at each end of each floatation chamber 2 and they may be filled with sand or other suitable material to govern the floatation level of any unit. This sand or other material would be added 'after construction and testing of the units for bouyancy and inserted through holes 9 formed or drilled through the deck. These holes 9 would then be permanently sealed as a protection against tampering or mishap.

A neoprene or similar plastic bumper or rubbing strip 17 is secured around the edge of the deck 1. Wooden moorage rails 18 are provided along the sides of the deck and plastic sleeved holes would be provided in each cross wall to carry a reserve anchor cable 19.

As is illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 the finger or secondary floats have a construction and design similar to the main floats except that they have less width and contain only one floatation chamber. The floatation chambers 13 in these secondary floats are different from those in the main float in that they are of a multi-cellular construction and do not require expanded floatation material.

The systems of construction of the floatation chambers of the main and secondary floats are such that both are of a monolithic nature and are interchangeable so that they may be used to suit whatever particular service requirements and location the user may have. An example of this may be found in areas of predictable and unusually severe weather conditions where the user may desire to have all the units of a multi-cellu- Iar construction in order to sink them onto the sea bed for protection from the elements rather than lift them out of the water for ground level storage. The units could be raised whenever required by the simple method of pumping the water from the cells.

The deck of the finger float is constructed of normal light weight concrete of medium strength and is reinforced with two separate layers of steel bars or mesh. The deck reinforcing steel is again carried down and lapped with the reinforcement of the floatation walls. The sidewalls 11 and the base 12 of the floatation chamber 13 are constructed of high strength fine aggregate concrete with a high cement content and are reinforced with two separate layers of steel mesh and a layer of steel fabric. This slab construction with two layers of mesh is a method commonly used in the construction industry and results in especially high ultimate strength.

The base slab 12 is of increased thickness and therefore increased weight in order to improve the floatation and stability characteristics of the unit. Crosswalls 14 of thin slab reinforced concrete are provided to strengthen the sidewalls 11 and to act as bulkheads should damage occur to the unit. The sidewalls 11, base slab 12 and crosswalls 14 may be water proofed by surface application during construction or by the incorporation of a water proofing agent or chemical during mixing and prior to the placement of the concrete. Access holes 20 are provided to each cell so that water may be pumped out of the unit. These holes would be sealed with a conventional screw cap or other device. These holes may also be used for the insertion of cement grout or weight material in order to complete the floatation levelling purposes.

Storage lockers 15 may be installed in the upper portion of any cell, access to which would be through a water proof hatch 16. A neoprene or similar plastic strip 17 would be installed around the edge of the deck as in the main floats.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the potential that these units have in versatility of arrangement and are only two of the examples of such arrangement which could be used.

in FIG. 7 the main floats 22 are linked in line with a 90 turn and the single finger floats 23 project at right angles. One finger float is of reduced length to provide access to the interior corner formed by the turn of the main floats.

In FIG. 8 the main floats 22 are again linked in line and some of these are of increased length 19 for stability purposes. Finger floats 23 are linked together and to the main float forming an angled moorage wharf. The floats are anchored in place by attachment to piles 21 driven into the sea bed.

It must be emphasized that the floats are not restricted in size, exact shape or carrying capacity. For example, they can be constructed with minor modifications to form square,

round, tapered or multi-sided decks or the floatation chambers could be increased in size or depth to provide increased free-board or greater load carrying capacity.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modificatons and changes in detail, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A floatation unit a plurality of which may be assembled in various combinations to form layouts of main access floats and finger floats to create marinas and multi-moorage for boats, said unit comprising a monolithic concrete structure having a deck, a base, and sidewalls connecting said deck and base to define a closed floatation chamber,

said base and sidewalls being integrally formed of reinforced high density concrete,

said deck being formed of reinforced concrete having a density less than that of said sidewalls,

a quantity of low density, rigid, expanded material substantially filling said floatation chamber and serving as a floatation agent, and

at least one levelling void formed in said expanded material to receive ballasting material to thereby control the floatation level of said unit.

2. The floatation unit according to claim 1 wherein said chamber includes a plurality of water proof bulkheads to chamber includes at least one crosswall to define a plurality of compartments, and means sealing said compartments from each other.

4. The floatation unit according to claim 3 further comprising access port means in said deck leading to said compartments whereby said compartments may be provided with ballast material to add weight to the unit.

5. The floatation unit according to claim 1 wherein said base includes a pair of bases spaced from each other, said sidewalls include a pair of sidewalls for each base, and said deck includes a single deck spanning all of the sidewalls to define a pair of closed chambers spaced from each other.

6. The floatation unit according to claim 5 further comprising a crosswall extending across each end of the unit to stabilize the unit for floatation purposes, each crosswall being made of concrete integral with said deck.

7. The floatation unit according to claim 6 further comprising a plurality of service ducts disposed in the space between said pair of chambers and under the adjacent portion of said deck, and a slab of concrete extending under said ducts to be integral with adjacent sidewalls whereby said ducts are completely surrounded by concrete.

8. Floatation apparatus comprising a plurality of main floats connected together into a multimoorage assembly,

a plurality of secondary floats connected to said main floats whereby the multi-moorage assembly may be extended in a plurality of directions relative to the main floats, each of said main floats consisting of a monolithic concrete unit defining a pair of floatation chambers with a duct chamber therebetween, a floatation agent substantially filling each floatation chamber, means defining a ballast compartment for each floatation chamber, and ballast means in said ballast compartment to control the floatation level of each main float, and

each of said secondary floats consisting of a monolithic concrete unit defining a plurality of floatation chambers sealed from each other, access means for each chamber to insert ballast means therein, and locker storage means in at least one of said chambers.

Claims

1. A floatation unit a plurality of which may be assembled in various combinations to form layouts of main access floats and finger floats to create marinas and multi-moorage for boats, said unit comprising a monolithic concrete structure having a deck, a base, and sidewalls connecting said deck and base to define a closed floatation chamber, said base and sidewalls being integrally formed of reinforced high density concrete, said deck being formed of reinforced concrete having a density less than that of said sidewalls, a quantity of low density, rigid, expanded material substantially filling said floatation chamber and serving as a floatation agent, and at least one levelling void formed in said expanded material to receive ballasting material to thereby control the floatation level of said unit.

2. The floatation unit according to claim 1 wherein said chamber includes a plurality of water proof bulkheads to establish a multi-cellular construction.

3. The floatation unit according to claim 1 wherein said chamber includes at least one crosswall to define a plurality of compartments, and means sealing said compartments from each other.

8. Floatation apparatus comprising a plurality of main floats connected together into a multi-moorage assembly, a plurality of secondary floats connected to said main floats whereby the multi-moorage assembly may be extended in a plurality of directions relative to the main floats, each of said main floats consisting of a monolithic concrete unit defining a pair of floatation chambers with a duct chamber therebetween, a floatation agent substantially filling each floatation chamber, means defining a ballast compartment for each floatation chamber, and ballast means in said ballast compartment to control the floatation level of each main float, and each of said secondary floats consisting of a monolithic concrete unit defining a plurality of floatation chambers sealed from each other, access means for each chamber to insert ballast means therein, and locker storage means in at least one of said chambers.