WO2005060705A2

WO2005060705A2 - Fluent material confinement system

Info

Publication number: WO2005060705A2
Application number: PCT/US2004/043046
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alvin M. Arellanes; Barney Greinke; John Sikora; Aaron Arellanes
Original assignee: Geocell Systems Inc.
Priority date: 2003-12-18
Filing date: 2004-12-20
Publication date: 2005-07-07
Also published as: WO2005060705A3

Abstract

A fluent material confinement system configured to receive a granular fluent material to form a temporary barrier structure is disclosed, wherein the fluent material confinement system includes a plurality strips, the plurality of strips including a plurality of lengthwise strips and a plurality of widthwise strips coupled with each other to define a plurality of open cells, and a visual indicator associated with a selected strip, wherein the visual indicator is configured to be effective in low visibility conditions to indicate to a user how to utilize the fluent material confinement system.

Description

FLUENT MATERIAL CONFINEMENT SYSTEM

Cross-Reference to Priority Application This application claims the priority under all applicable national and international law of the following earlier-filed applications: U.S. Patent Application

Serial No. 10/741,801, filed December 18, 2003 and U.S. Provisional Patent

Application Serial No. 60/583,309, filed June 25, 2004. These applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a fluent material confinement system configured to be easily deployable in low visibility conditions and/or rapidly joinable to adjacent fluent material confinement systems to form an extended structure. Background Flooding is one of the most common natural disasters. When a danger of a flood arises, sometimes the only possible measure to take to prevent loss of lives and/or damage to property is to construct a temporary barrier to divert or contain the floodwaters. These structures most commonly take the form of a wall constructed of sand- filled bags. While sandbag walls may provide a measure of protection against the forces of floodwaters, they also have several drawbacks. For example, the construction of a sandbag wall may require a large number of people, and may take an excessive amount of time to fill the bags and arrange them into a barrier structure. Also, a sandbag wall may have points of weakness, as the individual sandbags are generally merely stacked upon one another, rather than being attached to one another. Furthermore, the sandbags are generally not reusable. Thus, they may require an expensive and time-consuming disposal process, and new ones may need to be purchased after each emergency event in anticipation of future emergency events. Modular systems for forming temporary baπier structures are also known. For example, U.S. Patent Nos. 4,785,604 and 4,945,689 to Johnson, Jr. disclose collapsible grid stractures for forming temporary baixiers. The grids are formed from a plurality of latitudinal and longitudinal strips connected in an interwoven fashion.

The grids are configured to be connected to adjacent grids in both stacked and side- by-side manners, and then filled with a material such as sand to form the temporary barrier. The grids may allow a temporary barrier structure to be assembled more quickly and with less manpower than a comparable sandbag structure. The grids disclosed in Johnson are joined in a side-by-side manner via connector slots formed in the ends of the latitudinal and the longitudinal strips. The connector slots extend into the strip from the either the top of the strip or from the bottom of the strip. To connect a grid to an adjacent grid, the grids are arranged side- by-side in such an orientation that the connector slots that extend from the top of the strips on the grid are aligned with complementary slots on the adjacent grid that extend from the bottom of the strips, and vice versa. The connector slots are then coupled with the complementary slots to join the grids. While the grids disclosed in Johnson offer improvements over the use of traditional sandbags to form temporary barrier structures, they also may suffer some shortcomings. For example, the connector slots may be difficult to connect in inclement conditions, as it may be difficult to deteirnine the correct grid orientation in which the connector slots line up with the correct complementary slots. Likewise, it may be difficult to determine whether complementary slot connectors are securely connected. Additionally, the ends of the strips of the grids disclosed in the Johnson, Jr. patents may tend to dog-ear when the cells formed at the boundary between adjacent grids are filled with a fluent material due to the connector slots. This may prevent these cells from being entirely filled with fluent material, and thus may introduce a structural weakness into the barrier wall that may potentially cause catastrophic failure under extreme conditions. Another potential problem with the Johnson grid is that it may be difficult to stack a plurality of grids to form a wall under low visibility conditions and/or without undergoing training to learn how to spot and fix an incorrectly stacked wall. Summary A fluent material confinement system configured to receive a granular fluent material to form a temporary barrier structure is provided, wherein the fluent material confinement system includes a plurality strips, the plurahty of strips including a plurahty of lengthwise strips and a plurahty of widthwise strips coupled with each other to define a plurahty of open cells, and a visual indicator associated with a selected strip, wherein the visual indicator is configured to be effective in low visibility conditions to indicate to a user how to utilize the fluent material confinement system. Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a fluent material confinement system according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a first wider lengthwise strip of the embodiment of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a second wider lengthwise strip of the embodiment of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a narrower lengthwise strip of the embodiment of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a widthwise strip of the embodiment of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 in a first collapsed configuration. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 in a second collapsed configuration. Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a connecting stracture suitable for connecting adjacent fluent material confinement systems together. Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of another alternative embodiment of a connecting structure, along with a complementary connecting stracture from an adjacent fluent material confinement system. Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of the connecting structure and corresponding connecting structure of Fig. 9 connected together, with an exemplary range of articulation shown in dashed lines. Fig. 11 is an isometric view of a fluent material confinement system according to a second embodiment. Fig. 12 is a side elevational view of a narrower lengthwise strip of the embodiment of Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a narrower lengthwise strip. Fig. 14 is a view depicting the deployment of the embodiment of Fig. 1. Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a plurahty of fluent material confinement systems stacked, joined end-to-end, and filled with a granular fluent material to form a flood-retairiing wall. Fig. 16 is an isometric view of the embodiment of Fig. 1, wherein the ends of adjacent widthwise strips are connected to reinforce the outermost cells. Fig. 17 is a plan view of a corner fluent material confinement system according to another embodiment. Fig. 18 is a plan view of a plurality of fluent material confinement systems arranged in a first exemplary extended stracture, showing an exemplary use of the embodiment of Fig. 17. Fig. 19a is a side elevational view of a blocking strip configured to prevent sand from flowing out of the ends of a stracture constructed of a plurahty of fluent material confinement systems. Fig. 19b is a top view of an end portion of the blocking strip of Fig. 19a. Fig. 20 is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a blocking strip. Fig. 21 is a plan view of a plurality of fluent material confinement systems arranged in a second exemplary extended stracture, which shows an exemplary use of the embodiments of Figs. 19 and 20. Fig. 22 is a plan view of a plurality of fluent material confinement systems arranged in a third exemplary extended structure. Fig. 23 is a view of an embodiment of a widthwise strip for constructing a reduced size fluent material confinement system Fig. 24 is a plan view of an embodiment of a reduced size fluent material confinement system. Fig. 25a is a plan view of an embodiment of an extended structure constructed from a plurality of fluent material confinement systems and reduced size fluent material confinement systems. Fig. 25b is a side view of the embodiment of Fig. 25a. Fig. 26 is a side schematic view of an extended stracture constructed from a plurahty of reduced size fluent material confinement systems used to reinforce a wall of a building. Fig. 27 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of a wider widthwise strip having a stacking indicator. Fig. 28 is a perspective view of an extended structure formed from a plurality of fluent material confinement systems, with stacking indicators indicating no stacking errors. Fig. 29 is a perspective view of the extended stracture of Fig. 28, with the stacking indicators indicating stacking errors. Fig. 30 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of a wider widthwise strip having a stacking indicator. Detailed Description of the Depicted Embodiments Fig. 1 shows, generally at 10, a first embodiment of a fluent material confinement system. Fluent material confinement system 10 is formed from a plurahty of elongate, generally strip-shaped members coupled together in such a manner as to define an array of open-ended cells 12. The plurality of strip-shaped members includes a plurality of lengthwise strips 14, and a plurality of widthwise strips 16. Lengthwise strips 14 may include strips of a first, greater width 14a, and strips of a second, lesser width 14b. Lengthwise strips 14 may also include strips with different types of connectors, as described in more detail below. The depicted arrangement of lengthwise strips 14 and widthwise strips 16 defines at least two different types of cells, interior cells 12a and exterior border cells 12b. Furthermore, the depicted arrangement of strips allows fluent material confinement system 10 to be movable between an open configuration (shown in Fig. 1) and at least one coUapsed configuration (described in more detail below), and may include one or more deployment indicators 18 to assist in the movement of the system from the coUapsed configuration to the open configuration. CeUs 12 are configured to receive a suitable granular fluent material, typically sand, and to prevent the fluent material from flowing or shifting a significant amount under horizontal or vertical loading. This results in the formation of a mechanically strong, sturdy stracture. A plurality of fluent material confinement systems 10 may be stacked and/or arranged side-by-side (or end-to-end) and then filled with a granular fluent material to construct any desired barrier structure. For example, as mentioned above, a plurahty of fluent material confinement systems 10 may be arranged in a waU-shaped configuration and then filled with a fluent material to form a flood or wave barrier. Additionally, a plurahty of fluent material confinement systems 10 may also be used as an emergency mudflow barrier, a support inside the core of an earthen levee stracture or sand dune, or may be used to form revetments for battlefields, and other such ballistic stractures. Fluent material confinement system 10 meets several important design criteria not met in full by any prior systems. For example, fluent material confinement system 10 may be stacked to hold fill material to a height of six feet, or even greater. Also, the fluent material system may be fill either manually or mechanicaUy. Additionally, fluent material confinement system 10 keeps sand or other small- grained fluent material confined within the stacked stracture for the intended life of the stracture, for example, six months or greater. Fluent material corrfinement system

10 is easUy and rapidly deployable by just two persons, and requires little or no additional equipment to erect. System 10 also provides cost advantages over the construction of a sandbag wall, and provides a greater amount of protection at least equal to that of a sandbag wall. Finally, system 10 is be able to conform to the geography and geometry of the area in which it is placed, and is readily transportable in a cost effective manner. The structural features that give rise to these advantages are described in more detail below. Turning again to the basic stracture of fluent material confinement system 10, lengthwise strips 14 and widthwise strips 16 may have any suitable length. Typically, lengthwise strips 14 and widthwise strips 16 have a length in the range from three to six feet, and more typically approximately 4 feet, although they may have a length outside of these ranges as well. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, lengthwise strips 14 and widthwise strips 16 have approximately the same length. However, it wuT be appreciated that lengthwise strips of different lengths than the widthwise strips may also be used. Wider lengthwise strips 14a assist in the stacking of fluent material confinement systems 10. When stacking fluent material confinement systems 10, the bottommost fluent material confinement system is placed on the ground with the wider lengthwise strips 14a extending upwardly past the top edges of narrower lengthwise strips 14b. Then, each subsequent fluent material confinement system 10 is staked in an upside-down configuration on top of the next-lower fluent material confinement system. In this manner, the wider lengthwise strips 14a of the bottommost fluent material confinement system 10 extends upwardly into the cells of the next-highest fluent material confinement syste This helps hold the next-highest fluent material confinement system 10 in place relative to the bottommost fluent material confinement system, and helps to reinforce the ceUs into which the wider lengthwise strips 14a extend. Likewise, the wider lengthwise strips 14a of each subsequent fluent material confinement system 10 extends downwardly into the next- lower fluent material confinement system, again reinforcing the cells and helping to hold the fluent material confinement systems in place relative to one another. The use of two wider lengthwise strips 14a as the outermost strips on each side of the fluent material confinement system form a network of barrier cells that help to prevent fluent material from leaking out of barrier ceUs 12b, thus preventing failure caused by sand leaking out from between the outermost strips of adjacent grid layers, and thus prolonging the hfe of a temporary barrier. Sand that is added to barrier ceUs 12b is not able to escape either outside of the fluent material confinement system, or to inner ceUs 12a of the fluent material confinement system, helping to maintain the integrity of a stracture buUt with the fluent material confinement syste This is opposed to prior fluent material confinement systems, which may allow sand to escape from the outer cells and thus lead to a danger of catastrophic fatture of the barrier. Sand in the interior ceUs, however, is free to shift between cells at the boundaries between vertically stacked fluent material confinement systems because the strips fonxiing these cells do not overlap with the strips of vertically adjacent ceUs. Furthermore, because narrower lengthwise strips 14b and widthwise strips 16 do not extend into the cells of vertically adjacent grids, these strips are free to be pushed out of alignment compared to the strips of the vertically adjacent grids. This also helps to aUow sand to flow lateraUy through the grids, rather than forming distinct columns of sand that extend throughout the stracture. The lateral flow of sand through the structure helps to ensure that no voids form in the stracture due to loss of sand, and thus helps to prevent catastrophic failure due to weak spots caused by sand loss in isolated cells. As the sand flows into voids over time, more sand can be added to the top of the stracture to ensure that the entire stracture is filled to the top with sand. Furthermore, the horizontal movement of sand through the stracture helps to ensure that aU cells are filled evenly and completely with sand during the initial filling of a barrier stracture buUt with a plurality of fluent material confinement systems 10. Sand entering from the top of the barrier is able to mover lateraUy into adjoining cells as the barrier is fUled. Once the sand reaches the base of the barrier, the weight of the sand above causes the sand below to distribute evenly along the ground and to compact into an efficient packing. Fluent material confinement system 10 may also include a vertical alignment indicator 19 disposed on a selected strip. Vertical ahgnment indicator 19 may help a user to determine the orientation of fluent material confinement system 10 in inclement weather or other low visibility conditions. Furthermore, vertical ahgnment indicator 19 of an upper fluent material confinement system in a stacked arrangement can be aligned with the vertical alignment indicator of a next-lowest fluent material confinement system to ensure the two fluent material confinement systems are in a correct orientation relative to one another. As mentioned above, a fluent material confinement system as disclosed herein may configured to be attachable to other fluent material confinement systems in a side-by-side arrangement. Thus, a suitable connecting or supporting stracture (or structures) may be provided to enable a plurality of fluent material confinement systems to be connected in this manner. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the wider lengthwise strips 14a have two different types of connecting structures. These are shown in more detail in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 shows the second- to -outermost lengthwise strips 14a' of fluent material confinement system 10, and Fig. 3 shows the outermost lengthwise strips 14a" of fluent material confinement system 10. In these figures, the second- to -outermost lengthwise strips 14a' are referred as strips 14a', and the outermost strips are referced to as strips 14a". Referring first to Fig. 2, wider lengthwise strip 14a' includes a connecting structure in the form of a tongue 20. Wider lengthwise strip 14a' has a tongue 20 on each end of the strip, but it will be appreciated that the strip alternatively may have a tongue on only one end where suitable. Tongue 20 may be formed in any suitable manner. The depicted tongue 20 is formed from a generally "U"-shaped cut, slot, or other aperture 22 formed in each end of wider lengthwise strip 14a'. However, tongue 20 may be formed from any other shape slot, for example, a "V-shaped slot or a substantially straight slot. Furthermore, tongue 20 may be formed from a suitably shaped tab that is joined to wider lengthwise strip 14a' by an adhesive, a weld, etc. Where a substantially straight slot is used as a connecting stracture, the slot preferably does not extend to an edge of the strip, but instead is whoUy contained within the end of the strip. This may help prevent the ends of the strip from dog-earing when the cells are filled with a fluent material. Likewise, tongue 20 may have any suitable orientation. The depicted tongues

20 point inwardly, and extend generally parallel to a long dimension of wider lengthwise strip 14a', which is the dimension that extends from one tongue 20 to the other tongue 20'. Wider lengthwise strip 14a' is joined to a complementary wider lengthwise strip on an adjacent fluent material confinement system by inserting tongue 20 into the slot 22' of the adjacent fluent material confinement system, and then pulling the strips in such a manner as to extend tongue 20 fully into slot 22'. Other examples of suitable tongue orientations are discussed in more detail below. Referring next to Fig. 3, each wider lengthwise strip 14a" includes a tongue 21 and associated slot 23 oriented generally perpendicular to the long dimension of the strip disposed at one end of the strip. Wider lengthwise strip 14a" also includes a complementary tongue 21' and associated slot 23' located at the other end of the strip. Wider lengthwise strip 14a" is joined to an adjacent wider lengthwise strip 14a" by inserting tongue 21 into slot 23' (or inserting tongue 21' into slot 23) on an adjacent fluent material confinement syste The use of the different orientations of tongue 21 and tongue 20 on a single fluent material confinement system 10 may help to hold adjacent fluent material confinement systems together more securely than either would alone. For example, when both tongues 20 and 21 are connected to complementary connecting stractures on an adjacent fluent material confinement system, the orientation of tongue 20 may help to resist vertical displacement of adjacent fluent material confinement systems that may disconnect tongue 21 from an adjacent slot 23', while the orientation of tongue 21 may help to prevent horizontal displacements that may disconnect tongue

20 from the adjacent slot 22'. WhUe the wider lengthwise strips 14a' and 14a" are depicted as having different connecting stractures, it wUl be appreciated that all lengthwise strips may also have the same connecting stracture, or any other combination of suitable connecting stractures. As with tongue 20, tongue 21 may be formed in any suitable manner. The depicted tongue 21 is formed from a generaUy "U"-shaped slot 23 in an end of wider lengthwise strip 14a", but may be formed in any other suitable manner, including, but not limited to, those listed above for tongue 20. The use of tongues 20 and 21, as opposed to the slot connectors of prior systems, also helps to avoid orientation problems during assembly of a barrier, as adjacent fluent material confinement systems 10 will connect and nest in a plurality of different orientations when stacked. Each wider lengthwise strip 14a also typicaUy includes other slots (or other like stractures) of one or more different types disposed along the length of the strip. Each type of slot typically is provided for a particular purpose. For example, some of the slots on wider lengthwise strip 14a are widthwise-strip-receiving slots 24 configured to accommodate the insertion of widthwise strips 16. Widthwise-strip- receiving slots 24 aUow lengthwise strips 14 and widthwise strips 16 to be coupled together to form fluent material confinement system 10. Widthwise-strip-receiving slots 24 are configured to nest within complementary lengthwise strip-receiving slots on widthwise strips 16, as described in more detaU below. Widthwise-strip-receiving slots 24 may be oriented perpendicular to the long dimension of wider lengthwise strip 14a, or may have any other suitable orientation. Additionally, widthwise-strip-receiving slots 24 may extend sufficiently far into the width of wider lengthwise strip 14a so that the top edges of aU widthwise strips 16 coupled with a selected wider lengthwise strip are approximately level with the top edges of naiiOwer lengthwise strips 14b. Thus, widthwise-strip-receiving slots 24 that extend downwardly from the top edge of wider lengthwise strip 14a may extend further into the width of the wider lengthwise strip than the widthwise-strip-receiving slots that extend upwardly from the bottom edge of the wider lengthwise strip. Widthwise-strip-receiving slots 20 may have any desired spacing, and the spacing of widthwise-strip-receiving slots 24 may be selected based on any desired criteria. For example, spacing the strips more closely together may form smaller cells 12, which may provide a somewhat stronger stracture. However, this also may require the use of more materials to make fluent material confinement system 10, and thus may increase manufacturing costs. Likewise, spacing the strips further apart may decrease the cost and weight of fluent material confinement system 10 per unit area, but may be somewhat less strong than a fluent material confinement system with smaUer cells. Typically, widthwise-strip-receiving slots 20 are spaced between four and twelve inches apart, and more typically approximately seven inches apart, but it wUl be appreciated that the widthwise-strip-receiving slots may also be spaced by a distance outside of these ranges. Widthwise-strip-receiving slots may be evenly spaced along the length of wider lengthwise strip 14a, or may be spaced in an uneven manner. In the depicted embodiment, widthwise-strip-receiving slots 20 are spaced evenly, and alternately extend from the top edge and bottom edge of wider lengthwise strip 14a. The even spacing of widthwise-strip-receiving slots 20 creates ceUs of uniform dimensions, and may thus contribute to the regularity of the structural properties of fluent material confinement system 10. Furthermore, the alternating arrangement of widthwise-strip- receiving slots 20 aUows the wider lengthwise strips and widthwise strips 16 to be interwoven, helping to hold fluent material confinement system 10 together during storage or transport. The interwoven stracture of fluent material confinement system

10 also may allow the fluent material confinement system to be coUapsed into at least two different coUapsed configurations, as described in more detaU below. Besides widthwise-strip-receiving slots 24, wider lengthwise strip 14a also may include a plurahty of stacking slots 26 to accommodate the stacking of fluent material confinement systems 10. Stacking slots 26 are configured to receive the widthwise strips of a next-higher fluent material confinement system 10. This helps to stabUize the upper fluent material confinement system, and also aUows both the widthwise strips 16 and the narrower lengthwise strips 14b of the upper system to rest substantially fully against the widthwise strips and narrower lengthwise strips of the lower system when the systems are stacked. It wUl be appreciated that widthwise- strip-receiving slots 24 that extend from the top edge of wider lengthwise strips 14a may also function as stacking slots. Wider lengthwise strips 14a may have any suitable width relative to narrower lengthwise strips 14b and widthwise strips 16. For example, wider lengthwise strips 14a may have a width of between ten and fourteen inches, and more typically approximately 12 inches, while naπOwer lengthwise strips 14b and widthwise strips 16 may have a width of between six and ten inches, and more typically approximately

8 inches. Furthermore, while fluent material confinement system 10 is shown as including eight lengthwise strips 14 and six widthwise strips 16, a fluent material confinement system may include any other suitable number of lengthwise strip and/or widthwise strips. During emergency operations, such as the construction of a flood-retaining waU, time is generally of the essence, and any time wasted trying to determine how to deploy an emergency system such as the fluent material confinement system may jeopardize property and/or hves. Thus, as mentioned above, fluent material confinement system 10 may include one or more deployment indicators 18 configured to be effective in low light conditions (or other adverse conditions) to instruct a user how to move the fluent material confinement system from at least one of the coUapsed positions to the opened position. A deployment indicator may enhance the operability of a fluent material confinement system in any desired manner. In the depicted embodiment, deployment indicators 18 indicate how fluent material confinement system 10 is to be moved from the closed position to the opened position via a visuaUy enhanced instructional indicia disposed on wider lengthwise strips 14a. Deployment indicators 18 include a visibility enhancing background portion 28, and an indicating portion 30. Background portion 28 is typically formed from a reflective or fluorescent material to visually enhance the portions of fluent material confinement system 10 at which a user (or users) should hold the fluent material confinement system when deploying the system Indicating portion 30 is typically contained at least partially within background portion 28, and is configured to stand out against the background portion so that the instructions contained within the indicating portion may be easily read and foUowed. Indicating portion 30 may include any suitable indicia for indicating how fluent material confinement system 10 is to be moved to the open configuration. For example, in the depicted embodiment, indicating portion 30 has a legend indicating where a user is to grip fluent material confinement system 10, and also has an arrow indicating which direction the user is to move the fluent material confinement system to move the system to the opened position. While deployment indicator 18 is configured to visually enhance the portions of fluent material confinement system 10 that are to be gripped by a user, it wUl be appreciated that deployment indicator 18 may function in any other suitable manner. For example, the deployment indicator may include a series of raised bumps or ridges to indicate where fluent material confinement system 10 is to be grasped via tactUe enhancement. Narrower lengthwise strip 14b is shown in more detail in Fig. 4. Like wider lengthwise strips 14a, narrower lengthwise strips 14b may include a plurality of slots of different types. For example, narrower lengthwise strips 14b may include a plurahty of widthwise-strip-receiving slots 32 that allow the narrower lengthwise strips to be coupled with widthwise strips 16. In the depicted embodiment, widthwise-strip-receiving slots 32 alternately extend from the top and bottom edges of narrower lengthwise strips 14b, allowing narrower lengthwise strips 14b to be interwoven with widthwise strips 16. Alternatively, all widthwise-strip-receiving slots 32 may extend from the same edge of narrower lengthwise strips 14b if desired. Narrower lengthwise strips 14b also may include one or more connecting stractures, such as tongues 34, configured to be coupled to a complementary slot on an adjacent fluent material confinement system. Tongues 34 may have any suitable orientation. For example, in the depicted embodiment, tongues 34 are oriented along a long axis of narrower lengthwise strip 14b, as described above for wider lengthwise strip 14a'. Other examples of suitable tongue orientations are described below. Fig. 5 shows an exemplary widthwise strip 16 in more detaU. Each widthwise strip 16 includes a plurality of lengthwise- strip-receiving slots 36 disposed along the length of the widthwise strip. Lengthwise-strip-receiving slots 36 are configured to be joined with widthwise-strip-receiving slots 20 in wider lengthwise strip 14a, and with widthwise-strip-receiving slots 32 in narrower lengthwise strip 14b. In the depicted embodiment, lengthwise-strip-receiving slots 36 extend alternately from the top edge and bottom edge of each widthwise strip 16 so that the widthwise strips may be interwoven with the lengthwise strips. However, lengthwise- strip-receiving slots

36 may also extend from only one edge of widthwise strips 16. Besides lengthwise-strip-receiving slots 36, widthwise strips 16 also may include border ceU slots 38 formed in the ends of each widthwise strip. Border cell slots 38 are configured to receive an outer lengthwise strip 14 to create border ceUs 12b. Border ceU slots 38 may be spaced any desired distance from the adjacent lengthwise-strip-receiving slot 34. In the depicted embodiment, each border cell slot 38 is spaced approximately half the distance from the nearest lengthwise-strip- receiving slot 36. This creates border ceUs 12b of a smaller volume than interior ceUs 12a, and thus may make border ceUs more rigid for improved resistance to forces generated by static water pressures and wave impacts. The end portions 39 of widthwise strip 16, extending from each border ceU slot 38 to each end of the widthwise strip, helps to mmimize any outward movement of the lengthwise strips during filling with sand and under the stresses of ordinary use. The various strips that form fluent material confinement system 10 may be made from any suitable materials. Suitable materials include strong, flexible plastics that are hghtweight and damage resistant. Such materials reduce the weight and increase the durability of fluent material confinement grid system 10. The materials should be able to resist wave impacts, static water pressure and sand pressures, yet be sufficiently flexible to be interwoven. Furthermore, the materials are preferably transparent or translucent to aUow the level of sand within the fluent material confinement grid system to be easily monitored. Some examples of suitable materials are PET (poly(ethylene terephthalate)), PETG (a copolyester of 1,4- cyclohexanedimethanol-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate)), PCTG (poly(l,4- cyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate)), poly vinyl chloride, and polycarbonates such as bisphenol A polycarbonate. In contrast, softer, more flexible materials such as high-density polyethylene may not have the necessary strength to withstand such conditions. Fluent material confinement system 10 may be subjected to large stresses during some uses. For this reason, it may be desirable to form fluent material confinement system 10 from a material with relatively high resistance to stresses, relatively high hardness, etc. For example, the material from which fluent material confinernent system 10 is formed may have a tensUe stress yield point of 45 MPa or higher, a tensile stress break point of 52 MPa or higher, a flexural modulus of 1800 MPa or higher, a flexural strength of 66 MPa or higher, a Rockwell hardness of 103, and an impact resistance (puncture) of 42 J (energy at maximum load) or higher at room temperature. It wUl be appreciated that the materials strength characteristics listed above are merely exemplary, and that the material from which fluent material confinement system 10 is constructed may have any other suitable physical characteristics. Many different additives may be used to modify the properties of these materials as needed. For example, UN absorbers may be added as either a starting material or as a coating on the finished product to increase the resistance of the material to UN degradation. Other possible additives include impact modifiers to increase impact resistance, and flexural modifiers to adjust the stiffness of the materials. As mentioned above, fluent material confinement system 10 is configured to be collapsible into at least one coUapsed configuration for ease of storage and transport. Fig. 6 shows a first coUapsed configuration of fluent material confinement system 10, in which the fluent material confinement system is coUapsed down to a substantially flat sheet-like shape. In the configuration of Fig. 6, a large number of fluent material confinement systems 10 may be stacked in a relatively small amount of space for paUetized storage. Furthermore, in this configuration, deployment indicators 18 are disposed on the top surface of fluent material confinement system 10, in plain view of users who are deploying the system. Thus, the users can easUy determine where to grip and how to open fluent material confinement system 10 with only a quick glance at the system Fig. 7 shows a second possible coUapsed configuration for fluent material confinement system 10. In this configuration, fluent material confinement system 10 is coUapsed into a narrow stracture of the same width as wider lengthwise strips 14a. Just as with the coUapsed configuration of Fig. 6, deployment indicators 18 may be configured to indicate where a user is to grip fluent material confinement system 10 to deploy the system, as well as the direction in which the system is to be moved for deployment. Fluent material confinement system 10 occupies only a small amount of space when in the coUapsed configuration of Fig. 6. Thus, a plurahty of fluent material confinement systems 10 may be easily stored in a side-by-side and stacked arrangement when in the coUapsed configuration of Fig. 6 for paUetized storage. Fig. 8 shows, generally at 50, an alternate embodiment of a connecting stracture suitable connecting adjacent fluent material confinement systems together.

Connecting stracture 50 includes a tongue 52 formed from a slot or cut 54 in the end of the strip, and is configured to extend through a complementary slot on an adjacent fluent material confinement system. Tongue 52 also includes at least one projection 56 formed in an edge of the tongue. Projection 56 is configured to fit behind, and thus engage, a complementary projection on a complementary connecting structure to secure tongue 52 in the complementary slot. The depicted connecting stracture 50 includes two projections 56 - one on each side of tongue 52. However, it wiU be appreciated that connecting stracture 50 may also have either more or fewer projections. A connecting structure may also include a connection indicator to indicate to a user that a fluent material confinement system and adjacent fluent material confinement system are securely connected. Typically, the connection indicator operates in combination with a complementary connection indicator on the adjacent fluent material confinement system to form an indication that a connection is secure only when the connection indicator and the complementary connection indicator are properly connected. Any suitable type of indication may be formed by the connection indicator and complementary connection indicator. Examples include, but are not limited to, visual and/or tactUe indications. Figs. 9 and 10 show one example of a suitable connection indicator generally at 60, and a complementary connection indicator generaUy at 60'. Connection indicator 60 and complementary connection indicator 60 each includes one or more alphanumeric characters. The alphanumeric characters are configured to combine with the complementary alphanumeric characters to form a recognizable word, phrase, acronym, etc. when connecting stracture 50 and complementary connecting stracture 50' are connected in a correct manner. In the depicted embodiment, connection indicator 60 includes the letters "LO", and complementary connection indicator 60' includes the letters "AD." When connecting stractured 50 and 50' are connected properly, tongue 52 extends far enough into the complementary slot for these letters to speU out the word "LOAD," teUing a user that the fluent material confinement systems are correctly connected and ready to be loaded with a fluent material. The use of a translucent or transparent material to form fluent material , confinement system 10 may facilitate the use of connection indicator 60 and complementary connection indicator 60'. Fig. 10 also iUustrates the capability of fluent material confinement system 10 to articulate relative to the adjacent fluent material confinement syste Due to the configuration and placement of connecting stracture 50 and complementary connecting stracture 50' on their respective strips (indicated in Figs. 9 and 10 as 64 and 64', respectively), the end of strip 64 is spaced from a closest perpendicular strip, indicated at 66', on the adjacent fluent material confinement system. Likewise, the end of strip 64' is also spaced from a closest widthwise strip, indicated at 66. Because the ends of strips 64 and 64' are not close to or against widthwise strips 66, strip 64' is able to articulate relative to strip 64', as shown in Fig. 10. This allows a plurality of fluent material confinement systems 10 to be used to cover uneven terrain without significant distortion of any individual fluent material confinement system. Fluent material confinement system 10 may be configured to have any suitable range of articulation. The range of articulation permitted between adjacent fluent material confinement systems may be taUored by varying the distance between the ends of strips 64 and 64' and the nearest widthwise strips 66 and 66', as the fluent material confinement system typically can articulate until a corner of the end of strip 64 contacts strip 66' (or a comer of strip 64' contacts strip 66). Alternatively, the range of articulation may be taUored by adjusting the width of the strips. Fig. 11 shows, generally at 100, a second embodiment of a fluent material confinement system, with different connecting structures than fluent material confinement system 10. Fluent material confinement system 100 has many of the same features as fluent material confinement system 10. For example, fluent material confinement system 100 includes a plurahty of interior ceUs 102a bordered by a plurahty of border ceUs 102b formed from an interconnected network of lengthwise strips 104 and widthwise strips 106. Lengthwise strips 104 may include both wider lengthwise strips 104a and narrower lengthwise strips 104b. Furthermore, fluent material confinement system 100 may include a plurality of deployment indicators 108 configured to assist the deployment of the fluent material confinement system in low visibihty conditions. The depicted fluent material confinement system 100 includes two wider lengthwise strips 104a, each positioned in a second- to -outermost position. However, either more or fewer wider lengthwise strips 104a may also be used. As mentioned above, fluent material confinement system 100 also includes connecting stractures 110 disposed adjacent each end. Each connecting stracture 110 includes a tongue 112 formed from a slot or aperture 114 spaced from the edges of the ends of wider lengthwise strips 104a and narrower lengthwise strip 104b. An exemplary narrower lengthwise strip 314b is shown in more detaU in Fig. 12. Tongues 112 are oriented generally perpendicular to the long dimension of strip 314b. Furthermore, tongue 112 on one end of narrower lengthwise strip 314b is oriented approximately one hundred and eighty degrees from the tongue 112' and slot 114' on the other end of the narrower lengthwise strip. Thus, when two fluent material confinement systems 100 are arranged in a side-by- side manner, tongue 112 on one fluent material confinement system is oriented for insertion into adjacent slot 114 on the adjacent fluent material confinement system. Likewise, tongue 112' is oriented for insertion into adjacent slot 114' on the adjacent fluent material confinement system. In this matter, tongue 112 on one fluent material confinement system can be inserted behind tongue 112' and through aperture 114' on the other fluent material confinement system to join the two systems together. Tongues 112 and 112' may be positioned closer to the end of lengthwise strips 104 than to the closest widthwise strip to facilitate articulation of a fluent material confinement system relative to an adjacent, connected fluent material confinement system. While the depicted embodiment includes a connecting stracture 110 at each end of each lengthwise strip 104, it will be appreciated that any other suitable arrangement of connecting structures may be used. For example, where a fluent material confinement system is configured to be located at the end of a barrier structure, each lengthwise strip 104 may have a single connecting stracture. Additionally, each tongue 112, 112' in the depicted embodiment has a generally ' J"- shaped configuration, it whT be appreciated that the aperture may have any other suitable configuration, such as a simple straight slot or a 'N"-shaped configuration. Fig. 13 shows, generally at 120, another alternative connecting structure suitable for use in connecting adjacent fluent material confinement systems together. Connecting stracture 120 includes a tongue 122 formed by a slot 124. Tongue 122 is oriented generally diagonaUy to the long dimension of the strip. The depicted tongue

122 is oriented approximately 45 degrees from the long dimension of the strip, but it wUl be appreciated that the tongue may have any other suitable generally diagonal orientation. A complementary tongue 122' and slot 124' is disposed at the other end of the strip. Complementary tongue 122' and slot 124' are oriented approximately one hundred and eighty degrees from tongue 122 and slot 124. This orientation may facilitate the insertion of tongue 122 into complementary slot 124' on an adjacent fluent material confinement system. However, tongue 122 and complementary tongue 122' may have any other suitable orientation relative to one another. A fluent material confinement system may be quickly and easily deployed by two users, as shown in Fig. 14 in the context of fluent confinement system 100. The users may stand face to face on opposite sides of the coUapsed fluent material confinement system 100, grip the fluent material confinement system where indicated, and simply pull in the direction indicated by deployment indicators 108. This causes fluent material confinement system 100 to quickly and easUy convert to the open configuration. Then, fluent material confinement system 100 may be placed in a desired location, and another fluent material confinement system opened for placement on top of or beside the first one to form an extended stracture. The stractures may then simply be filled with sand or other fluent material by a third person utilizing a suitable piece of equipment, such as a front loader, to complete the barrier structure. A completed barrier stracture is shown generaUy at 200 in Fig. 15.

When coixectly assembled, vertical alignment indicators 19 form lines down barrier structure 200 at regular intervals. The bottommost fluent material confinement system, which is not visible in Fig. 15, would have its vertical alignment indicator offset from those of higher fluent material confinement systems, as it is positioned right-side up on the ground, whereas the others are positioned upside-down over the bottommost system. Furthermore, connectors 21 and 23 of wider lengthwise strips 14a" are covered by the overlapping portion of the wider lengthwise strips of the next highest layer, helping to further reinforce the barrier. It has been found that a barrier structure such as that shown at 200 may be constructed with fluent material confinement system 10 as much as one hundred times faster (in total man-hours) than a sandbag barrier of similar proportions. Furthermore, it has been found that a barrier may be constructed five or more times faster with fluent material confinement system

10 than with prior fluent material confinement systems having slot-type connectors and all strips of equal width. When a temporary barrier structure is no longer needed, the temporary barrier structure may be disassembled by simply pulling the fluent material confinement systems off of one another, aUowing the fluent material to fall out of the ceUs, and converting the fluent material confinement systems to a coUapsed configuration for storage. In some circumstances, a barrier stracture of suitable strength may be constructed simply by fUling an extended structure made of a plurality of fluent material confinement systems with a single granular material, such as sand or local soUs. However, in other circumstances, further reinforcement may be needed. In these circumstances, a different material may be added to the border cells to reinforce the outer portion of the extended structure. Examples of materials that may be added to the outer border ceUs to reinforce the extended structure include concrete or cement. The concrete or cement may have any suitable proportion of components. A cement mixture of approximately 20:1 has been proven to be particularly advantageous in reinforcing the border ceUs, as a cement of this mixture has good hardness properties, yet can be broken down for removal without undue effort. A barrier with cement or concrete-filled outer border ceUs may be constructed in any suitable manner. One example of a suitable method of construction is as foUows. First, a plurality of fluent material confinement systems are stacked to a desired height and arranged to a desired length. As described above, the bottommost fluent material confinement system is positioned right side up, and other grid systems are positioned upside-down on top of the bottommost grid system Next, the interior ceUs are covered with a suitable structure to prevent cement from entering the interior ceUs during the pouring process. The border ceUs are left exposed. Examples of suitable structures for covering interior cells include sheets of plywood or lightweight metal. Next, a cement mixture is poured into the border ceUs. The covering stractures are then removed, and the fluent material is poured into interior ceUs, typically using a front-loader or similar piece of heavy equipment. This method aUows a solid barrier stracture of a significant height and length to be rapidly constructed with the use of a small number of workers. If extra strength is desired, a second fluent material confinement system barrier may be build directly behind and against the first barrier to double the thickness of the protective barrier. Fig. 15 also Ulustrates the use of a temporary protective barrier in an environment where the barrier may need to be built against another fixed object 202, such as a wall of a building or a bridge piling. In this case, the region in which barrier stracture 200 meets the fixed object 202 may need to be sealed or reinforced with other materials to prevent water from seeping around the edges of, or underneath the bottom of, the temporary barrier. One suitable method of reinforcing these edge regions is to surround the edge regions with material-filled bags 204. Bags 204 may contain sand, or any other suitable material, such as a cement mixture. Moreover, a cement mixture, typicaUy a 20: 1 mixture, may be poured into the space between the fixed object and the barrier to fUl any space left between the barrier. Finally, a line of bags 204 may also be placed along the bottom of barrier stracture 200 to prevent water from seeping underneath the bottom of barrier stracture 200. The fluent material 206 contained within barrier structure 200 provides the structural integrity for the wall, while sandbags 204 seal the seams between the barrier stracture and other surrounding stractures. To provide further support to barrier ceUs 12b, the lower ends of some widthwise strips may be coupled with the upper ends of other widthwise strips, as shown in Fig. 16. This arrangement creates a brace 210 that extends across every other barrier cell 12b, and thus stiffens the waUs of the supported barrier ceUs. The ends of widthwise strips may be connected together by a suitable fastener, including but not limited to, wire ties, ring connectors, cotter pins, bolts, etc., adhesive tape, glue or other adhesives, or may simply be held in place via friction and pressure the adjacent widthwise strip ends exert on each other. The connector configurations shown in the embodiments depicted in Figs. 1 and 11 are suitable for connecting a plurahty of fluent material confinement systems together to form a straight barrier stracture. A barrier structure that extends in a nonlinear fashion may be formed by simply forming a barrier stracture that butts against a prior barrier stracture at a desired angle. However, the location at which the two barrier stractures meet may be a point of weakness. To provide for a stronger multi- directional structure, a corner fluent material confinement system that has connectors provided on the widthwise struts may be used to introduce a directional change into a barrier structure. Such a comer fluent material confinement system may facilitate the construction of temporary barrier stractures such as revetments, dams or levees around curved points of land, etc. Fig. 17 shows, generally at 300, a schematic plan view of a suitable corner fluent material confinement system. Corner fluent material confinement system 300 includes a plurahty of narrow lengthwise strips 14b running in both the lengthwise and widthwise direction. The plurality of narrow lengthwise strips 14b are enclosed on each side by a wider lengthwise strip 14a' (or 14a"). Thus, corner fluent material confinement system 300 includes connecting structures on each end of each of its lengthwise and widthwise strips, and may accept the attachment of any suitable fluent material confinement system on any of its sides. The use of wider strips around the perimeter of comer fluent material confinement system 300 helps to reinforce the barrier ceUs 302 of the comer fluent material confinement system, and to prevent sand from escaping the barrier cells. While the depicted comer fluent material confinement system includes wider strips only as the outermost strips, it wUl be appreciated that a corner fluent material confinement system may have either more or fewer wider strips, and may have either all wider strips, or aU narrower strips. Furtheπnore, while the depicted comer fluent material confinement system is formed from a plurahty of strips 14a' and 14b, it wUl be appreciated that a comer fluent material confinement system may include any other suitable combination of strips disclosed herein or in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10/086,772, incorporated by reference herein. Fig. 18 shows a schematic plan view of a multi-directional extended barrier structure, indicated generaUy at 400, formed from a plurahty of fluent material confinement systems. The depicted barrier stracture includes a plurahty of fluent material confinement systems 10, and two comer fluent material confinement systems 300. The comer fluent material confinement systems 300 introduce directional changes in the barrier. For example, barrier segment 402 and barrier segment 404 meet at roughly a right angle at one of corner pieces 300. The angle at which barrier segments meet may be varied somewhat by partially coUapsing comer piece 300 toward the coUapsed configuration shown in Fig. 7. Furthermore, where the fluent material confinement systems are constructed of a flexible material, adjacent waUs may be bent shghtly out of a right-angle configuration. To facihtate the construction of a multi-directional extended structure, comer fluent material confinement systems 300 may have different deployment indicators (not shown) than fluent material confinement systems 10. As described above, the use of wider lengthwise strips 14a as the outermost two strips helps prevent sand from leaking out from between the outermost strips of adjacent grid layers, and thus helps to preserve the integrity of the grid stracture. Furthermore, a blocking strip may be used to seal the ends of a barrier structure to keep sand from leaking out from between adjacent grid layers at the ends of the barrier structure. Figs. 19a and 19b show, generally at 400, a first embodiment of a blocking strip suitable for sealing the ends of a banϊer structure. Blocking strip 400 includes an elongate face portion 402, and a hooked end portion 404. Elongate face portion 402 has a width 406 approximately equal to the width of interior ceUs 12a. After assembling a barrier stracture of a desired height, but before filling the barrier structure with sand, blocking strip 400 may be inserted verticaUy into each cell column at each end of the barrier stracture, such that the blocking strip hangs from the outermost widthwise strip 16 of the uppermost fluent material confinement system at each end of the stracture by hooked end portion 404. This is shown schematically in Fig. 21. In this manner, elongate face portion 402 of each blocking strip 400 helps to block any gaps between vertically adjacent fluent material confinement systems, and thus help to prevent sand from leaking out of the ends of the barrier structure. While the depicted embodiment includes a hooked end portion 404 at only one end of blocking strip 400, it wUl be appreciated that a hooked end portion 404 could be provided at each end of the strip. This may allow blocking strip 400 to be inserted into the barrier stracture with either end first, and thus may contribute to the ease of constructing a barrier stracture in conditions having poor visibility. Fig. 20 shows an alternate embodiment of a blocking strip, generally at 500. Blocking strip 500 includes an elongate face portion 502, and a tongue connector 504 formed in at least one end of the strip. Like blocking strip 400, blocking strip 500 is configured to be inserted vertically into an end ceU of a fully constructed barrier structure before the barrier stracture is filled with sand. In this manner, face portion 502 of blocking strip 500 blocks gaps between vertically adjacent fluent material confinement systems to help prevent sand from leaking out of the ends of the barrier structure. Tongue connector 504 is configured to connect over the outermost widthwise strip 16 of the uppermost fluent material confinement system such that blocking strip 504 hangs downwardly into a column of cells, thus perfoirning essentiaUy the same function as hooked end portion 404 of the embodiment of Figs. 19a and 19b. Tongue connector 504 may be provided at only one end of blocking strip, or at each end, as shown in Fig. 20. Providing a tongue connector 504 at each end of blocking strip may aUow blocking strip 500 to be inserted into the barrier stracture with either end first, and thus may contribute to the ease of constructing a barrier structure in conditions having poor visibihty. Furthermore, tongue connector 504 may be hooked over a strip of an uppermost fluent material confinement system in a barrier stracture no matter which face of blocking strip 500 is oriented toward the outside of the barrier structure. Thus, the use of a tongue connector 504 at each end of blocking strip 500 may allow the blocking strip to be inserted into a barrier stracture with either end first, and facing either direction. It will be appreciated that blocking strips 400 and 500 may also be placed in ceUs other than cells at the ends of a barrier structure. For example, one or more blocking strips 400 and 500 may be placed in inner ceUs 12a to hold the ceUs open, and to hold a plurality of vertically stacked fluent material confinement systems in a correct ahgnment, upon completion of an extended stracture but before filling the extended stracture with sand to form a barrier stracture. This is illustrated at 400' in Fig. 21. Fig. 22 shows, generaUy at 600, another example of an extended structure that may be constructed with a plurality of fluent material confinement systems 10. Barrier stracture 600 includes three separate linear waU segments 602 that meet each other at an outer angle 604 of one hundred twenty degrees. The waUs are connected together by outermost wider lengthwise strips 14a". Where the strips are made of a flexible material, outermost strips 14a" curve to form smooth comers with no significant gaps through which sand may leak. While each linear wall segment 602 of Fig. 22 meets the other linear wall segments at an outer angle of approximately one hundred twenty degrees, it wiU be appreciated that the flexible nature of outermost lengthwise strips 14a" aUows the linear waU segments to meet at a wide range of possible outer angles. As mentioned above, a fluent material confinement system may have any suitable shape and relative dimensions. Fig. 23 shows, at 702, an embodiment of a shortened widthwise strip suitable for constructing a reduced-size fluent material confinement system, and an exemplary embodiment of a reduced-size fluent material confinement system is indicated in Fig. 24 generaUy at 700. Reduced-size fluent material confinement system 700 is formed from one wider lengthwise strip 14a', one wider lengthwise strip 14a", two narrower lengthwise strips 14b, and six widthwise strips 702. The depicted widthwise strips 702 are approximately one-half the length of widthwise strips 16 of fluent material confinement system 10, making the overall footprint of fluent material confinement system 700 about one-half the size of the overaU footprint of fluent material confinement system 10. However, it will be appreciated that widthwise strips 702 may have any other suitable length. Reduced-size fluent material confinement system 700 may be used for many different purposes. For example, reduced-size fluent material confinement system 700 may be used to reinforce the foot of an extended stracture constructed of a plurality of fluent material confinement systems 10, as shown in Figs. 25a and 25b or may be used to reinforce the interior waUs of stractures such as buildings, houses, etc., as shown in Fig. 26, where space is too hmited to use fluent material confinement systems 10. It will be appreciated that these uses are merely exemplary, and that reduced- size fluent material confinement system 700 may be used for any other suitable purpose. Fig. 27 shows another alternative embodiment of a wider lengthwise strip, generally at 802. Wider lengthwise strip 802 includes a stacking indicator 804 extending along the length of the strip. Stacking indicator 804 is positioned adjacent to, but spaced from, an edge 806 of wider lengthwise strip 802. Alternatively, the stacking indicator may be positioned directly adjacent to edge 806 of wider lengthwise strip 802, as indicated at 804', or in any other suitable location. Where detaUs of the stracture and function of stacking indicator 804 are discussed herein, it wUl be appreciated that the discussion also may apply to stacking indicator 804'. Stacking indicator 804 aids in the avoidance of stacking errors during the construction of extended stractures. Extended structures built with fluent material confinement systems 10 (or 700) may have a greater strength when the wider lengthwise strips of each fluent material confinement system are nested against the inside face of the corresponding strip on the next-lowest fluent material confinement system, as opposed to the outside face. The term "inside face" as used herein indicates the face of each wider widthwise strip that faces toward the center of the grid stracture. This construction may help to prevent the wider lengthwise strips of the stracture from dog-earing when the stracture is being filled with sand, and also may help to prevent sand from leaking out of the outermost protective ceUs when the extended structure is stressed, for example, by wave impacts. However, when constructing an extended barrier stracture under stressful and/or low-visibility conditions, ereors in the proper stacking or nesting of stacked fluent material confinement systems may occur. Specifically, segments of the wider lengthwise strips of the fluent material confinement systems may be located to the outside of the corresponding wider lengthwise strips of the next- lowest fluent material confinement system during stacking. Moreover, due to the relatively complex geometrical appearance of the barrier stracture, such stacking errors may be difficult to spot and correct, especially in low visibility conditions. Stacking indicator 804 acts as a simple visual reference to indicate whether a wider lengthwise strip from one fluent material confinement system in an extended structure is nested inside of, or outside of, the next-lowest fluent material confinement system. Stacking indicator- 804 may be included only on outermost wider lengthwise strip 14a', on next-to -outermost wider lengthwise strip 14a", or on both strips 14a' and 14a". Furthermore, stacking indicator 804 may be provided on an outer face, an inner face, or both an outer and inner face of each of wider lengthwise strips 14a. Furthermore, a deployment indicator 810 may be used in conjunction with stacking indicator 804. Fig. 28 illustrates an exemplary barrier stracture, generaUy at 900, which has no stacking errors, and Fig. 29 Ulustrates an exemplary barrier stracture, generally at 1000, which has stacking errors. First referring to Fig. 28, the stacking indicators 804 on each fluent material confinement system 10 on the lowest layer of the extended stracture form an unbroken line 902 across the face of extended stracture 900. The appearance of an unbroken line indicates that aU outermost and second-to-outermost lengthwise strips from the second-lowest layer of fluent material confinement systems 10 are nested within the corresponding strips on the lowest layer of fluent material confinement systems in extended stracture 900 when the second-to-lowest layer of fluent material confinement systems is stacked correctly on the lowest layer. Furthermore, no other stacking indicators 804 are visible at any other location on the face of extended stracture 900, indicating that aU other wider lengthwise strips of each layer in the extended structure are nested within the interior of the next-lowest layer in the extended stracture. Next referring to Fig. 29, a stacking error 1002 can be seen about midway up the face of extended stracture 1000, and another stacking error 1004 can be seen adjacent to the bottom of the stracture (where the first and second grid levels meet). At stacking error 1002, a single segment (i.e. a section between slots 24) of an outermost wider lengthwise strip 14a" is nested to the outside of the next-lowest layer, rather than to the inside. This is indicated by the appearance of stacking indicator 804 at the location of the stacking error. At stacking error 1004, a missing segment in the stacking indicator 804 of the bottommost fluent material confinement system indicates that a portion of the bottommost fluent material confinement system is improperly nested inside of the next-highest system. The error appears as an offset segment of stacking indicator 804. These error could possibly cause sand to leak out of the structure during filling and/or when under stress, and could also cause the strip in the next-lowest layer that is positioned to the inside of the next-highest layer to dog-ear during filling, thus preventing sand from completely filling the stracture.

Without stacking indicator 804, such a stacking error could be quite difficult to detect. However, with stacking indicator 804, the error is easily visible with a cursory visual inspection to check for missing (in lowest layer) or visible (in other layers) segments of stacking indicators 804, and can be quickly and easily fixed before the next layer of extended stracture 1000 is constructed, or even at the moment the stacking error is made. The wider lengthwise strips may be opaque so that no stacking indicators 804 nested to the inside of a next-lowest layer are visible through the wider widthwise strips, thereby helping to prevent users from overlooking stacking errors. Stacking errors can also be detected on the inner wider widthwise strips using stacking indicators 804, especially where the narrower lengthwise strips of the stacking indicator are at least partially transparent. For example, where a fluent material confinement system has an inner wider widthwise strip with a section improperly nested relative to a next-lowest fluent material confinement system, stacking indicator 804 wUl be visible to a user standing on the opposite side of the structure as the stacking error through the transparent narrower lengthwise strips.

This allows a team of two people to assemble a barrier stracture working across from one another as depicted in Fig. 14 to quickly locate and correct stacking errors on both the outside and inside wider lengthwise strips while assembling a barrier stracture and before fluent material is added to the barrier stracture. As mentioned above, stacking indicator 804 may have any suitable appearance for indicating the existence of a stacking error. For example, stacking indicator 804 may have a solid or patterned appearance, such an arrow pattern, a cross-hatched pattern, etc. Alternatively, stacking indicator 804 may have a solid appearance, as shown in Figs. 24-26. Furthermore, stacking indicator 804 may extend entirely across wider lengthwise strip 14a in an unbroken fashion, as depicted in Fig. 27, or may have the appearance of a broken line, as shown at 1104 in Fig. 30. Furthermore, wider lengthwise strip 14a may have an opaque appearance, including but not limited to a white or beige appearance, to have greater visual contrast with stacking indicator 804. Furthermore, stacking indicator 804 may take the form of a discrete mark, symbol, etc. that appears on each segment of the lengthwise strips, wherein each segment is defined by the length of a single cell. It wiU be appreciated that stacking indicator 804 may serve other purposes than indicating the presence of stacking errors. For example, the line (shown at 900 in Fig. 28) formed across the bottom of a barrier structure by stacking indicator 804 may be used as a marker to indicate how high to stack a line of sandbags in front of the wall, should additional protection be desired. Although the present disclosure includes specific embodiments of barriers fluent material confinement systems and methods of using the systems, specific embodiments are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the present disclosure includes aU novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various fluent material confinement systems, methods of using the systems, stractures. that can be built with the systems, and other elements, features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein. The description and examples contained herein are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but are included for mustration purposes only. It is to be understood that other embodiments of the invention can be developed and faU within the spirit and scope of the invention and claims. The foUowing claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. These claims may refer to "an" element or "a first" element or the equivalent thereof. Such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or through presentation of new claims in this or a related apphcation. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A fluent material confinement system configured to receive a granular fluent material to form a temporary barrier stracture, the fluent material confinement system comprising: a plurahty strips, the plurality of strips including a plurality of lengthwise strips and a plurahty of widthwise strips coupled with each other to define a plurality of open ceUs; and a visual indicator associated with a selected strip, wherein the visual indicator is configured to be effective in low visibility conditions to indicate to a user how to utilize the fluent material confinement system

2. The fluent material confinement system of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator is a deployment indicator configured to be effective in low visibility conditions to indicate to a user how to move the grid from a collapsed configuration to an open configuration.

3. The fluent material confinement system of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator is a stacking indicator configured to indicate a location of an ercor in how the fluent material confinement system is stacked onto a next-lowest confluent material confinement syste

4. A fluent material confinement system configured to receive a granular fluent material and to be stacked on a next-lowest fluent material confinement system to form a temporary barrier stracture, the fluent material confinement system comprising: a plurahty strips, the plurality' of strips including a plurality of lengthwise strips and a plurahty of widthwise strips coupled with each other to define a plurality of open ceUs, wherein the plurahty of lengthwise strips includes at least one wider lengthwise strip configured to extend into ceUs of the next-lowest fluent material confinement system when the fluent material confinement system is stacked on the next-lowest fluent material confinement system; and a stacking indicator associated with the wider lengthwise strip, wherein the stacking indicator is configured to be effective in low visibility conditions to indicate to a user a location of an error in how the fluent material confinement system is stacked on the next-lowest fluent material confinement system

5. The fluent material confinement system of claim 4, wherein the wider lengthwise strip includes a length, and wherein the stacking indicator extends substantially the length of the wider lengthwise strip.

6. The fluent material confinement system of claim 5, wherein the stacking indicator extends only a portion of the width of the wider lengthwise strip.

7. The fluent material confinement system of claim 4, wherein the stacking indicator has a different color than other portions of the wider lengthwise strip.

8. The fluent material confinement system of claim 7, wherein the wider lengthwise strip is opaque.

9. The fluent material confinement system of claim 4, wherein the stacking indicator extends from an upper edge of the wider lengthwise strip.

10. The fluent material confmement system of claim 4, wherein the stacking indicator is spaced from an upper edge of the wider lengthwise strip.

11. The fluent material confinement system of claim 4, wherein the wider widthwise strip is configured to nest within a row of cells in the next-lowest fluent material confinement system, and wherein the stacking indicator is visible where a segment of the wider widthwise strip is positioned outside of a cell of the row of ceUs and is not visible where a segment of the wider widthwise strip is positioned within a ceU of the row of ceUs.

12. The fluent material confinement system of claim 4, wherein the next- lowest fluent material confinement system is a lowermost fluent material confinement system in a barrier stracture, and wherein the lowermost fluent material confinement system includes a lowermost widthwise strip having a lowermost stacking indicator visible in positions where a next-highest fluent material confinement system is properly stacked on the lowermost fluent material confinement system.

13. A fluent material confinement system configured to receive a granular fluent sohd to form a temporary barrier structure, the fluent material confinement system comprising: a plurality of strips including a plurahty of lengthwise strips and a plurahty of widthwise strips coupled with each other to define a plurality of open cells, wherein each strip of the plurality of strips has an end; and at least one connecting stracture disposed adjacent the end of a selected strip, wherein the connecting stracture includes a tongue configured to fit within a slot on an adjacent fluent material confinement system to couple the fluent material confinement system to the adjacent fluent material confinement system

14 The fluent material confinement system of claim 13, wherein the tongue extends at least partially along a long dimension of the selected strip.

15. The fluent material confinement system of claim 14, wherein the tongue extends generally parallel to the long dimension of the selected strip.

16. The fluent material confinement system of claim 14, wherein the tongue extends generally diagonaUy to the long dimension of the selected strip.

17. The fluent material confinement system of claim 13, wherein the tongue is located on the selected strip in such a position that the end of the selected strip on which the tongue is disposed is spaced a distance from a closest perpendicular strip on the adjacent fluent material confinement system when the tongue is in the slot such that the fluent material confinement system may articulate relative to the adjacent fluent material confinement system.

18. A fluent material confinement system configured to receive a granular fluent sohd to form a temporary barrier stracture, the fluent material confinement system comprising: a plurality of strips including a plurahty of lengthwise strips and a plurahty of widthwise strips coupled with each other to define a plurahty of open cells, wherein the plurahty of lengthwise strips includes an outermost lengthwise strip, a second outermost lengthwise strip, and a plurality of inner lengthwise strips, and wherein the outermost lengthwise strip and the second outermost lengthwise strip have a greater width than a remainder of the lengthwise strips and widthwise strips.

19. The fluent material confinement system of claim 18, wherein the outermost lengthwise strip and second outermost lengthwise strip are opaque.

20. The fluent material confinement system of claim 19, wherein the inner lengthwise strips are transparent.

21. The fluent material confinement system of claim 18 , wherein the fluent material confinement system is configured to be stacked on a next-lowest fluent material confinement system in a barrier stracture, wherein at least one of the outermost lengthwise and the second outermost most lengthwise strip is configured to nest into the next-lowest fluent material confinement system, and wherein at least one of the outermost lengthwise strip and second outermost lengthwise strip includes a stacking indicator configured to indicate an error nesting the fluent material confinement system into the next-lowest fluent material confinement system.