Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
  • E02B3/00—Engineering works in connection with control or use of streams, rivers, coasts, or other marine sites; Sealings or joints for engineering works in general
  • E02B3/04—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
  • E02B3/00—Engineering works in connection with control or use of streams, rivers, coasts, or other marine sites; Sealings or joints for engineering works in general
  • E02B3/04—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours
  • E02B3/041—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours using active mechanical means, e.g. fluidizing or pumping

Definitions

• the present invention regards a method and an equipment for the catchment of seawater along the swash zone strip of a sandy shore.
• draining tubes can be positioned buried, close to the strand of a coast line, in order to determine a reduction of the hydraulic pressure in the shore porous substrate and, as a consequence, to alter the normal reflux of the waves to favour the sedimentation of the solid particles suspended in the water. This enables to reset the coast line, where the currents otherwise tend to trigger the erosion of the beach.
• Eu ropea n patent E P 0 1 08 269 il l ustrates a method for operating the sedimentation of a solid material in suspension in a natural water mass having a porous substrate.
• Such method provides for realizing an underground draining channel underneath the medium level of the water mass and for reducing the hydraulic pressure inside the porous substrate of the water mass along a zone adjacent to the draining channel, removing the water from the draining channel in a way as to take the sedimentation solid material to deposit in the aforesaid zone of the substrate.
• the draining channel is positioned in the substrate or in the land along a borderline between the water mass and the land, so as to lower the level of the ground water table in the zone adjacent to the land.
• the described method reduces the reflux waves and favours the deposition of the suspended solid particles, with the effect of regenerating the coast tracts eroded and subjected to erosion.
• Italian patent IT 1 354 750 discloses a process for the buried positioning of draining tubes which provides for stretching in the soil, at the determined depth, a disposable link tube carrying an internal traction cable. On the draining line there are made wells that are joined by the disposable tube and by the traction cable. The disposable tube is thus joined to an ogive device fixed to the traction cable and drawn from a starting well to an arrival well. During the advancement, the ogive device releases a sock of low friction material suitable to delimit a cavity within which the draining tube is made sliding, drawn by the traction cable, until anchoring its ends respectively to the starting well and to the arrival well. Also this solution has proved to be complex to actuate, even if it allows to perform works in any period of the year.
• the task of the present invention is that of solving the aforementioned problem, devising a method and an equipment that allow to operate in an optimal way the catchment of seawater along the swash zone strip of a sandy shore.
• a further scope of the present invention is that of providing an equipment for the catchment of seawater that does not alter the naturalness level of the sea landscape and does not produce negative effects on the biological component of the littoral ecosystem.
• Another object of the invention is that of providing an equipment for the catchment of seawater having a sim ple conception , a securely rel iable functioning and versatile use, as well as relatively economic cost.
• the method for the catchment of seawater provides for realizing an excavation along the swash zone line of a sandy shore, at a definite depth under the sea level, and introducing at the bottom of the excavation a collection tank for the drained waters, having an opening in the upper part.
• the upper opening of the collection tank is closed through a filtering element consisting of a fabric tubular member suitable to be filled with an inert filtering material.
• the filtering element is fastened to the collection tank through support means.
• the collection tank is buried to drain inside it a flux of seawater conveyed on the shore by the sea, taking advantage of the gravity filtration motion through the sandy shore.
• the collection tan k consists of a series of reinforced concrete pools, arranged in line and modularly connected to one another.
• the filtering element is advantageously made of a biaxial fabric tubular element consisting of fibrillated filaments in black polypropylene fibre.
• figure 1 shows a scheme section view of a sandy shore tract wherein is arranged the equipment for the catchment of seawater;
• figure 2 shows a perspective scheme view of the equipment for the catchment of seawater
• figure 3 shows a prospective view of a modular element of the equipment in hand.
• the equipment for the catchment of seawater is indicated in its entirety with 1 .
• the equipment 1 is designed to be arranged along the swash zone line of a sandy shore 2, at a defined depth under the sea level L.
• the equipment 1 provides a collection tank 10 of the drained waters having an opening in the upper part.
• the tank 10 is preferably constituted by a series of reinforced concrete pools 1 1 , arranged in line and modularly connected to one another.
• the pools 1 1 have a substantially trapezoid profile transverse section, of suitable width with respect to the hydrostatic thrusts that may trigger structure floating, overturning or collapsing phenomena.
• the pools 1 1 are suitable to be connected to one another through pipe elements 12 which cross the front walls 1 1 a of the pools 1 1 .
• the pipe elements 12 are axially slidable with respect to the walls 1 1 a of the pools 1 1 , through suitable tight means, so as to facilitate the coupling in the seats prearranged on such walls 1 1 a.
• the junction it is possible to provide for the junction to be made in a different manner, for example through flange members and the like.
• the pools 1 1 constituting the draining tank 10 are designed to be introduced at the bottom of a trench 3 excavated in the sandy shore 2, preferably with terraces.
• the plates 13 are regularly spaced to one another, with suitable spacing to ensure the resistance against the external loads.
• the plates 1 3 form a support plane for a draining cushion 14 so-called "geocomposite", arranged substantially horizontal in use.
• the draining cushion is made of a draining core consisting of a tridimensional woven roving with cusp- shaped structure consisting of monofilament yarns of polypropylene heat-welded in the contact points.
• the draining woven roving is thermally coupled in the upper part to a layer of textile material with a function of separation and filtration.
• the woven roving has the function of giving a major punch resistance to the textile layer.
• the draining cushion 14 functions as a base for a tubular element 15 so-called "geotube", made of a biaxial fabric consisting of fibrillated filaments in black polypropylene fibre.
• the polypropylene tubular element 15 is suitable to be filled with an inert filtering material of alluvial origins.
• an inert material suitably consists of fine grovel with coarse sand , containing 98% of quartz, having substantially rounded grains so as not to damage the textile material with which it is in contact.
• the draining cushion 14 and the tubular element 15 have lengths substantially equal to the length of the relative pool 1 1 .
• the polypropylene tubular element 15 is suitably anchored to the pool 1 1 of the draining tank 10, for example at end portions of the plates 13 protruding from the same pool 1 1 .
• the upper opening of the pools 1 1 is then closed through the draining cushion 14 and the fabric tubular element 15 filled with inert filtering material, suitably fastened to the same pools 1 1 .
• Such equipment thus enables to drain inside the collection tank 10 a flux of seawater conveyed on the shore by the sea, taking advantage of the gravity filtration motion through the sand of the sandy shore 2.
• the lowering of the ground water table produced by the catchment equipment allows the stabilization of the sand and a sensible reduction of the return flux, thus favouring the deposition of sediments on the swash zone.
• the sedimentation processes induced by the draining are anyway considered secondary in the dimensioning of the equipment, privileging vice versa the capacity of absorbing suitable water volumes and ensuring the required ranges.
• the water collected in the tank 10 is suitably evacuated, for example providing the same tank with a light slope, such as to convey the water to an evacuation area.
• a light slope such as to convey the water to an evacuation area.
• the water collected by the pools 1 1 is conveyed, through suitable pipes, to an auxil obviouslyy tan k with a suitable capacity, provided with suitable pumping members.
• the pumping members Upon reaching a prefixed filling level, the pumping members are actuated to perform the emptying of the auxiliary tank.
• the described method and equipment attain the scope of optimally operating the catchment of seawater along the swash zone line of a sandy shore, taking advantage of the gravity filtration motion through the same sandy shore, intended as permeable porous means able to absorb the fluxes of water conveyed on shore by the sea state.
• the catchment method produces a lowering of the saturation line of the ground water table close to the shore line, amplifying the natural percolation of the seawater in the area interested by the sea state.
• the catchment equipment can also be proposed as system for the stabilization and increasing of the sandy shore, as it favours the sedimentation processes of the suspended solid transported by the sea state and inhibits the transport of sediment towards the open sea in the step of ebb of the wave from the swash zone.
• a feature of the method and of the equipment in hand consists of the fact that the naturalness level of the sea landscape is not troubled and no negative effect is produced on the biological component of the littoral ecosystem. Once installed, the equipment does not present any visible part.
• the zone of sedimentologic modification or of coastal transport following the activation of the system is limited to a few meters distance from the swash zone line to the submerged beach, therefore there are not any influences with respect

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Pit Excavations, Shoring, Fill Or Stabilisation Of Slopes (AREA)
• Food Preservation Except Freezing, Refrigeration, And Drying (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (1)

Citations (4)

• 2009
  • 2009-11-25 IT ITBO2009A000765A patent/IT1396485B1/it active
• 2010
  • 2010-11-23 EP EP10793054A patent/EP2504495A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2010-11-23 WO PCT/IB2010/055365 patent/WO2011064717A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (4)

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