WO2014045132A1

WO2014045132A1 - Sea-gabion walls for tsunami and flooding protection, for fish farming, and for protection of buildings in the sea

Info

Publication number: WO2014045132A1
Application number: PCT/IB2013/055276
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hans J. Scheel
Original assignee: Scheel Hans J
Priority date: 2012-09-19
Filing date: 2013-06-27
Publication date: 2014-03-27

Abstract

A wall of gabions in form of steel fence-baskets filled with rocks or concrete blocks and with attached anchors, which are fixed by inserted rocks, extending at least 50m up to 4km below sea level. Use of the wall as forming a fishing farm between the wall and shore. The wall is preferably protected with hanging triangular structures as surge stoppers, with massive stabilization landward, and can therefore replace conventional dikes and levees. The gabions are filled with rocks or concrete blocks, can surround pillars to protect off-shore platforms, wind power plants, bridge pillars and other submarine structures, and assist in deep-sea mining.

Description

SEA-GABION WALLS FOR TSUNAMI AND FLOODING

PROTECTION, FOR FISH FARMING, AND FOR PROTECTION OF

BUILDINGS IN THE SEA

1. Field of invention

The present invention relates to the protection against Tsunami waves, against high sea waves, against flooding from storms, and also presents a novel technology for submarine architecture. The Tsunami barriers/walls are built from gabions, steel-fence baskets filled with rocks/stones or concrete blocks.

These walls protect not only cities and power stations, but also beaches and nature reserves. The sea- water reservoirs between the Tsunami barriers and the coast can be used for fish/tuna farming and partially can be filled up for land reclamation.

2. Cross-References to Related Applications

The present application claims the benefit of the priorities of the following patent applications:

• PCT/IB2012/054970 filed on September 19, 2012 in the name of Hans SCHEEL;

• PCT/IB2012/054983 filed on September 20, 2012 in the name of Hans SCHEEL;

• PCT/IB2012/055177 filed on September 28, 2012 in the name of Hans SCHEEL;

• PCT/IB2012/055378 filed on October 5, 2012 in the name of Hans SCHEEL;

• PCT/IB2012/056613 filed on November 22, 2012 in the name of Hans SCHEEL;

• PCT/IB2012/057458 filed on December 19, 2012 in the name of Hans SCHEEL;

The entire disclosure of these applications is incorporated herein by reference.

3. Background

Many coastal areas have the risk of high Tsunami sea waves which may cause the death of coastal inhabitants as well as huge damage to cities and industrial and cultural buildings and infrastructure. The largest recent Tsunami catastrophes have been 2004 Sumatra and eight affected countries which killed >23 000 people, and 11.3.2011 Tohoku, Japan with >19 000 casualties and the Fukushima catastrophe. According to Bryant (2008) many large cities like Tokyo and hundreds of km coastline are threatened with future Tsunami and with flooding from hurricanes.

Tsunami waves are formed from sudden vertical displacements of the ocean bottom related to earthquakes, from landslides, from underwater volcanic eruptions, alternatively the waves are initiated from falling asteroids or from man-made explosions. Their initial wavelength is much longer than the typical depth of the ocean of 4km, the initial amplitude (height of the wave) is limited to a few tens of centimeters and rarely exceeds lm, and the travelling speed is about 700 km/h.

The catastrophic Tsunami sea waves of typically 4 to 10 m height are formed when the gravitation waves reach the decreasing water depth at the coast. The long wavelength of the pressure wave is then reduced and compensated by increased amplitude, or in other words the kinetic energy of the pressure wave is transformed to potential energy by increasing the height of the Tsunami sea wave. Wave heights up to 38 m and higher are formed when the coast has a funnel-shaped structure which concentrates the energy. Observations of such extreme waves have been observed and confirmed by computer simulations.

Expensive Tsunami warning systems have been developed which often are too late for coastal inhabitants and which anyhow cannot prevent huge material, housing and infrastructure damages. In USA the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration NOAA is coordinating Tsunami warning and protection efforts, and has an archive of Tsunami conferences and workshops. Annunziato et al.(2012) have discussed the improvements of the Global Disasters Alerts and Coordination System (GDACS) with the analysis of the Tohoku earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011, and Kawai et al.(2012) reported on measurements using GPS buoys and other gauges after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.

In the area of the North Atlantic, global warming may firstly cause a destabilization of gas hydrates on the ocean ground, and secondly a basic weight shift caused by melting ice sheets, and these may cause massive landslides and earthquakes which then generate pressure waves (Lynett and Liu 2002).

There are large efforts to repair breakwaters which have been damaged by Tsunami (examples Kamaishi/Japan, Crescent City/California) but we will see below that only the new Tsunami barriers can protect the coastlines. After hurricane "Sandy" hit the East coast of USA, Fischetti (2013) wrote: "Block it or abandon shore".

Already in ancient times the Egyptians prepared baskets from reed, filled them with stones and buried them along the Nile to control flooding and erosion. Nowadays, baskets of steel fence of typical dimensions of lm to 2m filled with rocks are widely applied for military defence and for flood protection and are called gabions. These are commercially available (see for example www.gabions.net and www, gabions.com ) and software for gabion wall design has been developed (hotline @ finesoftware.eu ). The invented sea-gabion walls differ from gabions used above ground by their function (prevent catastrophic Tsunami waves in very special offshore regions in the sea), by their dimensions (~200m high, many km horizontal length), by their construction from saltwater-resistant steel fence, and by their construction by inserting the gabions from ships/pontoons into the sea.

Earlier proposals to reduce the Tsunami risks include the following:

Researchers at Iowa State University, at the request of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), have proposed coastal forests as 'Bioshield' (Science Daily 16.4.2007).

Japanese patent application JP 7113219 discloses several breakwaters, which successively reduce the energy of the„overtopping" Tsunami wave so that it is hoped that the dam on the land will hold up the residual Tsunami wave. The efficiency of this structure is depending on the height of the first breakwater versus the height from the bottom of the sea and the distance from the coastline and on the height of the submerged breakwater versus the sea level at the arrival of the tsunami shock wave: the reduction of the Tsunami pressure wave is small. The main effect of the structure disclosed in JP 7113219 is to fight against the Tsunami wave and its energy whereby it is hoped that the breakwater dam on the land will survive the Tsunami wave and stop the reduced Tsunami wave.

Chinese patent application CN 1804224 discloses the use of a large water bag filled with composite material 50 to 80 m from the coast and a second floating bag partially filled with water and partially with gas, both fixed to the seabed. This may reduce the Tsunami wave somewhat, but would not prevent the formation of the catastrophic Tsunami wave, see discussion of Fig. 2 below.

British patent 987271 proposes tread-riser/terrace structures, extending along the coast, which are 3 to 5 metres high and claim that "since the riser is well submerged only small waves can pass over it". "The deepest riser should be spaced far enough from the shore to permit navigation of small boats along the coast", thus is only about 15m below sea level. Only a very minor effect of this invention on breaking sea and Tsunami waves can be expected.

US patent 6050745 proposes wave breaker steps at the base or toe of breakwaters like bulkheads and seawalls in order to prevent undercutting. This invention does not conflict with our invention, but such terraced structures at the base of our Tsunami barriers may have a certain local protective effect on the barrier's lifetime.

Breakwaters and dams are widely applied but give only marginal protection against high Tsunami waves as shown with the worldwide highest breakwater in Kamaishi, Japan: the March 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami killed about 1250 people and partially destroyed the breakwater (Onishi 2011). By knowledge of the present invention and realization of the novel technology, this and other catastrophs could have been prevented, because the coastal structure of Kamaishi Bay causes a funnel effect and thus further increases the Tsunami waves (see discussion of Fig. 2 below). Instead of repairing this breakwater the Tsunami Barrier described below should be built.

A general description of Tsunamis has been published by Bryant (2008), and the propagation of a Tsunami in the ocean and its interaction with the coast by Levin and Nosov (2009). In a PhD thesis A. Strusinska (2010, 2011) simulated the development of Tsunami sea waves and reviewed the protection attempts trying to reduce the effect of the already formed Tsunami sea waves. Burcharth and Hughes (2002, 2011) reviewed the experiences with breakwaters and dikes. Murty et al. (2006) analyzed in depth the Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004 and could explain the catastrophic effects in eight countries affected.

Deeply immersed Tsunami barriers are needed which reflect most of the pressure waves before the catastrophic high Tsunami sea waves are formed (Scheel 2012, 2013). Deep-sea construction using conventional concrete technology is difficult. Therefore there is a need for a novel approach for barrier construction and to find a solution to eliminate or at least reduce the Tsunami risks, to prevent the formation of harmful Tsunami waves when the pressure waves reach reduced water depth at the coast. An earlier invention discussed the building of Tsunami barriers using long submerged steel fences and stabilizing them by inserting rocks from above (Scheel 2012, 2013). In the following a simple technology to build Tsunami barriers as walls of baskets (gabions) filled with rocks in a critical depth below sea level will be described.

4. Summary of the invention

In a first aspect, the invention provides a barrier against shock waves such as Tsunami and/or against high sea waves. The barrier comprising a wall of gabions extending preferably 50 m to 500 m, maximum 4 km below sea level. The lowest end of the wall is adapted to be fixed on the sea floor or in the ground. The wall is furthermore designed to be stabilized in a substantially vertical position and to be protected against erosion above sea level by hanging and replaceable surge stoppers or wave deflectors.

In a first embodiment, the wall of the barrier is built from steel-fence baskets (gabions) filled with stones/rocks or concrete blocks, with horizontal anchors at least at the bottom, stabilized by crossing steel ropes on front and backside, and stabilized landward by rocks, concrete blocks or other solid bodies, or is a double-gabion wall filled with rocks.

In a second embodiment, the barrier comprises several gabions horizontally and vertically interconnected to form a large continuous surface.

In a third embodiment, the barrier comprises anchors which are fixed to said gabions and which are held horizontally and adapted to be fixed by rocks or concrete blocks inserted from above.

In a fourth embodiment, the barrier comprises two substantially parallel gabion walls connected at the bottom and thus forming a middle fence basket adapted to be filled by rocks and/or similar materials, and with distance holders to keep the parallel walls apart.

In a fifth embodiment, the fence(s) of the gabions is/are coated or filled in by a salt-water resistant elastic polymer like a natural or a synthetic rubber, PVC, polyamide, poly-urethane, or by concrete.

In a sixth embodiment, the surface topology and structure of the walls and the inclination from vertical are adjusted to reduce the harmful effect of reflected pressure waves on opposite coasts.

In a seventh embodiment, the barrier of at least lm thickness at the sea and at least 50 cm thickness along rivers is fixed by concrete foundation or by steel beams in the sea floor or in the ground. The barrier extends at least 4 m above the sea level to replace conventional dikes. Vertical steel beams for later heightening and for hanging triangular long structures, preferably of concrete or of double-fence-rock structure and of 1 m to more than 5 m horizontal length protect the gabion wall or the concrete wall. The vertical steel beams can be replaced when eroded or damaged. The barrier is stabilized landward by heavy masses to withstand sea waves from heaviest storms and recover at the same time land surface.

In an eight embodiment, the barrier comprises a sequence of submerged walls in terrace (step-riser) structure.

In a ninth embodiment, a method for constructing the barrier comprises the following steps: lowering of gabions filled with rocks and with attached horizontal anchors into the sea, horizontally fixing said anchors by rocks or concrete blocks inserted from above and filling the coast side of said fence with rocks and/or similar materials and a surface soil layer to gain new land.

In a second aspect a method for constructing the double-gabion barrier comprises the following steps: simultaneous lowering of two gabions with anchors and distance holders into the sea, filling the gap between the vertical gabions walls with rocks or concrete blocks and inserting further rocks or concrete blocks on the coastal side of the double-gabion wall for enhanced mechanical stabilization and with the possibility to fill the gap towards the shore for gaining new land.

In a tenth embodiment, swimming roads and land surfaces as well as of roads and land surfaces on pillars or on gabion- wall structures are created between the barriers and the coast and leave openings on top so that algae and other plants can grow and that feeding can be supplied for production of fish and other seafood.

In a third aspect, the sea-water reservoirs between Tsunami barriers and the coast are used for large-scale fish farming. The reservoirs are separated by supply roads which allow access to the open sea by ships and fishing boats.

In a eleventh embodiment, the gabions filled with rocks or other solids are used to protect bridge pillars, offshore platforms, wind power plants, light-towers, Tsunami warning systems, geographical markers and other submarine buildings. The gabions filled with rocks or other solids are also used to assist in deep-sea mining. In a fourth aspect, the gabion-wall technology is combined with the double-fence-rock technology described in the patent applications of Scheel 2012 and 2013.

In a twelfth embodiment, under-water densification (compacting) of the fence-rock structures is achieved by repeated lifting a hanging heavy weight (of adjustable height) and loosen it so that it hits the gabion- wall structure thereby causing vibrations.

5. Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 : Vertical Tsunami barrier with reflected shock waves and land reclaimed from the sea(schematic cross section).

Fig. 2 : Schematic cross section of sea floor with break of continental shelf and dependence of wave velocity c to water depth h (lower section) and to wave height A.

Fig. 3: Wall of packed gabions (steel baskets filled with rocks) of 5 m thickness with top concrete wall, surge stopper (wave deflector) and service road (schematic cross section).

Fig. 4: Front view of the gabion Tsunami barrier with fixation in the sea floor and with concrete wall on top extending above sea-level.

Fig. 5: Ship with crane to insert the gabions into the sea (side view).

Fig. 6: Terrace wall structure of which the wall nearest to the coast allows land reclamation. (Gabions not shown).

Fig. 7: Weak points (gaps) along Tsunami barrier with bridges and reinforced fence, with possibility to mount turbines or waterwheels for electricity production and with gates to be closed when Tsunami or high storm waves arrive (schematic longitudinal cross section, Gabions not shown).

Fig. 8: Densification of the rocks by a swinging "Hammer", Gabions with rocks not shown.

Fig. 9: Dike with surge stopper. (Gabions not shown)

Fig. 10: Japan's East coast with Tsunami barrier along the 200m water depth line with supply roads separating the large fishing farms.

Fig. 11: Schematic top view of Tsunami barrier with service road, supply roads, fishing reservoirs and access from the fishing harbour to the open sea. 12: Schematic longitudinal section of a supply road between coast and Tsunami barrier with gaps and fences covered by bridges (a) and the schematic cross section (b) of the supply road, on top of the gabion-wall of 4 to 5 m thickness, with side walls. (Gabions not shown)

13: Gabion-wall channel for navigation from the coastal harbour to the open sea (cross- section).

Brief description of the figure legend

(1) Sea level at high tide (46) fence (at weak point of

(2) Bottom of the sea/ocean Tsunami barrier)

(3) Shore/coast (47) Concrete bridge

(4) Tsunami barrier (48) Supply road

(5) Gap (filed with rocks, rubble, ...) (49) Pumping of contaminated

(6) Surface soil layer water

(7) Fixation bars (50) Reservoir

(8) Service road (51) Fishing harbour

(9) Pressure/Shock waves (52) Steel bars

(10) Reflected waves (58) Swinging weight

(11) Sea floor (59) Height adjustment

(15) Rocks, rubble (60) Pull and loosen of weight (22) Steel bars (62) Fence

(24) Hooks (65) Gabion- wall Tsunami barrier

(27) Horizontal anchors (66) Gabion

(29) Terraces (67) Crane

(30) Concrete wall (A) Wave height

(34) Ship/Pontoon (I) Typical example I

(39) Open sea (II) Typical example II

(40) Concrete foundations (c) Wave velocity

(41) Surge stoppers (h) Water depth

(45)Heavy masses

General description of the Invention The principle of the invention is shown with a cross section in Fig. 1 with the pressure waves (9) from earthquakes or landslides reflected waves (10) at the stable vertical wall and with release of some pressure energy by upward motion of water in front of the barrier. The vertical submerged wall is facing reduced shear flow and no impact from high sea waves, whereas the vertical concrete wall on top of the Tsunami barrier (4) is protected above sea level by the invented hanging inclined/triangular structures ("surge stoppers" or "wave deflectors") which can be replaced.

The present invention provides vertical stable walls at modest costs and at relatively high production rates by a novel submarine architecture technology. At the same time, by filling the gap (5) between the Tsunami barrier (4) and the shore (3), new land can be reclaimed the value of which could compensate all or at least a large fraction of the construction costs.

Alternatively, the gap (5) could enclose huge sea-water reservoirs (50) which can be used for large-scale farming for tuna and other fish. Fig. 1 represents a schematic cross section of a vertical barrier (e.g. a Tsunami barrier) reflecting the gravitational waves from earthquakes or landslides. In this idealized case the vertical barrier extends to the bottom of the ocean/sea (2), typically 4 km, and thus totally reflects the Tsunami pressure wave (9). However, if one considers the variation of the wave velocity and the related amplitude development during the wave movement towards the coast, i.e. is during experiencing reduced water depth, one realizes that the high Tsunami sea waves are developing only at water depth less than about 500 m or even 200 m. Their velocity c is given in a first approximation (Levin and Nosov 2009 Ch.1.1 and Ch.5.1) by c = V(_g * h) with g gravitation and h the water depth, and the product of the amplitude or wave height A squared times velocity c is constant:

c = constant.

These relations are shown in the combined Fig. 2 with the parameters c = 713 km/h at a water depth of 4000 m for two typical examples (I and II) of wave heights of A(I)= 0.3 m and A(II)= 1.0 m at h = - 4000 m . The lower part of the figure shows the velocity c as function of water height h with an idealized picture of the slope of the continental shelf the slope of which is increasing near the "break". The upper part of the figure shows the wave height A as a function of water depth h. The Tsunami wave heights are increasing slightly until water depth is less than about 500 m, and only at water depth around 200 m the wave heights increase above 2 m for initial wave heights of 0.3 m and 1.0 m at 4 km depth. The consequence is that the Tsunami barrier (4) can be erected at water depth between 50 m to 500 m which normally is still on the continental shelf. With a Tsunami barrier (4) up to 3 m above sea level at high tide (1) and a top concrete wall extending 6 to 8 m above the top of the Tsunami barrier (4), depending on highest expected waves from Tsunami and storms, the combined submerged Tsunami barrier (4) and the top concrete wall with the surge stopper will be effective to protect the coast. In contrast to prior-art breakwaters the present invention prevents formation of high Tsunami waves whereas prior art breakwaters try to reduce the catastrophic effect of high Tsunami waves near the coast after these waves have been formed. The prominent example is the Kamaishi breakwater discussed above.

Also it should be considered that deviations from the straight coastline like bays or fjords may lead to a funnel effect which can multiply the heights of Tsunami waves reaching the coast. This was described in case of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku Tsunami for the Bay of Kamaishi. Thus the new Tsunami barrier (4) is remote from the shore (3) so that the funnel effect of bays and fjords is prevented.

In exceptional localities the initial offshore Tsunami wave may be higher than one meter so that geophysicists and seismologists should estimate the maximum expected vertical displacement of the ocean floor. This then indicates the preferred position and depth of the Tsunami barrier (4) and the height of the top Tsunami barrier plus concrete wall. If this scientific estimation is not yet possible, the historical data should give an idea about the maximum expected offshore Tsunami waves. Furthermore, the Tsunami wave velocity c given above is affected by the relief of the ocean bottom, especially at shallow water, and its direction is influenced by mid-oceanic ridges acting as wave guides. Also friction at the sea floor (11) becomes relevant when the Tsunami pressure waves reach shallow waters, which with the present invention is prevented. Construction of Tsunami barriers

In a preferred embodiment, a row of gabions (66) (baskets of steel-fence filled with rocks), are lowered into the sea by assistance of horizontal anchors (27) which reduce movement of the baskets when they reach the sea floor (11). High-strength steel fences with twisted wires are produced by Geobrugg AG, Romanshorn, Switzerland (Geobrugg 2013). This company has shown that their special fences have a combination of high strength and elasticity so that in the mountains they can stop falling rocks and thus protect mountain roads and railroads. Alternatively, sea-gabions (66) are fabricated from commercially available fences with welded wires which have the advantages of symmetric high- strength properties and of improved dimension control. All steel components for the present invention are produced from saltwater-corrosion-resistant steel, for example chromium- and molybdenum-containing low-carbon- steels with European numbers 1.4429 (ASTM 316LN), 1.4462, 1.4404 or 1.4571 (V4A). All metal alloys should have the same or similar composition in order to prevent electrolytic reactions and corrosion at the connecting points. Furthermore, long-time corrosion may be prevented by coating all metal parts with special corrosion-resistant paint or by an elastic PVC or polyamide polymer, or by covering the steel fence structure seaward by concrete, or by embedding the steel fence.

The specific fence structure and the thickness of the wires and of the steel ropes have to match the strength and elasticity requirements depending on the total height of the sea- gabion structure, the size and shape of rocks, and the risk of earthquakes. Also a variation of the type of fence along the height or along the length of the barrier may fulfil local requirements. A stabilization of the sea-gabion walls can be achieved by crossing steel ropes on both sides of the wall, the ropes being fixed to the wall.

The overall surface topology and the local roughness of the basket-rock structure determine the reflectivity of the pressure waves (9). This can be adjusted by zigzag or undulated structures of the Tsunami barriers, whereas the rough basket-rock surface can be flattened for instance by concrete or by an elastic polymer in order to enhance reflectivity.

These reflected gravitational waves may harm opposite coasts on the other side of the ocean or islands. A slight downward inclination from vertical should be applied to reflect the pressure wave (9) for example at the north-east coast of Honshu/Japan down into the deep Japan trench, or the inclination should be slightly upward to transform the kinetic energy of the pressure wave (9) into potential energy by formation of dispersed sea waves moving away from the coast. Inclined angles are achieved by step structures of the square baskets.

Single- Wall Technology

When the lowest gabions (66) and the lowest anchors (14, 27) have reached the desired position on the sea-ground they are fixed there to the ground by anchors (14, 27), by steel bars and/or by concrete foundations (40). Before this procedure the sea-ground is cleaned from sand and soft material by high-pressure water jets arriving through pipes or produced locally by submerged compressors or fans, and steep slopes may be removed by excavation. In case of a soft ground very deep foundations are required for a stable basket-wall position. Now rocks of specified size and sharp edges are inserted from sea level on the landward side or on both sides so that they cover and fix the horizontal anchors (27), and thus also fix the sea-gabions (66) which are thus held in more or less vertical position. The first-deposited rocks in baskets are washed before so that the clear view allows to control the process by strong illumination and video cameras, by divers, by diving bells, or by Remotely Operated Vehicles ROV (Elwood et al.2004, Tarmey and Hallyburton 2004), or by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles AUV (Bingham et al. 2002, WHOI 2012).

For a Tsunami protection the sea-gabion wall extends preferably 200 m down to the sea . The steel-fence-baskets filled with rocks are pre-fabricated on the coast, connected on the transport ship or pontoon, and then inserted into the sea. The three dimensions of the gabions (66) should be as large as possible, between lm and 20m, and are limited by the size of ships and limits of cranes (67). The length vertical to the coast is preferably larger than 4m, so that on top the concrete wall and service road can be constructed above sea level. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show a gabion barrier of 5m width, and Fig. 5 is a schematic side view of a ship loaded with gabions (66), which inserts the gabions (66) into the sea.

The delivery ships or pontoons with cranes (67) are arranged in a horizontal line following the depth level of the sea or following the coast-line, and this work requires relatively quiet sea. An alternative approach could be used to transport the sea-gabions (66) over supply roads (48) or over long (temporary) bridges from the coast, or over permanent bridges which later are used to establish "Swimming Land Surface", or would be used as "supply roads", see below. The horizontal connection of a row of baskets can be achieved above sea level by means of steel ropes or clamps, or alternatively their side holders can glide down along steel beams. This is arranged on the ships or pontoons, but it is a critical procedure. The shapes of the baskets are cubes or rectangular bodies or other space-filling forms, so that a compact high and long wall can be built by inserting the baskets from top. Preferably the gabion dimension vertical to the vertical wall surface (and to the coastline) is larger than the dimension within the wall.

The gap (5) between the Tsunami barrier (4) and the coast can be filled with rocks, rubble, etc. (15) and a surface soil layer (6) on top, in order to gain new land as shown in Fig. 1. However, this requires huge quantities of material to be transported.

A simple step structure with terraces (29) requires less rock fill material, still allowing gaining new land, and therefore being preferred on certain coasts, see Fig. 6. For the terrace barriers the amplitude of the Tsunami waves derived from the reflection and transmission coefficients depend on the depth ratio of barrier and ocean depth, as discussed by Levin and Nosov 2009 in Ch. 5.1.

The rocks will settle with time, especially assisted by man-made vibrations (explosions) or by vibrations caused by earthquakes, typically 2000 per year in Japan. A novel technology to enhance the density of the fence-rock barrier consists of a heavy metal swinging weight (58) hanging from a ship/pontoon (34): the weight is pulled upwards and then loosened (60) so that it bangs against the basket-rock barrier causing strong vibrations. The schematic view represented in Fig. 8, shows this procedure and as well as the possibility to adjust the height of the weight by steel rope (59).

Furthermore the rocks are fixed by gravel and/or sand which are inserted periodically when a line of gabions has been deposited.

The height should extend 2 m to 4 m beyond sea level at high tide (1), see Fig. 9. These gabion walls of many km lengths are flexible at the bottom and therefore can match the local topology of the sea-ground after this has been cleaned by high-pressure water jets as described before. For stabilization against strongest shock waves, rocks are deposited on the coastal side of the Gabion-wall Tsunami barrier (65) as shown in Fig. 9. Also shown is the concrete wall (30) above sea level with hanging triangular structure (41) (surge stopper) which will prevent overtopping of sea waves and reduce the splashing over of the lifted sea water from reflected Tsunami pressure waves (9). The steel bars (22) extending from the concrete wall are used both for later heightening of the concrete wall and for hanging the surge stopper (41). The service road (8) along the concrete wall allows to transport the surge- stopper (wave deflector) and to control the Tsunami barrier (4).

The submarine constructions offer the possibility to produce electric energy by using the inward and outward currents due to the tide. Waterwheels and/or turbines produce the electric energy. These can be installed at the weak points of the tsunami barrier (4), below the bridges, where also significant water flow is expected as discussed below, see Fig. 7.

In the case of a 20 m wide Gabion-wall Tsunami barrier (65) the top concrete wall is stabilized by rocks on the coast side, between concrete wall and service road as shown in Fig. 1.

Very long wall barriers have a certain elasticity to withstand medium- level earthquakes. However, for very strong earthquakes they are too rigid and thus may break. In order to prevent such severe damages, which are difficult to repair, it is foreseen to establish weak points where the barrier is interrupted by 2 m to 10 m and where a concrete bridge (47) passes over the gap as shown in Fig. 7. This bridge is then easily repaired after a severe earthquake. The gap below the bridge is filled with a high-strength steel fence (46) and with a fine-grid fence to prevent escape of fishes. At the same time the fence allows exchange of seawater and equilibration of tidal height differences which gives the possibility of energy "production" by turbines or waterwheels which regularly turn with inward and outward flow due to the tides (not shown in a figure). Instead of fixed fences the gap can be provided with gates (not shown in the figures), one with a fence and one with plate doors or sliding gates for complete locking.

Protection of submarine buildings

Surrounding walls of gabions (baskets filled with rocks) may also provide protection against Tsunami sea waves and high sea- waves caused by storms, of offshore platforms, pillars of bridges, and wind-power plants (not shown with figures). The dimensions of the gabions (66) are in the range 1 m to 5 m, and a height of 2 m to 10 m above sea level at high tide (1) is recommended.

The upper rim of the gabion circle should have warning signals or signal lights for navigation. Top Concrete Wall with Surge Stopper

a) Application to Tsunami Barriers

A vertical concrete wall (30) of at least 5m height should be built on top of the Tsunami fence barriers to protect the coast and the harbour from partial Tsunami waves and from high sea waves caused by storms, see Fig. 3, and to protect the new land (see Fig. 1). For highest resistance to seawater attack, the concrete of Portland cement should have a low water content and be impermeable; a content of 5% to 10% of tricalcium aluminate has been proposed (Zacarias). The thickness of this concrete wall should be at least 1 m at the sea and at least 50 cm along rivers. The top of this concrete wall may have steel bars (22) so that later heightening may be facilitated and that inclined structures with inclination towards sea (surge stoppers (41)) may be hung onto these concrete walls to reduce overthro thing, reduce erosion of the concrete wall, and allowing replacement. Fig. 3 and Fig. 9 show the triangular structure with top curvature mounted onto the top of the concrete wall (30). The optimum tilting angle can be determined theoretically, experimentally, and by computer simulation. However, for practical reasons and weight limitation, the chosen angle is preferably between 10 degrees and 15 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. For instance, with an angle of 11.3 degrees and a length of 5 m downward, a concrete structure of 2 m length would have a weight of about 12.5 tons. These surge stoppers have to be moved on the service road (8) and lowered onto the vertical concrete wall by means of hooks (24). These triangular structures have the advantages that a) they protect the basic vertical wall from erosion;

b) they can be replaced to change the tilting angle or for repair;

c) they can be curved outward on the upper part so that overtopping of highest waves can be minimized;

d) they can be replaced to test different construction designs and materials; and e) they can be used again when the vertical concrete wall is heightened in future.

Concrete is used for the high compressive strength of concrete and steel for the high tensile strength of steel. The replacement possibility allows to test alternative construction materials and material combinations, for example partially fused recycled glass or composite plastic with protection steel plate, for instance the gabion-like double-fence-rock structure, or to use hollow structures or wood to reduce the weight: the decision depends on timeliness, lifetime experience, and on local resources and knowhow.

A heightening of the concrete walls may also be required in case the whole sea-gabion structure should sink (as in the case of Kansai airport), or that the sea level is increasing from climate change, or that higher sea waves from heavy storms are expected. A service road (8) along these vertical concrete walls allows transport of the surge stoppers, repair, and access for the public. b) Application to Dikes and Levees

In another embodiment for protection of coasts against flooding the invention includes seawards oriented surge stoppers hanging on stable vertical rock-basket walls or concrete walls which significantly reduce the total shear and impact from the sea waves and thus provide increased stability and lifetime. The walls, extending typically 5 to 10 m above sea level, reflect the sea waves, and the reflected waves (10) reduce the power of the oncoming waves. The height of the walls has to be higher than the highest expected sea wave level during high tide. The seawards inclination angle of hanging triangular structures prevents or at least reduces overtopping and splashing of seawater towards the land, especially when an upper curvature is provided, see Fig. 9. The surge stoppers hanging on walls offer an efficient alternative to existing dikes which are usually defined with slopes on both sides, i.e. sea side and land side, which cover large land areas and which provide in many cases insufficient stability leading to catastrophic flooding.

These sea-gabion dikes with hanging surge stoppers (41) will also be effective to reduce erosion of the steep coasts in North-East England and at other steep coasts. The walls are preferably built with vertical fixations bars (7) deeply fixed in the ground or in the sea floor (11), and with anchors (14, 27) on the landward side and rocks for fixation of the anchors (14, 27) and the basket dike. The landward side of these dikes are stabilized by heavy masses (45) and by material of former conventional dikes.

The actual height along the coasts in general should be higher than the highest expected sea waves at highest tide, along the North Sea coasts it should be 8 m to 10 m, but steel bars (22, 52) and the surface morphology of the concrete wall (30) should allow to increase its height in future with increasing sea level from climate change and higher expected sea waves caused by storms. Sand and gravel may be washed towards the coast and deposited in front of the novel dikes, thereby reducing the protection-effective height. This material should be dredged, or the wall height has to be increased in order to remain fully protective.

Like the state-of-the-art dikes the walls with surge stoppers according to the invention may extend over many kilometres along the coast.

A service road (8) along the top of the wall allows control, service, repair of the walls, transport of the surge stoppers, and also public traffic, for instance by bikes.

The construction and maintenance of the basket- wall dikes with surge stoppers according to the invention offer an improved stability and lifetime and further that much less land area is occupied (perhaps less than 50 %) compared to conventional dikes with seaward slopes and small landward slopes. New land can be gained if these new dikes are built on the seaward side of present dikes, and when these old dikes are removed or flattened.

Specific Applications of Tsunami Protection in North-East Japan requires 800 km gabion Tsunami barrier, depth 200 m, width 5 m; from Shirya saki (41°26'N 141°34'22" E) to Choshi/Inubo zaki (35°42'05"N 141°14'23" E), see Fig. 10. For the protection of the East coast of USA the gabion- wall dikes with surge stoppers or even better the Tsunami barriers should be erected.

Gaining new land

If new land is developed between the Tsunami barriers and the coast, for example 500 km2 , this would correspond, at a typical price of 100 USD per m2 Japanese land, to 50 billion USD. However, in this case huge masses of rocks, rubble and soil would have to be transported. An alternative could be to fill some part of the gap (5) between Tsunami barrier and coast with "swimming land surface" or with land surface on pillars or on vertical gabion structures (not shown with figures).

Fishing Farms

A large fraction of the sea-water reservoir (50) between coastline and Tsunami barrier can be used for fishing farms, for instance for salmon, Bluefin tuna, sea flounder etc. For example the North-East coast of Japan protected by 800 km Tsunami barriers shown in Fig. 10 can be divided into sections divided by supply roads (48) according to the boundaries of Prefectures. An alternative arrangement for the supply roads (48) allows navigation from the cities and fishing harbours (51) to the open ocean as schematically shown in Fig.l 1. The access to the open sea (39) is protected by a short Tsunami barrier which stops the direct move of the Tsunami wave into the harbour. The supply roads are on top of the sea-gabion barriers of 4 to 5 m thickness which have gaps with concrete bridges (47) and fences (46), the latter with openings according to the separated fish sizes, see Fig. 12. a and 12.b. These gaps can be closed by gates with fences or with completely closing gates. An alternative access for fishing boats to the open sea (39) consists of a long steel-fence channel which is fixed to the sea-ground by fixations bars (7) or by gabion pillars as represented on the cross section in Fig. 13. A fraction of the fences (62) consists of antimicrobial copper alloys which prevent bio fouling. The system closed for fish reduces the risk of contamination from the open sea (39), although fresh water from the ocean can be exchanged through the fences in the openings of the Tsunami barrier.

A variety of technical solutions have been discussed for the various aspects of this invention. The detailed technical realization depends on the estimation of the local Tsunami and sea-wave/flooding risks, on the industrial capabilities, and on the local expansion of the continental shelf which is quite different for example along Japan's coasts and along the coasts of Chile and the East and West coasts of North America.

The novel submarine architecture will be useful worldwide not only for fishing farms, but for any buildings in the sea, in lakes, and in rivers, and will be helpful in deep sea mining and may provide geographical markers on the sea floor (11).

8. References

• N.W.H. Allsop, editor, "Coastlines, Structures and Breakwaters 2005", Institution of Civil Engineers, Thomas Telford Ltd., London 2005.

• Annunziato, G. Franchello and T. De Groeve, "Response of the GDACS System to the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011", Science of Tsunami Hazards 31, No.4(2012)283-296.

• D. Bingham, T. Drake, A. Hill and R. Lott, "The Application of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Technology in the Oil Industry - Vision and Experiences", FIGXXII International Congress, Washington D.C. April 19-26, 2002.

• E. Bryant, "Tsunami, the underrated Hazard", second edition, Springer ISBN 978-3- 540-74273-9, Praxis Publishing Ltd, Chichester UK 2008. H.F. Burcharth and S.A. Hughes, in Coastal Engineering Manual, Chapter 2: Types and Functions of Coastal Structures, US Army Corps of Engineers Report EM 1110- 2-1100 Part VI, ApriBO, 2002 and Change 3, Sept.28, 2011.

N.J. Elwood, C.W. Coviello and H.C. Scott IV, Commercial Engineer Divers: An Underwater Window, Sea Technology 45 (12) 2004, 35-38.

M. Fischetti, "Storm of the Century every two Years", Scientific American June 2013, 50-59.

Geobrugg (2012) AG, Geohazard Solutions, 8590 Romanshorn, Switzerland, www.geobrugg.com.

H. Kawai, M. Satoh, K. Kawaguchi and K. Seki, "The 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami Observed by the GPS Buoys, Seabed Wave Gauges, and Coastal Tide Gauges of NOWPHAS on the Japanese Coast", Proceedings of Twenty-second (2012) International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference Rhodes, Greece, June 17-22, 2012, p. 20, www.isope.org.

Levin and M. Nosov, "Physics of Tsunamis", translation, Springer 2009, ISBN 978- 1-4020-8855-1, e-ISBN 978-1-4020-8856-8.

P.J.. Lynett and P.L.-F. Liu, "A Numerical Study of Submarine-landslidegenerated waves and run-up", Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. A458(2002)2885-2910.

T.S. Murty, "Seismic Sea Waves: Tsunamis", Bulletin 198, Department of Fisheries and the Environment, Ottawa, Canada 1977.

T.S. Murty, U. Aswathanarayana and N. Nirupama, editors, "The Indian Ocean Tsunami", Taylor & Francis, London 2006.

Ohnishi, Norimitsu, "Japan's Seawalls were little Security against Tsunami", The New York Times March 13, April 2 and November 11, 2011; Wikipedia.

H.J. Scheel 2012, "Tsunami Protection System", WIPO PCT / IB2012 / 057458 of December 19, 2012.

H.J. Scheel (2013), "Submarine construction for Tsunami and flooding protection, for fish farming, and for protection of buildings in the sea", Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-23131 of February 8, 2013 (English text) and March 26, 2013 (Japanese Translation); European Patent Application EP13162698 filed on April 8, 2013; US Patent Application US 13/861,608 filed on April 12, 2013. • A.Strusinska, "Hydraulic performance of an impermeable submerged structure for Tsunami damping", PhD thesis 2010, published by ibidem- Verlag Stuttgart, Germany 2011, ISBN- 13: 978-3-8382-0212-9.

• C. Tarmey and R. Halliburton, Seaeye ROV uses CDL Inertial Navigation for Tunnel Survey, Sea Technology 45 (12) (2004) 21-26.

• WHOI (2012) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: www, whoi . edu/main/au v s .

Claims

9. Claims

1. Barrier against shock waves such as Tsunami and/or against high sea waves comprising a wall of gabions extending preferably 50 m to 500 m, maximum 4 km below sea level, a wall of which the lowest end is adapted to be fixed on the sea floor or in the ground, said wall being furthermore designed to be stabilized in a substantially vertical position and to be protected against erosion above sea level by hanging and replaceable surge stoppers or wave deflectors.

2. Barrier according to claim 1 wherein said wall is built from steel-fence baskets

(gabions) filled with stones/rocks or concrete blocks, with horizontal anchors at least at the bottom, stabilized by crossing steel ropes on front and backside, and stabilized landward by rocks, concrete blocks or other solid bodies, or is a double-gabion wall filled with rocks.

3. Barrier according to claim 2 comprising several gabions horizontally and vertically interconnected to form a large continuous surface.

4. Barrier according to anyone of the previous claims 2 to 4 comprising anchors which are fixed to said gabions and which are held horizontally and adapted to be fixed by rocks or concrete blocks inserted from above.

5. Barrier according to anyone of the previous claims 2 to 4 comprising two substantially parallel gabion walls connected at the bottom and thus forming a middle fence basket adapted to be filled by rocks and/or similar materials, and with distance holders to keep the parallel walls apart.

6. Barrier according to anyone of the previous claims 2 to 5 wherein said fence(s) of the gabions is/are coated or filled in by a salt-water resistant elastic polymer like a natural or a synthetic rubber, PVC, polyamide, poly-urethane, or by concrete.

7. Barrier according to anyone of the previous claims where the surface topology and structure of the walls and the inclination from vertical are adjusted to reduce the harmful effect of reflected pressure waves on opposite coasts.

8. Barrier according to claim 1 of at least lm thickness at the sea and at least 50 cm thickness along rivers, fixed by concrete foundation or by steel beams in the sea floor or in the ground and extending at least 4 m above the sea level to replace conventional dikes, with vertical steel beams for later heightening and for hanging triangular long structures, preferably of concrete or of double-fence-rock structure, of 1 m to more than 5 m horizontal length to protect the gabion wall or the concrete wall, and to be replaced when eroded or damaged, said barrier being stabilized landward by heavy masses to withstand sea waves from heaviest storms and recover at the same time land surface.

9. Barrier according to anyone of the previous claims 1 to 7 comprising a sequence of submerged walls in terrace (step-riser) structure.

10. Method for constructing a barrier as defined in anyone of the previous claims 1 to 7, said method comprising the following steps:

• Lowering of gabions filled with rocks and with attached horizontal anchors into the sea,

• Horizontally fixing said anchors by rocks or concrete blocks inserted from above,

• Filling the coast side of said fence with rocks and/or similar materials and a surface soil layer to gain new land.

11. Method for constructing the double-gabion barrier comprising of the following steps: • simultaneous lowering of two gabions with anchors and distance holders into the sea,

• filling the gap between the vertical gabions walls with rocks or concrete blocks,

• inserting further rocks or concrete blocks on the coastal side of the double- gabion wall for enhanced mechanical stabilization and with the possibility to fill the gap towards the shore for gaining new land.

12. Swimming roads and land surfaces, and of roads and land surfaces on pillars or on gabion- wall structures, created between barriers as defined in claims 1 to 7 and 11 and the coast, and to leave openings on top so that algae and other plants can grow and that feeding can be supplied for production of fish and other seafood.

13. Using the sea- water reservoirs between Tsunami barriers and the coast for large-scale fish farming, the reservoirs being separated by supply roads which allow access to the open sea by ships and fishing boats.

14. Use of gabions filled with rocks or other solids as defined in claims 2 to 6 to protect bridge pillars, offshore platforms, wind power plants, light-towers, Tsunami warning systems, geographical markers, and other submarine buildings, and to assist in deep- sea mining.

15. Combine the gabion- wall technology described in above claims with the double- fence-rock technology described in the patent applications of Scheel 2012 and 2013.

16. Under-water densification (compacting) of the fence-rock structures of claims 2 to 7 and 9 to 11 by repeated lifting a hanging heavy weight (of adjustable height) and loosen it so that it hits the gabion- wall structure thereby causing vibrations.