Patent ID: 8001735
Filing Date: 2011-08-23
Classification: E06B

Abstract:
1. A flood barrier system for sealing an opening in a wall structure against the inflow of flood waters which comprises: (a) a plurality of elongated barrier elements of a length greater than a width of the opening, (b) said barrier elements having front and back sides and being oriented horizontally and stacked vertically one upon the other with their back sides facing an outer face of the wall structure to form a flood barrier, (c) said barrier elements being positioned with opposite end portions thereof overlapping outer surfaces of the wall structure laterally adjacent opposite sides of the opening, (d) a horizontal support surface supporting a lowermost one of said barrier elements and extending for the width of said opening, (e) horizontally acting clamping elements engaging the end portions of said barrier elements for retaining back surface portions of said end portions in a sealing relationship with the outer surfaces of the wall structure overlapped thereby, (f) vertically acting pressure clamps mounted on the wall structure and positioned above an uppermost one of said barrier elements to bear downwardly upon said uppermost barrier element and thereby upon the entire plurality of stacked barrier elements to provide a seal between vertically adjacent barrier elements and between said lowermost barrier element and the support surface, (g) said barrier elements being formed with mutually interlocking top and bottom flange structures joined by a vertically oriented back wall whereby top portions of first barrier elements are mechanically interlocked in a front-to-back direction with bottom portions of second barrier elements positioned directly above and supported on said first barrier elements, (h) the bottom flange structure of each of said barrier elements comprising a base flange extending forwardly from said back wall and spaced apart front and back downwardly projecting portions joined with said base flange, and the top flange structure of said barrier elements comprising a generally flat, horizontally disposed back portion forming an upwardly facing sealing surface, a riser extending upward from a forward edge of said sealing surface, and an upper flange portion extending forwardly from an upper portion of said riser and engageable with the front downwardly projecting portion of the bottom flange structure of a second barrier elements positioned immediately above to interconnect with and form a pivot for said second barrier elements, (i) vertical rails mounted in sealed relation to the front face of said wall structure adjacent to side edges of the opening therein, (j) said rails being formed with first and second vertical channels therein positioned adjacent inside and outside side edges respectively of said rails, (k) vertical sealing strips received in said first vertical channels and extending from bottom extremities of said rails to a level equal or higher than a maximum height of a barrier system to be constructed, (l) said second vertical channels being formed with front flanges extending from opposite sides of the channels toward the centers thereof and defining a restricted channel openings, and (m) a plurality of bolt bases slideably and non-rotatably received in said second vertical channels, each with a threaded bolt extending forwardly through the restricted channel openings, (n) said horizontally acting clamping elements including clamping bars received on said bolts and tightening nuts received on said bolts in front of said clamping bars, (o) said bolts and bolt bases being slideable vertically in said second vertical channels to position the clamping bars thereon opposite the end portions of said barrier elements, (p) said clamping bars being rotatable on the bolts such that the clamping bars may be pivoted into a position with one end bearing on a front-facing surface of an adjacent a barrier element and an opposite end bearing on a front facing surface of a vertical rail, whereby said adjacent barrier element may be forcibly compressed against the sealing element in said rail.