Patent EG-26818-A (EG)
Title: Implement for processing, particularly sealing, ground surfaces under water, particularly bottoms and embankments of waterways, particularly canals, amethod for setting up the same, a method for movi ng the same, a method for sealing ground surfaces using the same, and the like
Inventor: Fischer Jürgen
IPC: E02B3/12
Filed: 2010-10-13
Granted: 2014-10-02
Abstract: In a working device for processing underwater soil surfaces (22), comprising polygonal hollow tubes (10, 12) aligned in parallel without joints and with the horizontal upper ends forming a flat working platform, the outer wall of each tube has a horizontal extension (14) with a vertical flange (16) at the outer end and at least one corresponding flange insertion opening with a connected upper vertical longitudinal slot. A working device for processing soil surfaces (22) under water (24) comprises several parallel, polygonal hollow tubes (10, 12) aligned in parallel without joints and with the horizontal upper ends forming a flat working platform. The novel feature is that the outer wall of each tube has a horizontal extension (14) with a vertical flange (16) at the outer end and at least one corresponding flange insertion opening with a connected upper longitudinal slot extending vertically up to the open end of the tube. The flange opening is located further away from the upper end of the tube than the flanged extension and has a greater horizontal dimension than the slot. Adjacent tubes are connected together by engaging the extension of one tube with the slot of the other, so that the tubes are not horizontally movable relative to each other and individual tube(s) can only be withdrawn vertically upwards at the outer edge of the working platform. Independent claims are included for: (1) a method for assembling the working device on an underwater soil surface (22), involving (a) sinking a first hollow tube (10) onto the soil surface, (b) sinking a second hollow tube (12) until a flange opening of the second tube reaches the height of the first tube, (c) plugging the flange insertion opening of the second tube onto the flange (16) of the first tube, (d) sinking the second tube onto the soil surface and (e) repeating stages (b) - (d) with further tubes until the working platform is assembled; (2) a method for progressing with the working device, involving individually vertically withdrawing the rearmost series of hollow tubes (relative to the progression direction), resinking and engaging the withdrawn tubes at the front (progression) end of the platform and repeating this procedure until the desired degree of forward progress has been made; (3) a method for sealing underwater soil surface (22) using the operating device, involving (a) assembling the operating device, (b) scattering pourable self-sealing material into the outermost sealing layer to generate a sealing layer, (c) scattering protective material into the tube to generate protective layer(s) over the sealing layer, (d) progressing with the device as above and (e) repeating stages (b) - (d) as required; and (4) corresponding methods, all using the working device, for (a) introducing minerals, mineral mixtures or binder-bonded minerals onto underwater surfaces, (b) removing sludge from underwater surfaces, (c) sandbagging waterways and bodies of water (especially in tidal regions) and (d) constructing dams in waterways and bodies of water.