Patent ID: 8876431

Claim:
A bulkhead system for preventing or limiting water flow, the bulkhead system comprising: a bulkhead assembly having a first end and a second end, the bulkhead assembly including first and second bulkhead sections that each extend between the first and second ends, that are positioned adjacent to one another along a horizontal or substantially horizontal interface surface, and that are arranged so that the first bulkhead section is positioned vertically above the second bulkhead section, wherein each of the first and second bulkhead sections includes a respective cavity that is configured to receive ballast, the bulkhead sections being capable of varying degrees of floatation or submerging depending upon amounts of the ballast that are received in the cavities; and first and second side assemblies that are respectively positioned adjacent to the first and second ends of the bulkhead assembly and that are configured respectively to span respective distances outward from the respective first and second ends so that the overall bulkhead system will extend fully between opposed side structures of a dam when implemented in relation thereto, wherein each of the side assemblies includes a respective first structural member that extends outward away from the bulkhead assembly from a respective first location along the respective end of the bulkhead assembly adjacent to which the respective side assembly is positioned, and also each of the side assemblies includes a respective brace member that extends outward away from a respective second location along the bulkhead assembly adjacent to which the respective side assembly is positioned, up to a respective further location along the respective first structural member of the respective side assembly, wherein the bulkhead system further includes a plurality of seal structures configured to establish a watertight or substantially watertight interfacing of the bulkhead system with respect to the dam when implemented in relation thereto, and wherein the respective brace members of the respective side assemblies include respective gusset structures, wherein the respective second locations are upstream of the respective first locations and are along the respective ends of the bulkhead assembly, and wherein the respective gusset structures extend outward away in a diagonal manner to the respective further locations along the respective first structural members.