Super elevation surface self-actuating flood barrier

Abstract

Method and apparatus for preventing water from flooding along the length of a super elevation surface having a slope from an upper end to a lower end transverse to a longitudinal direction of the surface. A chain of rigid buoyant gate units of increasing heights is flexibly sealingly laterally linked together side by side for pivotable movement of the gate units about at least one pivotation axis, and if more than one axis, then about coplanar pivotation axes. The gate units are situated in a recess in and transverse to the longitudinal direction of the surface between a pair of walls lining the surface parallel to the longitudinal direction to which the pivot axis or axes is/are transverse. One of the walls is at a lower end of the slope and the other wall is at the upper end of the slope. The chain of panels rotates upward serially beginning with a gate unit closest to the lower wall and ending with a gate unit closer to the upper wall under the influence of water buoyancy and hydrostatic pressure, blocking water to one side of the upwardly rotated gate units.

1 . Apparatus for preventing water from flooding along the length of a super elevation surface having a slope from an upper end to a lower end transverse to a longitudinal direction of the surface, comprising
 a wall at the upper end and a wall at the lower end of the surface, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the surface,   at least three buoyant gate units connectedly arranged side by side in a continuous series normally recumbently recessed in the surface between the walls, said units including two terminal gate units and at least one intermediate gate unit, each gate unit pivotably rotating upward under the influence of water buoyancy and hydrostatic pressure from recumbent to a full upright about at least one pivotation axis, and if more than one axis, then about coplanar pivotation axes, transverse to said walls, the heights of the gate units in the series progressing from shortest for the terminal gate unit at the upper end of the super elevation surface to tallest for the terminal gate unit at the lower end of the super elevation surface.   
     
     
         2 . Apparatus of  claim 1  comprising a common pivotation axis parallel to said slope for all gate units. 
     
     
         3 . Apparatus of  claim 2  in which a plurality of adjacent gate units including at least the terminal gate unit at said lower end have the shape of a right-angled trapezoid in which the side not right angled to an adjacent side has a slope equal to the slope of the surface. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  in which the side not right angled to an adjacent side of at least one gate unit of said shape is a side distal from the pivotation axis. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  in which the side not right angled to an adjacent side of all gate units of said shape is a side distal from the pivotation axis. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 3  in which the side not right angled to an adjacent side of at least one gate unit of said shape is a side proximate and parallel to the pivotation axis. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  in which the side not right angled to an adjacent side of all gate units of said shape is a side proximate and parallel to the pivotation axis. 
     
     
         8 . Apparatus of  claim 1  in which the gate units are have the shape of a rectangle and in which the apparatus comprises a plurality of horizontal pivotation axes in a plane in which said slope of the surface is an hypotenuse and the minor acute angle of said axes to said hypotenuse is proximal to said upper end of the slope. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which the recess comprises a pan having a trapezoidal shape including two parallel sides, one of which is adjacent said wall at the upper end of the super elevation surface and the other of which is adjacent said wall at the lower end of the super elevation surface, the side of the pan not right angled to said parallel sides receiving the sides of the gate units not right angled to an adjacent side of the gate units. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which a lateral side of each gate unit next adjacent another gate unit in the series is connected to the lateral side of that next adjacent gate unit by a water impervious flexible web preventing passage of water between the sides of the flexibly connected adjacent units. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which the height of the wall at the upper end of the sloped surface is at least as tall as the terminal gate unit at the upper end of the sloped surface and the height of the wall at the lower end of the sloped surface is at least as tall as the terminal gate unit at the lower end of the sloped surface 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10  in which the terminal gate unit at the upper end of the series and the terminal gate unit at the lower end of the series laterally sealingly contact said upper and lower walls respectively, 
     
     
         13 . A method for preventing water from flooding along the length of a super elevation surface having a slope from an upper end to a lower end transverse to a longitudinal direction of the surface, comprising:
 arranging a chain of rigid buoyant gate units of increasing heights flexibly sealingly laterally linked together side by side in a recess in and transverse to the longitudinal direction of the surface between a pair of walls lining the surface parallel to the longitudinal direction, one wall at a lower end of the slope and the other wall at the upper end of the slope, for pivotable movement of the gate units about at least one pivotation axis, and if more than one axis, then about coplanar pivotation axes, transverse to said walls, and   allowing the chain of panels to rotate upward serially beginning with a gate unit closest to the lower wall and ending with a gate unit closer to the upper wall under the influence of water buoyancy and hydrostatic pressure, blocking water to one side of the upwardly rotated gate units.   
     
     
         14 . A method for preventing water from flooding along the length of a super elevation surface having a slope from an upper end to a lower end transverse to a longitudinal direction of the surface, comprising:
 arranging and connecting laterally side by side in a continuous series at least three buoyant gate units about a pivotation axis parallel to said slope and transverse to a first wall at the upper end parallel to the longitudinal direction of the surface and a second wall at the lower end of the surface parallel to the first wall, a terminal gate unit at the upper end of the series laterally sealingly contacting said first wall and a terminal gate unit at the lower end of the series laterally sealingly contacting said second wall, the height of the first wall being at least as tall as the terminal gate unit at the upper end of the sloped surface, the height of the second wall being at least as tall as the terminal gate unit at the lower end of the sloped surface, the heights of the gate units in the series progressing from shortest for the terminal unit at the upper end to tallest for the terminal unit at the lower end, and   recumbently recessing the gate units in the surface between the walls for pivotation rotatable upward about said pivotation axis from recumbent to full upright under the influence of water buoyancy and hydrostatic pressure admitted to one face side of the gate units.