Sea wall structures, sea walls and methods of manufacture and assembly of the same

Abstract

A sea wall structure ( 10 ) comprising a rigid supporting structure ( 12 ) and one or more hollow tanks ( 14 ) affixed to the supporting structure ( 12 ), wherein the volume of the tank or tanks ( 14 ) is such that, when filled with air, their displacement is sufficient to support the weight of the sea wall structure ( 10 ) and thus enable the sea wall structure to be floated on water ( 300 ). The rigid supporting structure ( 12 ) is suitably made from cast, reinforced concrete, and the tank or tanks ( 14 ) are suitably blow-moulded plastics components having peripheral edges that are moulded into the concrete. The sea wall structure ( 10 ) is ideally modular, having side edges that are adapted ( 28, 30 ) to engage with adjacent structures ( 10 ) to form a wall, caisson or the like.

1 . A sea wall structure comprising a rigid supporting structure and one or more hollow tanks affixed to the supporting structure, wherein the volume of the tank or tanks is such that, when filled with air, their displacement is sufficient to support the weight of the sea wall structure and thus enable the sea wall structure to be floated on water. 
     
     
         2 . The sea wall structure of  claim 1 , wherein the supporting framework is manufactured from concrete. 
     
     
         3 . The sea wall structure of  claim 2 , wherein the supporting framework is manufactured from moulded, reinforced concrete. 
     
     
         4 . The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the tank or tanks are formed from blow-moulded plastics. 
     
     
         5 . The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the tank or tanks, are rounded or curved. 
     
     
         6 . The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the tank's or tanks' corners and/or edges are rounded or curved. 
     
     
         7 . The sea wall structure of any of  claims 3  to  6 , wherein the or each tank comprises keying formations adapted to key/anchor, and hence affix, the tank or tanks into the concrete. 
     
     
         8 . The sea wall structure of  claim 3 , wherein the or each tank comprises one or more engagement means adapted in use, to engage with a reinforcing bar of the reinforced concrete of the supporting framework. 
     
     
         9 . The sea wall structure of any of  claims 3  to  8 , further comprising a bonding or sealing agent interposed between the or each tank and the concrete adapted to improve the adhesion of the concrete to the or each tank. 
     
     
         10 . The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the side edges of the sea wall structure comprise lips that partially overlap one another when two like sea wall structures are placed side by side. 
     
     
         11 . The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein a lower edge of the sea wall structure comprises one or more piles. 
     
     
         12 . The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein opposite side edges of the sea wall structure comprise complementary connectors to engage adjacent sea wall structures with one another. 
     
     
         13 . The sea wall structure of  claim 12 , wherein the connectors comprise one or more cups affixed to one side edge of the sea wall structure; and a corresponding number of pins affixed to the opposite side edge of the sea wall structure. 
     
     
         14 . The sea wall structure of  claim 13 , wherein the connectors are self-centring. 
     
     
         15 . The sea wall structure of  claim 14 , wherein the or each pin comprises a tapered or chamfered lower end, which engages a part-conical upper portion of the respective cup. 
     
     
         16 . The sea wall structure of any of  claims 12  to  15 , wherein the connectors are canted such that when they are engaged with one another, at least one of two so connected sea wall structures is pulled into engagement with the other. 
     
     
         17 . The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the or each tank comprises a valve comprising an outlet communicating with the interior of the tank, and an inlet connected to a fluid source. 
     
     
         18 . The sea wall structure of  claim 17 , wherein the fluid source comprises sea water in or upon which the sea wall structure is located. 
     
     
         19 . The sea wall structure of  claim 17 , wherein the fluid source is a fluid supply connected to the valve via pipework. 
     
     
         20 . The sea wall structure of  claim 19 , wherein the fluid supply comprises any one or more the group comprising: an air supply; a gas supply; a liquid supply; a water supply; a flowable, fluid-like ballast; fine, dry sand; glass beads; and metal powder. 
     
     
         21 . The sea wall structure of any of  claims 17  to  20 , wherein the valves are controllable remotely to enable each tank to be filled individually, in groups, or together. 
     
     
         22 . A sea wall formed from a plurality of sealingly interconnected sea wall structures according to any preceding claim. 
     
     
         23 . The sea wall of  claim 22 , further comprising a supporting buttress. 
     
     
         24 . The sea wall of  claim 23 , wherein the supporting buttress comprises an anchorage spaced apart from the sea wall on the sea bed, and a buttress framework rigidly connecting the sea wall to the anchorage. 
     
     
         25 . The sea wall of  claim 22 , comprising a pair of generally parallel, spaced-apart sea walls. 
     
     
         26 . The sea wall of  claim 25 , further comprising any one or more of the group comprising: a deck; cross-bracing between the spaced-apart sea walls; and a pile supporting one of the sea walls. 
     
     
         27 . The sea wall of any of  claims 22  to  26  forming part of any one or more of the group comprising: a tidal barrage; a tidal barrage for tidal electricity generation; a dykes; a tidal defence wall; a flood defence wall; a coastal erosion defence wall; and a three-tank tidal energy generation and storage systems (such as that described in UK Patent No: GB2507362). 
     
     
         28 . A method of assembling the sea wall of any of  claims 22  to  27  comprising the steps of: floating a first sea wall structure to a desired installation site; flooding the tank or tanks with sea water to cause the sea wall structure to float upright; further flooding the or each tank to a level above sea level to drive a base of the sea wall structure into a sea bed. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising repeating the procedure with a second sea wall structure, and engaging a side edge of the second sea wall structure with a side edge of the first sea wall structure. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28  or  claim 29 , further comprising the steps of: installing an anchorage on the sea bed at a spaced-apart location from the sea wall on the sea bed; and installing a rigid buttress framework between the sea wall and the anchorage. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claims 28  to  30 , further comprising forming a pair of generally parallel, spaced-apart sea walls. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising any one or more of the steps comprising: installing a deck; installing cross-bracing between the spaced-apart sea walls; installing a pile for supporting one of the sea walls; and backfilling the space between the sea walls. 
     
     
         33 . A method of manufacturing a sea wall structure comprising a rigid supporting structure and one or more hollow tanks affixed to the supporting structure, the method comprising the steps of: forming a mould; placing a grid-like array of reinforcing bars into the mould; installing a set hollow tanks into the mould and connecting the tanks to the reinforcing bars; pouring concrete into the mould into the interconnected spaces between the tanks to form the supporting structure; allowing the concrete to set render the supporting structure rigid; and removing the sea wall structure from the mould. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the step of connecting the tanks to the reinforcing bars is accomplished by engaging connectors of the tanks with the reinforcing bars. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33  or  34 , further comprising the step of installing flooding/emptying pipework for the tanks. 
     
     
         36 . The method of any or  claims 33  to  35 , wherein the step of pouring concrete into the mould comprises filling the mould with concrete to a level whereby the reinforcing bars are encased in the concrete, but whereby the tanks slightly protrude above the level of the concrete. 
     
     
         37 . A sea wall structure substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated in,  FIGS. 1 and 3 to 13  of the accompanying drawings. 
     
     
         38 . A sea wall substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated in,  FIGS. 2 and 16 to 19  of the accompanying drawings. 
     
     
         39 . A method of manufacturing a sea wall structure substantially as herein before described, with reference to, and as illustrated in,  FIGS. 6 to 11  of the accompanying drawings.