CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 100217900, filed on Sep. 23, 2011.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a geotextile container, more particularly to an abrasion-resistible geotextile container.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional geotextile container 100 is generally used in embankment projects for riverbanks, seawalls, etc. The geotextile container 100 mainly includes a woven or nonwoven fabric container body 10 and sand 11 filled in the container body 10. The container body 10 must utilize a woven or nonwoven material with sufficient tensile strength in order to cope with external pressing force during construction and attack from river flow or ocean waves so that rupture of the geotextile container 100 can be avoided. However, in actual use, since the fabric container body 10 is usually made of a single-layer structure and the top side thereof is constantly exposed to the attack of the river flow or ocean waves, the top side of the container body 10 is quite prone to damage which may result in leakage of the sand. Thus, the utilization effect of the geotextile container 100 is lost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an abrasion-resistible geotextile container.
According to this invention, a geotextile container comprises a bag body defining a filling space and including a base fabric and a protective fabric. The base fabric has a peripheral end. The protective fabric has a peripheral end connected to the peripheral end of the base fabric, and includes a plurality of interconnected compartment bodies surrounded by the peripheral end of the protective fabric.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional geotextile container;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the conventional geotextile container;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a geotextile container according to the first preferred embodiment of this invention with a portion thereof removed for the sake of clarity of illustration;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a geotextile container according to the second preferred embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a geotextile container according to the third preferred embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a geotextile container according to the fourth preferred embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a protective fabric including the compartment body of a geotextile container according to the fifth preferred embodiment of this invention with a portion thereof removed for the sake of clarity of illustration; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a protective fabric including the compartment body of a geotextile container according to the sixth preferred embodiment of this invention with a portion thereof removed for the sake of clarity of illustration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before the present invention is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying preferred embodiment, it should be noted herein that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 3, a geotextile container 200 according to the first preferred embodiment of this invention is shown to comprise a bag body defining a filling space 24, and includes a base fabric 20 and a protective fabric 30.
The base fabric 20 extends along a longitudinal axis (X), and has an inner surface 22, an outer surface 21 opposite to the inner surface 22, a first filling material 25 filled in the filling space 24, and a peripheral end 23.
The protective fabric 30 extends along the longitudinal axis (X), and has a peripheral end 33 connected to the outer surface 21 of the base fabric 20 along the peripheral end 23 thereof by stitches 50, and a plurality of interconnected compartment bodies 31 surrounded by the peripheral end 33. A second filling material 32 is filled in each compartment body 31. In this embodiment, each of the compartment bodies 31 is elongated and extends in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis (X).
The bag body has top and bottom parts which cooperate to confine therebetween the filling space 24. The base fabric 20 forms the top part of the bag body, while the protective fabric 30 forms the bottom part of the bag body.
The first filling material 25 used in this embodiment is sand and sediment which can be easily retrieved in large amount from the construction site. The second filling material 32 used in this embodiment may be a compressive filling material (such as concrete, cement mortar, etc.) or a resilient filling material (such as high-density polyethylene foam resins, PU thermosetting resin foam materials, etc.). Preferably, the second filling material is a high density polymeric foam material. As such, even if outer surfaces of the compartment bodies 31 are damaged, the second filling material 32 in each compartment body 31 cannot easily leak out from a respective compartment body 31.
When the river flow or the sea waves attack the geotextile container 200, because of the structure of the compartment bodies 31 of the protective fabric 30, a buffer can be effectively generated corresponding to the erosion force so as to protect the filling space 24. Even if the outer surface of one of the compartment bodies 31 is formed with a hole resulting from a long period of erosion, only the second filling material 32 of the compartment body 31 with the hole is affected. The inner surface of the compartment body 31 with the hole is still intact so that the first filling material 25 inside the filling space 24 is still protected by the protective fabric 30 and will not leak out. Use of the geotextile container 200 can thus be continued. Therefore, the geotextile container 200 can achieve maximum abrasion resistance.
Referring to FIG. 4, the second preferred embodiment of the geotextile container 200 according to this invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the base fabric 20 and the protective fabric 30 are seamless and integrally formed as one piece. The geotextile container 200 of the second preferred embodiment can similarly achieve the abrasion-resistible effect described in the first preferred embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 5, the third preferred embodiment of the geotextile container 200 according to this invention is shown to be similar to the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the base fabric 20 forms the top and bottom parts of the bag body. The peripheral end 33 of the protective fabric 30 is connected to the base fabric 20 along a connection of the top and bottom parts thereof by stitches 50. The compartment bodies 31 are disposed over an outer surface of the top part of the base fabric 20. Through this, when an outer surface of one of the compartment bodies 31 is formed with a hole, the inner surface of the compartment body 31 with the hole is still intact to provide protection of the filling space 24. Therefore, the geotextile container 200 of the third preferred embodiment can similarly achieve the abrasion-resistible effect described in the first preferred embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 6, the fourth preferred embodiment of the geotextile container 200 according to this invention is shown to be similar to the second preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the geo-textile container 200 further comprises a lining woven or nonwoven fabric 40 that extends along the longitudinal axis (X) and that has a peripheral end 43 connected to the base fabric 20 along the peripheral end 33 thereof by stitches 50. The lining fabric 40 forms the top part of the bag body, while the base fabric 20 forms the bottom part of the bag body. The compartment bodies 31 are disposed over an outer surface of the lining fabric 40. In this embodiment, the lining woven or nonwoven fabric 40 is made of a geotextile material, and is sewn to the inner surface 22 of the base fabric 20.
FIG. 7 illustrates a compartment body 31 of the protective fabric 30 of the geotextile container 200 according to the fifth preferred embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, each of the interconnected compartment bodies 31 has a substantially cross shape.
FIG. 8 illustrates the protective fabric 30 of the geotextile container 200 according to the sixth preferred embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, each of the interconnected compartment bodies 31 has a substantially L-shape.
Although the compartment bodies 31 of the protective fabric 30 are disposed over the outer surface of the top part of the bag body in each of the preferred embodiments, it is contemplated that the compartment bodies 31 may be disposed over outer surfaces of both of the top and bottom parts of the bag body.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Patent Application
20140233867
