Patent Application
20180066408
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The present invention relates to artificial reefs. Additionally, the present invention relates to processes for forming such artificial reefs. More particularly, the present invention relates to processes for forming artificial reefs in which a sprayable concrete is used for the formation of the artificial reef. Additionally, the present invention relates to the use of cinder blocks in conjunction with artificial reefs.
An artificial reef is a man-made structure typically built to promote marine life in areas having generally featureless bottoms. Artificial reefs are used to control erosion and/or to improve surfing. Many reefs are built by using objects that were built for other purposes, for example, by sinking oil platform jackets, scuttling ships, or by deploying rubble or construction debris.
Scuttling ships is an extremely costly and time-consuming way to produce an artificial reef since there are many logistical hurdles to be overcome due to stringent governmental regulations. The ships must be stripped clean of any and all potential pollutants. As a result, the engines and fuel tanks must be removed. PCBs are common substance in many older ship designs. These PCBs must be removed before the ship is scuttled. There also minimum depth requirements set forth by the USCG which makes the structures undesirable for deployment in waters less than 150 feet.
The Rigs-to-Reefs program has been very successful as a result of state fishery agencies working closely with oil companies to help defray the cost of deploying these offshore large structures. This can be attractive to oil companies since many times the cost of deploying is less than the cost of bringing the rigs back inshore and sold for scrap. This type of reef has minimum depth requirements, stringent regulations regarding the removal of contaminants, and is very costly to deploy.
Designed artificial reefs can be placed in shallower waters and are meant to provide the underlayment for the development of what eventually will considered a “natural” reef by incorporating elements conducive to making this happen. Artificial reefs divert the current flow in order to provide adequate cover and refuge so as to allow small marine creatures to gain a foothold instead of being continually swept along with the ocean currents. These artificial reefs are placed above the flat, featureless ocean floor. Artificial reefs are designed to stand alone or be deployed in unison with a number of other reefs and/or placement of low relief material, such as rubble or concrete culverts. Concrete is a good material used for artificial reef construction, but it has inherent issues since it lacks correct pH values in addition to being too hard for benthic marine organisms to bore into. As such, it is very important to provide natural soft limestone as a primary surface materials.
Artificial reefs are somewhat expensive to be produced. Typically, a metal infrastructure is required for the artificial reef. Typically, a metal infrastructure is installed within a mold and concrete is poured around the metal infrastructure. Unfortunately, this metal infrastructure can degrade over time because of contact with salt water. As a result, the artificial reef can degrade over time. Typically, the construction of such artificial reefs requires a number of persons to complete. The curing time for the concrete can be several days. As such, production of such artificial reefs is very expensive, time-consuming and labor-intensive. Still further, where metal infrastructure is utilized in the artificial reef, welding is required. This welding will degrade because of contact with the saltwater. Additionally, the cost of steel associated with such a metal infrastructure makes the artificial reefs very expensive.
In certain circumstances, solid triangular blocks of concrete are utilized as artificial reefs. Typically, these solid blocks can cause proper interruption of the ocean current, but lack an area on the interior thereof whereby small marine animals can develop. In those artificial reefs that have an internal chamber, turtles can become trapped. As such, such structures lack proper turtle escape hatches whereby turtles can escape from the interior of such artificial reefs. Still further, the bottoms of such artificial reefs can be relatively small. As such, they can sink into the ocean floor or become swept away with strong ocean currents. As such, a need has developed so as to provide an artificial reef which overcomes the problems associated with the prior art.
In the past, a variety of patents have issued with respect to such artificial reefs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,069,715, issued on Feb. 2, 1937 to J. P. Arpin, is an early patent dealing with artificial reefs. This structuring includes an elongated U-shaped member that is substantially triangular in cross-section and hollow. The outer longitudinal edges at the base portion have inclined soil-penetrating toes. The portion of the base intermediate the longitudinal edges are provided with penetrating lugs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,209, issued on Jun. 10, 1974 to E. R. Boots, describes a method and apparatus for preventing erosion of a beach. This method and apparatus includes an artificial reef for subsurface placement adjacent a shoreline. The artificial reef is made of a base reef set on the seabed and an upper reef preformed and mounted to the base reef.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,311, issued on Ma. 5, 1991 to T. A. Van Doren, describes an artificial reef that employs a dome-shaped, thin-walled enclosure of plastic material having apertures therein to permit aquatic life to enter and exit. The enclosure has a circular perimeter that is provided with a circumferential trough integrally formed with the enclosure. A concrete ballast is poured into the trough to form a perimetrical weight which holds the reef in position on the desired underwater surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,006, issued on Dec. 22, 1992 to W. R. Lowe, provides an artificial reef structure in the form of a truncated pyramid structure. This artificial reef is assembled on site. The artificial reef structure is comprised of identical panels forming openings at the top and bottom of the artificial reef and forming an opening in the side of the artificial reef at a variable distance from the bottom of the structure so as to control the sinking of the structure and the sand held by the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,695, issued on Nov. 9, 1993 to B. J. Mostkoff, provides an artificial reef having an equilateral tetrahedron and having four equilateral sides in which an equilateral triangle is disposed. Tire chips are placed within the artificial reef and held in place by cement. The artificial reef is formed with an open-ended three-sided mold.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,665, issued on Oct. 3, 1995 to R. K. Hughes, shows an artificial reef for use in a body of water. The reef is formed by providing an anchoring structure which is submerged. The anchoring structure has a weight sufficient to anchor the artificial reef to the floor of the body of water. Each of the reef assemblies is formed from a base which is secured to the anchoring structure. A flexible elastomeric sleeve is coupled to a lower end of a buoyant elongated member formed from a substantially rigid polymeric material so that the elongated members are held in a generally upright position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,429, issued on Oct. 15, 2002 to M. D. Moore, provides an artificial reef module for coral reef remediation. The artificial reef includes a central body having an upper settling plate, a middle settling plate, and a lower settling plate. A plurality of primary tines extend from the central body and include a plurality of secondary tines extending therefrom. The primary tines include the supporting tines, the stabilizing tines, and the space-filling tines. The branching of these tines closely replicates the appearance of natural branching coral.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,445, issued on May 24, 2005 to E. Engler, discloses a modular artificial reef that can be placed in stacked structures along the floor of a body of water. The artificial reef includes a top wall, a bottom wall and opposed sidewalls and end walls which are interconnected to form a hollow interior. Each of the walls is formed with one or more openings having a size suitable to allow access by marine life and to permit the passage of sunlight therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,828,493, issued on Nov. 9, 2010 to C. Brignac, describes an artificial reef structure that utilizes an axle rod supporting a plurality of buoyant reef bodies rotatably mounted on the axle rod. The axle rod and buoyant sections are suspended at a desired level above a water bottom by anchors attached to the anchor lines. A plurality of distally projecting rods is mounted on the buoyant reef bodies.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,702, shows another type of artificial reef. The artificial reef is created by pouring concrete into a mold comprised of an inner form and an outer formed with multiple black out creating triangular windows. This artificial reef is deployed alone or with a smaller scale reef inside for fitted with shelves. This is a relatively complex design which is difficult to deploy correctly and easily. The configuration has a smooth surface that is not conducive to attracting marine growth.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,711, describes another type of artificial reef. This artificial reef employs the use of soft limestone rock on surface panels. The construction method utilized is a costly and time-consuming method that requires casting six structural elements separately and casting three panels separately. Once all of the components are cured sufficiently over a period of days, they can be lifted and placed together so as to be cast together as a single unit.
The present Applicant is the owner of U.S. Pat. No. 9,403,287, issued on Aug. 2, 2016. This patent describes a process for forming an artificial reef which includes the steps of forming a form having a geometric shape, applying at least one blockout onto a surface of the form such that the blockout extends outwardly of the surface of the form, applying the sprayable concrete over the form and the blockout, curing the sprayable concrete on the form for a period of time, removing the blockout from the surface of the form and from the cured sprayable concrete, and removing the form from the cured sprayable concrete. A base is formed having an upper surface. The lower end of the form is positioned upon the base. A sprayable concrete is sprayed over the upper surface of the base.
During the process of manufacturing the artificial reefs in accordance with the process of U.S. Pat. No. 9,403,287, the present Applicant has discovered that the use of the polymeric blockouts could create difficulties during the manufacturing process. In particular, these blockouts tended to adhere to the sprayable concrete material. As such, additional efforts would were required in order to separate the blockouts from the cured sprayable concrete. Under certain circumstances, the efforts to remove these blockouts often damaged the integrity of the blockouts. As such, the process often required a large number of replacement blockouts for the continued manufacture of the artificial reef.
Additionally, and furthermore, it was found that the use of the blockouts actually reduced the amount of available material on the artificial reef In other words, that area which was defined by the blockout in the sprayable concrete did not provide a surface for the underwater species to thrive. As such, it was felt that the addition of outwardly extending and relatively irregular surfaces on the exterior of the reef enhanced the ability of the subsea organisms to thrive. Additionally, and furthermore, it was found that the blockouts actually added a significant cost to the artificial reef. In particular, the cost was enhanced when the blockouts needed to be continually repaired and/or replaced. As such, a need developed so as to provide an artificial reef which minimize the cost of the blockout while providing additional surfaces upon which the subsea organisms could thrive.
It is a object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and process for forming such an artificial reef which minimizes the time and labor requirements for the formation of the artificial reef.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for the forming of the artificial reef that avoids any welding operations.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for forming the artificial reef which minimizes the amount of steel and avoids the cost of such steel.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for forming the artificial reef which includes limestone surfaces suitable for allowing marine organisms and microorganisms to hold onto.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for forming the artificial reef which creates a large footprint in order to avoid sinking into the floor of the body of water or being swept away by ocean currents.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for forming the artificial reef in which the artificial reef is attractive to marine life.
It is still further object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for the forming of the artificial reef which provides greater longevity to the artificial reef.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for the forming of the artificial reef in which the artificial reef is stronger than prior artificial reef structures.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for the forming of the artificial reef which creates an artificial reef which allows water circulation therethrough and for small animals to enter into the interior of the artificial reef.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an artificial reef and a process for forming the artificial reef which provides surfaces for which subsea organisms can thrive.
It is still a further object of the present invention provide an artificial reef and a process for forming the artificial reef which minimizes the cost of the artificial reef structure.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.
The present invention is a process for forming an artificial reef. This process includes the steps of: (1) forming a form having a geometric shape; (2) applying at least one blockout onto a surface of the form such that the blockout extends outwardly of the surface of the form; (3) applying a sprayable concrete over the form and over a portion of the blockout; (4) curing the sprayable concrete on the form for a period of time such the sprayable concrete adheres to the blockout; and (5) removing the cured sprayable concrete and the adhered blockout together from the surface of the form.
In the present invention, the blockout is formed of a cast concrete material. In particular, this cast concrete material is a cinder block. The blockout has openings therethrough such that the openings open to the interior of the artificial reef.
A rod can be applied onto the form so as to have a portion extending outwardly of the surface of the form. The step of applying concrete include spraying the sprayable concrete over a portion of the rod. The step of applying concrete includes spraying the sprayable concrete onto the form until the depth of the sparyable concrete is approximately equal to a depth of the blockout of the cinder block.
The step of forming includes forming a generally pyramid-shaped form having an upper end and a lower end, forming a base, and then placing the lower end of the generally pyramid-shaped form upon the base. The base has an upper surface extending outwardly of a perimeter of the lower end of the generally pyramid-shaped form. The sprayable concrete is sprayed onto the upper surface of the base outwardly of the perimeter of the lower end of the generally pyramid-shaped form.
In the process of the present invention, a plurality of limestone surfaces can be applied on to an outer surface of the sprayable concrete during the step of curing. A concrete release agent can also be applied on to the form prior to the step of applying the sprayable concrete.
The present invention is also an artificial reef that comprises a structure formed of a concrete material and a plurality of cast concrete members affixed to the structure. Each of the plurality of cast concrete members has an aperture therethrough. The aperture communicates between the interior and exterior of the structure.
In the artificial reef of the present invention, each of the plurality of cast concrete members is a cinder block. Each of these plurality of cast concrete members has a surface at the exterior of the structure that is generally flush with the exterior of the structure. The structure has a top that is substantially open to an interior of the structure. The structure has a generally pyramid-shaped configuration. The structure has a base that extends outwardly from a bottom of the structure in a generally horizontal plane. The base has an opening therein that opens to the interior of the structure. The concrete material is a sprayable concrete. A plurality of limestone surfaces are adhered on to the exterior of the structure.
The present invention effectively serves to overcome the problems associated with the prior art. In particular, the use of a sprayable concrete, such as GUNITE (™) or SHOTCRETE (™), provides a superior technique in terms of cost, durability, and strength. This technique also allows for the creation of the maximum available surface area of limestone rock thereon so as to successfully promote marine growth. The process of the present invention creates an artificial reef for the purposes of attracting marine growth, such as corals, fans, banacles and other aquatic life. This, in turn, can form the foundation upon which a balanced reef ecological system can thrive in order to enhance a full spectrum of marine life deployment, from benthic worms to large plagic fish. By providing the maximum surface area of limestone, which is comprised of at least 80% calcium carbonate, these artificial reefs will provide a naturally-occurring compound found in the marine environment that marine wildlife can bore into or attach themselves to gain a foothold on life.
The foregoing Section is intended to describe, with particularity, the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is understood that modifications to this preferred embodiment can be made within the scope of the present invention. As such, this Section should not to be construed, in any way, as limiting of the broad scope of the present invention. The present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents.
Referring to
In
These blockouts 28 are conventional cinder blocks which are concrete blocks made from cast concrete, e.g. Portland cement and aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel for high-density blocks. Lower density blocks may use industrial waste, such as an aggregate. Lightweight blocks can also be produced using aerated concrete.
As can be seen in
A cover 36 is secured to the upper end 38 of the form 10. Cover 38 can cover the interior of the form 10 so as to avoid the introduction of the sprayed concrete into the interior of the form. Additionally, the cover 36 assures that the top of the artificial reef that is produced upon the form 10 is open. The cover 38 can be removed from the form 10 after the concrete has cured upon the form 10.
The sprayable concrete 40 is in the nature of the GUNITE (™) or SHOTCRETE (™). The sprayable concrete preferably contains an embedded fiber mesh material that enhances the structural integrity of the structure and minimizes or eliminates the need for the use of steel rebar. The sprayable concrete is dispensed by pneumatic energy so as to be distributed over the outer surfaces of the form. The sprayable concrete 40 also serves to fill the area 42 between the lower end 20 of the form and the wall 26 of the base 22. The sprayable concrete 40 is retained within the base 22 by the wall 26.
Ultimately, the sprayable concrete 40 will be cured for a period of time. Once cured, the sprayable concrete will be solid and will adhere to the blockouts 28. As such, the blockouts 28 will be rigidly affixed to the cured sprayable concrete 40. The sprayable concrete 40 is retained over the form 10 by the cover 36.
Unlike U.S. Pat. No. 9,403,287 to the present inventors, the blockouts 28 are fixedly secured to the sprayable concrete 40. As such, there is no need to remove the blockouts after the sprayable concrete 40 has cured. As such, there is no risk of damage to such blockouts. Furthermore, the cost of forming the blockouts is not necessary with the present invention. Additionally, the time and labor required to remove to blockouts is avoided. The cinder blocks, which serve as the blockouts 28, are very inexpensive and readily available. Experimentation has shown that the artificial reef of the present invention, with the cinder blocks, is ultimately less expensive to manufacture than the manufacture of the artificial reef using removable blockouts. Since each of the blockouts 28 has apertures 32 extending therethrough, each of the cinder blocks provides an easy pathway for marine organisms so as to enter the interior of the artificial reef
In other words, the sprayable concrete extending from the form will have a depth approximately equal to a depth of the cast concrete members 58. The cast concrete members, by virtue of the openings 60 provide an interior surface on which to support the growth of marine organisms. These opening 60 further provide a restriction so that larger fish cannot enter the interior of the artificial reef 50. The use of the cast concrete members 58 further has been found to enhance the structural integrity of the artificial reef 50. In U.S. Pat. No. 9,403,287, the edges of the cast concrete structure that were separated from the blockouts and the form were found to have edges which could deteriorate over time. In contrast, the use of the cast concrete members 58 provides strong structural integrity in the areas that would have been formerly formed by the blockouts of the prior patent. The cast concrete members 58 will have an inner surface that will be generally flush with the inner surface of the artificial reef 50. As can be seen in
It can be seen that the structure 52 has a generally pyramid-shaped configuration. The base 64 extends outwardly from the bottom 66 of the structure 52 in a generally horizontal plane. The base 64 will have an opening in a center 68 thereof which opens to the interior of the structure 52.
A metal rod 84 is illustrated as extending outwardly of the top 86 of the artificial reef 70. In relation to the previous illustrations, the metal rod 84 has an inverted V-shaped configuration. The metal rod 84 can be applied to the outer surface of the form. The sprayable concrete 74 can then be applied over a portion of the metal rod 84. This portion of the metal rod 84 will be the legs of the V-shaped configuration. The vertex of the metal rod 84 extends outwardly and upwardly above the sprayed concrete material 74. Once the sprayable concrete 74 has fully cured, the metal rod 84 can be utilized for the hoisting, lifting, and manipulating of the artificial reef 70.
In relation to the artificial reefs shown herein, the artificial reef will have a pyramidal-shaped interior which was previously occupied by the form 10. As such, the various openings that are created through the use of the cast concrete members can communicate with this interior so as to allow small fish and organisms to swim therein. In particular, this allows for a small fish to develop and to seek refuge therein by preventing large fish from entering the interior of the artificial reef. As such, the present invention effectively promotes marine growth.
In each of the previous embodiments, it can be seen that the base is formed at the lower end of the pyramid-shaped structure. This base will have a relatively large surface area relative to the lower end of the pyramid-shaped structure. The wide area of the base serves to prevent any sinking of the artificial reef into the subsea floor and prevented the drifting of the artificial reef by way of ocean currents. Additionally, this wide area provides additional surface area for the limestone.
The bent rod 84 extends above the top end 86 of the artificial reef 70. This rod 84 facilitates the ability to manipulate the artificial reef 70. As such, a suitable crane can be used offshore so as to deploy the artificial reef 70. If it is necessary to move the artificial reef 70, then a hook can be utilized so as to grasp the bent portion of the rod 84 for lifting and maneuvering of the artificial reef 70.
The artificial reef in each of the previous embodiments is constructed of the sprayable concrete material so as to provide a hard substrate for the purpose of attracting marine growth, such as algae, truncates, hard and soft corals, fans, sponges, barnacles, oysters and other aquatic life. The structure can be manufactured in a variety of shapes such as tetrahedra, cones, cubes, cylinders, domes, or other shapes. The openings through each of the cast concrete members can also be of different shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles, triangles etc. Calcium carbonate components, such as limestone and/or oyster shell, are also an integral component of the surface. Such calcium carbonate components provide almost 100% coverage of the surface. This provides additional surface area and a suitable material with a proper pH marine growth. The use of the sprayable concrete as the primary structural element allows the unit to be constructed in one step, instead of the multiple steps required by prior art artificial reefs. This provides a substantial savings in time and cost during the manufacturing process. Additionally, the artificial reef described in the embodiments herein is stronger and has greater longevity than previous artificial reefs.
Since the artificial reefs of the present invention utilize a minimal amount of metal or steel, there is little or no metal or steel to degrade over time in seawater. As such, the structural integrity of the artificial reef will have enhanced longevity. The surface area of the footprint of the artificial reef serves to prevent subsidence or scouring in comparison with previous artificial reef designs. The openings in each wall of the cast concrete members in each wall of the artificial reef will allow for an adequate water circulation. This promotes entry into the interior by smaller fish. As such, the smaller fish are provided with refuge and protection from predation.
The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof. Various changes in the details of the illustrated construction, or the steps of this described process, can be made within the scope of the present claims without departing from the true spirit of the invention. The present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/225,318, filed on Aug. 1, 2016 and entitled “Artificial Reef and Process for Forming Such an Artificial Reef”, presently pending. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/225,318 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/938,543, filed on Nov. 11, 2015, and entitled “Process for Forming an Artificial Reef”, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,403,287 on Aug. 2, 2016. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/938,543 is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/291,958, filed on May 30, 2014, and entitled “Process for Forming an Artificial Reef”,which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,498,901 on Nov. 22, 2016.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15225318 | Aug 2016 | US |
| Child | 15686479 | US | |
| Parent | 14938543 | Nov 2015 | US |
| Child | 15225318 | US | |
| Parent | 14291958 | May 2014 | US |
| Child | 14938543 | US |
