Patent Application
20050284080
The invention relates to a bastion. More particularly, the invention relates to a foldable multi-cell welded wire structures lined with an expanded or knitted wire mesh, which can be used, for example, for military applications and force protection.
The use of bastions has been traditional ever since Roman times. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it took the form of wicker baskets filled with earth or stones. In the early twentieth century, sand bags were used. In the later twentieth century bastions took the form of foldable gabion structures lined with geo-textiles.
This latter application, was basically the use of elements originally devised for civil works applied to the military use. This structure was rapidly deployable but its main failing was its lack of fire resistance. At best, a fire retardant composite was used in some situations to delay ignition. Use of flame throwers, incendiary bombs, Molotov cocktails and even tracer bullets of machine guns (one every seven in a belt loader) in combat situations destroys the protection afforded by this conventional bastion by igniting its lining or sand bags defenses.
Prior art protection barriers suffer from a number of additional drawbacks. Visual impact of prior art protection barriers is unsuitable for deployment within cities and the systems do not provide any concealment option. Deployment for long periods of time is also problematic given that barriers are exposed to environmental agents such as fungus, and UV attacks, that rapidly deteriorate them. Further, prior art protection barriers require intensive maintenance.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to produce a protection barrier or bastion which overcomes the above described prior art drawbacks.
A protection barrier or bastion according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a foldable multi-cell structure, for example, for military and anti-terrorist use, consisting of structures conformed by hinged welded wire panels lined with knitted wire or expanded metal mesh, linked together to constitute a fire resistant cell structure. This structure is filled with sand, crushed rock or granular materials and may be camouflaged. Further, the multi-cell structure is deployable in flat or slopped terrain.
The expanded metal mesh or knitted wire mesh lining may withstand a flame thrower attack successfully, without losing particulate filling material through the openings. At the same time the expanded metal mesh or knitted wire mesh lining admits rooting of plants, which helps mitigate the visual impact of the bastions in the cities. Given the nature of the mesh, the plants will grow over the bastions, changing the hard appearance to look as natural fences melting them with the landscape.
The expanded metal mesh or knitted wire mesh lining materials are more suited to resist environmental attacks and are less maintenance demanding than prior art bastions.
The wall has a continuous volume, and therefore, behaves like a monolithic rather than an adobe like structure.
The infill continuity results in cavities or caverns created by impact of projectiles being filled by material coming from both damaged and adjacent cells, thus, improving the protection offered by the bastion.
The bastion may further include a hinged system that allows continuity of cells at different heights, and thus, for the possibility of deployment in slopped terrain.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.
In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows.
The basic components of an exemplary embodiment of a bastion of the present invention, generally designated 10, are panels 12a-12j. The panels 12a-12j may be made, for example, from a welded wire frame including wires 14 having, for example, diameters between 3 mm and 8 mm. The wires 14 may, for example, have a rectangular pattern with center to center distance depending on load, for example, 5 cm to 20 cm. The wires 14 may be lined with a metal screen mesh 16 of expanded metal or wire knitted mesh, stitched to the wire frame or connected using staples 18. Alternatively, the panels 12a-12j may be configured without a mesh. However, in this case the wires 14 are spaced close together so as to prevent a filler, used to fill the bastion 10, such as sand crushed rocks, granulars, etc., from spilling out.
In the example embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
As best seen in
Exterior panels 12f and 12g each include a set of hinge tube segments 20 and 22 respectively. Tube segments 20 and 22 may be welded to their respective panels and are matched and aligned with correspondent tube segments 24 and 26 (
Centering pins 28a and 28b also function also as an anchoring element of the system when staked to the ground.
As can be seen in
As illustrated in the top view of
For observation posts and fire back positions, an insert, such as a duct 38, may be provided on both interior and exterior panels into which face inserts 40 may be installed. Duct 38 may have an X or Y shape (from a top view) in accordance with the tactical tooth-saw fire pattern. Duct 38 is a rectangular box with a reduced section in a middle section 42 and full sections 44 at the faces of the panels. On the outer face of the bastion 10 these face inserts 40 may be covered with a metal mesh lining (not shown), which both masks the duct 38 and provides protection against objects thrown from outside. At the inner side, a flap gate 46 can be provided, for temperature control.
Interior panels 12i and 12j do not have full mesh lining allowing the continuity of the infill material configuring a monolithic structure. Further, as can be seen in
Once the structure has been anchored, for example, by anchoring pins 28a-n used in the hinges 30, an infill of filling material, for example, sand, crushed rock, or granulars is laid in compacted layers conforming a monolithic structure to complete the defense system. The bastion 10 of
The hinged system of the present invention allows for deployment in slopped terrain, as illustrated in
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the bastion 10 may be foldable.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a top mesh-lined cover panel 54, as illustrated in
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the above mentioned materials constituent of the system, are resistant to fire attacks and tropical conditions, thus allowing for a longer life expectancy, and reutilization of the elements.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the screen or mesh 16 lining allows rooting of vegetation, thus providing camouflage to the system.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the panel's wire mesh, hinges and expanded metal mesh are environmentally resistant to damage like rust, UV, fungus attack, etc., by means of galvanic protection, or polymeric coating.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the structure may be used as basic constituent for constructions and fortifications, supporting a roof structure.
Repairs can be made to the bastion by replacing a damaged panel 12 or by strapping an overlapping new panel 66 over an existing damaged panel 12, as illustrated in
As illustrated in the figures, the panels form box shaped structures. However, three or more panels may be joined in the manner taught above to form other shaped free-standing structures having, for example, triangular or hexagonal cross sections when viewed from above. These free-standing structures may then be interconnected, for example using hinges or straps, to form bastions of varying shapes and sizes.
As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.
