This invention relates to a barrier for restricting passage by a person or watercraft across or through a body of water e.g. a harbour, a marine installation, a dam, a lake or a river.
For example it is fairly common for a river to form a boundary between two adjacent countries. Notionally at least, a line along a middle point in the river demarcates one country from the other. If the river is long then it can be difficult to police the river to ensure that unauthorised passage from one country through or across the river to an adjacent country does not occur. The erection of a fence or wall on one bank of the river might achieve this objective but this type of structure is unsightly, hinders normal usage of the river and can be prone to being damaged or swept away when the river rises due to heavy rains or seasonal factors.
The provision of a barrier to restrict passage across or through a river, from one river bank, to the other river bank can therefore be problematic. Similar problems arise when a location or area, adjacent or bounded by a body of water, must be protected or safeguarded.
An object of the present invention is to address, at least to some extent, the aforementioned situation.
The invention provides a barrier for restriction of passage across or through a body of water, the barrier including a plurality of interconnected buoyant bodies which are spaced apart from one another in a longitudinal array, and a plurality of deterrent components on or between the buoyant bodies.
Obstructive material may in use extend downwardly from the buoyant bodies.
The buoyant bodies may be positioned in an elongate line along the length of the longitudinal array. In a different embodiment of the invention the buoyant bodies are interconnected so that they form two or more spaced apart elongate lines which preferably are parallel to one another and which are interconnected.
The buoyant bodies form a barrier zone with a length which equals the length of the array and a width which is equal to a transverse dimension of the array.
Each buoyant body may have any suitable shape and for example may be cylindrical or spherical.
The deterrent components on the buoyant bodies may be outwardly extending spikes and may be integral with the bodies or may be separately formed and thereafter attached to the buoyant bodies.
The deterrent components between adjacent bodies may comprise a plurality of spikes.
In one embodiment adjacent bodies are interconnected by means of an elongate member and spikes or other deterrent components are attached thereto.
In one example the deterrent components include rings with outer serrated surfaces. The rings are mounted at spaced apart locations to outer surfaces of the buoyant bodies and are preferably rotatable relative to the buoyant bodies to which they are mounted.
The obstructive material which when used, is below the buoyant bodies and is intended to frustrate or inhibit a person from swimming through the water below the barrier. The obstructive material may be apertured so that it does not create too much drag against any current which may flow in the water. Additionally the use of apertured material lowers costs.
The obstructive material may be a plastics material or, if made from steel or other metal, may be protected if required against corrosion by the application of a suitable anti-rust material.
In one form of the invention the obstructive material is formed from a plurality of sheets of mesh. Preferably moving away from the buoyant bodies i.e. downwardly in use, the density of the mesh decreases. Thus adjacent the buoyant bodies the obstructive material may comprise first sheets of mesh material with a first mesh density and, suspended from or attached to these first sheets, second sheets of mesh material with a second mesh density which is less than the first mesh density.
The obstructive material may be attached to the buoyant bodies or to the elongate members which interconnect the buoyant bodies or to components between the buoyant bodies.
Preferably the obstructive material is pivotal relative to the buoyant bodies at least to a limited extent. If multiple sheets of mesh material are used then upper and lower sheets of mesh material may be pivotally movable relative to each other at least to a limited extent.
In a direction along the length of the longitudinal array edges of adjacent sheets of mesh material may overlap with one another so that a gap is not formed between the sheets which could facilitate underwater passage of a person.
The buoyant bodies may be anchored in position. This may be done in any appropriate way and preferably use is made of a plurality of cables, chains or other flexible elements which are attached at upper ends to the buoyant bodies or to components which, in turn, are attached to the buoyant bodies and which, at lower ends, are fixed to anchors placed in the ground above which is located the body of water e.g. the bed of a river. The elongate members may have a length which enables the buoyant bodies to move to a limited extent due to currents flowing in the body of water but which also allow the buoyant bodies to rise or drop as the level of the water changes e.g. due to rain, tides, or other seasonal effects. The elongate members may for example have a length which is approximately three times the depth of the water at the locations at which the anchors are positioned.
In a different form of the invention the obstructive material comprises coils which may be in a helical form or in a flat form. The latter configuration is achieved by taking a helical coil arrangement with a plurality of windings of suitable elongate material e.g. steel and then flattening adjacent windings one onto the other and securing them together so that the coil arrangement thus has a flat configuration.
The barrier may include blocking material at least on one side of the longitudinal array. The blocking material may be mesh, coils which may be flattened, or the like. The invention is not limited in that respect. Preferably the blocking material is located on both sides of the elongate array. The blocking material may be tied to rods or other supports so that the blocking material is close to a surface of the body of water in which the barrier is positioned. Alternatively or additionally the blocking material may be kept in a floating mode by means of one or more floats attached to the blocking material. An intention in this respect is that the overall density of the blocking material with the floats should be lowered so that the blocking material does not sink but remains more or less at a constant depth in the body of water. However if a person or a watercraft exerts weight on the blocking material then the blocking material is forced into the water and passage then becomes difficult. The blocking material which in use extends transversely to the obstructive material, thus makes it difficult for a watercraft to approach sufficiently closely to the barrier so that a person on the watercraft can cross over the barrier.
The invention also extends to a barrier module which includes at least two buoyant bodies which are interconnected, a first coupling formation at one end of the buoyant bodies, a second coupling formation which is at a second end of the buoyant bodies and which is complementary to and engageable with a similar first coupling formation on a similar barrier module, deterrent components on the buoyant bodies, and obstructive e.g. apertured, material which, in use, extends downwardly from the buoyant bodies.
Viewed from one side the first and second buoyant bodies are preferably spaced apart by a distance A and the apertured material has first and second ends which are spaced apart by a distance D and D is greater than A. This feature allows adjacent barrier modules to be connected to one another with the apertured material below the buoyant bodies in an overlapping configuration. The buoyant bodies may be interconnected by means of an elongate member. The coupling formations may be at ends of the elongate member or on stub axles or similar components which project from the buoyant bodies.
The components from which the barrier is made are positioned to define a barrier zone which has a height which is difficult to overcome. Additionally the barrier zone, through the use of the obstructive material, has a depth which makes it difficult for a person to pass underneath the barrier. A third factor is that the longitudinal array has a width viewed in plan which is transverse to the longitudinal direction in which the barrier extends. Ideally the width is such that even if a person can cross over, say, the buoyant bodies the width of the barrier zone is such that the person still faces a significant obstacle to overcome.
In one form of the invention the width of the barrier zone is effectively equal to the width of the buoyant bodies and the deterrent components which are attached thereto. This is the case particularly if the buoyant bodies are in a single line. However if the buoyant bodies are arranged in two or more spaced apart lines which may be parallel to one another then the space between the buoyant bodies may be relatively large. This carries with it the benefit that additional deterrent material can be placed between the lines of buoyant bodies to increase the width of the barrier zone.
Thus in another embodiment a plurality of buoyant bodies are arranged spaced apart from one another in a first line and a plurality of buoyant bodies are spaced apart from one another in a second line which is spaced from the first line.
The two lines of the buoyant bodies may be interconnected so that they are spaced apart by a suitable distance. First deterrent material may be positioned between the buoyant bodies extending, in use, in a longitudinal direction between the bodies and upwardly. The first deterrent material may be obstructive material e.g. mesh, coils or the like.
Second deterrent material e.g. apertured material, coils or the like may be secured directly or indirectly to one or both of the lines of buoyant bodies so that, in use, the second deterrent material extends downwardly. Alternatively the second deterrent material may be positioned more or less centrally between the two lines of buoyant bodies extending downwardly.
The buoyant bodies may be in the form of spherical buoys and may be spaced from one another in each line by a distance which exceeds the diameter of each spherical buoy. In a different embodiment the buoyant bodies are cylindrical in shape and are spaced fairly close to one another substantially in an end-to-end relationship.
The buoyant bodies, themselves, may carry deterrent components such as spikes. Additionally deterrent components, again in the form of spikes, may be positioned between the buoyant bodies.
The various features and configuration, described hereinbefore, may be combined with one another in any desired relationship.
The invention is further described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The barrier 10 is made up from a number of modules two of which, 12 and 14, are shown in
The module 12 includes three buoyant bodies 16, 18 and 20 respectively which are substantially identical to each other. Each buoyant body is spherical and is formed from a material which is less dense than water so that the buoyant body will float. The bodies 16, 18 and 20 are interconnected along a central axle line 22. A stub axle 24 protrudes to the left of the body 16 and has a first coupling formation 26. A stub axle 28 projects to the right of the body 20 and has a second coupling formation 30 which is complementary to the coupling formation 26. These features are also present in the barrier module 14. The coupling formation 30 can thus be readily connected to the coupling formation (designated 26A) on the module 14 so that the modules 12 and 14 can be coupled together. Additional modules can be interconnected in the same way so that an elongate string of the modules is formed in a body of water (not shown).
Each buoyant body carries a plurality of deterrent components, in this instance in the form of spikes 44—see
Obstructive material in the form of anti-dive screens 50 and 52 made from mesh material 54 is attached to the buoyant bodies 16, 18, etc. so that, in use, the anti-dive screens extend downwardly from the buoyant bodies. The screens are in two horizontal rows. An upper row 50 is directly attached at fixing points 56 to the various buoyant bodies. The anti-dive screens 52, which are lower than the screens 50, are attached to the screens 50 at pivot points 60. The arrangement is one in which, as is indicated in
Referring to
Opposing ends of the elongate member 78 carry coupling formations 26 and 30. Thus adjacent modules 70 and 72 etc. can be interconnected in the manner which has been described in connection with
Extending downwardly from each module is obstructive material in the form of anti-dive screens 50 and 52. The dimensions are such that edges of the anti-dive screens overlap one another to close any gap which might occur at a junction 64. A substantial number of deterrent components 46 are fixed to the elongate member 78. The upper anti-dive screen 50, as is the case with what is shown in
Stabilising rods 98 extend downwardly from elongate members 100 which fix adjacent buoyant bodies, in each barrier module 90, 92 etc., to one another. An elongate cable 104 is attached to fixtures 110 on the individual buoyant bodies so that it extends horizontally.
The anti-dive screens 50, 52 are replaced by obstructive material in the form of coils 112 which are attached to the cable 104 and to the stabilising rods 98. In this example there are two horizontally extending coil arrays 114, 116 with a lower array fixed to an upper array. The coils 112 can be in helical form or can be in so-called “flat-wrap” form produced by flattening adjacent coils of a helical array so that the windings are essentially coplanar and then fixing adjacent coplanar windings to one another. This results in a tight mesh configuration.
In order to enhance the deterrent effect of the barrier 10F the coils 112, 120, 122 can be formed from razor wire, barbed wire or the like. This type of feature may be required in high security applications.
Fixing cables 136 are attached to some of the buoyant bodies 130 or to the members 132 (not shown). Each cable 136 at a lower end is attached to an anchor 140 of any appropriate kind. In use the anchor 140 rests on and digs into the earth or ground 142 below a body 144 of water upon which the buoyant bodies float. The cables have a length which is approximately three times the depth 146 of the water at each installation location. This allows the cables to move laterally with current flow 148 in the water and, if the water level rises significantly, due to rain or other seasonal effects, each buoyant body 130 can move accordingly.
The buoyant bodies are erected in the body 144 of water which, typically, is a river between two adjacent countries, or which is at a harbour or other marine installation or at a dam or lake. Usually the buoyant bodies form an elongate barrier zone which is more or less at a centre of the river extending along the length of the river. The width of the barrier zone is determined by the nature of the components used in the construction of the barrier. Due to the deterrent components 44 and 46 (not shown in
Pairs of opposed buoys 196, in the lines 198 and 200, are fixed, preferably rotatably, to respective opposed ends of a transversely extending axle 204.
A crosspiece 206 is fixed at a central position to the axle 204 and extends transversely to the axle in opposing directions therefrom. At respective ends of the crosspiece 206 coupling formations 208 and 210 are secured. These are not shown in detail but they are of the kind described hereinbefore in that one formation is complementary to the other. This feature enable adjacent crosspieces to be connected to each other in a manner which allows one crosspiece to pivot to a limited extent relative to an adjacent crosspiece viewed in plan and from the side.
Concertina coils 216 are positioned on tops of the axles 204 (see
In the barrier 194, in each of the lines 198 and 200, the buoys 196 are spaced relatively far apart from one another in a longitudinal direction by a distance 222 which may if required exceed the diameter of each buoy. Thus the coils 216 are clearly visible from each side of the barrier and can be accessed. However, in use, given that the buoys are floating in a body of water and that the coils are usually above the water level, it would be difficult for a perpetrator to climb over the coils. Equally it would be difficult for a perpetrator to swim below the coils for the obstructive mesh material 220 provides a significant deterrent.
The coils 216 could be made from plain wire or could have barbs or the like.
The relatively large spacing 202 between the lines 198 and 200 of the coils means that the barrier 194 has a significant width which enables multiple parallel coils 216 to be incorporated into the barrier.
The spherical buoys 196 are replaced by elongate cylindrical buoys 302. Each buoy 302 is positioned, preferably rotatably, between a respective pair of stub-axles 304, 306 at opposed ends of a respective pair of transversely extending beams 310, 312. Central points of each of the beams 310, 312 carry respective coupling formations 208, 210 which are generally of the kind described hereinbefore and which enable adjacent beams to be pivotally interconnected to one another. The barrier 300 has the benefit that the cylindrical buoys 302 form a substantially continuous impediment which makes it difficult for a person in the water to reach the concertina coils 216 which are mounted on top of the beams between the two lines 198, 200 of the buoys 302. The coils can thus comprise barbed tape or the like for it is extremely unlikely that a person in the water could inadvertently come into contact with the coils. The barrier 300 is difficult for a watercraft to breach. Optionally, as shown, the buoys 302 could carry protruding spikes 320 or the like.
Deterrent spikes 402 are fixed to rods 404 which extend downwardly from an axle 406 to which buoys 202 are attached. Anti-dive screens 50, 52 are mounted to the rods 404. It is thus difficult for an intruder to move through the space between the buoys and the screens.
Another modification is to reduce the radial lengths of spikes 410 on the buoys 202 to form what may be referred to as serrations spaced apart by, say, 15 mm and with radial heights of about the same dimension. The serrations are less likely to cause bodily harm to an intruder but nonetheless retain characteristics which are sufficiently aggressive to deter hand contact.
The buoyancy offered by the floats 464 is such that the razor wire coils 466 are kept more or less at the surface of the water. If an intruder stands on the floats 464 or on the frames 460 in an attempt to cross over the buoys 202 the floats and the razor wire coils sink into the water. Thus the frames and floats do not offer any meaningful assistance to any person trying to penetrate the barrier.
The anti-dive screens 50 and 52 can attached, directly, to the buoys (in any embodiment) or to the axles to which the buoys are mounted. The axles, as far as possible, should be rotatably attached to the anchors which keep the barrier in position. The spikes or deterrent materials on the buoys or between the buoys should also be rotatable and so should the buoys.
In some of the embodiments, for example in the embodiment shown in
Number | Date | Country | |
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63029951 | May 2020 | US |