A height-variable floating breakwater based on the reuse of waste tires and its operation method

Abstract

This invention discloses a height-variable floating breakwater based on the reuse of waste tires and its operation method. The breakwater includes modules I and III on both sides, and module II sandwiched between modules I and III. Modules I, II, and III all include a float. A water tank is installed at the top of the float, and two or more porous wave-dissipating plates made of waste tires are installed at the bottom of the float. Inlets and outlets are provided on the water tanks of modules I, II, and III. The floating breakwater disclosed in this invention transforms a single unit into three modules, where module II can slide repeatedly up and down between modules I and III, increasing the turbulence of water passing through the floating breakwater and improving its energy dissipation effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of breakwaters, and specifically relates to a height-variable floating breakwater based on the reuse of waste tires and its operation method. Background Technology

[0002] Most current floating breakwaters function as a single wave-dissipating unit, relying on the pitching motion of the floating body on the wave surface for energy dissipation, resulting in limited degrees of freedom. Because floating breakwaters float on the wave surface without considering wave dissipation below the wave surface, they struggle to achieve satisfactory wave dissipation in challenging wave conditions. However, adding wave-dissipating structures below the wave surface, such as porous steel plates or flexible fabrics, can lead to poor water exchange between the harbor basin and surrounding waters due to insufficient porosity.

[0003] Meanwhile, because ordinary breakwaters have a fixed height and rigid energy dissipation methods, they can generate leaping waves when facing large waves and high sea conditions, seriously endangering the safety of the harbor basin and causing significant damage to the breakwater itself. The existing concept of sinkable breakwaters is to fill them with water during severe sea conditions to make them submerged and then drain the water to resurface and restore their normal energy dissipation function once the wave conditions stabilize. This design is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it is not effective in dissipating waves during severe sea conditions, thus failing to guarantee the safety of the harbor basin. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a new type of floating breakwater based on the reuse of waste tires, which can improve wave dissipation efficiency under normal wave conditions and automatically adjust its own height according to the size of the waves when facing severe sea conditions. The invention also includes its operation method.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] An improved floating breakwater based on the reuse of waste tires, characterized by its variable height, comprises modules I and III on either side, and module II sandwiched between modules I and III. Each module includes a float, with a water tank at the top and two or more porous wave-damping plates made of reclaimed waste tires at the bottom. The water tanks of modules I, II, and III are equipped with inlets and outlets, with the number of inlets in module II equal to the sum of the number of outlets in modules I and III. The height of each inlet in module II is lower than that of the module... The drain outlet heights of Module I and Module III are such that valves are installed on the drain outlets of Module I, Module II, and Module III. The drain outlets of Module I and Module III are also connected to the water inlets of Module II through retractable flexible hoses. The side of Module I and Module III opposite to Module II is arc-shaped, and a cylindrical metal rod is set on the side opposite to Module II. Module II has two or more steel plates with limit holes on the two sides opposite to Module I and Module III, and the limit holes of the steel plates are fitted onto the adjacent cylindrical metal rods to connect Module II with Module I and Module III.

[0007] Furthermore, the float is a thick-bottomed, semi-hollow block made of engineering rubber; the water tank is made of steel plate and engineering plastics.

[0008] Furthermore, the water tank and the float are manufactured separately and then bolted together, or they are all made of engineering rubber as a single unit.

[0009] Furthermore, the spatial distribution of the water tanks and floats in Module I and Module III is consistent, as is the proportion of the floating breakwater volume they occupy. However, the spatial distribution of the water tanks and floats in Module II is different from that in Module I and Module III. The water tank capacity of Module II is greater than that of Module I and Module III, and the float volume of Module II is smaller than that of Module I and Module III.

[0010] Furthermore, the spacing between the perforated wave-damping plates at the bottom of Module II float is larger than the spacing between the perforated wave-damping plates at the bottom of Module I and Module III float.

[0011] Furthermore, the water inlets of both Module I and Module III water tanks are located on the upper surface of the water tank, and the number of drain outlets is more than one.

[0012] Furthermore, the floats of both Module I and Module III are each anchored to the sea surface by three anchor chains.

[0013] Furthermore, the valve structures installed on the drain ports of the water tanks of Module I and Module III are identical, each including two piston structures. The inlet holes of the two piston structures are connected to the drain ports of the water tanks on their respective modules, and the drain holes are connected to the inlet of Module II. The two piston structures are connected by a connecting rod. One end of the pendulum rod is hinged to the connecting rod, and the other end is fitted with a pendulum. The piston rods of both piston structures are connected to the pendulum rod.

[0014] Furthermore, helical springs are installed at both ends of the cylindrical metal rod.

[0015] An operating method applicable to the above-mentioned floating breakwater, the improvement of which is: after the floating breakwater is placed in the predetermined sea area, module I and module III are anchored to the sea surface by anchor chains, seawater is injected into the water tanks of module I and module III, and the water tank of module II is kept empty, so that the initial height of module I, module II and module III are consistent.

[0016] The curved sides of Module I and Module III form a wave-breaking wall to block and reflect waves above the horizontal plane. The floating bodies and porous wave-damping plates of Module I, Module II and Module III block waves below the horizontal plane. As Module I, Module II and Module III rise and fall with the waves, their movements are asynchronous, causing Module II to slide up and down repeatedly between Module I and Module III along the cylindrical metal rods on both sides, increasing the turbulence of the water when it passes through the floating breakwater.

[0017] When encountering severe wave conditions, in addition to the wave dissipation as described above, the floating breakwater also causes the pendulum to swing, opening the valves on the drain outlets of the water tanks of Module I and Module III. Seawater in the water tanks of Module I and Module III flows into the water tank of Module II through flexible hoses. The buoyancy of Module I and Module III remains unchanged, while the gravity decreases, causing them to gradually rise and the height of the floating breakwater increases. The buoyancy of Module II remains unchanged, while the gravity increases, causing it to gradually sink. The porous wave-dissipating plates of Module I, Module II, and Module III become misaligned, and the porosity decreases. After all the seawater in the water tanks of Module I and Module III has flowed into the water tank of Module II, the height of the floating breakwater no longer changes.

[0018] After the severe turbulence subsided, seawater was refilled into the water tanks of Module I and Module III. The buoyancy of Module I and Module III remained unchanged, but their gravity increased, causing them to gradually sink. The valve on the drain outlet of the water tank of Module II was opened to drain the seawater from the water tank of Module II. The buoyancy of Module II remained unchanged, but its gravity decreased, causing it to gradually rise, thus restoring the height of Module I, Module II, and Module III to be consistent.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0020] The floating breakwater disclosed in this invention transforms a single, integral structure into three modules. Module II can slide repeatedly up and down between modules I and III, increasing turbulence as water passes over the breakwater and improving its energy dissipation effect. Simultaneously, a water injection tank is added, equipped with specially designed valves and flexible hoses. Under extreme wave conditions, the overall height of the floating breakwater can be increased by changing the water volume in the tank. Combined with the arc-shaped wave-blocking structure on the outer side of the breakwater, it effectively solves the problem of wave leaping under extreme wave conditions.

[0021] The floating breakwater disclosed in this invention features underwater porous wave-dissipating panels constructed from recycled tires. Unlike traditional waterproof flexible fabrics and porous steel plates, these panels offer excellent permeability. Furthermore, the recycled tires represent a recycling of resources, reducing the cost of the wave-dissipating panels. In addition, because modules I and III can float, and module II can vibrate up and down, the porous wave-dissipating panels of modules I, II, and III will shift according to different wave conditions, adaptively changing their porosity. Under normal wave conditions, they can ensure wave dissipation while facilitating normal water exchange between the harbor basin and the surrounding water. Under extreme wave conditions, the porosity decreases, becoming a denser wave-dissipating panel, achieving an even better wave dissipation effect.

[0022] The operating method disclosed in this invention enables the floating breakwater to be in a completely automatic adjustment state during the wave dissipation process, which greatly saves the manpower and material resources required for manual adjustment of the floating breakwater under extraordinary wave conditions. At the same time, after the extraordinary wave conditions, the floating breakwater can be restored to its original state simply by readjusting the water volume in the water tank, which is also more economical. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a front view schematic diagram of the floating breakwater disclosed in this invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a left-side schematic diagram of the floating breakwater disclosed in this invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a top view schematic diagram of the floating breakwater disclosed in this invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the valve structure installed on the drain outlet of the water tanks of Module I and Module III;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a front view schematic diagram of the floating breakwater disclosed in this invention when encountering extraordinary wave conditions;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a left-side schematic diagram of the floating breakwater disclosed in this invention when encountering extraordinary wave conditions;

[0029] Figure 7This is a top view of the floating breakwater disclosed in this invention when encountering severe wave conditions.

[0030] Reference numerals: 1—Module I, 2—Module II, 3—Module III, 4—Float, 5—Water tank, 6—Porous wave damping plate, 7—Inlet, 8—Outlet, 9—Valve, 10—Flexible hose, 11—Cylindrical metal rod, 12—Steel plate with limit hole, 13—Anchor chain, 14—Helical spring, 91—Inlet, 92—Outlet, 93—Connecting rod, 94—Pendulum rod, 95—Pendulum, 96—Piston rod. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0032] Example 1: This example discloses a height-variable floating breakwater based on the reuse of waste tires, such as... Figure 1 As shown in Figure 3, the system includes modules I-1 and III-3 on both sides, and module II-2 sandwiched between modules I and III. Modules I, II, and III all include a float 4. A water tank 5 is installed on the top of the float, and two or more perforated wave-damping plates 6 made of scrap tires are installed at the bottom of the float. The perforated wave-damping plates work underwater to block waves below the waterline. The specific dimensions and the number of scrap tires can be determined according to actual needs. Water inlets 7 and outlets 8 are provided on the water tanks of modules I, II, and III, and the number of water inlets in module II is equal to the sum of the number of outlets in modules I and III. The engineering vessel can inject seawater into its water tanks through the water inlets of modules I and III. The height of each inlet of Module II is lower than the height of the outlets of Module I and Module III, so that seawater in the water tanks of Module I and Module III can flow into the water tank of Module II. Valves 9 are installed on the outlets of Module I, Module II and Module III. The outlets of Module I and Module III are also connected to the inlets of Module II through flexible hoses 10. The side of Module I and Module III opposite to Module II is arc-shaped, and cylindrical metal rods 11 are set on the side opposite to Module II. Module II has two or more steel plates 12 with limit holes on the two sides opposite to Module I and Module III, and the limit holes of the steel plates are fitted onto the adjacent cylindrical metal rods to connect Module II with Module I and Module III.

[0033] The float is a thick-bottomed, semi-hollow block made of engineering rubber to ensure a low center of gravity and a stable center of buoyancy; the water tank is made of steel plate and engineering plastics. The water tank and float can be manufactured separately and then bolted together, or they can be made into a single piece using engineering rubber.

[0034] The spatial distribution of the water tanks and floats in Module I and Module III is the same as the proportion of the floating breakwater volume they occupy. The spatial distribution of the water tanks and floats in Module II is different from that in Module I and Module III. The water tank capacity of Module II is greater than that of Module I and Module III, and the float volume of Module II is smaller than that of Module I and Module III.

[0035] The spacing between the perforated wave-damping plates at the bottom of the floats of Module I and Module III should be as small as possible, while the spacing between the perforated wave-damping plates at the bottom of the floats of Module II should be larger than the spacing between the perforated wave-damping plates at the bottom of the floats of Module I and Module III.

[0036] The water inlets of both Module I and Module III are located on the upper surface of the water inlet tank, and there is more than one drain outlet. The specific number can be determined according to the actual length of the floating breakwater.

[0037] The floating bodies of Module I and Module III are each anchored to the sea surface by three anchor chains 13.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the valves 9 installed on the drain ports of the water tanks of Module I and Module III are arc-shaped and have the same structure. Each valve includes two piston structures. The water inlet 91 of the two piston structures is connected to the drain port of the water tank on their respective modules, and the drain port 92 is connected to the water inlet of Module II. The two piston structures are connected by a connecting rod 93. One end of the pendulum rod 94 is hinged to the connecting rod, and the other end is fitted with a pendulum 95. The piston rods 96 of both piston structures are connected to the pendulum rod. This arc-shaped valve can realize automatic water inlet and drainage functions under extreme conditions.

[0039] Specifically, the swaying motion of the floating breakwater during severe wave conditions drives a pendulum to swing left and right. This swinging motion causes the piston rods and pistons of two piston structures to reciprocate left and right. When one piston structure takes in water, the other drains water. When the pendulum swings to the left, it pushes both the left and right pistons to the left. The left piston drains seawater from its pipe through the drain hole and flexible hose into the water tank of Module II. The right piston opens the inlet of its pipe, allowing seawater from the water tank containing the valve to enter the pipe of the right piston structure. When the pendulum swings to the right, it pushes both the left and right pistons to the right. The left piston opens the inlet of its pipe, allowing seawater from the water tank containing the valve to flow into the pipe of the left piston structure. The right piston then drains seawater from its pipe through the drain hole and flexible hose into the water tank of Module II.

[0040] This arc-shaped valve ensures that drainage is achieved twice during a single sway of the floating breakwater, while also maintaining the stability of the pendulum and preventing structural damage due to the design flaws of a single piston.

[0041] Helical springs 14 are installed at both ends of the cylindrical metal rod. The helical springs act as a buffer to prevent the module II from directly impacting the connection part at both ends during the repeated up and down sliding of the cylindrical metal rod on both sides.

[0042] The floating breakwater of this embodiment can work as a single wave-dissipating unit or multiple units can be combined together.

[0043] This embodiment also discloses an operation method applicable to the above-mentioned floating breakwater. After the floating breakwater is placed in a predetermined sea area, modules I and III are anchored to the sea surface by anchor chains. Seawater is injected into the water tanks of modules I and III, while the water tank of module II is kept empty, so that the initial heights of modules I, II and III are consistent.

[0044] The curved sides of Module I and Module III form a wave-breaking wall to block and reflect waves above the horizontal plane. The floating bodies and porous wave-damping plates of Module I, Module II and Module III block waves below the horizontal plane. As Module I, Module II and Module III rise and fall with the waves, their movements are asynchronous, causing Module II to slide repeatedly up and down between Module I and Module III along the cylindrical metal rods on both sides, increasing the turbulence of the water when passing through the floating breakwater and greatly reducing the energy of the waves. After being disturbed by Module II, the waves encounter the obstruction of Module III, achieving the wave-damping effect.

[0045] When encountering severe wave conditions, in addition to the wave-damping mechanism described above, the floating breakwater also utilizes the pendulum's swing caused by the waves to open the valves at the drain outlets of the water tanks in Modules I and III. Seawater from these tanks flows through flexible hoses into the water tank of Module II. With buoyancy remaining constant and gravity decreasing, Modules I and III gradually rise, increasing the height of the floating breakwater and more effectively preventing leaping waves. Meanwhile, Module II, with its buoyancy remaining constant and gravity increasing, gradually sinks. The porous wave-damping plates of Modules I, II, and III become misaligned, causing the tire gaps to stagger and reducing porosity, further enhancing the wave-damping effect below the waterline. Figure 5 As shown in Figure 7, after all the seawater in the water tanks of Module I and Module III flows into the water tank of Module II, the floating breakwater completes its deformation and its height no longer changes.

[0046] After the extraordinary wave conditions, seawater is refilled into the water tanks of Module I and Module III by the engineering vessel. The buoyancy of Module I and Module III remains unchanged, but the weight increases, and they gradually sink. Then, the valve on the drain port of the water tank of Module II is opened by the engineering vessel to empty the seawater in the water tank of Module II. The buoyancy of Module II remains unchanged, but the weight decreases, and it gradually rises, so that the height of Module I, Module II and Module III is restored to the same level, in order to cope with the wave dissipation of normal wave conditions and the next extraordinary wave conditions.

Claims

1. A highly variable floating breakwater based on the recycling of scrap tires, characterized by: The module I, the module III and the module II sandwiched between the module I and the module III, each of which comprises a floating body, a water injection tank arranged on the top of the floating body and two or more porous breakwater plates made of waste tires arranged on the bottom of the floating body, a water inlet and a water outlet arranged on the water injection tank of the module I, the module II and the module III, the number of the water inlets of the module II being equal to the sum of the number of the water outlets of the module I and the module III, the height of each of the water inlets of the module II being lower than the height of the water outlets of the module I and the module III, a valve being installed on the water outlet of each of the module I, the module II and the module III, the water outlet of the module I and the module III being respectively communicated with each of the water inlets of the module II through a telescopic flexible hose, the side opposite to the module II of the module I and the module III being arc-shaped, and a cylindrical metal rod being arranged on the side opposite to the module II of the module I and the module III, two or more steel plates with limiting holes being arranged on the two sides opposite to the module I and the module III of the module II, and the limiting holes of the steel plates being sleeved on the adjacent cylindrical metal rods to connect the module II with the module I and the module III together. The spatial distribution and the volume proportion of the water injection tank and the floating body of the module I and the module III are consistent, the spatial distribution and the volume proportion of the water injection tank and the floating body of the module II are different from those of the module I and the module III, the capacity of the water injection tank of the module II is greater than that of the module I and the module III, and the volume of the floating body of the module II is smaller than that of the module I and the module III. The valve structures installed on the water injection tank water outlets of the module I and the module III are the same, each of which comprises two piston structures, the water inlet holes of the two piston structures being communicated with the water injection tank water outlets of the module, the water outlet holes being communicated with the water inlets of the module II, the two piston structures being connected through a connecting rod, one end of a pendulum rod being hinged on the connecting rod, and the other end of the pendulum rod being installed with a pendulum, and the piston rods of the two piston structures being connected with the pendulum rod.

2. The highly variable height floating breakwater based on the recycling of waste tires according to claim 1, characterized in that: The floating body is a thick bottom and semi-hollow block made of engineering rubber, and the water injection tank is made of steel plate and engineering plastic.

3. The highly variable height floating breakwater based on the recycling of waste tires according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water injection tank and the floating body are separately made and then fixed together through bolts, or are integrally made of engineering rubber at one time.

4. The highly variable height floating breakwater based on the recycling of waste tires according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spacing between the porous breakwater plates at the bottom of the floating body of the module II is greater than the spacing between the porous breakwater plates at the bottom of the floating body of the module I and the module III.

5. The highly variable height floating breakwater based on the recycling of waste tires according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water inlets of the water injection tank of the module I and the module III are arranged on the upper surface of the water injection tank, and the number of the water outlets is more than one.

6. The highly variable height floating breakwater based on the recycling of waste tires according to claim 1, characterized in that: The floating body of the module I and the module III is anchored on the sea surface by three anchor chains respectively.

7. The highly variable height floating breakwater based on the recycling of waste tires according to claim 1, characterized in that: Spiral springs are arranged at the two ends of the cylindrical metal rod.

8. A method of operation suitable for use with the floating breakwater of claim 1, characterized by: After the floating breakwater is placed in the predetermined sea area, the module I and the module III are anchored on the sea surface through the anchor chains, sea water is injected into the water injection tank of the module I and the module III, and the water injection tank of the module II is kept empty, so that the initial heights of the module I, the module II and the module III are consistent. The arc-shaped side of module I and module III forms a breakwater wall to block and reflect the wave above the horizontal plane, the floating body and porous wave-damping plate of module I, module II and module III block the wave below the horizontal plane, the motion of module I, module II and module III is out of sync in the process of ups and downs with the wave, which makes module II repeatedly slide up and down between module I and module III along the cylindrical metal rods on both sides of module II, and increases the turbulence of water passing through the floating breakwater; When encountering very wave conditions, in addition to the wave damping in the manner of the previous paragraph, the wave also drives the pendulum to swing, which makes the valve on the water injection tank of module I and module III open, the seawater in the water injection tank of module I and module III flows into the water injection tank of module II through flexible hose, the buoyancy of module I and module III remains unchanged, the gravity decreases, gradually floats up, the height of the floating breakwater increases, the buoyancy of module II remains unchanged, the gravity increases, gradually sinks, the porous wave-damping plate of module I, module II and module III is dislocated, the porosity is reduced, after the seawater in the water injection tank of module I and module III flows into the water injection tank of module II, the height of the floating breakwater no longer changes; After the very wave condition, the seawater is re-injected into the water injection tank of module I and module III, the buoyancy of module I and module III remains unchanged, the gravity increases, gradually sinks, the valve on the water injection tank of module II is opened, the seawater in the water injection tank of module II is emptied, the buoyancy of module II remains unchanged, the gravity decreases, gradually floats up, which makes the height of module I, module II and module III consistent.

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