Fabric-Wrapped Elongated Member for Subsurface Sewage Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional septic systems face challenges such as high installation and maintenance costs, premature failure due to contaminants in stone treatment media, and inefficient distribution of effluent in leach fields, which can lead to over-saturation and reduced treatment effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A modular, self-contained subsurface sewage disposal/wastewater treatment system featuring a core structure wrapped in fabric, arranged in serpentine or ladder shapes, with a leach field medium and interconnected piping for uniform effluent distribution, allowing for efficient treatment and detection post-installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If stone is used as treatment medium in leach field, then effluent distribution is provided, but contaminants and fine particles obstruct proper flow and reduce percolation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes stone from the leach field system entirely, extracting the problematic treatment medium that caused flow obstruction. Instead, the system uses fabric-wrapped elongated members with open areas that provide effluent distribution without the contaminants and fine particles inherent in stone media.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs fabric-wrapped elongated members with open areas that create a porous structure for effluent distribution. This fabric-based porous material allows proper flow and percolation without the fine particles that clog stone-based systems, maintaining distribution capability while ensuring reliability.
2Reliability
If conventional septic system components are installed, then sewage treatment is achieved, but installation and maintenance costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the leach field system into modular elongated members that can be easily installed and maintained. These segmented components replace conventional stone and pipe systems, reducing installation complexity and maintenance costs while maintaining sewage treatment effectiveness through their fabric-wrapped design with open areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from stone to fabric-wrapped elongated members, fundamentally altering the system's physical characteristics. This parameter change reduces both installation and maintenance costs while improving reliability by eliminating the flow obstruction problems inherent in stone-based systems.
3Reliability
If effluent is distributed through conventional leach field portions, then treatment is provided, but over-saturation of portions occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using fabric-wrapped elongated members with open areas that distribute effluent locally and uniformly across the leach field. This localized distribution approach prevents over-saturation of any single portion while maintaining effective wastewater treatment throughout the system.
4Reliability
If subsurface components are buried for treatment, then sewage disposal is achieved, but post-installation location and inspection become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates detectable material into the elongated members that enables post-installation location and inspection. This detectable feature, which may involve color or magnetic properties, allows the buried components to be located and inspected without excavation while maintaining sewage disposal effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system reduces installation costs, extends the life of the septic system, maximizes treatment surface density, and ensures even wastewater distribution, while eliminating premature failures by avoiding contaminants and enhancing biomat formation and oxygenation.
Implementation Method 1
The effluent percolates through the chambers and soil for treatment to reduce contaminants before being mixed with the underground water table.
Implementation Method 2
The liquid effluent, which may contain suspended solids, is then conveyed out of the tank and distributed through an area of subterranean soil, which is typically referred to as a drain or leach field. The liquid effluent is passed to a series of stone or sand trenches or chambers within the leach field. The effluent percolates through the chambers and soil for treatment to reduce contaminants
Data Source
AI summary
A modular subsurface sewage disposal and wastewater treatment system is presented for treating effluent from a septic tank. The system includes an elongated member, leach field medium and at least one pipe. The elongated member is arranged in one of a serpentine or a ladder-shaped configuration and includes a core wrapped in a fabric. The medium is disposed about open areas in the configuration. The pipe uniformly distributes effluent from the septic tank to the elongated member. In one embodiment, the core is a pliable plastic membrane and the fabric wrap is a non-woven fabric. In one embodiment, the elongated member is disposed in a box and retained by an adhesive to permit ease of manufacture, shipping, and installation. In another embodiment, the elongated member is disposed in a rigid or semi-rigid frame defining channels retaining the elongated member. The frame is detectable by a non-invasive above surface detector.