Flap Gate Watertight Structure with Dynamic Gap Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to create a watertight structure for a flap gate that can open and close a floodgate without a threshold step, ensuring effective water drainage and backflow prevention.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a watertight structure for a flap gate that includes a door supported in a weight balance, a gap opening-closing member that swings in the water flow direction, and opening and closing operation assist means. The gap opening-closing member is lifted by lifting weights to create a large gap between the door and the floodgate, and buoyancy is used to close the gap, ensuring watertightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a flap gate is installed on a floodgate with no threshold step and the door is tilted by a few degrees or dozen degrees, then the structure is simpler, but only a small gap is formed between the lower end of the door and the bottom face, hindering water drainage
Solution Approach 1:
The door is designed to dynamically adjust its tilting angle based on water flow conditions. During normal drainage, the door tilts at a small angle to maintain structural simplicity. When high-flow drainage is needed, the door can increase its tilting angle to create a larger gap, allowing the structure to adapt to different operational requirements without being permanently complex
Solution Approach 2:
The gap size is controlled by changing the tilting angle parameter of the door. By adjusting this single parameter, the system can achieve both small gaps (for structural simplicity) and large gaps (for efficient drainage) as needed, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and drainage efficiency
2Productivity
If the gap between the door and the bottom face is expanded by increasing the tilting angle of the door, then water drainage is improved, but in a situation in which a backflow occurs, a water level necessary for the door to be automatically closed by water pressure also rises, slowing the response
Solution Approach 1:
The door's tilting angle is dynamically adjusted based on real-time water level and flow conditions. During drainage operations, the angle is optimized for water flow. When backflow is detected, the angle is rapidly adjusted to maximize the closing response, allowing the system to achieve both efficient drainage and rapid closure response through dynamic adaptation
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors water level and flow conditions in advance to predict backflow situations. By detecting early signs of backflow, the door can be pre-positioned or pre-adjusted to optimize its closing response before the actual backflow occurs, reducing the closure response time
3Ease of operation
If an external float is disposed on the outer water side to lift the door by weight, then the door can be largely lifted up, but disposition of the external float may be difficult because of installation site, ambient environment, or floodgate structure
Solution Approach 1:
The door structure itself is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both the closing barrier and the lifting mechanism through its weight-balanced design. The door's own weight and geometry are optimized to provide the necessary lifting capability without requiring external floats, making the system universally applicable to various floodgate structures and installation sites
Solution Approach 2:
The door uses its own weight and gravitational force to lift itself open, eliminating the need for external floats or additional lifting mechanisms. The weight-balanced design allows the door to automatically open when water level rises, providing a self-service solution that is easy to install and maintain across different locations
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 design allows for efficient water drainage without a threshold step and ensures watertightness during closure, reducing the need for external forces and enhancing the flap gate's operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a door (2) supported in a weight balance in which the door (2) opens an opening portion (200) of a floodgate (100) in a state in which no external force other than gravity is applied
Implementation Method 2
closing operation assist means for operating the gap opening-closing member held in an open state by the opening operation assist means into a closed state by buoyancy generated when submerged in water
Data Source
AI summary
A watertight structure in a flap gate 1 provided with a weight-balance supported door 2 to open an opening 200 of a floodgate 100 in a state in which no external force other than gravity is applied, wherein the structure has: a gap opening-closing member 72 that oscillates in the water flow direction and opens and closes a gap C, wherein the gap C is provided between the lower edge 23 of the door 2 and the bottom face 300 of the floodgate 100 in a state in which the door 2 is blocking the floodgate 100; and an opening operation assist means 73 for operating the gap opening-closing member 72 so as to be in an open state by lifting same toward the outer water side.