Flood Protection Sacks with Stiffening Structures
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flood protection methods using fillable sacks face challenges in rapid filling and transportation due to the need for numerous individual sacks, which are cumbersome and time-consuming to set up and move when filled.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves connecting adjacent sacks with stiffening structures from the base to the upper margin, allowing for quick assembly and filling at the desired location without the need for transporting filled sacks, using force-transmitting connections or material coupling methods like sewing or hook and loop, and employing holding loops for easy handling and dismantling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sacks are made large enough to be carried by one person when filled, then ease of operation is improved, but the number of individual sacks required increases, leading to increased device complexity and setup time
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual sacks are merged into a single integrated flood protection structure through coupling regions with stiffening structures. The coupling regions connect adjacent sacks laterally to form a unified barrier, reducing the total number of separate sacks needed while maintaining the ability to be carried and positioned by one person.
2Reliability
If sacks are filled and then transported to the use location, then flood protection can be positioned at the designated site, but time and energy are consumed during transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The flood protection structure is assembled in its unfilled state at the use location before filling. The sacks are coupled together and positioned correctly in advance, allowing the filling operation to occur directly at the destination without requiring transportation of filled sacks. This preliminary assembly action eliminates the time-consuming transport step.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple individual sacks are used for flood protection, then flexibility in deployment is maintained, but setup time and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sacks are merged into a coupled unit with stiffening structures that maintain the flexibility needed for deployment while enabling rapid setup. The coupling regions allow the unit to be positioned as a single structure, reducing setup time and labor requirements compared to handling numerous individual sacks separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The flood protection system is segmented into modular units consisting of multiple coupled sacks. Each unit can be independently handled and positioned, maintaining deployment flexibility while the modular nature allows for efficient assembly and disassembly operations, improving overall setup speed.
4Productivity
If sacks are filled quickly from above with suitable medium, then filling efficiency is improved, but the risk to persons during filling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffening structures provide self-contained support within the coupled sack unit, eliminating the need for persons to be positioned near the sacks during filling. The structures themselves maintain the sacks in the pulled-apart position and prevent collapse, allowing filling to proceed from above without human presence in the vicinity, thus removing the risk factor while maintaining high filling speed.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to flood protection comprising a plurality of fillable sacks made of flexible fabric material, with mutually adjacent coupling sides of adjacent sacks being connected to one another in a coupling region and with at least one stiffening structure being associated with each coupling region and extending from the base region of the sacks up to their upper marginal region.