Thermoplastic Olefin Liquid Containment Panel with Coupling Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flood control measures, such as sandbags and inflatable barriers, are labor-intensive, slow to deploy, and inefficient for rapid emergency situations, requiring skilled labor and specialized tools, and lack durability and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
The development of liquid containment panels made from thermoplastic olefin with a freestanding design, featuring a substantially horizontal and vertical portion, corrugations, and coupling features for rapid assembly and disassembly, allowing for efficient deployment, storage, and reuse, which can be easily transported and manufactured at a low cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sandbags are used for flood control, then containment effectiveness is achieved, but deployment time and labor requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The flood barrier is divided into multiple modular panels that can be independently handled and rapidly assembled. Each panel is a self-contained unit with standardized coupling features, allowing workers to quickly connect them without complex tools or procedures, thereby reducing deployment time while maintaining containment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels are pre-manufactured with integrated coupling features, reinforcement structures, and ground engagement elements already in place. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for on-site construction or assembly of structural components, enabling rapid deployment when flooding occurs.
2Reliability
If traditional flood barriers are used, then containment is achieved, but labor and material requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The panels are designed to be self-supporting with integrated ground engagement features such as spikes or flanges that automatically secure the panel to the ground upon installation. The coupling features enable workers to connect panels without specialized tools or skills, making the system easy to operate with minimal labor requirements.
3Productivity
If rapid deployment is prioritized, then response time improves, but structural durability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The modular panel design allows for rapid assembly while each individual panel maintains full structural integrity. The standardized coupling features create strong connections between panels that can withstand flood forces, ensuring durability is not compromised by the rapid deployment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels utilize composite material construction combining rigid structural elements for strength with flexible sealing components for durability. This composite approach allows the panels to be quickly assembled while maintaining the structural durability needed to withstand liquid pressures and environmental conditions.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If reusable durable barriers are used, then long-term effectiveness improves, but storage and transport efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier system is segmented into multiple compact panels that can be easily stored and transported. When not in use, the panels can be stacked or nested together in a space-efficient manner, reducing storage volume while maintaining the capability for repeated use across different flooding events.
Data Source
AI summary
Articles of manufacture, systems, and methods relating to a liquid containment panel are provided, where the liquid containment panel includes a body comprising a thermoplastic olefin. The body has a substantially horizontal portion and a substantially vertical portion and is configured to be freestanding with the substantially vertical portion in an upright position. One or more coupling features can be located along one or more edges of the body, where such coupling features can couple the liquid containment panel to another liquid containment panel to form a barrier or containment system.