Stacked Movable Tsunami Buffer Dam Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing movable tsunami buffer dams are costly and less reliable due to complex structures and high material costs, with limitations in strength and applicability, especially when facing complex tsunami waves.
Innovation Solution
A movable tsunami buffer dam design featuring stacked units with a light material frame sandwiched between light material plates, allowing for automatic rise during tsunamis using buoyancy, and a multilayered structure to enhance strength and reduce manufacturing costs, with units configured to lock into place or link as a chain for increased effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a fixed structure made of rebar-containing concrete is used for breakwaters, then the strength and durability are improved, but the material and construction costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The breakwater is divided into multiple separate units that can be stacked vertically. Each unit has a standardized structure with frames and plates, allowing for modular construction. This segmentation enables easier manufacturing and assembly while maintaining overall structural strength through the stacked configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite structures combining light material frames with plate structures. The frames provide structural support while the plates form the water-blocking surfaces. This composite approach reduces material costs compared to solid concrete while maintaining adequate strength through the engineered composite design.
2Ease of operation
If movable tsunami buffer dams with air chambers are used, then the ability to rise and block tsunamis is improved, but the structure becomes complex and less reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The movable dam is segmented into multiple independent units that can be stacked. Each unit has a simple structure with frames and plates, avoiding the need for complex air chambers. The segmentation allows the entire structure to rise and fall as a unified movable system while maintaining simplicity at the component level.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a dynamic structure that can transition between collapsed and risen states. The units are designed to pivot and rise automatically when tsunami water enters from below, providing movability without complex mechanical systems. The dynamic behavior emerges from the interaction of simple structural elements with water forces.
3Ease of manufacture
If structures made of light materials are used, then the cost is reduced, but the strength is insufficient for effective tsunami resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines light material frames with plate structures to create composite units. The frames provide structural integrity while the plates contribute to water-blocking capability. This composite design achieves adequate strength for tsunami resistance while maintaining lower costs compared to solid concrete structures.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing the thickness of individual light material components to achieve strength, the invention stacks multiple units vertically. The strength is achieved through the cumulative effect of multiple layers working together, transitioning from a two-dimensional thick component to a three-dimensional stacked assembly.
4Strength
If a single thick unit is used to ensure required thickness, then the strength is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of manufacturing one large thick unit, the invention segments the required thickness into multiple thinner units stacked vertically. Each unit can be manufactured separately at lower cost, and the stacked configuration achieves the required overall thickness and strength. This segmentation makes manufacturing more economical while maintaining structural performance.
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
The design effectively reduces tsunami power by utilizing buoyancy and wave force, increasing strength and durability while reducing costs, allowing for efficient operation as a movable buffer dam and capable of handling complex tsunami waves.
Implementation Method 1
when a tsunami arrives, the structure rising up automatically due to the force of the tsunami and the buoyancy of the seawater
Implementation Method 2
a unit configured such that a plurality of separate units, each of which having a shape in which a frame made of a light material is sandwiched by a pair of plates made of a light material, is stacked with the plates disposed in a pile
Implementation Method 3
a locking member for locking the unit to a ground surface such that the unit can rise up from the ground surface and collapse onto the ground surface
Data Source
AI summary
A movable tsunami buffer dam has a unit configured such that a plurality of separate units, each of which having a shape in which a frame made of a light material is sandwiched by a pair of plates made of a light material, is stacked with said plates disposed in a pile; and a locking member for locking said unit to a ground surface such that said unit can rise up from said ground surface and collapse onto said ground surface. The separate units has a structure in which water from a tsunami can advance into a space formed between said plates by said frame.A required thickness is ensured due to said unit being configured such that said separate units are stacked, and the manufacturing cost is reduced to a greater extent than in the case of a dam configured from a single separate unit of said required thickness, because the big size lumber for obtaining the units is very expensive. The unit is installed in a state of being collapsed on said ground surface at normal times, and when a tsunami arrives, said unit rising up due to the force of the tsunami and the buoyancy of the seawater, resisting the passage of the tsunami and reducing the power of the tsunami.