Modular Wave Suppressor With One-Way Valves for Sediment Trapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coastline erosion due to wave action and tidal surges, leading to loss of valuable land and reduced protection from hurricanes, as seen in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean, necessitates a system that can suppress tidal waves while allowing sediment to be carried and deposited to restore the coastline.
Innovation Solution
A transportable wave suppressor and sediment collection system comprising interconnected sections with fluid flow pipes and one-way valves to trap sediment, combined with a secondary system using compressed air to suspend and deposit sand and silt, allowing for the reconstruction of eroded coastlines without harming the environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a barrier system is constructed to hinder tidal surge, then protection against wave action is improved, but sediment transport through the system deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier system is divided into multiple interconnected sections with individual flow pipes, allowing differential control of water and sediment flow through each segment while maintaining overall protective function
Solution Approach 2:
Flow pipes serve as intermediary channels that selectively transmit water and sediment through the barrier system, enabling sediment transport while the barrier structure provides wave protection
2Quantity of substance
If the system allows wave action to pass through, then sediment collection is improved, but wave energy reduction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Flow pipes act as selective mediators that allow water and sediment to pass through while the barrier sections provide wave energy reduction, achieving both sediment collection and wave protection simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the system have different functions: barrier sections provide wave energy reduction while flow pipes provide sediment transport, with each component optimized for its specific purpose
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a permanent barrier system is constructed, then coastline protection is improved, but adaptability to relocation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is constructed as modular sections that can be independently assembled, disassembled, and relocated, providing both protective function and adaptability to different positions along the coastline
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static permanent structure to a dynamic relocatable system, allowing the barrier to be moved to different locations as needed while maintaining its protective function
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 system effectively reduces wave energy, collects and deposits sediment, and rebuilds coastlines, protecting shorelines and levee systems while minimizing ecological impact, allowing for the reuse and recycling of materials.
Implementation Method 1
a one-way valve member at the rear wall exit of each pipe, so that water carrying sediment cannot return through the pipe as the wave action recedes from the coastline
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of fluid flow pipes extending from the forward wall to the rear wall, for allowing water including sediment to flow into the pipes at the forward wall and exit the pipes at the rear wall
Implementation Method 3
a secondary system using compressed air to suspend and deposit sand and silt
Implementation Method 4
allowing for the reconstruction of eroded coastlines without harming the environment
Implementation Method 5
allowing the wave action to move through the system, carrying with it tons of sand and other silt material, buoyant in the water, but the sand and silt being trapped between the system and the shoreline and forced to be deposited
Data Source
AI summary
A transportable wave suppressor and sediment collection (WSSC) system, including a method of installing same, the system installed to suppress wave action and provide land restoration along the shore of a body of water, such as a coastline, which includes a plurality of interconnected sections of the system, each section including a base, a forward wall, and a rear wall, having a plurality of fluid flow pipes extending from the forward wall to the rear wall, for allowing water including sediment to flow into the pipes at the forward wall and exit the pipes at the rear wall. There is further provided a one-way valve member at the rear wall exit of each pipe, so that water carrying sediment cannot return through the pipe as the wave action recedes from the coastline. There is provided a flow opening including a weir between multiple sections so that water can flow therethrough.