Method of sealing soil and other materials against the leakage of liquids and gases

• US 4,154,549 A
• Filed: 04/17/1978
• Issued: 05/15/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TECHNION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, LTD. (Technion-Israel Institute Of Technology)
• Original Assignee: TECHNION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, LTD. (Technion-Israel Institute Of Technology)
• Inventors: Biran, Giora, Zaslavsky, Dan, Sinai, Gideon
• Primary Examiner(s): Shapiro, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US05/896,984
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 61/13, 61/12, 61/11, 61/10, 61/726, 405/38, 405/37
• US Class Current: 405/38
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 2025/003 with an impermeable layer in the ground
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/06 Watering arrangements making use of perforated pipe-lines located in the soil
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 3/12 Revetment of banks, dams, watercourses, or the like, e.g. the sea-floorof slopes in general E02D17/20
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 19/06 Restraining of underground water
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 19/18 by making use of sealing aprons, e.g. diaphragms made from bituminous or clay materialconcrete diaphragms E02D5/18; sealing or joints for hydraulic engineering work E02B3/16

Abstract

Seepage of water through soil is considerably reduced by providing plural layers of adjacent, thin impermeable strips wherein the strips of an overlayer are staggered by a half strip'"'"'s width with regard to the strips of the underlayer, and the widths of the strips are substantially greater than the gaps between adjacent strips and the space between layers.

Claims

1. A method of sealing an area of soil or other granular material against the seepage of a liquid or a gas, comprising

laying into the soil a first, lowermost layer of strips made of an impermeable, thin sheet material in substantially parallel, non-contiguous alignment and with a gap remaining between each two adjacent edges, such laying taking place at a predetermined distance beneath the soil surface;

laying a second layer of substantially parallel, non-contiguous strips of impermeable sheeting above the lowermost layer at a shorter distance from the soil surface, separated from the lowermost layer by a layer of soil, the alignment of the said individual strips being substantially parallel with those of the lowermost layer but positioned in a staggered arrangement, the central axes of the strips of the second layer lying substantially perpendicularly above the central axes of the gaps between two strips immediately below;

the width of said strips being substantially greater than both the widths of said gaps and the distance between said first and second layers.

2. A method of sealing a soil area against seepage as in claim 1, wherein a third layer of strips is placed in the soil above the second layer at a short distance therefrom, staggered by a half strip'"'"'s width.

3. A method of sealing a soil area against the seepage of a liquid as defined in any of claims 1 or 3, wherein each strip is laid underground by dragging through the soil, at a predetermined depth, a hollow cutting blade having an interior chamber and a leading cutting edge, said chamber containing a supply of said thin pre-formed strip material, and feeding said strip material from said interior chamber into the soil from the rear of said blade as said blade cuts through the soil.

4. A method of sealing a soil area against the seepage of a liquid as defined in any of claims 1 or 3, wherein the parallel strips constituting any of the layers are laid flat in one continuous plane.

5. A method of sealing a soil area against the seepage of a liquid as defined in any of claims 1 or 3, wherein each strip is laid in V-section so as to form a complete layer in wave form, with a gap running along the crest of each wave.

6. A method of sealing a soil area against the seepage of a liquid as defined in any of claims 1 or 3, further comprising laying drainage means in the gaps between adjoining strips of at least one layer.

7. A device for the sealing of soil against the seapage of liquid therethrough, comprising:

a first, lowermost layer of soil;

a first, lowermost layer of strips of an impermeable, thin film material in substantially parallel, non-contiguous alignment and with a gap remaining between each two adjacent edges of adjacent strips, said lowermost layer of strips overlying said lowermost layer of soil;

a second layer of soil overlying said first, lowermost layer of strips;

a second layer of substantially parallel, non-contiguous strips of impermeable film lying above said second layer of soil, the alignment of said individual strips of said second layer of strips being substantially parallel with those of the lowermost layer of strips, but positioned in a staggered arrangement, the central axes of the strips of the second layer of strips lying substantially perpendicularly above the central axes of the gaps between two strips lying below the lowermost layer of strips, and

a third layer of soil overlying said second layer of strips of impermeable film material;

the widths of said strips being substantially greater than both the widths of said gaps and the thickness of said second layer of soil.

8. A device in accordance with claim 7, further comprising a third layer of strips located in said third layer of soil above the second layer of strips, said third layer of strips being staggered by a half strip'"'"'s width in relation to said second layer of strips.

9. A device in accordance with any of claim 7 or 8, wherein each strip is, in longitudinal cross section, in the shape of a V-section so as to form a complete layer in wave form, with a soil-filled gap running along the crest of each wave.

10. A device in accordance with either of claims 7 or 8, further comprising drainage means in the gaps between adjoining strips of at least one layer of strips.

11. A device in accordance with claim 10, wherein said drainage means comprise perforated pipes.