Method of and apparatus for controlling fluid leakage through soil

• US 5,082,397 A
• Filed: 07/12/1988
• Issued: 01/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Solmat Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: Solmat Systems Limited
• Inventors: Raviv, Avi
• Primary Examiner(s): CORBIN, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US07/217,860
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 405/38, 405/176, 405/129, 405/174, 405/179, 405/258, 405/270
• US Class Current: 405/176
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 3/122 Flexible prefabricated covering elements, e.g. mats, strips
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 3/16 Sealings or joints E02B3/12 takes precedence; sealings for specific structural foundation elements, see the relevant groups for those elements; sealings for barrage or lock gates E02B7/54; joints for foundation structures E02D29/16; sealing joints not restricted to hydraulic engineering work E04B1/68

Abstract

Fluid leakage through soil in a region thereof is controlled by sequentially passing over the region to dig a plurality of parallel, laterally displaced grooves in the surface. Soil dug from each groove is temporarily stored, and a strip of sheet material is laid over a groove as it is created during each pass, the width of the strip being greater than the width of the groove. Thereafter, the temporarily stored soil is deposited on the strip such that it is covered with soil except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of an adjacent strip laid down during a previous pass over the region. As a consequence, a first layer of overlapping strips of sheet material covered with soil is installed over the region.

Claims

1. A method for controlling leakage through soil or other granular material in a region comprising the steps of:

(a) passing over the region with a vehicle having a scraper blade for scraping and removing soil therefrom;

(b) sequentially passing over a portion of the region with the vehicle and laying a strip of impermeable sheet material on the ground during each pass such that the vehicle avoids traveling directly on the sheet material on the ground;

(c) depositing soil on the strip such that the latter is covered with soil substantially uniformly deep on the strip except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of the adjacent previously laid down strip thereby establishing a first layer of overlapping strips of sheet material covered with soil.

2. A method according to claim 1 including the steps of:

(a) using the vehicle to sequentially pass over soil previously deposited over the overlap of adjacent strips and to lay a strip of material thereover during each pass; and

(b) depositing soil onto the last mentioned strip such that it is covered with soil except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of an adjacent previously laid down strip whereby a second layer of overlapping strips of sheet material is laid down over the first layer of overlying sheets of sheet material, the overlaps of the second layer being staggered with respect to the overlaps of the first layer.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the first and second layers substantially cover the entire region.

4. A method for controlling fluid leakage through soil or other granular material in a region comprised of steps of:

(a) passing over the region with a vehicle having a scraper blade for scraping and removing soil from the region;

(b) sequentially passing over a portion of the region with the vehicle and laying a strip of impermeable sheet material on the ground during each pass such that the vehicle avoids travelling directly on the sheet material on the ground;

(c) depositing soil previously removed onto the strip such that the latter is covered with soil except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of an adjacent previously laid down strip thereby establishing a first layer of overlapping strips of sheet material covered with soil;

(d) using the vehicle to sequentially pass over the soil previously deposited over the overlap of adjacent strips and to lay a strip of material thereover during each pass; and

(e) depositing soil onto the last mentioned strip such that it is covered with soil except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of an adjacent previously laid down strip whereby a second layer of overlapping strips of sheet material is laid down over the first layer of overlying strips of sheet material, the overlaps of the second layer being staggered with respect to the overlaps in the first layer.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the first and second layer substantially cover the entire region.

6. A method for controlling fluid leakage through soil or other granular material in a region comprising the steps of:

(a) passing over the region with a vehicle having a scraper blade for scraping or removing soil from the region;

(b) sequentially passing over a portion of the region with the vehicle and laying a strip of fluid impermeable sheet material on the ground during each pass, one edge of the strip overlying an uncovered edge of a previously laid down strip thereby establishing a first layer of overlapping strips of sheet material;

(c) depositing removed soil onto said first layer of overlapping strips except along the other edge of the last laid strip;

(d) sequentially driving the vehicle over soil deposited over the overlap of a pair of previously laid adjacent strips and laying a further strip of sheet material during each pass, one edge of said further strip overlapping an uncovered edge of a previously laid down strip of material over soil deposited over an overlap of another pair of adjacent strips thereby establishing a second layer of overlapping strips of sheet material, the overlaps of the second layer being staggered with respect to the overlaps of the first layer; and

(e) depositing soil into the second layer of overlapping strips.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the first and second layer substantially cover the entire region.

8. A method for controlling leakage through soil or other granular material in a region comprising steps of:

(a) laying a first layer of overlapping strips of impermeable sheets of material on the ground without bonding the overlying strips; and

(b) laying a second layer of overlapping strips of impermeable sheets of material over the first layer of strips separated from the first layer of overlapping strips by a layer of soil, the overlaps of the second layer of strips being staggered which with respect to the overlaps of the first layer.

9. A method for controlling fluid leakage through soil or other granular material in a region comprising the steps of:

(a) sequentially passing over the region to dig a plurality of parallel laterally displaced grooves on the surface;

(b) removing the soil from each groove as it is dug;

(c) sequentially passing over the region and laying a strip of impermeable sheet material during each pass over a dug groove, the width of said strip being wider than the periphery of the grooves so that the lateral edges of the strip extend beyond the edges defined by said groove; and

(d) depositing soil onto the strip such that the strip is covered with soil except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of an adjacent previously laid strip thereby establishing a first layer of overlapping strips of sheet material covered with soil. laid down strip thereby establishing a first layer of overlapping strip of sheet material covered with soil.

10. A method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of spreading the earth substantially uniformly on the strip.

11. A method according to claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

`(a) sequentially passing over the overlapping portions of the strips in a direction along the length of the strips and laying a strip of sheet material thereover during each pass; and

(b) depositing soil onto the last mentioned strips such that it is covered with soil except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of an adjacent strip laid down during a previous pass whereby a second layer of overlapping strips of sheet material is established on the first layer of overlapping strip of sheet material, the overlaps on the second sheet being staggered with respect to the overlaps of the first layer.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the first and second layers substantially cover the entire region.

13. A method for controlling fluid leakage through soil or other granular material in a region comprising the steps of:

(a) sequentially passing over the region to dig a plurality of parallel, laterally spaced, grooves in the surface;

(b) removing the soil from each groove as it is dug;

(c) sequentially passing over the region and laying a strip of impermeable sheet material during each pass over a dug groove, the strip being wider than the periphery of the groove;

(d) depositing soil on the strip such that the strip such that the strip is covered with soil except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of an adjacent previously laid strip, thereby establishing a first layer of overlapping strips of sheet material covered with soil;

(e) sequentially passing over the overlapping portions of the strips in a direction along the length of the strips and having a strip of sheet material thereover during each pass; and

(f) depositing soil onto the last mentioned strip such that it is covered with soil except along one edge, the other edge of the strip overlying the uncovered edge of an adjacent strip laid down during a previously pass whereby a second layer of overlapping strip of sheet material is established overlying the first layer of overlapping strips of sheet material, the overlaps of the second layer being staggered with respect to the overlaps of the first layer.

14. A method according to claim 13 further comprising the step of spreading the earth substantially uniformly on the strip.

15. A method according to claim 13 wherein the first and second layers substantially cover the entire region.

16. Apparatus for treating the surface of the ground in a region with a vehicle having ground engaging means for supporting the same, and means located at the front of the vehicle for digging a groove in the surface each time the vehicle traverses the region and for lifting the earth dug from the current groove onto a sheet of strip material that is laid-out over the current groove from a roll at the back of the vehicle when the latter traverses the region, the improvement being in having the width of the strip, when it is laid-out on the current groove, wider than the width of the ground engaging means of the vehicle, and wider than the periphery of the current groove, in having an edge of a previously laid-out strip free from contact with the ground engaging means when the next groove is dug parallel to the previously dug groove, and in having an edge of the next laid-out on the next groove overlap, said edge of the previously laid-out strip.

17. Apparatus for laying a layer of sheet material below the surface of the ground comprising:

(a) a scraper mechanism having ground engaging means for supporting the mechanism and including a trailing wheel support and a leading scraper blade selectively engagable with the ground for scraping a groove therein each time the mechanism traverses the ground;

(b) a roll of sheet material mounted on said trailing wheel support and being wider than the cross-sectional perimeter of the groove, wider than the mechanism on which the roll is mounted, and wider than the ground engaging means, the axis of rotation of the roll being parallel to the axis of rotation of the trailing wheel support, for depositing a strip of sheet material over a current groove as the groove is created;

(c) an elevator separate from the leading scraping blade for raising the scraped soil into a spreader mounted on the mechanism; and

(d) the spreader being constructed and arranged to non-uniformly distribute the earth across the width of the strip deposited over the current groove so that one edge of the strip remains uncovered, both said ground engaging means and said trailing wheel support leaving the uncovered edge of a previously deposited strip free from contact when the next groove is scraped parallel to the previously scraped groove, and so that an edge of the next strip deposited on the next groove overlapping the uncovered edge of the previously deposited strip.