Artificial water plant system for controlling sediment transport on a water bed

• US 5,620,279 A
• Filed: 07/10/1995
• Issued: 04/15/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Oda, Kazuki, Furusawa, Hironobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Suchfield, George A.
• Application Number:
  US08/500,328
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 405/21, 405/24, 405/25, 405/28
• US Class Current: 405/24
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 3/02 Stream regulation, e.g. breaking up subaqueous rock, cleaning the beds of waterways, directing the water flow harvesting water plants A01D44/00; underwater loosening of soil or rocks for foundation construction E02D17/16; dredging or scraping devices E02F5/28
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 3/043 Artificial seaweed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/26 Artificial reefs or seaweed; Restoration or protection of coral reefs

Abstract

An artificial water plant system for trapping bottom sediments in water to protect sand beach against erosion in which the water plant comprises a rod-shaped or tubular molding product having a circular or non-circular cross sectional shape and comprising a thermoplastic elastomer alone having a flexural modulus of 500 to 5,000 kg/cm² or a composite body comprising a sheath portion constituted with the thermoplastic elastomer and a core portion constituted with synthetic fiber bundles.

Claims

1. An artificial water plant system for controlling sediment transportation on a water bed, which is a rod-shaped or tubular molding product having a circular or non-circular cross sectional shape and comprising a thermoplastic elastomer alone having a flexural modulus of from 500 to 5000 kg/cm² or a composite body having a sheath constituted with said thermoplastic elastomer and a core constituted with synthetic fiber bundles.

2. An artificial water plant system as defined in claim 1, wherein the number of flexing till the development of large cracking is more than 80,000 cycles, in a flex test for flex-fatigue resistance of the thermoplastic elastomer according to JIS K6301 by de Mattia fatigue testing machine.

3. An artificial water plant system as defined in claim 1, wherein fins are provided in an axial direction of a stem of the rod-shaped or tubular molding product.

4. An artificial water plant system as defined in claim 1, wherein the cross section has 2 to 50 mm of a major diameter and 1 to 40 mm of a minor diameter.

5. An artificial water plant system as defined in claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer is foamed.

6. An artificial water plant system as defined in claim 1, wherein one end of the artificial water plant is embedded into a heavy-weight material.

7. An artificial water plant system as defined in claim 6, wherein the heavy-weight material comprises concrete.