Turbulence suppression apparatus for a body of water

Claim 2

A turbulence reducing device for use in a body of water comprising a plurality of disc-shaped elements, each having a central opening to receive an elongated restraining means to position said disc-shaped elements in free-rotating axial alignment, each of said discs comprising a plurality of blades extending outwardly from said opening and having surfaces extending generally in planes parallel with the central axis, and float means for the restraining means positioned between certain pairs of said disc-shaped elements.

Claim 3

The invention defined in claim 1, wherein each of said disc-shaped elements includes at least three equi-angularly spaced blades.

Claim 4

The invention defined in claim 2, wherein said float means is generally of smaller diameter than said disc-shaped elements and portions of the blades of said certain pairs of elements are cut away to accommodate the presence of a float means.

Claim 5

The invention defined in claim 1, wherein each of said disc-shaped elements includes radially extending spider means to dampen longitudinal movement of water.

Claim 6

The invention defined in claim 4, wherein each of said disc-shaped elements also includes an annular ring-shaped concentrically disposed surface.

Claim 7

The invention defined in claim 5, wherein said spider means is positioned centrally of the width of said ring-shaped surface, and said blades include means to position the adjacent disc-shaped elements on said supporting means to provide an annular space between adjacent ring-shaped surfaces.

Claim 8

The invention defined in claim 6, wherein said means to position the disc-shaped elements includes a hub portion surrounding said central opening and having an axial length greater than the width of said ring-shaped portion.

Claim 9

The invention defined in claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the surface of each of said blades extends axially beyond the transverse planes defined by the respective margins of the ring-shaped surface.

Claim 10

The invention defined in claim 8, wherein the surfaces of said blades extend between said hub portion and the ring-shaped surface and the margins thereof are inwardly inclined in the direction away from said hub.

Claim 11

The invention defined in claim 9, wherein the radially outermost portions of the margins of said blades terminate inwardly of the inner surface area of said ring-shaped surface whereby said plurality of disc-shaped elements and said restraining means may be transported with said restraining means arranged in the form of a coil with the hubs of adjacent disc-shaped elements in axial abutment and the blades of adjacent elements axially offset to permit blades of adjacent elements on the inner side of said coil to be nested within the space defined by the respective adjacent ring-shaped surfaces.

Claim 12

The invention defined in claim 10, wherein said float means comprises a hollow generally toroidally-shaped body including means to attach said body to the restraining means in axially slidable concentric relation thereto, the outer diameter of said body being less than the inside diameter of the ring-shaped surfaces, the adjacent blades of said certain pairs of disc-shaped elements being inwardly recessed to accommodate said body.

Claim 13

Wave suppressing means for a parallel pair of adjacent swimming racing lanes defined by a taut cable extending lengthwise beween said adjacent lanes substantially at the water level, comprising a series of generally plate-shaped elements, means coacting with said taut cable to maintain each of said plate-shaped elements in alignment and individually revoluble about said cable at predetermined minimum spaced distances from each other along the length of said cable and substantially transversely disposed with respect to the taut cable to impede the movement of waves in diagonal lengthwise directions from one of said pair of lanes to the other of the pair of lanes.

Claim 14

Wave suppressing means for a parallel pair of adjacent swimming racing lanes defined by a taut cable extending lengthwise beween said adjacent lanes substantially at the water level, comprising a series of generally plate-shaped elements, means coacting with said taut cable to maintain each of said plate-shaped elements in alignment and individually revoluble about said cable at predetermined minimum spaced distances from each other along the length of said cable and substantially transversely disposed with respect to the taut cable to impede the movement of waves in diagonal lengthwise directions from one of said pair of lanes to the other of the pair of lanes.

Claim 15

The invention defined in claim 12, wherein said means coacting with said taut cable includes spacer means positioned centrally of each of said plate-shaped elements, said spacer means being provided with a passage transverse to the plane of the plate-shaped element and through which said taut cable is loosely received.

Claim 16

The invention defined in claim 13, wherein said spacer means projects outwardly on both sides of the plate-shaped element for abutting engagement with the spacer means of an adjacent plate-shaped element.

Claim 17

The invention defined in claim 13, wherein said plate-shaped elements include a generally circular sheet of material having a multiplicity of openings therein.

Claim 18

The invention defined in claim 13, wherein said plate-shaped elements include a plurality of axially projecting vanes to impede the movement of waves in directions generally transverse to the length of said pair of lanes.

Claim 19

The invention defined in claim 16, wherein said vanes are positioned to revolve said plate-shaped elements in response to wave movements, and said plate-shaped elements also include an arcuate surface projecting in an axial direction to impede transverse wave movement.