Anti-pollution barrier

Claim 2

An anti-pollution barrier of utility in aquatic regions comprising : means defining an elongate flexible skirt impermeable to the pollution and having a top longitudinally extending edge and a bottom longitudinally extending edge in the position of use of the skirt; float means connected to the skirt; ballast means connected to the skirt; means for increasing the resistance of the skirt to twisting about a longitudinal axis of the skirt and comprising a longitudinally extending wide thin flat semi-rigid belt whose width extends in the same direction as the width of the skirt, the belt being located substantially midway between said top edge and bottom edge, a plurality of stiffening means which are capable of affording constant rigidity in operation of the barrier and extended substantially from said top edge to said bottom edge of the skirt in longitudinally spaced regions of the belt, a plurality of fixing means rigidly fixing each stiffening means to the corresponding region of the belt, which corresponding region extends substantially throughout the width of the belt, and fixing means rigidly fixing the stiffening means to longitudinally spaced regions of the skirt, eAch of which regions of the skirt extends substantially throughout the width of the skirt, whereby relative movement between said regions of the belt and said regions of the skirt is precluded and deformation of the skirt tends to deform the belt; said regions of the belt defining longitudinally extending belt segments and said regions of the skirt defining longitudinally extending skirt segments which are longer than the belt segments.

Claim 3

A barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the skirt has an inner face and the belt constitutes a reinforcement and is clamped against said inner face.

Claim 4

A barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the skirt has an outer face and floats are fixed to the outer face of the skirt and extend substantially throughout the height of the skirt between said top edge and said bottom edge.

Claim 5

A barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the skirt is of waterproofed fabric.

Claim 6

An anti-pollution barrier of utility in aquatic regions comprising : means defining an elongate flexible skirt impermeable to the pollution and having an outer face, an inner face, a top longitudinally extending edge and a bottom longitudinally extending edge in the position of use of the skirt; float means connected to the skirt; ballast means connected to the skirt; means for increasing the resistance of the skirt to twisting about a longitudinal axis of the skirt and comprising a longitudinally extending wide thin flat semi-rigid belt like a conveyor belt whose width extends in the same direction as the width of the skirt, the belt being located substantially midway between said top edge and bottom edge, a plurality of T-section stiffening members which are applied against the outer face of the skirt and extend substantially from said top edge to said bottom edge of the skirt in longitudinally spaced regions of the belt, a plurality of fixing means ridigly fixing each stiffening member to the corresponding region of the belt, which corresponding region extends substantially throughout the width of the belt, and fixing means rigidly fixing the stiffening members to longitudinally spaced regions of the skirt, each of which regions of the skirt extends substantially throughout the width Of the skirt, whereby Relative movement between said regions of the belt and said regions of the skirt is precluded and deformataOn of the skirt tends to deform the belt; said regions of the belt defining longitudinally extending belt segments and said regions of the skirt defining longitudinally extending skirt segments which are longer than the belt segments.

Claim 7

An anti-pollution barrier of utility in aquatic regions comprising : means defining an elongate flexible skirt impermeable to the pollution and having an outer face, an inner face, a top longitudinally extending edge and a bottom longitudinally extending edge in the position of use of the skirt; float means connected to the skirt; ballast means connected to the skirt; means for increasing the resistance of the skirt to twisting about a longitudinal axis of the skirt and comprising a longitudinally extending wide thin flat semi-rigid belt like a conveyor belt whose width extends in the same direction as the width of the skirt, the belt being located substantially midway between said top edge and bottom edge, a plurality of T-section stiffening members which are applied against the outer face of the skirt and extend substantially from said top edge to said bottom edge of the skirt in longitudinally spaced regions of the belt, a plurality of fixing means ridigly fixing each stiffening member to the corresponding region of the belt, which corresponding region extends substantially throughout the width of the belt, and fixing means rigidly fixing the stiffening members to longitudinally spaced regions of the skirt, each of which regions of the skirt extends substantially throughout the width Of the skirt, whereby Relative movement between said regions of the belt and said regions of the skirt is precluded and deformataOn of the skirt tends to deform the belt; said regions of the belt defining longitudinally extending belt segments and said regions of the skirt defining longitudinally extending skirt segments which are longer than the belt segments.

Claim 8

An anti-pollution barrier of utility in aquatic regions comprising: means defining an elongate flexible skirt impermeable to the pollution and having a top longitudinally extending edge and a bottom longitudinally extending edge in the position of use of the skirt; float means connected to the skirt; ballast means comprising a chain and means suspending the chain from the skirt in a region of the skirt adjacent said bottom edge; means for increasing the resistance of the skirt to twisting about a longitudinal axis of the skirt and comprising a longitudinally extending wide thin flat semi-rigid belt whose width extends in the same direction as the width of the skirt, the belt being located substantially midway between said top edge and bottom edge, a plurality of stiffening means which are capable of affording constant rigidity in operation of the barrier and extend substantially from said top edge to said bottom edge of the skirt in longitudinallY spaced regions of the belt, a plurality of fixing means rigidly fixing each stiffening means tO the corresponding region of the belt, which corresponding region extends substantially throughout the width of the belt, and fixing means rigidly fixing the stiffening means to longitudinally spaced regions of the skirt, each of which regions of the skirt extends substantially throughout the width of the skirt, whereby relative movement between said regions of the belt and said regions of the skirt is precluded and deformation of the skirt tends to deform the belt; said regions of the belt defining longitudinally extending belt segments and said regions of the skirt defining longitudinally extending skirt segments which are longer than the belt segments.

Claim 9

An anti-pollution barrier of utility in aquatic regions comprising: means defining an elongate flexible skirt impermeable to the pollution and having a top longitudinally extending edge and a bottom longitudinally extending edge in the position of use of the skirt; float means connected to the skirt; ballast means comprising a chain and means suspending the chain from the skirt in a region of the skirt adjacent said bottom edge; means for increasing the resistance of the skirt to twisting about a longitudinal axis of the skirt and comprising a longitudinally extending wide thin flat semi-rigid belt whose width extends in the same direction as the width of the skirt, the belt being located substantially midway between said top edge and bottom edge, a plurality of stiffening means which are capable of affording constant rigidity in operation of the barrier and extend substantially from said top edge to said bottom edge of the skirt in longitudinallY spaced regions of the belt, a plurality of fixing means rigidly fixing each stiffening means tO the corresponding region of the belt, which corresponding region extends substantially throughout the width of the belt, and fixing means rigidly fixing the stiffening means to longitudinally spaced regions of the skirt, each of which regions of the skirt extends substantially throughout the width of the skirt, whereby relative movement between said regions of the belt and said regions of the skirt is precluded and deformation of the skirt tends to deform the belt; said regions of the belt defining longitudinally extending belt segments and said regions of the skirt defining longitudinally extending skirt segments which are longer than the belt segments.

Claim 10

A barrier as claimed in claim 6, wherein the chain is suspended from the skirt in regions of the stiffening means.

Claim 11

A barrier as claimed in claim 7, comprising at least one additional float fixed to the skirt and located between pairs of successive stiffening means.

Claim 12

A barrier as claimed in claim 8, wherein the chain is also suspended from the skirt in the region of said additional floats.

Claim 13

A barrier as claimed in claim 6, wherein the belt has a neutral fibre which is located at a greater distance from the region of the skirt in which the chain is suspended than from said top edge of the skirt.