US3846988A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Swell damper
Assignee: CO GENERALE DEV OPERATIONNELS
•
Filing: 1973-05-09
•
Granted: 1974-11-12
•
Expires: 1993-05-09
Abstract
Abstract A device for providing protection against swells, in which there is provided a curtain formed between a volume of water in which the swell develops and a structure or a zone requiring protection, the curtain has its base immersed in the volume of water concerned and its top located advantageously above the crest of the highest waves occuring in the volume of water, and offers, for the passage of the water, ducts which have a profile flared towards the structure or zone being protected, with a sufficiently steep gradient of section for the water to break away from the walls of the ducts and produce eddies which dissipate the water energy.
Inventors
- 👤 J Lamy
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 22:29
CPC Classifications
E; E02; E02B; E02B3/00; E02B3/04; E02B3/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
112 words
A swell-damping device for protecting a region against a swell developing in a volume of water, said device comprising means for establishing between said region and said volume of water in which the swell develops, a curtain having its base immersed in said volume of Water and a pluralityy of ducts distributed over the surface of the curtain in order to pass the water through the curtain, said ducts having a profile flared towards said region with a sufficiently steep gradient of section for the water flowing from said volume of water into said region to break away from the wall of the duct and produce eddies which dissipate the water energy.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
112 words
A swell-damping device for protecting a region against a swell developing in a volume of water, said device comprising means for establishing between said region and said volume of water in which the swell develops, a curtain having its base immersed in said volume of Water and a pluralityy of ducts distributed over the surface of the curtain in order to pass the water through the curtain, said ducts having a profile flared towards said region with a sufficiently steep gradient of section for the water flowing from said volume of water into said region to break away from the wall of the duct and produce eddies which dissipate the water energy.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said ducts furthermore comprise a profile flared towards the volume of water in which the swell develops, with a sufficiently steep gradient of section for the water flowing from said region towards said volume of water to break away from the wall of the duct and produce eddies which dissipate the water energy.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
70 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of further ducts each having a profile flared towards the volume of water in which the swell develops and exhibiting a sufficiently steep gradient of section for the water flowing through said further ducts from said region towards said volume of water, to break away from the wall of said further ducts and produce eddies which dissipate the water energy.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the curtain comprises a wall and the ducts comprise holes formed across said wall and distributed from the base to the top thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said ducts have a convergent entry portion in order to increase the kinetic energy of the water flowing towards said region in said flared profile.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said region contains a structure comprising a wall, and the curtain is arranged in a position substantially parallel to the wall in order to form a perforated caisson in relation thereto.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
64 words
A device as claimed in claim 6, in which said ducts comprise furthermore a profile flared towards the volume of water in which the swell develops and exhibiting a sufficiently steep gradient of section to ensure that the water flowing from said region towards said volume of water breaks away from the wall of the ducts and produces eddies which dissipate the water energy.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
72 words
A device as claimed in claim 6, comprising a plurality of further ducts each having a profile flared towards the volume of water in which the well develops and exhibiting a sufficiently steep gradient of section to ensure that the water through said further ducts from said region towards said volume of water, breaks away from the walls of said further ducts to produce eddies which dissipate the energy of the water.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
A device as claimed in claim 6, in which the top of the curtain is above the crest of the highest waves occuring in the volume of water where the swell develops.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
90 words
A device as claimed in claim 9, comprising in the gap between the wall and the curtain, a substantially horizontal partition arranged substantially at the mean level of the volume of water in which the swell develops, and a plurality of passages formed through said partition, each passage having a profile flared in at least one direction with a sufficiently steep gradient of section to ensure that water flowing through said direction breaks away from the wall of the passage to produce eddies which dissipate the energy of the water.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
A device claimed in claim 1, in which the flared profile is a divergent profile having a divergence angle ranging from around 25* to around 45*.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
A device as claimed in claim 11, in which the divergence angle is comprised in the range from around 34* to around 38*.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the ducts have axes directed obliquely in relation to the surface of the curtain.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
A device as claimed in claim 13, in which the axes of each duct is inclined in the opposite direction to that of its neighbours.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the curtain comprises a plurality of pillars and the ducts are formed by the gaps between them.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
A device aS claimed in claim 15, in which the pillars have polygonal sections.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
55 words
A device as claimed in claim 15, in which each gap is defined between a semi-circular portion of one of said pillars and an adjacent pillar which exhibits an angle (c, in FIG. 10) defining in relation to said pillar with a circular section portion, a throat for the water flow passing through said gap.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
A device as claimed in claim 17, in which said adjacent pillar has a flat portion downstream of said angle.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
A device as claimed in claim 15, in which the pillars are of screw form.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
A device as claimed in claim 19, in which each screw form pillar has the opposite hand to the screw form of each adjacent pillar.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-11-11 | 1978-05-13 | 1978-11-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-11-11 | 1982-05-13 | 1982-11-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-11-11 | 1986-05-13 | 1986-11-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |