Wave-absorbing breakwater

Abstract

A wave-absorbing breakwater is a structure assembled of prefabricated blocks of concrete (or some other material) resting upon immovable bottom supports and having a sloping jumping-off site undercutting a wave, separating it from the water surface and guiding it onto a sloping superstructure made of blocks with through catch drains therein, where the energy of the waves is either dissipated or, if needed, utilized by means of conversion into another kind of energy.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to protecting structures, and, more particularly, to breakwaters intended to protect coast areas, beaches, yacht berthings, and port installations from sea waves.

2. State of the Art

Breakwaters used at present are massive structures cutting off the entire depth of water (sloping or vertical dams) or resting on immovable supports (transparent type breakwaters). They are intended to resist the impacts of waves, to break the waves and to dissipate their energy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The breakwater of the present invention is a structure of concrete or other material resting on immovable bottom supports. The structure has a sloping jumping-off site and a sloping superstructure with a knife-like grate and through drain catches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a plan view of the breakwater of the present invention.

FIG. 1B shows a side view of the breakwater.

FIG. 1C shows a general perspective view of the breakwater.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Sloping jumping-site 1 (FIGS. 1A and 1B) is intended to undercut the waves, to separate them from the water surface and to guide them onto the sloping superstructure. The slope of the jumping-site and the superstructure is determined by the local conditions. Knife-like grate 4 (FIG. 1B) of plastic or metal facilitates cutting the waves, reduces the impact and contributes into absorbing the waves by through catch drains 2 (FIGS. 1A and 1B) of circular or rectangular section. Additionally, through catch drains 2 may have spiral grooves along their interior.

Trough catch drains 2 divide water into numerous separate flows. When necessary the energy of the waves may be abated if the catch drains are sufficiently long, or, alternatively, water may be taken off at the drains' outlets and its kinetic energy converted into a different kind of energy. For instance, water may be fed onto a turbine or turbines to produce electric energy by means of corresponding hydraulic turbine generators.

The entire base of the breakwater with jumping-off site 1 (FIGS. 1A and 1B) and the superstructure is placed upon immovable bottom supports 3 (FIG. 1B) and may be assembled of prefabricated blocks laid side by side to provide for the required breakwater length (FIG. 1A), stacked to provide for the required breakwater height (FIG. 1B) and arranged face to face to provide for the required length of catch drains 2 (FIG. 1B).

The side exposed to the sea (FIG. 1A) may have a straight or a concave shape, depending on the average direction of the waves in the protected coast area.

• 1. The possibility to utilize the energy of sea waves. A simplified analysis for a wave with a height of h=1.5 m, a front of λ=15 m, and a period of τ=5 s shows that, the jumping-off site having a steepness of 3 and the catch drain openings having a diameter of 0.3 m, the power output of the turbine per 1 linear meter of the breakwater length will amount to N′=η 13,35 kWt, where η is the turbine efficiency coefficient.
• 2. A smaller mass of the structure, compared with the existing breakwaters, since the breakwater of the present invention is not exposed to the impact of the entire wave but to a partial impact, as the wave is mainly absorbed by the breakwater.
• 3. An unimpaired ecology of the protected area due to the unhampered transfer of water and bottom soil.
• 4. The blocks the breakwater is assembled of may be standardized and put in mass production.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has only been made by way of example, and that various modifications thereof may be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A protecting transparent type breakwater made of concrete or other material, said breakwater comprising:

a sloping jumping-off site,

a sloping superstructure having a knife-like grate of plastic or metal and through catch drains having a circular or rectangular cross-section, or spiral grooves along their interior.

2. The breakwater according to claim 1, wherein the breakwater may be assembled of prefabricated blocks.

3. The breakwater according to claims 1 and 2, wherein water may be taken off the exit of the catch drains and its energy may be utilized.

4. The breakwater according to any of claims 1 to 3 as described above with reference to the above specification.