A SYSTEM TO PROTECT TALL BUILDINGS FROM EARTH QUAKE GIVING A GARBAGE TREATMENT PLANT AS BONUS

Abstract

A system to protect tall building from earthquake giving a garbage treatment plant as bonus with the said system comprising of an large inertial mass formed of unconsolidated matter being one of biomass and one of garbage and with the inertial mass being connected to the protected tall building, the inertial mass is held by main retaining structure and absorbs and damps earthquake waves and reduces stress on the structural frame of the adjoining building. The resulting garbage storage and treatment not only solves the garbage problem of a city but also yields useful by products namely biogas and compost with the garbage being treated by aerobic and anaerobic processes along with use of micro organisms that tolerate high pressures. This is a method of building smart cities in a sustainable manner by the smart use of material being waste material or otherwise in a cost effective manner.

Description

CLAIMS OF PRIORITY

This patent application claims priority from the Provisional Patent Application No.201641032383 filed on 22 SEPT. 2016.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

This disclosure relates generally to technical fields of Protection and stabilization of tall building from earthquake. A system to stabilize and protect a large structure and a tall building by making use of a inertial mass of staked biomass and loose unconsolidated matter, the protection being by a method of using large inertial mass with the said mass being one of garbage used here as a structural element in one embodiment.

SUMMARY

A system and method to store and treat large quantities of garbage and waste biomass where garbage is stored in a high rise structure formed of restricting pillars, wherein garbage is being surrounded by odor isolation and odor absorption layer, the inertial mass so formed and retained enables unique protection from earthquake to ad joint tall building which is connected to the mass wherein the mass stands due to gravity which always acts downwards compressing the mass. The system comprising of pillars forming the restricting structure named as main restricting structure in this document, which holds the garbage that is staked to large heights and an important aspect being the inertial mass so formed has a large base area, and having flexible enclosing wall which forms the restricting structure for the garbage that is staked to large heights. The system further comprises of central rods for stabilizing the mass and aerator pipes and biogas collection pipes, connecting structures to connect inertial mass which is generally a central mass, to the adjacent building, conveyer belt to convey garbage with spreader on top of mass, a inoculation system to inoculate micro organisms that are resistant to high pressure, earthquake wave redirection and deflection structure. The system further comprises of side structure with stories to enable aerobic treatment of garbage and biomass to generate compost, thick walls at ground level to withstand pressure, augers and conveyer belts to add and remove matter. The system uses waste material and garbage as a structural element and structural matrix to stabilize against forces of earth movement, damp vibration, and shockwaves and reduce bending. In a example embodiment the base area of the main retaining structure 100 meters length by 100 meters breadth and having a height of 60 meters which can hold about half a million tons of garbage with capacity being sufficient to hold garbage produced in 4 months for a city producing 5000 tons of garbage a day. The presence of critical mass on large ground area prevents collapse of the mass, which stands due to gravity, and the mass acts as counter balance to swaying and shifting movement of earth and reduce the severity of stress on the structural frame of the protected building. The main retaining structure can be one of square, rectangle, round, triangle or any irregular shape while the inertial mass is one of cubic, pyramidal, cylindrical, conical, and any irregular configuration doing the same function of providing inertial mass.

Various methods of earthquake protection are present in prior art with patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 8,359,793 B2 Earthquake absorption system, U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,938 High damping structure, US 2010/0005754 A1 Seismic isolation to protect buildings and U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,197 Earthquake resistant multistory building and others, however they do not use large inertial mass as used by the present invention. Various methods of composting, incineration and chemical treatment are available in prior art like U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,111 Bio conversion of waste biomass to useful products, U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,349 compost air injection and evacuation system, U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,568 B1 composting accelerator, WO 03/024896 A2 Composting container and several other patents and publications on processes, steps and apparatus Structures as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,983 concrete storage structures. U.S. Pat. No. 9,085,897 B2 Space elevator U.S. Pat. No. 9,085,897 B2 where stabilization is provided by rotating mass as gyro to stabilize tall structure. In Taipei 101 building in Taiwan, shifting counter mass is used at top of building to damp swaying and vibration. In another aspect, the prior art has silos to store fodder but there are no silos in a city for storing garbage. Silos have a small base area compared to what is needed for stable presence without collapse and silos are not adjoined to any other buildings. Small vertical bins are given in US 2010/0112675 Multi stage composting wherein a small vertical bin is used which is different form the large mass formed in the present system. Incineration and burning systems for garbage disposal pollute the air by releasing noxious gases and burning a waste of mineral plant nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen while the present system does not waste these valuable plant nutrients due to composting of the garbage and use of the resulting compost as plant fertilizer.

The prior art quoted in the international preliminary search US 20040118057 A1, RU 2065905 C1, WHO 765406 B2, CN 102703121, cannot be combined to give the inventive steps taught by the present invention. The Japanese patent JPHO 765406 B2 essentially teaches a method of suspending a building by suspension elements present at ground level, this is similar to suspending a building from cables attached to independent pillars outside the building, illustrated in FIG. 17, this teaching is only suitable for small structures and not for tall buildings. The Russian patent RU 2065905 C1 teaches inertial mass below the ground, which will not damp vibrations effects in a tall building above the ground. US 20040118057 A1 is similarly not suitable for tall buildings. CN 102703121 teaches incineration of the biomass, which is different from the present invention.

The present invention over comes the problems in the prior art. The problem of garbage also called, as municipal solid waste is a problem not properly solved as evidenced by documentation in newspapers and court cases related to garbage and complaints by people living in neighborhood of treatment areas and treatment plants. This problem is solved by the present invention Nobody wants a garbage treatment plant next to his house. This has become a problem for cities since people occupy every location, as the city expands. You need happy and willing neighbors to accommodate a garbage treatment plant. Prior art methods and apparatus and systems have additional problem of need for segregation of waste, relatively small quantities handled compared to the volume generated, expensive equipment and air pollution.

The present invention is not two separate inventions but a single invention as with out the advantage offered by the garbage as inertial mass in earthquake protection, the tall structure will not be stabilized from vibration at such a low cost and no person will allow a large garbage treatment plant next to his house or within his building, if there is no advantage to his building like what the garbage mass provides as protection.

The retaining pillars can be built as interlocking pillar segments assembled so that entire structure can be built by assembly in a fast manner and assembled allows concrete setting in each floor simultaneously so that construction is done at a fast pace. Here the floor refers to floors used where aerobic treatment of garbage is needed under normal low pressure as illustrated in FIG. 4. The pillar joints have a telescoping joint being a piston like formation to change length and to withstand high pressure the gap is filled with fluid and act like damper and adopt for various forces as in case of earthquakes. To ensure safety of personnel a vehicle having strong overhead protective roof with ventilation air supply pipelines is used for carrying out maintenance works to provide protection in case of accidental fall of garbage. Earthquake wave deflection structure comprising of beams and plates are placed in the ground by drilling and excavating method, to divert the earthquake wave forces towards the inertial mass where it gets damped due to the unconsolidated nature of the inertial mass. The said deflection structure is directly connected to inertial mass through beams where required and indirectly connected through the floor which is not connected to the retaining pillar and wall so the forces from earthquake are transferred to the damping mass. The deflection structure could also be a layer of rigid mass having beams to transfer forces. The deflection structure is not connected to foundation pillars of protected building.

Large mass precludes oxygen exchange there by creating a solid-state fermentor. Treatment is by combination of aerobic and anaerobic digestion in required sequence as required to get optimum by product from biomass and garbage. The anaerobic digestion that takes place with the resulting production of methane and combustible gases is collected at the top in expandable plastic receiver. Load sensors are provided to enable proper placement and addition of mass at top by means of spreader to get an even and required center of gravity point. High pressure resulting in the inertial mass can be used to enable chemical reactions similar to that leading to petroleum formation, wherein conversion of cellulose to fuel like diesel with necessary provision of heat through heat exchangers and added enzymes and catalyst and further treated by methods such as one described in patent U.S. Pat. No. 9,017,428 by skipping the pyrolyzing part of the method.

Odor containment is an important aspect where in the entire inertial mass is enclosed by plastic reinforced fabric to contain odor causing gases. This is just like the human body encloses and encapsulates waste matter in intestinal tubes so well that the next person you meet does not offend you in spite of containing waste matter. Drained water is collected separately by drainage pipes and treated.

The scope of the invention is wide as garbage conveyance and storage is a real problem not addressed effectively by prior art and available commercial systems in a cost effective and timely manner especially for developing countries and cities with large slum presence and low affordability but still the job has to done with inventive cleverness instead of blaming the system and economy, the government and people in general. The scope of the system extends to protecting structures at beaches using unconsolidated sand as a inertial mass, avalanche protection of houses using snow as inertial mass, protection of dams in seismic zone to prevent breech of a weak embankment by using the large inertial mass system with connection to mass by means one of connecting structures being bars, rods and beams and inertial mass being one of water enclosed in polymeric bags. Protection of structures from shifting sand dunes, sand storms and from hurricane winds. The multiple advantages from the present invention have wide scope of enhancing a sustainable world. Along side the numerous talks of smart cities in elite conferences attended by brilliant people and engineers, its time to really build smart cities at low cost No where in the world is present a garbage treatment plant ad joint to a tall structure.

The device, systems, and methods disclosed herein may be implemented in any means for achieving various aspects, and may be executed in a form of a machine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform any of the operations disclosed herein. Other features will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is schematic view of entire system showing protected adjoining building to the main retaining structure, which retains the inertial mass, and shockwave deflecting structure, according to one embodiment.

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FIG. 2 is schematic view of the main retaining structure shown without protected adjoining building for sake of clarity showing the retained inertial mass, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a circular main retaining structure shown without protected adjoining building for sake of clarity showing the retained inertial mass, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is cross section view main retaining structure with multiple floors to hold garbage and biomass at lower pressure, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of main retaining structure with side structure with multiple floors to treat garbage aerobically, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of show more than one main retaining structure adjoined to the protected building where required, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross section view main retaining structure showing inertial mass, pipe to inject water, microbial culture, gas collector, rods to balance and hold the central mass, heat exchange pipes, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a is a cross section view main retaining structure showing inertial mass, having odor absorbing layer, gas collector, and gas scrubber, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of retaining pillar frame of main retaining structure showing side arm connecting pillars and tension cable to side arms and pillars, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of main retaining structure used to protect coastal beech, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is schematic view of main retaining structure used to protect a dam, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of main retaining structure used to protect an area from avalanche, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a cross section view of enclosed conveyor belt with conveyer belt having plates of rubber made from used and waste vehicle tire, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross section view of modular pillars assembled one section of pillar on top of the other section to enable fast construction, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a cross section view of coupling connector joint portion of the modular pillar section, according to one embodiment.

Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

Figures from Prior Art patents quoted by international search authority being FIG. 16, illustration of essential function FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 and FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A system, and method to a system to stabilize and protect a large structure and a tall building, which makes use of an inertial mass of, staked biomass and loose unconsolidated matter. Although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments.

FIG. 1 is schematic view of entire system 100, with main retaining structure having inertial mass being 101,having gas collector 102, side story of the protected building 103 and 104, the floor of the inertial mass not attached to the retaining pillars being 106, wave deflection structure 105, the continuing stories of building structure that is protected 107, and the ground 108, a car 109 shown to give a perspective of the size of the main structure, a man standing on ground 110, according to one embodiment.

In example embodiment, in the ad jointed protected building only two side structures shown for clarity however the protected building can completely surround the inertial mass. Area lost for garbage treatment plant is gained by addition higher stories that are enabled.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of main retaining structure shown without protected building and structure for sake of clarity, with main retaining structure being 200, inertial main mass 201, retaining pillar 202, garbage input conveyor 203, decomposed garbage removal auger 204.inclined floor at ground level, unconnected to pillar and retaining structures with said floor being 205, a car 206 shown to give an perspective of the size of the main structure, a man standing on ground 207, gas scrubber 208, gas collector 209, according to one embodiment.

Particularly, FIG. 2 has shown the corner pillars only for sake of clarity while there are many pillars in between the corner pillars.

FIG. 3 a schematic view of main retaining structure in another embodiment having circular structure, shown without protected structure for sake of clarity, with main retaining structure being 300, inertial main mass 301, retaining pillar 302, garbage input conveyor 303, decomposed garbage removal auger 304, inclined floor being present below surface of ground, unconnected to pillar and retaining structures with said floor being 305, a car 306 shown to give an perspective of the size of the main structure, a man standing on ground 307, gas scrubber 308, gas collector 309, ground 310, according to one embodiment.

Particularly FIG. 3 illustrates the inertial mass extended below surface of ground only where ever required, where underground storage of garbage is required if the geography of the place permits.

FIG. 4 is cross section view of main retaining structure having floor members to reduce pressure on organic matter of garbage with main retaining structure being 400, floor member to reduce pressure acting on the biomass and garbage with floor being 401, support member to hold the floor being 402, input conveyer for bio mass and garbage with buckets with said conveyor being 403, auger 405 for the output conveyer 404, wave deflection structure 406, according to one embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 4 illustrates a floor that is supported by support member so that pressure does not build up on the lower layers. The floor is not attached to the support member which gives the floor a freedom to move in the upward direction incase of earthquake force. The illustrated arrangement of floors for the inertial mass is used when bio mass has to be treated at normal pressure with aerobic microbial action where required.

FIG. 5 is schematic view of main retaining structure attached to a side structure which is a aerobic composting structure with main structure being 501, aerobic composting side structure being 502, a story of aerobic composting structure being 503 which has inclined floor, auger 504, output conveyer being 505, while input conveyer to inertial mass has not been shown for sake of clarity, according to one embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 5 illustrates the facility to allow treatment of garbage and biomass with required aeration under reduced normal pressure and relatively uncompressed volume of inertial mass thereby enabling aerobic composting, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of entire system in another embodiment wherein two main retaining structures 602 and 603 having inertial mass 600 and 601, with inertial mass having auger 604 and unconnected floor 605 labeled for one of the main retaining structure and with the protected large building being 606, according to this different embodiment, Particularly, FIG. 6 illustrates use of multiple main retaining structures with their inertial mass where ever required for additional protection to building.

FIG. 7 cross section view of main retaining structure with main retaining structure being 700, with inertial mass being 701, pipe for collecting biogas 702, bio gas collection chamber 703, rods and beam to balance, equalize and hold the inertial mass from slipping side wards being 704, pipe to inject water, microbial culture as inoculum 705. FIG. 7 illustrates pipes placed in the inertial mass for microbial inoculation, pipes for heat exchange to heat the organic matter and to cool the same if required particularly for treating biomass to get desired organic compounds where required, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is cross section view of main retaining structure being 800, encapsulating, enclosing and odor absorbing layer having activated charcoal 801, gas collector 802, gas scrubber 803, according to one embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 8 illustrates the importance of proper encapsulation of the garbage treatment mass to contain any odors gases.

FIG. 9 is schematic view of retaining pillar frame of main structure with pillar frame being 901, with one of the pillar being 902, having side arm connecting pillars being 903, tension cable connecting opposite side arms and pillars 904, addition support cable connected to ground being 905, according to one embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 9 illustrates the use of pillars and side arms of opposite sides of the main retaining structure, to absorb bending forces and prevent swaying and also prevent collapse of the mass with the said tension cable being one of steel and one of high strength polymer material. Addition support cable and if necessary and feasible an arc beam from building to the ground is used to prevent swaying, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of main retaining structure used to protect coastal beach and a coastal structure with main retaining structure being 1000 and 1001, an ocean area 1002, and a coastal beech 1003, according to one embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 10 illustrates the use of the system with unconsolidated inertial mass being formed from available material such as sand, which is loosely filled, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of main retaining structure used to protect a dam with a set of main retaining structures being 1102, 1103, 1104 and a dam being protected being 1101, according to one embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 11 is provided to show the possibility of use of the system to protect a weak embankment which could crack open especially for a dam in a seismic active zone and it is possible to use water itself which is available in immediate vicinity as inertial mass where in water is filled in bags made of plastic material and staked, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is schematic view of main retaining structure used to protect a area and a building from a possible avalanche illustrating a hill with snow being 1201 with main retaining structure being 1202, where snow and ice is used as material for the inertial mass, according to one embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 12 illustrates the possibility of use of the system to provide a means to divert the flowing snow and protect a house behind the system or adjoining the system, which has not been shown for sake of clarity.

FIG. 13 is cross section view of enclosed conveyor with conveyer belt with said conveyer being 1301, having plates of rubber made from material of used and waste vehicle tires being 1304, with conveyer having enclosure 1302 and 1303, according to one embodiment. Particularly, the use of waste tire material is just to illustrate how cost can be reduced with proper use of discarded material thereby also getting a low carbon footprint.

FIG. 14 is cross section view of modular pillar section assembled one on top of other to enable fast construction with pillar section being 1401 and 1402, having coupling connector joint illustrated as1403 according to one embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 14 illustrates the flexibility provided to the pillar to protect from seismic forces, according to one embodiment. A similar arrangement of coupling joint with fluid in the joint space can be used for horizontal side beams and floors of a protected building, which adjoins the inertial mass, to accommodate movements due to earthquake.

FIG. 15 is a cross section view of coupling connector joint forming a piston like structure with enclosing member of pillar section being 1501 and attaching portion of pillar being 1504, with the space in between being 1503 which is filled with high pressure fluid sent through pipe 1502.which acts as a damper for earthquake wave, according to one embodiment.

Figures from Prior Art patents quoted by International search authority being FIG. 16 from Japanese patent JPHO 765406 B2, with Figure17 being a simplified one axis illustration of essential function of system taught showing FIG. 17 with 1701 being the protected house, 1702 a pillar of the house, 1703 being a suspension member, which keeps the house suspended and also damps vibration, 1704 being the ground level and FIG. 18 being from RU 2065905 C1 and FIG. 19 being from US 20040118057. The above quoted patents cannot be combined to arrive at the present invention by a person with ordinary skill in the art.

Although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments.

In addition, it will be appreciated that the various operations, processes, and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in a machine-readable medium and/or a machine accessible medium compatible with a data processing system (e.g., a computer system), and may be performed in any order (e.g., including using means for achieving the various operations). Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims

1. A system to stabilize and protect a tall building and a large structure from earthquake comprising of:

a) a large inertial mass being at least one of staked biomass and one of staked loose unconsolidated matter;

b) a main retaining structure with pillars and side arms to retaining the inertial mass;

c) a floor of the inertial mass being not attached to the pillars of the main retaining structure;

d) a connection means to connect the tall building, which is protected with the help of the inertial mass;

e) a earthquake wave deflection structure to deflect wave away from protected building towards the inertial mass to damp the wave.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1:

Wherein the inertial mass comprises of a staked biomass and garbage, a input and a output conveyer that is enclosed and having a spreader on a boom, a auger to remove the treated biomass, a odor absorption and enclosing layers having absorbents being one of activated charcoal, with said layer being at periphery of the main retaining structure, a biogas collector, a pressure and a load sensor to enable correct balance and weight distribution in the inertial mass and wherein the inertial mass is extended to below the ground surface in a excavated region where required and the said inertial mass further also comprises of a bio mass treatment means.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1:

Wherein the biomass treatment means as claimed in claim 2 comprises of a space to retain the said matter of the inertial mass under reduced pressure to enable aerobic treatment of said biomass, with said space being formed by floors supported by pillars of main retaining structure but not attached to the pillars, and the said floor being supported by the pillar but not attached to the pillar and the floor is inclined and having a auger and wherein the said space is built in multiple stories to enable aerobic treatment and composting of biomass.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1:

Wherein the biomass treatment means as claimed in claim 2 further comprises of a pipe to add inoculums of micro organisms that tolerate high pressure, a pipe to collect bio gas, a pipe to add water, and a heat exchange pipe for heating and cooling the inertial mass with said heat exchange pipe is used to support air conditioning system of the protected building.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1:

Wherein the main retaining structure has a tension cable and a beam attached to pillars and a side arm in a cress cross manner to hold and retain the inertial mass, a central stabilizing rod and a beam to resist bending forces acting on the inertial mass and thereby retain the inertial mass in a balanced manner.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1:

Wherein the earthquake deflection means comprises of a beam, a plates and a rigid layer similar to a floor but at required angular inclination, with the said deflection structure being placed unconnected to the foundation pillars of the protected building and further connected to the inertial mass by one manner of connection being through a hole in the floor of inertial mass and in another manner of connection being a direct connection to the floor of the inertial mass and wherein the said deflection structure is designed based on the local geographic features, rock structure and soil type.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1:

Wherein the connection means comprises of beams joining and connecting the adjoining buildings that are protected from earth quakes, with the inertial mass held by the main retaining structure and wherein the connection means also helps the protected building resist bending forces due to wind.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein garbage and biomass and loosely consolidated material is used by itself as a structural and load bearing element, when system as claimed in claim 1 is used to support a structural platform at large height for application such as placing a wind mill.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1:

Wherein bio mass treatment means as claimed in claim2 has biomass treatment which makes use of catalysts and enzymes acting at high pressure to yield fuel and other useful organic chemicals at required low cost.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1:

Wherein the pillars in main retaining structure and pillars in protected building have a telescopic joint being similar to a piston in a cylinder wherein damping fluid is present in the cavity of the telescoping pillar to allow pillars to slide into each other, enabling dynamic length and height adjustment to accommodate changes due to earthquake forces and wherein a similar joint being horizontal in position is used for a floor in the protected adjoining building.

11. A method of using the system as claimed in claim 1 to protect people and building from avalanche using ice as the unconsolidated matter for inertial mass, to protect shore and coast line using sand as the unconsolidated matter for inertial mass and to protect a dam using water stored in plastic bags and sealed as the inertial mass.

12. A method of stabilizing and protecting a tall building and a large structure from earthquake by using:

a) a large inertial mass being at least one of staked biomass and one of staked loose unconsolidated matter;

b) a main retaining structure with pillars and side arms to retaining the inertial mass;

c) a floor of the inertial mass being not attached to the pillars of the main retaining structure;

d) a connection means to connect the tall building, which is protected with the help of the inertial mass;

e) a earthquake wave deflection structure to deflect wave away from protected building towards the inertial mass to damp the wave.

13. A method of constructing a tall building by integrating a large inertial mass with the said large inertial mass being one of staked biomass and one of loose unconsolidated matter, which can bear some of the load and provide stability from vibrations. And shocks to the tall building.