초록 ▼

The present invention relates to a floating containment barrier grid structure (20) for containment of floating aquatic plants (26) in a body of water (30). The barrier grid structure (20) includes a plurality of interconnected square barrier segments (24), the top edge of the barrier segments exten

The present invention relates to a floating containment barrier grid structure (20) for containment of floating aquatic plants (26) in a body of water (30). The barrier grid structure (20) includes a plurality of interconnected square barrier segments (24), the top edge of the barrier segments extending above the surface of the water so as to prohibit substantial wave action. The floating containment barrier grid structure (20) being anchored by cables (38) and stakes (40) in a somewhat tensioned state while floating in the body of water (30). The barrier grid structure (20) being tensioned to enable portions of the barrier grid structure (20) to be submerged beneath the surface of the water by a harvesting machine (28) while harvesting the floating aquatic plants (26).

대표청구항 ▼

1. A floating containment barrier grid structure for containment of floating aquatic plants in a body of water, comprising: a plurality of interconnected floating barrier sections, each barrier section having four sides arranged in a square configuration and enclosing the same amount of water sur

1. A floating containment barrier grid structure for containment of floating aquatic plants in a body of water, comprising: a plurality of interconnected floating barrier sections, each barrier section having four sides arranged in a square configuration and enclosing the same amount of water surface area, the sides of said barrier sections having a top edge and a bottom edge, the sides lying in a vertical plane, said barrier sections having a specific gravity less than water, the top edge of said barrier sections extending above the surface of the water and the bottom edge of said barrier sections being off the bottom of the body of water, said barrier grid structure having sufficient elasticity to enable a portion of said barrier grid structure to be submerged below the surface of the water, the barrier grid structure being suitably anchored to prevent substantial lateral movement of said barrier sections across the surface of the water. 2. A structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein said barrier sections are formed by a plurality of sheets of material interconnected at evenly spaced intervals along their longitudinal extent. 3. A structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein said barrier sections have a specific gravity between 0.07 and 0.95. 4. A structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein the top edge of said barrier sections extends above the surface of the water by an amount which exceeds the maximum achievable wave height, defined as 0.105 times the square root of the maximum linear measure of space across one of the barrier sections. 5. A floating containment barrier grid structure for containment of floating aquatic plants in a body of water, comprising: (a) enlongated flexible sheets of material having a top edge and a bottom edge and having a predetermined thickness and width, the thickness of said sheets being substantially less than the width of said sheets, and sheets having two sides and defining a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, said sheets having a specific gravity between 0.7 and 0.95; (b) interconnecting means for interconnecting the sides of said sheets at spaced intervals along the longitudinal axis to form a plurality of barrier sections in a web-like arrangement, each of said barrier sections enclosing substantially the same amount of water surface area; and (c) means for anchoring said interconnected sheets in a tension state while floating in the body of water, the transverse axis of said sheets lying in a vertical plane, the top edge of said sheets being above the surface of the water, the bottom edge of said sheets being mostly off the bottom of the water, a majority of the surface area of the sheets being below the surface of the water, the top edge of said sheets extending above the surface of the water by an amount which exceeds the maximum achievable wave height, defined as 0.105 times the square root of the maximum linear measure of space across one of the barrier sections, said barrier grid structure being necessarily tensioned to enable portions of said barrier grid structure to be submerged beneath the surface of the water during harvesting of the floating aquatic plants by a harvesting device. 6. A structure in accordance with claim 5, wherein said sheets of material are made from a polyethylene material. 7. A structure in accordance with claim 5, wherein said interconnecting means includes a clip securing adjacent V-folds in the sheets. 8. A method of assembling a floating containment barrier grid structure for containment of floating aquatic plants in a body of water, said method comprising steps of: (a) interconnecting adjacent sheets of material of a plurality of sheets of material aligned side by side, said interconnection being made at spaced intervals along the longitudinal axis of said sheets of material to form a plurality of interconnected square barrier segments, the four sides of each of said barrier segments being formed by two of said sheets, said sheets having a specific gravity less than water; (b) pulling the formed barrier segments into the body of water; and (c) securing the corners of those of said barrier segments about the periphery of the barrier grid structure to prevent lateral movement of said barrier segments over the surface of the water, a majority of the barrier segments floating in the body of water off the bottom thereof, a top edge of the barrier segments extending above the surface of the water. 9. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein said interconnecting step includes forming V-folds in said sheets of material and fastening adjacent ones of said V-folds by use of a clip apparatus. 10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein said interconnecting step includes using a barbed clip appartus. 11. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein said securing step includes necessarily securing said barrier segments such that a portion of said barrier grid structure can be submerged by a floating harvesting device.