초록 ▼

A fluid tight structure or vault particularly suited to having hazardous liquid storage tanks located therein for storage of liquids such as gasoline, and used as a replacement for underground storage tanks in facilities such as gasoline stations, truck stops, or industrial plants, so that the stora

A fluid tight structure or vault particularly suited to having hazardous liquid storage tanks located therein for storage of liquids such as gasoline, and used as a replacement for underground storage tanks in facilities such as gasoline stations, truck stops, or industrial plants, so that the storage tanks are available for periodic inspection and any leakage from such tanks is contained within the structure to avoid contaminating surrounding ground, is constructed of prefabricated concrete panels having weldable material embedded therein where the panels meet so that the panels may be seal welded together along adjacent edges to provide the fluid tight structure. Thus, floor panels have plates of weldable material embedded therein over which wall panels having bottom edges of weldable material are placed and welded. Adjacent side edges of the wall panels are also welded. The welds provide seals between the various panels and provides structural strength to hold the panels in assembled position. The structure is preferably constructed below ground level with a structure roof of concrete panels positioned at ground level and designed to have vehicles travel thereover. The floor of the structure preferably extends beyond the perimeter of the walls to form a lip which is covered with earth to keep the structure from floating upwardly.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A liquid tight structure particularly suited to having liquid storage tanks located therein, comprising: a concrete floor; elongate floor plates of a weldable material sealingly secured in said concrete floor defining a perimeter of the structure; precast concrete wall panels, each of said w

1. A liquid tight structure particularly suited to having liquid storage tanks located therein, comprising: a concrete floor; elongate floor plates of a weldable material sealingly secured in said concrete floor defining a perimeter of the structure; precast concrete wall panels, each of said wall panels having a bottom edge portion and opposite side edge portions of a weldable material, said wall panels being positioned on said concrete floor so that the bottom edge portion of weldable material of each wall panel is adjacent to an elongate floor plate, and each of said side edge portions of weldable material is adjacent to another side edge portion of weldable material; and seal welds between the bottom edge portions and the floor plates and between adjacent side edge portions to form a fluid tight structure. 2. A structure according to claim 1, additionally including roof means extending over the top of the structure. 3. A structure according to claim 2, wherein the roof means includes means to prevent lateral movement of the roof means with respect to the structure. 4. A structure according to claim 3, wherein the roof means includes roof plates of weldable material secured thereto and adapted to be positioned adjacent the wall panels when the roof means is positioned over the structure, and wherein the means to prevent lateral movement of the roof means includes means welded to the roof plates to abut the wall panels and prevent lateral movement of the roof means with respect to the wall panels. 5. A structure according to claim 4, wherein the roof means includes at least one precast concrete roof panel. 6. A structure according to claim 5, wherein the roof means includes at least two adjacent precast concrete roof panels. 7. A structure according to claim 6, wherein sealing material is placed between adjacent roof panels over the structure. 8. A structure according to claim 7, wherein the sealing material is a neoprene foam. 9. A structure according to claim 7, wherein a sealing material is placed between the roof means and the wall panels upon which the roof means rests. 10. A structure according to claim 2, wherein the roof means includes at least one precast concrete roof panel, wherein the structure is adapted to be underground with at least one roof panel at ground level, and wherein at least one roof panel is constructed to support a vehicle thereon. 11. A structure according to claim 10, wherein support beam means is provided in the structure to increase the support of the roof panels over the structure. 12. A structure according to claim 2, wherein the wall panels have top edge portions of weldable material, the roof means include roof plates of weldable material secured thereto and positioned to at least partially overlie the weldable top edge portions of the wall panels, and wherein the roof plates are welded to the top edge portions of the wall panels to secure the roof means to the structure. 13. A structure according to claim 2, wherein the roof means includes at least one precast concrete roof panel, and wherein manway means is included in the roof means to provide access to the interior of the structure. 14. A structure according to claim 2, wherein storage tanks for storing hazardous fluids are located in the structure and wherein sensor means is located in the structure to sense leakage from the storage tanks and provide an indication when leakage is detected. 15. A structure according to claim 14, wherein the structure includes a ventilation system for ventilating the structure. 16. A structure according to claim 15, wherein the ventilating system includes means associated with the sensor for causing operation of the ventilating system when leakage is detected. 17. A structure according to claim 16, wherein the sensor senses presence of selected gases in the air within the structure. 18. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the concrete floor includes at least two adjacent, precast concrete floor panels, adjacent edges of the concrete floor panels being formed of weldable material. 19. A structure according to claim 18, including seal welds directly between adjacent floor panel edges of weldable material. 20. A structure according to claim 18, including a seal plate of weldable material extending over adjacent floor panel edges between opposite wall panels and welded to the weldable material of the adjacent floor panel edges. 21. A structure according to claim 18, wherein a sealing material is placed between adjacent floor panel edges. 22. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the floor extends beyond the outside perimeter of the walls of the structure to form a lip which is covered with earth when the structure is located beneath ground level to counteract any tendency of the structure to rise in the ground from its initial position. 23. A structure according to claim 22, wherein the floor extends beyond the outside perimeter of the walls a distance between one and four feet. 24. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the perimeter defined by the floor plates is such that the bottom edges of the wall panels at least partially overlie the floor plates. 25. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the wall panels have an inside bottom edge and an outside bottom edge, and the inside bottom edge is the bottom edge portion welded to the floor plates. 26. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the wall panels have an inside bottom edge and an outside bottom edge, and the outside bottom edge is welded to the floor plates. 27. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the wall panels have an inside side edge and an outside side edge, wherein one side edge portion of adjacent wall panels forming corners of the structure overlap the side edge portion of the other adjacent panel to form an inside corner of the structure, wherein the side edge portions of weldable material of the overlapping wall panels extend inwardly a distance sufficient to be positioned adjacent the inside edge of the other adjacent panel, and wherein the inside corners of the structure are seal welded. 28. A structure according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the concrete includes polypropylene fibers therein. 29. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the precast concrete wall panels comprise: a rectangular frame of a weldable material, said rectangular frame having pairs of opposite sides; braces secured and extending between opposite sides of the rectangular frame intermediate their length to hold the pairs of opposite sides straight and at right angles to one another; concrete reinforcing material positioned within the frame; and concrete within the frame. 30. A structure according to claim 29, wherein the weldable material forming the rectangular frame is steel channel. 31. A structure according to claim 30, wherein the concrete includes polypropylene fibers therein. 32. A precast, rectangular concrete panel with edges of a weldable material for use in structure construction, comprising: a rectangular frame of a weldable material, said rectangular frame having pairs of opposite sides; braces secured and extending between opposite sides of the rectangular frame intermediate their length to hold the pairs of opposite sides straight and at right angles to one another; concrete reinforcing material positioned within the frame; and concrete within the frame. 33. A method of constructing a fluid tight structure particularly suited to having fluid storage tanks located therein, and wherein a concrete floor having elongate floor plates of a weldable material sealingly secured in the floor and defining a perimeter of the structure and concrete wall panels having bottom edge portions and opposite side edge portions of a weldable material are available, comprising the steps of: placing a floor in desired position for the structure; positioning wall panels over the floor so that the bottom edge portions of weldable material are adjacent to the floor plates and side edge portions of weldable material are adjacent other side edge portions of weldable material; seal welding the floor plate to adjacent wall bottom portions of weldable material to seal the bottom edges of the walls to the floor; and seal welding adjacent wall side edge portions of weldable material to seal the edges of adjacent wall panels to provide a fluid tight structure. 34. A method of constructing a fluid tight structure according to claim 33, wherein concrete floor panels having selected edges formed of a weldable material are available, wherein the step of placing a floor in desired position for the structure includes the steps of positioning at least two floor panels adjacent to one another so that adjacent edges of the adjacent floor panels are of weldable material, and the additional step is included of seal welding adjacent edges of weldable material of adjacent floor panels at least where such adjacent edges extend between wall panels. 35. A method of constructing a fluid tight structure according to claim 33, additionally including the step of placing roof panels over the structure to form a structure roof. 36. A method of fabricating a rectangular, precast concrete panel with edges of a weldable material for use in structure construction comprising the steps of: fabricating a rectangular frame from a weldable material, said frame having pairs of opposite sides; bracing the rectangular frame by securing braces to and extending between opposite sides of the rectangular frame intermediate their length to hold the pairs of opposite sides straight and at right angles to one another; positioning concrete reinforcing material within the frame; pouring concrete into the frame so that the concrete fills in the frame; and allowing the concrete to cure to produce a prefabricated concrete panel having edge portion of a weldable material.