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Embodiments provide an apparatus and methods for providing a nonlabor-intensive process for preventing backfill entering, or environmental factors eroding, a cavity formed in the ground. Preventing cavity degradation involves constructing a chemically-inflatable bag that separates two or more chemic

Embodiments provide an apparatus and methods for providing a nonlabor-intensive process for preventing backfill entering, or environmental factors eroding, a cavity formed in the ground. Preventing cavity degradation involves constructing a chemically-inflatable bag that separates two or more chemical reactants by creases and cylindrical coils formed in the chemically-inflatable bag. The creases typically act as watertight releasable seals that separate the chemical reactants while the cylindrical coils resist unintentional compromise of the releasable seals. However, the cylindrical coils are designed to give way upon the user applying an unfurling action on the chemically-inflatable bag; thus, furnishing a passageway for the chemical reactants to intermix and initiate a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide as a by-product, which expands the chemically-inflatable bag from a collapsed condition to an inflated condition. In the inflated condition, the chemically-inflatable bag fills and protects the integrity of the formed cavity.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for constructing a chemically-inflatable bag for use as an obstruction in a formed cavity, the method comprising: providing an elongated sleeve that includes one or more longitudinal seams that substantially traverse a length of the elongated sleeve, wherein the elongated sleeve having a

1. A method for constructing a chemically-inflatable bag for use as an obstruction in a formed cavity, the method comprising: providing an elongated sleeve that includes one or more longitudinal seams that substantially traverse a length of the elongated sleeve, wherein the elongated sleeve having an accessible interior;folding the elongated sleeve along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the one or more longitudinal seams to form a crease, wherein the crease creates a watertight, releasable seal that divides the interior of the elongated sleeve into a first section and a second section;inserting a first reactant into the first section via a first opened end of the elongated sleeve;forming a first chamber to enclose the first reactant by fixedly sealing the first opened end;inserting a second reactant in the second section via a second opened end of the elongated sleeve that is arranged in opposed relation to the first opened end;forming a second chamber to enclose the second reactant by fixedly sealing the second opened end; androlling together a portion of the first chamber and a portion of the second chamber to produce a cylindrical coil, wherein the process of rolling reduces a realized volume of the first chamber and the second chamber, wherein the cylindrical coil is selectively unwound upon applying an unfurling action to the chemically-inflatable bag, and wherein the unfurling action comprises: (a) retaining the first chamber and leaving the second chamber unencumbered; and(b) creating a moment of inertia in the second chamber by moving the retained first chamber at a rate that causes the cylindrical coil to unwind, thereby compromising the releasable seal. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising fabricating the elongated sleeve from at least one flexible, foldable, gas-impermeable article by attaching an end of the at least one article to another end of the at least one article. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein folding the elongated sleeve along the axis comprises fashioning an acute angle in the elongated sleeve that substantially bisects the length of the elongated sleeve such that the first section and the second section are comparable in size. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing the cylindrical coil by assembling at least one fastener thereto, wherein the at least one assembled fastener is configured to prevent the cylindrical coil from unintentionally unwinding and compromising the releasable seal. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein securing the cylindrical coil by assembling at least one fastener thereto comprises wrapping at least one elastic band about the cylindrical coil. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one fastener is configured to disengage from the cylindrical coil upon applying an unfurling action thereto. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein, incident to disengaging the at least one fastener from the cylindrical coil by applying the unfurling action, the cylindrical coil is configured to unwind and compromise the releasable seal, thereby allowing the first reactant to be introduced to the second reactant. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical coil situates the first chamber and the second chamber in adjacent alignment. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reactant and the second reactant are configured to chemically react when introduced to one another, and wherein a by-product of the chemical reaction is gas. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first reactant is an acid and the second reactant is a metal carbonate, and wherein the chemical reaction, which occurs incident to introducing the first reactant to the second reactant, produces carbon dioxide gas as the by-product. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing an elongated sleeve comprises: providing a pair of generally rectangular sheets derived from a non-extensible, malleable, gas-impermeable material, wherein the generally rectangular sheets are configured with substantially similar profiles;overlaying the pair of generally rectangular sheets such that the profiles are aligned; andjoining one or more segments of the profiles together to form the one or more seams that connect the pair of generally rectangular sheets, wherein the one or more seams are hermetically sealed. 12. A method for deploying an obstruction within a formed cavity by applying an unfurling action to a chemically-inflatable bag, the method comprising: providing the chemically-inflatable bag in a collapsed condition, wherein the chemically-inflatable bag comprises an elongated sleeve that includes a first chamber that encloses a first reactant and a second chamber that encloses a second reactant;providing a crease in the elongated sleeve that, when rolled into a cylindrical coil and when at least one fastener is assembled to the cylindrical coil, operates as a releasable seal that resists unintentional mixing of the first reactant and the second reactant;applying an unfurling action to the chemically-inflatable bag, wherein the unfurling action comprises: (a) retaining the first chamber and leaving the second chamber unencumbered; and(b) creating a moment of inertia in the second chamber by moving the retained first chamber at a rate that causes the at least one fastener to disengage from the cylindrical coil and that causes the cylindrical coil to unwind, thereby compromising the releasable seal;displacing a portion of the first reactant from the first chamber into the second chamber via a passageway furnished by the compromised releasable seal;invoking a chemical reaction by introducing the displaced portion of the first reactant to the second reactant, wherein a by-product of the chemical reaction is a gas; andexpanding the chemically-inflatable bag to an inflated condition with the gas being generated by the chemical reaction. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein retaining the first chamber and leaving the second chamber unencumbered comprises manually grasping the first chamber and allowing the second chamber to freely hang from the cylindrical coil, and wherein the at least one fastener is assembled to the cylindrical coil in a manner that resists unwinding of the cylindrical coil when loaded by a weight of the second reactant enclosed in the freely hanging second chamber. 14. The method of claim 12, wherein creating the moment of inertia in the second chamber by moving the retained first chamber comprises downwardly swinging the second chamber about the cylindrical coil in a direction consistent with the formed cavity. 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the unfurling action further comprises: unwinding the cylindrical coil at an elevation generally above the formed cavity; anddirecting the moment of inertia of the second chamber to cause a section of the second chamber to enter the formed cavity. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, incident to the section of the second chamber entering the formed cavity, expanding the chemically-inflatable bag to the inflated condition, wherein the inflated condition is achieved when an outer surface of the elongated sleeve contacts a wall of the formed cavity. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first chamber encloses a pre-measured amount of first reactant and the second chamber encloses a premeasured amount of the second reactant, the method further comprising: introducing a majority of the premeasured amount of first reactant to a majority of the premeasured amount of the second reactant in the second chamber; andinvoking the chemical reaction to generate carbon dioxide, wherein the generated carbon dioxide creates internal pressure within the chemically-inflatable bag, and wherein the internal pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the internal pressure of the chemically-inflatable bag in the inflated condition causes the elongated sleeve to assume a substantially rigid manifestation that obstructs fluids from entering into the formed cavity. 19. A method for expanding a chemically-inflatable bag from a collapsed condition to an inflated condition, the method comprising: providing the chemically-inflatable bag in the collapsed condition with an interior, wherein a crease is formed in the chemically-inflatable bag that creates a watertight, releasable seal dividing the interior into a first chamber that encloses a quantity of a fluid substance and a second chamber that encloses a quantity of a powdered substance, and wherein the releasable seal resists unintentional compromise upon rolling the crease into a cylindrical coil;manually grasping the first chamber and leaving the second chamber unencumbered;generating a moment of inertia in the second chamber by manually applying an unfurling action to the chemically-inflatable bag, wherein the moment of inertia causes the cylindrical coil to unwind, thereby compromising the releasable seal;utilizing a gravitational force to displace a majority of the quantity of the fluid substance from the first chamber into the second chamber via a passageway furnished by the compromised releasable seal and to introduce the displaced majority of the quantity of the fluid substance to the quantity of the powdered substance, wherein the introduction invokes a chemical reaction that produces a quantity of gas capable of expanding the chemically-inflatable bag to an inflated condition.