Compactable, foldable, floatable, boom-fence to quickly control the spread of contaminates over water surfaces

Patent · Tue Nov 17 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5942556

Magoon, L E; Magoon, R E

A compactable, foldable, floatable, continuous, boom-fence is quickly and readily launched, often from the deck of a boat, via accordian-like folded sections, in turn quickly interconnected to like sections, to form an overall boom-fence projecting above the water surface, while also depending below the water surface, thereby creating a water boom to fence a large water surface area during the control of a contaminate unwantedly spreading over a surface of water. Each section of the boom-fence comprises planar rectangular fence panels flexibly secured together with flexible coupling panels and cable, and provided with both planar buoyant materials and planar retractable hinged dampening fins, tending to keep the planar rectangular fence panels upright during their deployment, when confronted with forces created by waves, wind, and tides or currents. In a preferred embodiment the planar rectangular fence panels are made of sheet metal having their tops folded over a continuous cable, having their bottoms equipped with foldable, hinged, oppositely positioned sheet metal dampening fins held in their active dampening positions by stiffleg springs, having planar rectangular foam floats attached to each side of the fence panels nearer their top than their bottom, and having each end of each fence panel secured to a flexible coupling made of coated fiberglass cloth and between sections composed of several panels, velcro fasteners join the midsection of such a flexible coupling, where also cable connectors are utilized.

• Assignee: IFI; EDB-82-027416
• Patent Number(s): US 4300856
• OSTI ID: 5942556
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CONTAINMENT
COUPLINGS
DESIGN
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
FIBERGLASS
FINS
FLEXIBILITY
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
METALS
OFFSHORE OPERATIONS
OIL POLLUTION CONTAINMENT
OIL RETENTION BOOMS
OIL SPILLS
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
SHEETS
TENSILE PROPERTIES