Debris flow retaining apparatus

Abstract

A debris flow retaining apparatus located in a debris flow active area to provide buffering retention. It includes a retaining unit anchored on a ground surface movable up and down relative to the ground surface and a buffer unit which has an air mattress located between the ground surface and the retaining unit and an air compressor to inflate the air mattress. When a debris flow occurs, the air compressor inflates the air mattress to raise the retaining unit and absorb the impact stress resulting from the impact of the debris flow to prevent the retaining unit from immediate crumpling and reduce damages caused by the debris flow.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a debris flow retaining apparatus and particularly to an apparatus that has a retaining unit cushioned by a buffering air mattress to absorb and allay the stress caused by the strong impact of debris flow to prevent immediate crumpling of the retaining unit to reduce damages. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Debris flow (also called mud slide) is a moving slurry with debris mixing up with a great amount of water in which more than half of the contents are solid substances. The solid substances contain gravel greater than sands, and stones and rock debris. It usually is caused by landslide. When there is also a heavy rainfall, the water mixes up with the rock debris and soils to become slurry, and slide or flow along the ground surface of slope lands. It could cause great damages. It is a natural disaster happened mostly in mountainous areas, especially the slope lands that are geographically unstable and where the rock...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0004] In order to solve the aforesaid disadvantages, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a retaining unit that has a hard structure to stop the debris flow and a buffer unit behind the retaining unit that has a flexible buffering capability. The buffer unit includes an air mattress located between the ground surface and the retaining unit and an air compressor to inflate the air mattress. When debris flow occurs, the air compressor inflates the air mattress to raise the retaining unit. The air mattress provides a flexible buffering power to absorb the impact stress generated by the impact of the debris flow so that immediate crumpling of the retaining wall happened to the conventional techniques may be prevented to reduce the damage.

Problems solved by technology

It could cause great damages.

It is a natural disaster happened mostly in mountainous areas, especially the slope lands that are geographically unstable and where the rocks are broken down to gravel of varying sizes under weathering.

Once a torrential rain occurs, and the water cannot be channeled and discharged efficiently, the debris and water are mixed up and slide down of the slope lands under gravity force and form a debris flow that could incur devastating damages or disasters.

However, all these measures require a lot of time to plan and implement.

But practical experiences indicate that the retaining wall is not effective.

As the debris flow slides downwards under the gravity force, and often contains rocks and stones weighted in tons, the impact is huge.

The retaining wall is prone to crumple under the strong impact stress and becomes ineffective.

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