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Water detention system incorporating a composite draining membraneRelated Patent Categories: Hydraulic And Earth Engineering, Drainage Or IrrigationWater detention system incorporating a composite draining membrane description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080003059, Water detention system incorporating a composite draining membrane. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
PRIOR APPLICATION DATA [0001] This application claims priority to PCT Application No. PCT/GB2006/000474, entitled A Water Detention System Incorporating A Composite Membrane which was published as WO 2006/085095 which is based on and claims priority to Great Britain patent application number 0502861.8 filed Feb. 11, 2005 and Great Britain patent application number 0516866.1 filed Aug. 17, 2005. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to a composite drainage membrane, and to a water detention system incorporating such a membrane. RELATED ART [0003] The use of SUDS (sustainable urban drainage systems) is increasing with the increasing awareness of the economy of installation and value in decontaminating and managing the water collection and drainage systems leading to water courses for the disposal of water falling on pavement surfaces. Known drainage systems are built to cope with a maximum expected precipitation, which may be exceeded from time to time. Changing meteorological conditions, however, are leading to situations where the peak rainfall for which a drainage system may have been designed is being exceeded increasingly frequently. Upgrading of systems to cope with increased amounts of run-off is extremely costly. There is also the contaminating and polluting effect of motor traffic resulting in heavy metals, hydrocarbons, rubber dust, silt and other fine detritus becoming deposited on the surfaces of roadways and car parks and subsequently being washed into the water courses causing long term pollution. [0004] Sustainable urban drainage systems utilising permeable pavements and underlying layers of crushed rock over an impermeable sub-grade, or provided with an impermeable lining membrane, may be used to collect and store water for other purposes such as irrigation. When used for this purpose, however, especially in regions of high temperature, evaporation of the stored water, even though located in subterranean voids, can result in effective loss of a large proportion of the water collected. [0005] The present invention seeks, therefore, to provide means by which such systems can be improved to allow rapid infiltration of water into the voids in the sub-base, without there being an opportunity for equally rapid escape by evaporation. SUMMARY [0006] The present invention finds particular utility in connection with the provision of pavement surfaces, that is hard, load-bearing surfaces made from paving elements such as slabs or blocks, or continuous material such as concrete or asphalt. However, the present invention is not limited to application solely in this field, and may find utility in connection with a wide range of forms of water run-off management, storage, and precipitation re-utilisation systems, particularly those suitable for use with rainwater, as well as systems for decontamination of run-off water and for the use of subterranean water for heat exchange purposes. [0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, therefore, there is provided a water detention system characterised by comprising at least a sub-base of particulate material in a layer having a substantial number of voids, an overlying permeable layer of particulate material, and a composite membrane comprising a first, permeable layer, a second impermeable layer and spacer means between the first and second layer, the spacer means acting to maintain at least part of the first and second layers out of contact with one another and to allow the movement of liquid in the space between them, the composite membrane being so positioned that water collecting on its surface can infiltrate into the sub-base from the edges of the composite drainage membrane or through openings formed in the second layer. [0008] When used as a separating layer over a sub-base of particulate material defining a plurality of voids, therefore, the composite membrane allows the infiltration of water passing through the permeable layer into the space between the two layers and then travelling laterally, towards the edges of the composite membrane, from which the water can escape into the sub-base. [0009] The form of the composite membrane may vary depending on the particular exigencies of use. For example, in some circumstances it may be quite sufficient for the individual layers simply to be placed in juxtaposed relation one over the other loosely without a bonding between the layers. Because overlying layers will in practice be placed on top of the membrane, for example a laying course and a wearing course, there will be no effective lateral forces between the layers requiring them to be bonded together. For convenience in handling of the membrane, however, they may nevertheless be held together in fixed relation and in one embodiment the components of the membrane are held together by adhesive bonding. Alternatively, however, the component may be held together by fixing elements such as, for example, staples. [0010] In a preferred embodiment of the invention the spacer means comprise a mesh or grid, and in particular a plastics mesh has been found to be particularly appropriate. Of course, since lateral transport of the water between the two layers spaced by the mesh is required a mesh structure which formed closed cells would be of little value and it is preferred, therefore, that the mesh is formed in such a way as to provide communicating or open cell structure when the mesh is placed between the two layers. This may be achieved, for example, by using a mesh formed of overlapping or "woven" filaments. [0011] Another way in which lateral transport of water may be achieved lies in the use of a plurality of discrete elements as the spacer means. Such discrete elements may be irregularly spaced over the surface of the membrane between the two layers or, in order to minimise on the material used, may be regularly spaced over this surface, it being appreciated that regular spacing allows wider separation of the spacer elements. Indeed, it will be appreciated that although the spacer elements hold the two layers out of contact with one another in the region of the elements themselves, it is possible for the two layers to touch between the regions contacted by the spacer elements. In this case the two layers may be secured together between the discrete elements and this, of course, would assist in maintaining the discrete elements in determined positions spaced over the area of the membrane. [0012] Although discrete elements in the form of studs, pebbles, beads or other granular material may be used, these could alternatively be elongate, possibly even spanning the entire width of the membrane, formed as rods, bars or tubes. [0013] It is also within the ambit of the present invention for the second, impermeable layer to be formed with surface formations acting themselves as the spacers. Thus local inspissation, corrugation or embossment of the second layer may serve to hold other regions thereof in the required spaced relation with respect to the permeable layer. [0014] Permeability of the first layer may be achieved by forming this as a woven or non-woven textile material, in which case the fibres or filaments may be heat bonded to make a strong resistant material suitable for use as a geotextile. [0015] The present invention also comprehends a water detention system comprising at least a sub-base of particulate material in a layer having a substantial number of voids, and an overlying composite membrane formed by laying down successive layers in a substantially unbonded juxtaposition, and so positioned that water collecting on the surface can infiltrate into the sub-base at least from the edge of the membrane or through openings formed therein. The intermediate layer in such a structure may be made of stones or crushed rock laid to a depth of between a few cm to several tens of cm. [0016] In a structure suitable for water detention the sub-base may overly an impermeable or at least substantially impermeable underlying layer, and this layer may be a geological formation such as a sub-grade or may be an introduced at least substantially impermeable, underlying layer in the form of a membrane. [0017] The underlying layer need not necessarily be planar, and, indeed, there are circumstances which will be described in more detail below in which irregular further cavities or sumps, or at least one cavity or sump, may be of particular value. [0018] Above the composite membrane of the water detention system there may be a further particulate layer and this may be a laying course for a wearing layer which may comprise a plurality of paving elements and which, in a preferred embodiment, may be blocks or slabs having means defining openings between them when laid in juxtaposed relation. [0019] Alternatively, the wearing layer may comprise a substantially continuous layer of permeable material such as asphalt, porous concrete or the like. [0020] A water detention system formed in locations other than under urban pavements may also be formed, and in such a case the particulate material overlying the composite membrane may itself constitute a wearing layer (for example, gravel laid to a path or drive, or a larger standing area). It could also be entirely unrelated to any traffic or parking system, in which case the further layer may be overlain by soil and/or vegetation. This is of particular value where the water detention system is provided primarily for collection and storage of water for purposes other than simply management of the water run-off. It may be stored, for example, for further use in irrigation, as wash water or even for use in other agricultural environments, such as drinking water for animals. Continue reading about Water detention system incorporating a composite draining membrane... Full patent description for Water detention system incorporating a composite draining membrane Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Water detention system incorporating a composite draining membrane patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Water detention system incorporating a composite draining membrane or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Vibratory plate Next Patent Application: Method of constructing a secondary containment area Industry Class: Hydraulic and earth engineering ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Water detention system incorporating a composite draining membrane patent info. 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