Submersible bulkhead system and method of operating same

摘要

A bulkhead system and a method of implementing such a bulkhead system in relation to a dam are disclosed herein. In one example embodiment, such a method includes providing a plurality of bulkhead sections assembled together as a bulkhead assembly, and coupling first and second side assemblies to first and second ends of the bulkhead assembly. Further, the method includes causing a first of the bulkhead sections to receive a respective amount of ballast within an internal cavity therewithin, receiving water pressure at an upstream surface of the bulkhead assembly such that the bulkhead system is forced against the dam and substantially sealed in relation thereto, and operating to counteract the water pressure and thereby prevent or limit the flow of water past the dam, where the operating is performed at least in part by one or more brace members of the side assemblies.

主权项

1. A bulkhead system for preventing or limiting water flow, the bulkhead system comprising:
a bulkhead assembly having a first end and a second end, the bulkhead assembly including first and second bulkhead sections that each extend between the first and second ends, that are positioned adjacent to one another along a horizontal or substantially horizontal interface surface, and that are arranged so that the first bulkhead section is positioned vertically above the second bulkhead section, wherein each of the first and second bulkhead sections includes a respective cavity that is configured to receive ballast, the bulkhead sections being capable of varying degrees of floatation or submerging depending upon amounts of the ballast that are received in the cavities; and first and second side assemblies that are respectively positioned adjacent to the first and second ends of the bulkhead assembly and that are configured respectively to span respective distances outward from the respective first and second ends so that the overall bulkhead system will extend fully between opposed side structures of a dam when implemented in relation thereto, wherein each of the side assemblies includes a respective first structural member that extends outward away from the bulkhead assembly from a respective first location along the respective end of the bulkhead assembly adjacent to which the respective side assembly is positioned, and also each of the side assemblies includes a respective brace member that extends outward away from a respective second location along the bulkhead assembly adjacent to which the respective side assembly is positioned, up to a respective further location along the respective first structural member of the respective side assembly, and wherein the bulkhead system further includes a plurality of seal structures configured to establish a watertight or substantially watertight interfacing of the bulkhead system with respect to the dam when implemented in relation thereto.