WO2002075092A1

WO2002075092A1 - Flood defence

Info

Publication number: WO2002075092A1
Application number: PCT/GB2002/001375
Authority: WO
Inventors: Maurice Francis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-03-21
Filing date: 2002-03-21
Publication date: 2002-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 2003-09-21
Also published as: GB2390635B; GB2390635A; GB0107060D0; GB0324290D0

Abstract

A flood defence system for a closure such as a door (7) movable relative to a surrounding structure such as a doorframe (9). The door (7) is supported for pivotal movement relative to the doorframe (9) about a vertical axis at one side of the door by hinges (4 and 6). The hinge (6) is spring loaded and biases the door (7) to first, raised operative position for opening closing movement relative to the door frame (9). The door (7) is movable against the spring loading to a second, lowered operative position in which the bottom edge of the door (7) is engageable with a sealing strip (17) to provide a watertight seal along the bottom edge of the door (7) when closed. The doorframe (9) is provided with sealing strips (14) and side edges of the door (7) are engageable with the sealing strips (14) to provide watertight seals along both sides of the door (7) when closed. In another arrangement (Figure 10) the closure is a panel extending between two posts forming part of an enclosure for protecting an area within the enclosure against flooding.

Description

FLOOD DEFENCE

This invention relates to flood defence and in particular, but not exclusively, to arrangements for sealing a closure such as a door, gate or the like when closed or an aperture or opening such as a porch, passageway, trap door or the like to protect against flooding. The invention also concerns flood defence systems for a building such as a house, factory or the like employing such arrangements. The invention further includes parts and fittings employed in such arrangements.

The exit doors normally provided for access to and from a building can allow floodwater to enter the building causing damage to the structure of the building and to internal furnishings and/or equipment. Attempts to seal such doors when closed have proved generally unsatisfactory and the erection of a temporary barrier with sandbags is still widely used to protect against entry of floodwater.

This is time consuming and often there is insufficient time and/or an inadequate supply of sandbags available to construct the barrier. There are also limits on the size of barrier that can be erected using sandbags. This method of flood protection is therefore of limited use and is usually only effective at low levels of flooding when there is adequate advance warning of a flood to allow the barrier to be constructed.

It is also known to provide a removable floodgate that can be fitted in front of an exit door to prevent floodwater entering a building. The floodgate is normally mounted in a frame permanently attached to the building with watertight seals between the frame and the building and between the frame and the floodgate. This type of barrier is easier and quicker to erect than one using sandbags and can generally be used to provide flood defence up to higher levels of flooding than can be achieved with a barrier constructed from sandbags.

This method of flood defence still requires an advance warning of flooding to enable the floodgate to be fitted before the flood level reaches a height at which water can enter the building through the door. In addition, this method is not universally applicable for use with all types and constructions of exit door. In particular, for some exit doors, it may be difficult fitting a floodgate to achieve an effective seal if the frame cannot extend below the bottom of the door.

The present invention has been made from a consideration of the problems and disadvantages of existing methods of flood defence.

Thus, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a flood defence system that mitigates at least some of the problems and disadvantages of the known methods of flood defence.

It is a preferred aim of the present invention to provide a flood defence system for a closure that is effective at preventing initial flood damage.

It is another preferred aim of the present invention to provide a flood defence system for a closure that can be installed without interfering with normal use of the closure when there is no threat or risk of flooding.

It is yet a further preferred aim of the present invention to provide a flood defence system for a closure that is automatically operative to protect against entry of floodwater when the closure is closed.

It is still another preferred aim of the present invention to provide a flood defence system for a closure in which the closure is incorporated in a barrier erected around a building or other structure or area to be protected from flooding.

It is yet a still further preferred aim of the present invention to provide a flood defence system for a closure that allows both normal use of the closure when there is no threat or risk of flooding and that seals the closure when closed to protect against flooding.

It is another preferred aim of the present invention to provide a hinge arrangement for mounting a closure so that the closure can be opened and closed for normal use and can be sealed in an emergency for preventing entry of floodwater.

It is yet another aim of the present invention to provide a flood defence system for providing a barrier around a building or other space or area to be protected from flooding.

It is a still further aim of the present invention to provide a flood defence system for closing an aperture or opening in a building or other structure to prevent entry of floodwater.

These and other advantages and benefits of the invention will be apparent from the description of the flood defence system hereinafter.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a flood defence system for a closure such as a door, a gate, or the like, in which the system comprises a closure supported for pivotal movement relative to a support member between open and closed positions by hinge means biased to a first operative condition in which the closure can pivot about a substantially vertical hinge axis between the open and closed positions, and is moveable substantially parallel to the hinge axis against the biasing to a second operative condition when the closure is closed, and means for sealing side and bottom edges of the closure in the second operative condition.

By this invention, the closure, such as an exit door for access to and from a building, can open and close for normal use and can be sealed when closed to protect against flooding. Thus, when installed, the closure can be opened and closed as normal and sealed when closed without having to fit any additional parts when there is a risk of flooding.

The support member may be in the form of a doorframe if the closure is a door. Alternatively the support member may be in the form of a post if the closure is a gate or a barrier.

The hinge means preferably comprises at least one hinge having a first leaf connectable to the support member and a second leaf connectable to the closure with the first and second leaves being connected by a hinge pin for relative pivotal movement about said vertical hinge axis.

Advantageously, the hinge leaves are biased to the first operative condition by a spring. The spring is preferably a coil spring but may be of any other suitable type, for example a leaf spring. The spring may act directly on the leaves to bias the hinge to the first operative condition. For example, the spring may be incorporated into the hinge. Alternatively, the spring may act indirectly on the leaves to bias the hinge to the first operative condition. For example, the spring may act on the closure remote from the hinge.

In one preferred arrangement, the hinge pin is integral with one of the hinge leaves, and the other hinge leaf is rotatably and slidably engageable with the hinge pin. In this way, the hinge leaves are connected for relative pivotal movement in the first operative condition for normal opening and closing of the closure, and for relative axial sliding movement in the direction of the hinge axis to the second operative condition.

Advantageously, the hinge leaves have co-operating formations that are engageable in the second operative condition to prevent relative pivotal movement and which are released when the hinge is biased to the first operative condition to allow relative pivotal movement. For example, one of the hinge leaves may have an axial slot in which a tongue on the other hinge leaf is received to block relative pivotal movement of the hinge leaves.

The sealing means may comprise an elongate strip of resiliently deformable material arranged between the side and bottom edges of the closure and an adjacent structure when the closure is closed. For example, the sealing strip may be made of an elastomeric material such as natural or synthetic rubber e.g. neoprene or a plastics material e.g. polyethylene.

The sealing strip may be mounted on the closure but more preferably is mounted on the adjacent structure. The sealing strip may extend the full height of the closure on each side or it may extend for part of the height only, typically up to at least the known or expected flood level. Where known or expected flood levels may exceed the height of the closure, the sealing strip is arranged to extend completely around the closure so as to seal the top, bottom and side edges of the closure.

Preferably, the sealing strip is clear off or lightly contacts the bottom edge of the closure in the first operative condition and is compressed by the bottom edge of the closure so as to provide a watertight seal therebetween in the second operative condition. In this way, the closure can be opened and closed for normal use in the first operative condition without interference with the sealing strip.

The closure is preferably secured closed by means of a fastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism may be arranged to displace the closure against the biasing to the second operative condition. For example, the fastening mechanism may comprise a striker having a tapered head engageable with a striker plate when the closure is closed. In this way, the closure is automatically secured and retained in the second operative condition with the side and bottom edges sealed relative to the adjacent structure by actuation of the fastening mechanism when the closure is closed.

Alternatively, the closure may be manually movable against the biasing to the second operative condition in which the fastening mechanism may be actuated to secure and retain the closure closed. In this arrangement, the fastening mechanism may be manually operable or it may be automatically operable when the closure has been displaced to compress the sealing strip sufficiently to produce a watertight seal along the bottom edge. For example, the fastening mechanism may comprise a spring loaded bolt that is manually releasable when it is desired to release the closure.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a hinge for a closure comprising a first hinge leaf connectable to a closure, a second hinge lead connectable to a support for the closure, the first and second hinge leaves being connected for relative hinging movement about a hinge axis for opening and closing the closure in a first position, and being relatively movable substantially parallel to the hinge axis between the first position and a second position axially offset from the first position. Advantageously, relative axial movement of the hinge leaves may be used to lower a closure supported by the hinge when closed to effect a seal between the bottom edge of the closure and an adjacent structure.

Preferably, the hinge leaves are arranged to interengage so as to prevent relative hinging movement in the second position. For example, the hinge leaves may have interengageable co-operating formation such as a tongue received in a slot to locate the hinge leaves to block hinging movement. In this way, the closure is held closed by interengagement of the hinge leaves in the second position.

Advantageously, the hinge leaves are biased to the first condition allowing relative pivotal movement therebetween for normal opening and closing of a closure supported by the hinge.

According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a flood defence system comprising a plurality of panels erected to define an enclosure, each panel extending between two posts and being sealed at opposite ends relative to the posts and along a bottom edge relative to an adjacent surface, wherein at least one of the panels is supported at one end for hinging movement relative to the adjacent post for opening and closing movement relative to the post adjacent the other end.

Preferably, the movable panel is supported by hinge means comprising one or more hinges of the type according to the second aspect of the present invention whereby the panel is lowered to effect a seal along the bottom edge in the closed position.

Advantageously, the length of the panels can be adapted to the spacing between pairs of posts to ensure a watertight seal is obtained between the ends of the panels and the posts. For example, each panel may comprise a main frame and an extension frame member at one end slidably engageable with the main frame whereby the length of the panel can be adjusted by displacement of the extension frame member relative to the main frame.

Where the panel is fixed to the posts at each end, i.e. non-opening, the extension frame member may be displaced by a powered device such as a ram temporarily inserted between the main frame and the extension frame member and locked in the extended position by any suitable means such as removable locking pins allowing the ram to be removed.

Where the panel is hinged to a post at one end, i.e. opening, the extension frame member may be displaced by a cam device operated by a lever that can be releasably secured to lock the panel in the extended position when the panel is closed and released when it is desired to open the panel.

According to a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a post assembly for use in a flood defence system in which the post assembly comprises at least one post having a first member of substantially cylindrical shape closed at one end and open at the other end, the first member being adapted to be embedded in the ground with the open end uppermost, and a second member having a lower end that is received in the open end of the first member and an upper end that extends from the open end of the first member, sealing means disposed between opposed axially facing surfaces of the first and second members, and locking means for securing the first and second members so as to compress the sealing means between the axially facing surfaces.

In a preferred arrangement, the locking means comprises a bar integral with the second member and rotatably engageable with an annular cam face integral with the first member. The cam surface is profiled so that rotation of the bar in one direction lowers the second member to compress the sealing means between the axially facing surfaces and terminates in a notch or similar formation to receive and retain the bar in a locked condition.

The post assembly may be used for mounting the panels of the flood defence system according to the third aspect of the invention.

According to a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a flood defence system for sealing an opening or aperture in a building or other structure comprising a panel to be fitted in the opening, the panel being of rectangular shape and having means for adjusting the length and/or width of the panel to adapt the panel to fit openings of different size, and sealing means for sealing around the marginal edge of the panel fitted in the opening.

According to a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a method of sealing a closure such as a door, a gate or the like relative to an adjacent structure including the steps of:- mounting the closure for hinging movement about a substantially vertical axis at or near one side edge of the panel between a closed position and an open position, axially biasing the closure to a first raised position for said hinging movement, and moving the closure against the axial biasing to a second lowered position for sealing a bottom edge of the closure relative to an adjacent surface when the closure is closed.

Preferably, the method includes the step of sealing opposite side edges of the closure relative to an adjacent surface when the closure is closed. In this way, a watertight seal may be obtained between opposite sides of closure and adjacent surfaces of a support structure such as a frame and between the bottom of the closure and the frame or ground to prevent entry of floodwater.

The invention will now be more fully described in each of the aspects by way of example only with the reference to the accompanying drawings wherein :-

Figure 1 shows a flood defence system applied to a door according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows part of the fastening mechanism for securing the door closed;

Figure 5 is an exploded view of the parts of one of the hinges shown in Figure 1 for mounting the door;

Figure 6 shows the assembled hinge of Figure 5 in a first condition;

Figure 7 shows the assembled hinge of Figure 5 in a second operative condition;

Figure 8 shows another of the hinges shown in Figure 1 in a closed position; Figure 9 shows the hinge of Figure 8 rotated through 90° ;

Figure 10 shows part of a flood defence system applied to a flood barrier according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 11 shows a detail of the arrangement for adapting the length of an opening panel of the flood barrier shown in Figure 10;

Figure 12 shows a detail of the arrangement for adapting the length of a fixed panel of the flood barrier shown in Figure 10;

Figure 13 shows a post assembly for use in the flood defence system shown in Figure 10;

Figure 14 shows the post assembly of Figure 13 rotated through 90° ;

Figure 15 is a plan view showing the end position of the second post member relative to the first post member in full and broken lines;

Figure 16 shows a blanking cap for the first post member of the post assembly shown in Figure 13;

Figure 17 shows a panel for closing an aperture; and

Figure 18 shows an alternative panel for closing an aperture.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown a flood defence system 1 applied to an exit door 7 of a building (not shown) such as the front or back door of a house. The door 7 is pivotal about a vertical hinge axis at one side of the door 7 for opening/closing movement relative to a doorframe 8. The door 7 is mounted on the doorframe 8 by a pair of hinges 4 at the top and bottom of the door 7 and by a further spring biased hinge 6 located centrally between the hinges 4.

Each hinge 4 is identical and comprises a first member 20 and a second member 30.

The first member 20 has a leaf 21 and two knuckles 22 and 23. The leaf 21 has screw holes 24 for securing the first member to one of the door 7 and doorframe 8 with screws (not shown) .

The second member 30 has a leaf 31 and an integral hinge pin 40. The leaf 31 has screw holes 32 for securing the second member 30 to the other of the door 7 and door frame 8 by screws (not shown) .

The hinge pin 40 is rotatably received in the knuckles 22,23 to connect the first and second members 20,30 for pivotal movement about the hinge axis. The knuckle 22 is closed in the circumferential direction. The knuckle 23 has a helical cam face 27 at the end facing the knuckle 22 leading to axial slot 26 adjacent to the leaf 21.

The first and second members 20,30 are relatively axially movable in the direction of the hinge axis between a first position shown in Figure 6 and a second position shown in Figure 7.

In the first position, the leaf 31 is received in the axial slot 26 blocking relative rotation of the first and second members 20,30. In the second position, the leaf 31 is clear of the axial slot 26 allowing relative rotation of the first and second members 20,30.

The spring biased hinge 5 includes a first member 60 having a hinge leaf 61 with screw holes 62 for securing the leaf 61 to the door 7 by screws (not shown) .

A second member 63 has a base 64 with screw holes 65 by means of which it is secured to the doorframe 8 with screws (not shown) . A pair of arms 66,67 extend from the opposite ends of the base 64 and carry a tension bar 68.

The tension bar 68 has an externally threaded portion 69 that extends through a hole 70 in the upper arm 66 and is secured in an axially adjusted position by a nut 71.

A transverse pin 72 extends through the bar 68 and supports a plate 73 between the arms 66,67. The plate 73 provides an abutment for one end of a coil spring 74 encircling the bar 68. The other end of the spring 74 abuts a flange 75 at the upper end of a hinge leaf 76 pivotally connected to the hinge leaf 61 by a hinge pin (not shown) .

The upper arm 66 also supports an axially extending guide bar 77 that extends through the flange 75 to locate angularly the hinge leaf 76 relative to the base 64 of the second member 63.

In a modification (not shown) , guide bar 77 may be omitted and replaced by a further tension bar 68 and spring 74 providing a twin spring arrangement. The door 7 is biased in an upwards direction by the spring 74 acting on the flange 75 of the hinge leaf 76 to a first, raised position in which the hinges 4 at the top and bottom of the door 7 adopt the second position shown in Figure 7.

In this condition, the door 7 can be opened and closed relative to the door frame 8 and adjustments can be made to the position of the door 7 in the doorframe 8 by adjusting the position of the tension bar 68 to alter the biasing of the spring 74 acting on the hinge leaf 76.

The door frame 8 has a vertical jamb 15 at each side connected at the top by a horizontal head rail 9. The jambs 15 are rebated to receive the opposite side edges 16 of the door 7 and are provided with elongate sealing strips 14 engageable with the side edges 16 of the door 7 in the closed position.

As best shown in Figure 2, the jamb 15 on the hinged side of the door 7 has a simple profile with sealing strips 14 on two faces at 90° to each other engageable with the closed face and edge face respectively of the door 7. The jamb 15 on the opposite side of the door 7 has a stepped profile and the side edge of the door is of corresponding stepped profile with a series of sealing strips 14 provided on each step of the door frame 8.

When the door 7 is closed, the sealing strips 14 are compressed to provide a watertight seal along both side edges of the door 7. In this condition, the bottom edge of the door 7 is clear of or only lightly contacts a sealing strip 17 that extends along the ground or other fixed surface between the jambs 15 under the door 7. In the closed position, the door 7 can be lowered by compressing the spring 74 biasing the door to the upper, raised position causing the leaf 31 of each hinge 4 to enter the slot 26 in the leaf 21 as shown in Figure 6.

The cam face 27 on the upper edge of the knuckle 23 assists in locating the leaf 21 in the slot 26 as the door 7 is lowered if the door 7 is not fully closed due to the resilience of the sealing strips 14 for the side edges of the door 7.

In the lowered position, the bottom edge of the door 7 compresses the sealing strip 17 to provide a watertight seal along the bottom edge of the door 7. As a result, the door 7 is sealed relative to the doorframe 8 along both side edges and the bottom edge.

The door 7 is secured in this condition by engagement of three bolts 3 secured to the door 7 with aligned keepers 5 on the doorframe 8. Two of the bolts 3 are located at opposite sides of the door 7 adjacent the bottom edge and the third bolt 3 is located centrally on the side edge remote from the hinges 4,6.

Each bolt 3 is similar and has a head with a taper surface 3a that cooperates with the associated keeper 5 to displace the door 7 to the lowered position for sealing along the bottom edge against the biasing of the spring 74.

The head has a further taper surface (not shown) that co-operates with the keeper 5 to urge the door 7 towards the closed position to assist compression of the sealing strips 14 to ensure a watertight seal is obtained. When it is desired to open the door 7, the bolts 3 are withdrawn and the door 7 is automatically displaced by the biasing of spring 74 to the upper raised position in which the leaf 31 is clear of the slot 26 in each of the hinges 4. In this position, pivotal movement of the door 7 away from the closed position is permitted.

As will now be appreciated, the door 7 is automatically sealed along the side and bottom edges when it is secured closed thereby providing protection against flooding without requiring any special steps to erect a flood barrier with sandbags or installation of a separate floodgate across the door 7.

As a result, once the door 7 is closed, protection is provided even if flooding subsequently occurs suddenly without warning and compression of the sealing strips 14, 17 also provides an effective seal against wind and/or rain under normal conditions of use.

The sealing strips 14,17 are made of any suitable resiliently compressible material including elastomers such as natural or synthetic rubbers and plastics such as polyethylene. The sealing strips 14, 17 may be cut to length from extrusions of the appropriate cross-section and secured to the doorframe by any suitable means. For example, the sealing strips 14, 17 may be secured by adhesive or have integral locating formations (not shown) received in locating grooves (not shown) formed in the doorframe 8.

Referring now to Figure 10, part of a flood defence system is shown in the form of a barrier erected around a building or other area to be protected against flooding. The barrier is formed by a plurality of panels 90 extending between and sealed at opposite ends to posts 93. Each panel 90 is also sealed along the bottom edge between the posts 93.

Each panel 90 comprises a metal sheet 92 secured to a frame 91 and all but one of the panels 90 is fixed and secured at opposite ends to the adjacent post 93 by a pair of bolts 94, one at the top and one at the bottom of the frame 91 , engaging keepers 95 on the post 93.

The bolts 94 have tapered heads (not shown) as described previously that co-operate with the keepers 95 to lower the panels 90 to compress sealing strips (not shown) provided between the bottom edge of the panel and the adjacent surface.

The remaining panel 90 provides a gate and is mounted for pivotal movement about a vertical axis at one end by a pair of hinges 96 at the top and bottom of the panel 90 and by a spring loaded hinge 97 located centrally therebetween.

The construction and arrangement of the hinges 96,97 is generally similar to that of the hinges 4,6 described previously and allow the panel 90 to be opened and closed in a first, raised condition of the panel 90 for access to the building or space within the enclosure defined by the barrier.

The panel 90 is forced downwards to compress a sealing strip along the bottom edge by engagement of bolts 94 having tapered heads (not shown) co-operable with keepers 95 at the top and bottom of the panel 90 as described previously.

In addition, the length of the panels 90 can be adjusted for sealing against the posts 93 by means of a U-shaped extension member 98 with arms 99 slidably received in horizontal rails 100 at the top and bottom of the frame 91.

As best shown in Figure 11, the movable panel 90 has a rotatable cam plate 101 operated by a lever 102 to displace the extension member 98 from a retracted position shown in solid lines to an extended position shown in broken lines.

#

The extension member 98 is secured in the extended position by inserting a pin (not shown) through one of a series of holes 103 in a retainer 104 to engage an aligned hole (not shown) in the lever 102 so as to lock the cam plate 101 in position. The cam plate 101 can be released by removing the pin when it is desired to open the panel 90.

As best shown in Figure 12, the extension member 98 of each fixed panel 90 can be displaced by temporarily inserting a ram 105 or similar device between the frame 91 and the extension member 98.

The extension member 98 is secured in the extended position by inserting pins (not shown) through holes 106 in the rails at the top and bottom of the frame 91 to engage aligned holes (not shown) in the arms 99 of the extension member 98. In this way, the ram 105 can be removed and used to extend another fixed panel 90 for assembly of the barrier.

Referring now to Figures 13 to 16, one of the posts 93 for erecting the barrier of Figure 10 is shown and comprises a first member 70 for locating in the ground and a second member 80 upstanding from the first member 80 for mounting the panels 90.

The first member 70 is of substantially cylindrical configuration closed at the lower end 71 and open at the upper end 73. A flange plate 72 secured to the closed end 71 of the first member 70 assists anchoring the first member 70 in the ground, for example by embedding the member 70 in concrete.

The second member 80 has an external annular flange 81 intermediate the ends and is slidably received in the open end 73 of the first member 70. An annular sealing ring 76 is positioned between the flange 81 and an external annular flange 78 at the upper end of the first member 70. The sealing ring 76 comprises a resiliently compressible material such as an elastomer or plastics as described previously and may be formed by moulding.

A transverse locking bar 82 on the second member 80 is co-operable with an annular cam face 74 on the first member 70 when the second member 80 is rotated through 90° in the direction of arrow A relative to first member 70 from the position shown in solid lines in Figure 13 to the position shown in dotted lines to lower the second member 80 towards the first member 70.

As a result, the sealing ring 76 is compressed between the flanges 78,81 to form a watertight seal between the post members 70,80 and the free ends of the locking bar 82 are received in notches 75 at the ends of the cam faces 74 to secure the post members 70,80 together with the sealing ring 76 compressed therebetween.

As will be appreciated, the panels 90 and posts 93 can be erected to provide a barrier to protect an area within the barrier from flooding. The barrier can be adapted to any desired size and shape with one or more panels being mounted for hinging movement to provide access to the area within the barrier when required. In this way, a flood barrier can be erected around a building such as a factory to provide permanent protection against flooding when the barrier is closed.

If it is desired to remove the barrier for any reason, the upper member 80 of each post 93 can be removed leaving the lower member 70 secured in the ground. A cap 83 is then fitted to close the open end of the lower member 70.

The cap 83 has a transverse locking bar 84 on the underside for engagement with the cam face 74 of the member 70 when the cap 83 is rotated to locate the ends of the bar 84 in the notches 75. In this way, the cap 83 is pulled towards the flange 78 to compress the sealing ring 76.

The cap 83 prevents the member 70 becoming blocked with dirt or detritus when the barrier is dismantled and can be removed to allow insertion of the upper member 80 when the barrier is to erected.

Referring now to Figures 17 and 18, examples of two panels 120 for sealing an aperture or opening such as a porch, passageway, trap door or under manhole covers are shown.

Each of the panels 120 has an extension member 121 at one end for adjusting the length of the panel and an extension member 122 on one side for adjusting the width of the panel.

The extension members 121 , 122 may be displaced by a lever operated cam plate 123 (Figure 17) as described previously or by screw jacks 124 (Figure 18) to adapt the panel 120 to the size of the aperture or opening. Sealing strips (not shown) extending around the periphery of the panels 120 are compressed to provide a watertight seal and the panels 120 are secured by bolts 125 engaging keepers 126 as described previously.

It will be appreciated that the invented flood defence systems for protecting a building from floodwater may be used in conjunction with other methods of flood defence to ensure that water does not enter the building by other means. For example, by blocking air bricks and/or preventing back-flow of water through drainage systems for removing waste water and/or sewerage from the building.

Finally, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments above-described and that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A flood defence system for a closure such as a door, a gate, or the like, in which the system comprises a closure supported for pivotal movement relative to a support member between open and closed positions by hinge means biased to a first operative condition in which the closure can pivot about a substantially vertical hinge axis between the open and closed positions, and is moveable substantially parallel to the hinge axis against the biasing to a second operative condition when the closure is closed, and means for sealing side and bottom edges of the closure in the second operative condition.

2. A flood defence system according to claim 1 characterised in that the hinge means comprises at least one hinge having a first leaf connectable to the support member and a second leaf connectable to the closure with the first and second leaves being connected by a hinge pin for relative pivotal movement about said vertical hinge axis.

3. A flood defence system according to claim 2 characterised in that the hinge leaves are biased to the first operative condition by a spring.

4. A flood defence system according to claim 3 characterised in that the spring is a coil spring or a leaf spring.

5. A flood defence system according to claim 3 or claim 4 characterised in that the spring acts directly on the leaves to bias the hinge to the first operative condition.

6. A flood defence system according to claim 3 or claim 4 characterised in that the spring acts indirectly on the leaves to bias the hinge to the first operative condition.

7. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 2 to 6 characterised in that the hinge pin is integral with one of the hinge leaves, and the other hinge leaf is rotatably and slidably engageable with the hinge pin.

8. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 2 to 7 characterised in that the hinge leaves are connected for relative pivotal movement in the first operative condition for normal opening and closing of the closure, and for relative axial sliding movement in the direction of the hinge axis to the second operative condition.

9. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 2 to 8 characterised in that the hinge leaves have co-operating formations that are engageable in the second operative condition to prevent relative pivotal movement and which are released when the hinge is biased to the first operative condition to allow relative pivotal movement.

10. A flood defence system according to claim 9 characterised in that one of the hinge leaves has an axial slot in which a tongue on the other hinge leaf is received to block relative pivotal movement of the hinge leaves.

11. A flood defence system according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the sealing means comprises an elongate strip of resiliently deformable material arranged between the side and bottom edges of the closure and an adjacent structure when the closure is closed.

12. A flood defence system according to claim 11 characterised in that the sealing strip is made of an elastomeric material such as natural or synthetic rubber e.g. neoprene or a plastics material e.g. polyethylene.

13. A flood defence system according to claim 11 or claim 12 characterised in that the sealing strip is mounted on the closure.

14. A flood defence system according to claim 11 or claim 12 characterised in that the sealing strip is mounted on the adjacent structure.

15. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 11 to 14 characterised in that the sealing strip extends the full height of the closure on each side.

16. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 11 to 14 characterised in that the sealing strip extends for part of the height of the closure, typically up to at least the known or expected flood level.

17. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 11 to 14 characterised in that the sealing strip is arranged to extend completely around the closure so as to seal the top, bottom and side edges of the closure.

18. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 11 to 17 characterised in that the sealing strip is clear off or lightly contacts the bottom edge of the closure in the first operative condition and is compressed by the bottom edge of the closure so as to provide a watertight seal therebetween in the second operative condition.

19. A flood defence system according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the closure is secured closed by means of a fastening mechanism.

20. A flood defence system according to claim 19 characterised in that the fastening mechanism is arranged to displace the closure against the biasing to the second operative condition.

21. A flood defence system according to claim 20 characterised in that the fastening mechanism comprises a striker having a tapered head engageable with a striker plate when the closure is closed.

22. A flood defence system according to claim 21 characterised in that the closure is automatically secured and retained in the second operative condition with the side and bottom edges sealed relative to the adjacent structure by actuation of the fastening mechanism when the closure is closed.

23. A flood defence system according to claim 19 characterised in that the closure is manually movable against the biasing to the second operative condition in which the fastening mechanism may be actuated to secure and retain the closure closed.

24. A flood defence system according to claim 23 characterised in that the fastening mechanism is manually operable or automatically operable when the closure has been displaced to compress the sealing strip sufficiently to produce a watertight seal along the bottom edge.

25. A flood defence system according to claim 24 characterised in that the fastening mechanism comprises a spring loaded bolt that is manually releasable when it is desired to release the closure.

26. A flood defence system according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the support member is a doorframe and the closure is a door.

27. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 1 to 25 characterised in that the support member is a post and the closure is a panel such as a gate or a barrier.

28. A flood defence system according to claim 27 characterised in that the panel extends between two posts and is sealed at opposite ends relative to the posts and along a bottom edge relative to an adjacent surface, wherein the panel is supported by said hinge means at one end for hinging movement relative to the adjacent post for opening and closing movement relative to the post adjacent the other end.

29. A flood defence system according to claim 28 characterised in that the length of the panel can be adapted to the spacing between said posts to ensure a watertight seal is obtained between the ends of the panel and the posts.

30. A flood defence system according to claim 29 characterised in that the panel comprises a main frame and an extension frame member at one end slidably engageable with the main frame whereby the length of the panel can be adjusted by displacement of the extension frame member relative to the main frame.

31. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 28 to 30 characterised in that a plurality of panels are provided, each panel extending between a pair of posts, the panels and posts being arranged to define an enclosure wherein at least one panel is supported at one end by said hinge means for opening and closing movement relative to the post at the other end.

32. A flood defence system according to claim 30 characterised in that the remaining panels are fixed to the posts at each end.

33. A flood defence system according to claim 32 as dependent on claim 30 characterised in that the extension frame member of each fixed panel is displaced by a powered device such as a ram temporarily inserted between the main frame and the extension frame member and locked in the extended position by any suitable means such as removable locking pins allowing the ram to be removed.

34. A flood defence system according to claim 31 as dependent on claim 30 characterised in that the extension frame member of the hinged panel is displaced by a cam device operated by a lever that can be releasably secured to lock the panel in the extended position when the panel is closed and released when it is desired to open the panel.

35. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 27 to 34 characterised in that the or each post has a first member of substantially cylindrical shape closed at one end and open at the other end, the first member being adapted to be embedded in the ground with the open end uppermost, and a second member having a lower end that is received in the open end of the first member and an upper end that extends from the open end of the first member, sealing means disposed between opposed axially facing surfaces of the first and second members, and locking means for securing the first and second members so as to compress the sealing means between the axially facing surfaces .

36. A flood defence system according to claim 35 characterised in that the locking means comprises a bar integral with the second member and rotatably engageable with an annular cam face integral with the first member.

37. A flood defence system according to claim 36 characterised in that the cam surface is profiled so that rotation of the bar in one direction lowers the second member to compress the sealing means between the axially facing surfaces and terminates in a notch or similar formation to receive and retain the bar in a locked condition.

38. A flood defence system according to any one of claims 1 to 26 characterised in that the system further includes at least one panel for sealing an aperture or opening in a structure, the panel being of rectangular shape having means for adjusting the length and/or width of the panel to adapt the panel to fit openings of different size, and sealing means for sealing around the marginal edge of the panel fitted in the opening.

39. A method of sealing a closure such as a door, a gate or the like relative to an adjacent structure including the steps of:- mounting the closure for hinging movement about a substantially vertical axis at or near one side edge of the panel between a closed position and an open position, axially biasing the closure to a first raised position for said hinging movement, and moving the closure against the axial biasing to a second lowered position for sealing a bottom edge of the closure relative to an adjacent surface when the closure is closed.

40. A method according to claim 28 characterised in that the method further includes the step of sealing opposite side edges of the closure relative to an adjacent surface when the closure is closed.