EP1112425B1 - Method and device for assembling components for water retention tanks, such as swimming pools for example - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for assembling components for water retention tanks, such as swimming pools for example, characterised in that it consists in: producing parts or elements of the pool or shell (1) with one edge (7) oriented outwards, over at least part of their periphery, and outer structural elements (2, 3a, 3b, 4) with a groove (8) oriented inwards; providing a sealing joint (9) at the bottom of said groove; and engaging therein the adjacent outer edges (7) of two contiguous shell elements (1), such that they are urged to rest on said joint (9), under the pressure of water introduced in the pool thereby assembling the set of shell (1) elements, and thus producing the junction of said shell (1) parts or elements and sealing said junction.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and a device for assembling prefabricated components of water retention basins, such as swimming pools or swimming pools, for example. It also targets water retention basins such as swimming pools resulting from the implementation of this method and of this assembly device.

To date, numerous methods and systems have been proposed for carrying out underground, semi-underground or above-ground pools, using prefabricated elements assembled by means of various connecting devices, removable or not.

For example, document FR-2 726 597 describes a removable pool consisting of a plurality of elements molded by a rotational molding process and assembled using bolts and gaskets through which the rods pass of said bolts. To avoid injury, a chute covers the ribs assembly and fixing means.

• la nécessité de disposer d'une surface de réception parfaitement plane ou de préparer une telle surface préalablement au montage du bassin ;
• l'obligation d'utiliser un grand nombre d'organes d'assemblage (tiges filetées et écrous) et des outils adéquats pour le serrage de ces derniers ;
• un temps de montage relativement long ;
• la difficulté de démontage pouvant résulter de la corrosion des organes d'assemblage due à leur immersion prolongée dans l'eau ;
• la présence de reliefs dangereux à l'intérieur de la piscine.

The disadvantages of such a construction are in particular:

• the need to have a perfectly flat receiving surface or to prepare such a surface before mounting the basin;
• the obligation to use a large number of assembly members (threaded rods and nuts) and adequate tools for tightening the latter;
• a relatively long assembly time;
• the difficulty of dismantling which may result from corrosion of the assembly members due to their prolonged immersion in water;
• the presence of dangerous reliefs inside the pool.

Document EP-0 799 952A describes a system for assembling panels prefabricated for the realization of a swimming pool partition, according to which each panel consists of a plate, the two opposite vertical edges of which are folded same side of the panel to form wings; the assembly of these panels is produced by means of two rectilinear profiles, that is to say a first profile having a section straight C-shaped, which is intended to cap the adjacent wings of two adjoining panels, and a second profile which is intended to engage in the first profile and between the two adjacent wings of these two panels, and stiffening means for locking in position, the two wings between the two profiles.

Such a method of mounting a swimming pool wall is very difficult to implement. artwork. Indeed, the assembly elements to be put in place by sliding longitudinal and must operate by wedging effect, they must be forced in, using a mallet or other tool.

For the same reasons, the dismantling of a wall produced in this way is, if not impossible, at least extremely difficult. On the other hand, the solidity of such an assembly is very random, so that document EP-0 799 952 provides for a stiffening of the partition by means of reinforcement legs.

Finally, the above-mentioned document provides for the use of a tarpaulin or envelope flexible to make the bottom and the waterproof covering of the vertical walls of the pool, this which implies having a tarpaulin exactly made for this purpose, subject to tear, difficult to put in place and requiring the preparation of a site strictly flat.

• une armature annulaire constituée globalement d'un élément de base, d'un ensemble d'éléments verticaux ou montants espacés montés dans l'élément de base et surmontés par un couronnement périphérique qui repose sur le sommet des montants ;
• une paroi verticale à base de tôle qui s'étend sur toute la périphérie intérieure de l'armature annulaire ;
• une bâche souple pour former le fond et un doublage étanche de la paroi périphérique.

In document WO 91/09 192, a swimming pool mounted above the ground is described comprising:

• an annular frame generally consisting of a base element, a set of vertical elements or spaced uprights mounted in the base element and surmounted by a peripheral crown which rests on the top of the uprights;
• a vertical wall based on sheet metal which extends over the entire inner periphery of the annular frame;
• a flexible sheet to form the bottom and a tight lining of the peripheral wall.

The annular framework consists of complex elements and the different component parts of the pool are difficult to set up and assemble. In furthermore, its mounting is only possible on strictly flat ground, which implies that we have such flat ground or that we must prepare it beforehand mounting. On the other hand, the work described in document WO 91/09 192, presents the aforementioned drawbacks of water retention basins produced using tarpaulin.

We still know (AU-55444/73 A), which represents the state of the art corresponding to preamble of the respective claims 1 and 2 appended, a panel assembly system having a rim oriented towards the outside, this system including elongate elements for joining these panels, having a longitudinal slot in which are engaged the adjoining external edges of two neighboring panels. The author of the above-mentioned document has considered several possible applications of this assembly system including "in fine", the assembly of swimming pools, without specifying however, in the case of inground, semi-inground or above-ground pools.

The invention proposes to remedy the drawbacks and inadequacies of water retention basins, such as removable pools intended to be mounted above the ground, for example.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method and a device assembly of components of a water retention basin, such as a swimming pool, set out in independent claims 1 and 2, respectively.

Thanks to the characteristic arrangements of the device and method of the invention, it is possible to install water retention basins such as swimming pools for individuals or communities, quickly, using simple and robust elements, without the use of assembly elements such as bolts or the like, mounting can be operated easily, without any tools, by only two people done, the shell elements are not assembled to each other, properly bet, but simply juxtaposed.

Another important advantage of the method and the device of the invention is that the hull is sealed by the weight of the hull elements and, above all, by the pressure of the water on the internal face of said shell elements under the effect of which the seal housed in the structural elements is compressed, the structural elements constituting the junction elements of the shell elements to resist the pressing forces exerted by water both in the direction perpendicular to said shell elements only in parallel directions to these.

The device and the method of the invention authorize the production of permanent or seasonal water storage; they avoid the use of significant and specialized external resources for the installation of such basins, and the quick and easy disassembly of the latter, for example for wintering. The different components of dismantled pools can be stored in a volume of reduced storage.

In addition, this device and this method do not impose any shape and dimensions particular basin, so that in the application to the realization of basins of swimming, in particular, various forms and dimensions of swimming pools are conceivable.

According to another very important characteristic arrangement of the invention, the frame or supporting structure comprises pillars or posts arranged to ability to lean on the ground, and sleepers, these pillars and sleepers being dimensioned and arranged so that after assembly, the bottom of the holding tank after installation, is placed above and at a distance from the ground, with the possibility of recovering land in its initial state or substantially in its initial state, after dismantling the tanks.

Thanks to this arrangement, it is possible to mount swimming pools having a variable depth.

According to another characteristic arrangement, the pillars or vertical carriers are equipped with length adjusting means, and / or wedging means making it possible to adjust, with great precision, the horizontality of the surface return chutes can equip the upper edge of the basins.

Thanks to this arrangement, the water retention basins can be mounted on land, planes or hilly, flat or inclined, natural or grassy.

La figure 1 est une vue en perspective éclatée illustrant le procédé et le dispositif d'assemblage étanche d'éléments constitutifs de bassins de retenue d'eau, selon l'invention.

La figure 2 est une vue en coupe longitudinale d'une piscine réalisée selon l'invention, considérée selon la ligne A-A de la figure 3.

La figure 3 est une vue en plan et en coupe selon la ligne B-B de la figure 2, de cette piscine.

La figure 4 est une vue en perspective éclatée de l'un des angles de la piscine.

La figure 5 est une vue à plus grande échelle et en demie coupe selon la ligne C-C de la figure 3.

La figure 6 est une vue de détail, à plus grande échelle et en coupe selon la ligne D-D de la figure 3.

La figure 7 est une vue de détail, à plus grande échelle et en coupe selon la ligne E-E de la figure 2.

The aims, characteristics and advantages above and others still will emerge more clearly from the description which follows and from the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the method and the sealed assembly device of components of water retention basins according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal section of a swimming pool produced according to the invention, considered along the line AA in FIG. 3.

Figure 3 is a plan view and in section along line BB of Figure 2, of this pool.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of one of the corners of the pool.

FIG. 5 is a view on a larger scale and in half-section along the line CC of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a detail view, on a larger scale and in section along the line DD of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a detail view, on a larger scale and in section along the line EE in FIG. 2.

Reference is made to said drawings to describe an interesting example, although in no way limiting, implementation of the method and of the assembly device of constituent elements of water retention basins according to the invention.

The invention relates, in general, to a water retention basin of which the assignments can be diverse (water reserve to fight fires, drinkers, aquaculture ponds, etc.), but one application particularly interesting is the realization of removable pools to which we refer more especially in the following description.

• d'une coque constituée d'une pluralité de parties ou éléments de coque 1, et ;
• d'une ossature ou structure porteuse extérieure constituée d'une pluralité d'éléments de structure comprenant, par exemple, des piliers 2, des traverses horizontales 3a, et, de manière avantageuse, des traverses rampantes 3b et des contrefiches 4, ces trois sortes d'éléments pouvant être exécutés individuellement et reliés de manière démontable, au moyen d'organes d'assemblage adéquats, ou, dans certains cas, réalisés d'une seule pièce.

The swimming pool according to the invention mainly consists of:

• a shell consisting of a plurality of parts or shell elements 1, and;
• of an external framework or supporting structure consisting of a plurality of structural elements comprising, for example, pillars 2, horizontal crosspieces 3a, and, advantageously, creeping crosspieces 3b and struts 4, these three kinds elements that can be executed individually and connected in a removable manner, by means of suitable assembly members, or, in some cases, made in one piece.

According to the example illustrated, the pool consists of two alignments of five elements 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, arranged on either side of its longitudinal axis; in in this case, all the shell elements are peripheral elements.

For example, a swimming pool of this kind can have a length of 10 m, a width of 5 m and a depth which can vary from 1 m to 2 m.

The peripheral elements include a bottom portion 5 and a portion of side wall 6 and can be made of any rigid plastic material and by any suitable molding process.

According to a first characteristic arrangement of the invention, the parts or shell elements 1 have, on at least part of their periphery, a flange 7 oriented towards the outside of the hull, while the structural elements 2, 3a, 3b, 4, are provided, in their face called to be oriented towards the interior of the shell, a groove 8 in the bottom of which is preferably housed and advantageous, a seal 9, and said shell elements 1 are assembled by joining their edges 7 and pushing the joined edges of the elements of adjoining shell in the groove 8 of said structural elements 2, 3a, 3b, 4.

The grooves 8 advantageously have a width equal to at least twice the the thickness of the flanges 7, so that two adjoining flanges can be pushed in and housed without significant play in said grooves. On the other hand, the edges 7 have a width barely less than the depth of the grooves 8, so that when the shell elements are in place, the free edge of said flanges rests on the seals 9 by compressing them, while the external face of the shell elements 1 is in support against the internal face of the structural elements 2, 3a, 3b, 4.

The seals 9 can be made of all rubbers or other elastomers Suitable. The shell elements 1 are preferably provided with stiffeners constituted by ribs 10 which are provided with the external faces of said elements hull. In this case, the structural elements 2, 3, 4a, 4b have, on their face facing outwards, transverse notches 11 for embedding said ribs.

An advantage of the pools according to the invention is that they can have a variable depth from one end to the other.

• un élément de coque d'angle 1A comportant deux portions de parois verticales perpendiculaires 6a, 6b et deux portions de fond 5a, 5b formant un angle obtus avec lesdites parois latérales et également entre elles ;
• un premier élément de coque latéral 1 B comprenant une portion de paroi verticale 6c et deux portions de fond inclinées 5c, 5d, la première portion de fond 5c étant rattachée à la paroi verticale 6c en formant un angle obtus avec celle-ci, tandis que la deuxième portion de fond 5d est rattachée à la première avec laquelle elle forme également un angle obtus ; les parois inclinées 5b, 5d des éléments de coque 1A, 1B forment, entre elles, un angle obtus ;
• un deuxième élément de coque latéral intermédiaire 1C comprenant une portion de paroi verticale 6d et deux portions de fond inclinées 5e, 5f, la première de ces portions de fond étant rattachée à la paroi verticale 6d en formant un angle obtus avec celle-ci, tandis que la deuxième est rattachée à la première avec laquelle elle forme également un angle obtus ; les parois inclinées 5d, 5f, des éléments de coque 1B, 1C, sont disposées dans un même plan oblique ; les portions de fond des éléments de coque 1A, 1B, 1C constituent une fosse dont le point le plus bas correspond à la ligne de jonction des portions de fond inclinées 5b, 5d des éléments de coque 1A, 1B, respectivement.
• un troisième élément de coque latéral intermédiaire 1D comprenant une portion de paroi latérale verticale 6e et une paroi de fond horizontale 5g ;
• un élément d'angle 1E comprenant deux portions de paroi latérale verticale 6f, 6g disposées perpendiculairement et une portion de fond horizontale 5h, se rattachant à la base desdites portions de paroi latérale.

According to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, by way of example only, the swimming pool shell consists of the following shell elements, on either side of its longitudinal axis, and from its left end to its right end:

• a corner shell element 1A comprising two portions of perpendicular vertical walls 6a, 6b and two bottom portions 5a, 5b forming an obtuse angle with said side walls and also between them;
• a first side shell element 1 B comprising a vertical wall portion 6c and two inclined bottom portions 5c, 5d, the first bottom portion 5c being attached to the vertical wall 6c at an obtuse angle with the latter, while the second bottom portion 5d is attached to the first with which it also forms an obtuse angle; the inclined walls 5b, 5d of the shell elements 1A, 1B form, between them, an obtuse angle;
• a second intermediate lateral shell element 1C comprising a vertical wall portion 6d and two inclined bottom portions 5e, 5f, the first of these bottom portions being attached to the vertical wall 6d at an obtuse angle with the latter, while that the second is attached to the first with which it also forms an obtuse angle; the inclined walls 5d, 5f, shell elements 1B, 1C, are arranged in the same oblique plane; the bottom portions of the shell elements 1A, 1B, 1C constitute a pit, the lowest point of which corresponds to the junction line of the inclined bottom portions 5b, 5d of the shell elements 1A, 1B, respectively.
• a third intermediate lateral shell element 1D comprising a vertical lateral wall portion 6e and a horizontal bottom wall 5g;
• a corner element 1E comprising two vertical side wall portions 6f, 6g arranged perpendicularly and a horizontal bottom portion 5h, connected to the base of said side wall portions.

According to this embodiment, the bottom walls 5a-5b, 5c-5d, 5e-5f, elements shell 1A, 1B, 1C, respectively, extend below the level in which find the bottom walls 5g, 5h, shell elements 1D, 1E, respectively, of so that the shell constituting the swimming pool or other water retention basin, has a variable depth, from one end to the other of said swimming pool or basin.

As indicated above, the structural elements include pillars 2 and horizontal crosspieces 3a. On the other hand, given the fact that one of the aims of the invention is the possibility of making swimming pools having a depth variable, the pillars can have different heights depending on their location in the mounting of the supporting structure and the structural elements include also creeping crossbeams 3b and struts 4 intended to support the inclined portions of the bottom wall of the hull. So, as shown in Figure 4, the pillars 2 comprise, on the one hand, pillars 2a arranged at the periphery and at the outside of the shell 1 and, on the other hand, of the pillars 2b placed inside the area delimited by the periphery of the shell and below the latter. The pillars 2a arranged at the periphery of the shell have a height determined so as to rise to the upper edge of the shell 1 and that the base of the latter is placed at a distance from the ground. On the other hand, the pillars 2b arranged inside the area delimited by the surface of the shell, have a much reduced height, which varies depending on the shape of the bottom, and the location said pillars.

The pillars or vertical carriers 2 can be equipped with adjustment means lengthways.

The pillars 2 are advantageously provided with feet 12, for example made up by a metal base, and at least some of them are preferably fitted a screw jack 13 or other wedging device for adjusting, with a large precision, horizontality or slight inclination of the upper edges of the pelvis, as shown later in this talk.

The horizontal crosspieces 3a are placed on brackets 14 fixed on the pillars 2 and positioned between cheeks 15.

As shown in Figure 4, the top of the pillars 2b intended to be placed under the shell, has two perpendicular notches or slots 16 for insertion edges of the angles of four juxtaposed shell elements.

The creeping crossbeams 3b and the struts 4 have various lengths depending on their location under the hull. The struts 4 are, for example, fixed, through their opposite ends and by means of pins 17 or the like suitable assembly members, pillars 2a and crosspieces 3.

One thus realizes a triangulation of the elements 2a, 3a and 4 of the structure carrier which opposes the horizontal thrust of the water.

Piers 2, sleepers 3a, creeping sleepers 3b and struts 4 can be made of stainless steel or aluminum, or preferably wood improved as glulam widely used in the building industry for the manufacture of light, non-deformable and extremely resistant load-bearing elements.

The vertical walls of at least some of the peripheral shell elements 1 terminate, in the upper part, by a hollow profile 18, for example of section rectangular, this hollow profile forming a longitudinal chute and weir; it includes, at for this purpose, a longitudinal slot 19 in its internal wall. The return chutes in surface 18 are shaped or arranged so that their bottom is slightly inclined, so as to allow recycling of the water by skimming the surface of the plane of water.

The screw jacks 13 or other adjustment systems fitted to the feet 12 of the pillars 2a, allow a fine vertical wedging of the latter, so that the skimming by the surface return ducts 18 is perfect over the entire surface of the water body.

On the upper part of the pillars arranged outside and on the periphery of the shell, are fixed, preferably removably, using any body of suitable assembly (pins, bolts, etc.), consoles 20 on which a rigid horizontal structure 21 is fixed.

This flat structure can be formed directly by elements such as as floor elements capable of forming a beach, or shaped to receive slabs of suitable material capable of constituting this area surrounding the part upper shell.

The peripheral area 21 thus produced forms a belt which surrounds the part high of the structure and contributes to ensuring its non-deformability.

A guardrail 22 is removably mounted along the outer edge of the peripheral range 21.

We have previously described a very advantageous application of the invention to the construction of above-ground pools; it is however obvious that the invention can also be implementation for the realization of swimming pools or basins of water retention buried or semi-buried. In this case, the external framework elements are not necessarily load-bearing elements and the elements of said external framework may have no feet.

Claims (11)

1. Method for assembling constituent elements of water storage basins; such as for example swimming pools, involving producing basin or shell parts or elements (1) with an outward facing cheek (7) on at least part of their periphery, and elements for joining these shell parts or elements, with an inward facing groove (8), and engaging within said groove the adjacent outer cheeks (7) of two contiguous shell elements (1), the joining elements being structural elements (2, 3a, 3b, 4) of the framework or external supporting structure of the basin which are provided with said groove (8),
   characterised in that the length of said groove (8) is at least twice the thickness of said cheek (7), in the bottom of which groove is a gasket (9), with the result that the adjacent outer cheeks (7) of two contiguous shell elements (1) come to rest on said gasket, under the pressure of the water introduced into the basin made by assembling together all the shell elements, thereby realising the joining of said shell parts or elements and the water-tightness of said joint.
2. Device for assembling constituent elements of water storage basins, such as for example swimming pools, made up of:

   a shell constituted by a plurality of shell parts or elements (1) featuring an outward facing cheek (7) on at least part of their periphery;

   elements for joining these shell parts or elements, these joining elements being provided with a groove (8) in the side that will subsequently be orientated towards the inside of the shell (1),

   said joining elements being constituted by structural elements (2, 3a, 3b, 4) of the framework or external supporting structure of the basin which are provided with said groove (8),
   characterised in that accommodated in the bottom of the groove (8) is a gasket (9), the width of said groove being at least twice the thickness of said cheek, such that the attached cheeks (7) of two adjacent shell elements (1) can be driven into said groove and have the effect of compressing the gasket (9), thereby realising the assembly of said shell elements and the water-tightness of said joint.
3. Assembly method according to claim 1, characterised in that the support and assembly of the comers of the shell elements (1) arranged inside the perimeter of said shell are done by means of piers (2b) which, at the top, feature perpendicular rebates (16) into which are inserted the cheeks (7) of the comers of four juxtaposed shell elements.
4. Assembly device according to claim 2, characterised in that it features piers (2b) the top of which is provided with two perpendicular rebates (16) into which engage the cheeks (7) of the comers of four juxtaposed shell elements (1).
5. Water storage basin, such as for example a swimming pool, characterised in that it is produced by implementing the method according to any of claims 1 to 3, and/or with the help of the assembly device according to either of claims 2 and 4.
6. Water storage basin, such as for example a swimming pool, according to claim 5, characterised in that the external structural elements comprise piers (2a) arranged on the outside of the shell (1) and crosspieces (3) arranged beneath the latter, which is thus installed above and some distance from the ground (S).
7. Water storage basin, such as for example a swimming pool, according to either of claims 5 and 6, characterised in that the bottom walls (5a-5b, 5c-5d, 5e-5f) of the shell elements (1A, 1B, 1C) of part of the basin extend beneath the level at which the bottom walls (5g-5h) of the shell elements (1D, 1E) of the remaining part of said basin are situated, with the result that the basin has a variable depth from one end to the other.
8. Water storage basin, such as for example a swimming pool, according to either of claims 6 and 7, characterised in that it features braces (4) connecting together the external piers (2a) and the horizontal crosspieces (3a), so as to produce a triangulation which opposes the horizontal thrust of the water.
9. Water storage basin, such as for example a swimming pool, according to any of claims 5 to 8, characterised in that at least some piers (2a, 2b) of the supporting structure are provided with an adjustable foot (12, 13).
10. Water storage basin, such as for example a swimming pool, according to any of claims 5 to 9, characterised in that the top of the vertical walls (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g) of at least some of the peripheral shell elements (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) is equipped with at least one longitudinal surface return spout (18), for example provided with a longitudinal skimming slot (19).
11. Water storage basin, such as for example a swimming pool, according to any of claims 5 to 10, characterised in that it features a peripheral area (20-21) which encompasses the upper part of the shell once the latter has been fitted, so as to form a belt encompassing the upper part of the construction.

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