AU2015201317A1 - Storage tank assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract Two or more of the water tanks 10 to be joined to each other, to expand the water storage capacity for a building site. A liner 20 is disposed in the openings 16 of the water tank 10. The pair of openings 16 from two adjacent water tanks 10a are joined to each other via a joining strip 30. In use, two or more water tanks 10 are used to provide the desired combined volume of water storage. The water tanks 10 are disposed adjacent each other with respective openings 16 of adjacent side walls 14 being substantially aligned and adjacent each other. 2/2 1lOa N N~~ m ' N -- >' : ~ \'~' 6 \~'\NNNQN1 Nil U 17 FIGURE 2 201 0;> 20 30 20 j 20

Description

1 STORAGE TANK ASSEMBLY Field of the Invention [1] The present invention relates to a storage tank assembly. Background of the Invention [2] With water being a precious commodity, concrete water tanks serve as an environmentally friendly option for water collection. [3] The present invention seeks to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative. [4] It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country. Summary of the Invention [5] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a concrete storage tank comprising at least one opening adapted for connection to an opening of an adjacent concrete storage tank. [6] Preferably, the at least one opening comprises a liner. [7] Preferably, the liner is made from a plastics material. [8] Preferably, the liner is a closed strip. [9] Preferably, the liner covers an internal surface of the opening. [10] Preferably, the liner comprises an external surface having at least one anchoring formation thereon for anchoring into the concrete. [11] Preferably, the liner is made from polyethylene. [12] Preferably, the storage tank is of a generally hollow prism construction. [13] Preferably, the at least one opening is formed in a side wall of the storage tank. [14] Preferably, the storage tank comprises two or more openings, each opening being formed at a respective wall of the storage tank. [15] Preferably, the at least one opening is a rectangular opening. [16] The present invention also provides a storage tank assembly comprising at least two storage tanks according to any one of the above statements, wherein respective openings of the storage tanks are joined and sealed by a joining strip therebetween.

2 [17] Preferably, the storage tanks are disposed adjacent each other with the respective openings being substantially aligned with each other. [18] Preferably, each opening comprises a plastics liner and the joining strip comprises a similar plastics material. [19] Preferably, the joining strip is plastic welded to the liners. [20] Preferably, the joining strip is at least partly flexible. [21] Preferably, the joining strip is at least partly expandable. [22] Preferably, the joining strip is at least partly rigid. [23] Preferably, the joining strip comprises flexible edge sections [24] The present invention also provides a method of forming a concrete storage tank having at least one opening, the method comprising positioning a plastics liner along the formwork which will form the opening such that the liner covers internal surfaces of the formed opening. [25] The present invention also provides a storage tank comprising at least one side opening adapted for connection to a side opening of an adjacent storage tank. [26] In one embodiment, the at least one opening comprises a liner. [27] In another embodiment, the storage tank is made from concrete and the liner comprises an external surface having at least one anchoring formation thereon for anchoring into the concrete. [28] In another embodiment, the storage tank comprises two or more side openings. [29] The present invention also provides a storage tank assembly comprising at least two storage tanks according to any one of the above, wherein respective openings of the storage tanks are joined and sealed by a joining strip therebetween. [30] Preferably, each opening comprises a plastics liner and the joining strip comprises a similar plastics material. [31] Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed. Brief Description of the Drawings [32] Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 3 [33] Fig. 1 (a) to (d) are perspective views of four water tanks in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention; [34] Fig. 2 shows the position of a liner in one of the openings of the water tank of Figure 1(a); and [35] Fig. 3 shows a pair of openings from two adjacent water tanks according to Figure 1(a) joined to each other via a joining strip. Description of Embodiments [36] It should be noted in the following description that like or the same reference numerals in different embodiments denote the same or similar features. [37] Figure 1 shows four water tanks 1 Oa to 1 Od according to preferred embodiments of the present invention. Each water tank 10 is of a generally hollow rectangular prism construction having a base wall 12, four side walls 14 and a top wall. The top walls of the water tanks 10 are not shown for illustration purposes. The base, side and top walls of the water tank define an internal volume 15 therebetween. [38] In the water tank 1 Oa, each of the four sides 14 comprises a rectangular opening 16. In the water tank 1Ob, three of the four sides 14 comprises a rectangular opening 16. In the water tank 1 Oc, two of the four sides 14 comprises a rectangular opening 16. In the water tank 10d, only one of the four sides 14 comprises a rectangular opening 16. The sides 14 not having the opening 16 remain solid closed sides. The shape of the opening can alternatively be any other suitable shape such as circular or oval. [39] The water tanks 10 are made from concrete and are adapted to be installed underground, typically under driveways, garage slabs and gardens. Concrete water tanks are fire-resistant, environmentally friendly and keep water cool thus preventing algae growth. [40] The present invention allows for two or more of the water tanks 10 to be joined to each other, to expand the water storage capacity for a building site as desired as well as to provide flexibility in the location of the water tanks 10 when considering building site requirements and restraints. [41] Figure 2 shows the position of a liner 20 in one of the openings 16 of the water tank 1 Oa. The liner 20 is a closed rectangular strip dimensioned to fit and cover an internal surface 17 of the opening 16. In the example, the liner 20 covers the entire internal surface 17. [42] The liner 20 comprises an internal surface 23 and an external surface 24. The external surface 24 comprises ridges 26 extending therealong which form an anchoring formation. The ridges embed in the concrete and assists in the attachment of the liner 20 to the internal surface 17 of the opening 16.

4 [43] In the example, the liner 20 is made from plastics material, being polyethylene. The liner 20 in the preferred method is cast in place into the concrete water tank during manufacture of the concrete water tank 10. The liner 20 for example can be positioned along the formwork which will form the opening 16. Each of the formed openings 16 comprises the liner 20 along its respective internal surface 17. If the openings 16 are of a different shape, such as circular, the liner 20 will be shaped accordingly such as ring-shaped. [44] Figure 3 shows a pair of openings 16 from two adjacent water tanks 10a joined to each other via a joining strip 30. In use, two or more water tanks 10 are used to provide the desired combined volume of water storage. The water tanks 10 are disposed adjacent each other with respective openings 16 of adjacent side walls 14 being substantially aligned and adjacent each other. [45] The joining strip 30 is made from a similar polyethylene material and similar shape as the liner 20. The joining strip 30 comprises a closed rectangular strip which is disposed such that respective edges 32 of the joining strip 30 are placed over the internal surface 23 of a respective liner 20 of the adjacent openings 16. The edges 32 are then plastic welded to the internal surface 23 of the respective liners 20 to secure the joining strip 30 to the liners 20 and form a respective seal therewith. With the joining strip 30 extending between the openings 16 and sealed to the adjacent liners 20, the internal volumes 15 between the adjacent tanks 10 are joined via the openings 16. [46] The water tanks 10 in use are arranged to have each opening 16 in a tank 10 substantially adjacent an opening 16 in another tank 10. The joining strip 30 is provided with some flexibility, and preferably also some expandable sections, to allow for misalignments and gaps between openings 16 of adjacent tanks 10. [47] The tank 10a will thus require four other tanks to be arranged adjacent thereto, the tank 1 Ob will require three other tanks, the tank 1 Oc will thus require two other tanks, and the tank 1 Od will thus require only one other tank. [48] Each opening 16 in each water tank 10 is thus effectively sealed by the joining strip 30 sealing the adjacent openings 16, with the closed side walls 14 of the water tanks 10 sealing the combined internal volumes 16. [49] The configuration of the water tanks 10 and the opening 16 allow for many possible arrangements of the water tanks 10 depending on site requirements and the combined internal volume desired. For example, a series of the tanks 10c can be arranged in a line to be disposed along a straight driveway.

5 [50] Previous methods of joining concrete water tanks require the entire structure to be wrapped and sealed with a polyethylene liner. The present invention allows each water tank unit to be sealed to the adjacent water tank unit via a welded polyethylene joining strip which creates a water tight seal. This greatly reduces material and labour cost and also the risk of ground collapse and other hazards during the extra time that the excavation is required to be open during the external lining process of the previous methods. The present invention allows the joining and combination of multiple water tank units to create a water tight structure without requiring an external liner. [51] The water tanks 10 in the examples shown have a width of about 2.5 metres, a height of about 1.8 metres, and a length of about 3.3 metres, The smaller front and rear openings 16 in the example are 1 metre by 1 metre, with the larger side openings 16 being 2 metres by 1 metre. [52] Whilst preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to skilled persons that modifications can be made to the embodiments described. For example, the water tanks 10 and the openings 16 can be made in any desired dimensions or shapes. The water tanks 10 for example can range in internal volumes between 2 cubic metres to 10 cubic metres. [53] The water tanks 10 can also be made in any desired shape. For example, the water tanks 10 can be hollow triangular, pentagonal or hexagonal prisms with the openings being formed in the sidewalls of the water tanks. The openings can also be formed in the base and top walls and the water tanks 10 can be stacked if desired. [54] The joining strip 30 can also be rigid or substantially rigid to allow and bridge between any large gaps between adjacent windows of adjacent water tanks. This will be of use for example if the site restricts the positioning of two water tanks from being immediately adjacent each other. [55] The joining strip 30 can also be made to have a flexible edges or edge sections for joining to the opening liners. This will allow the opening liners to be misaligned or slightly misaligned and still seal the adjacent openings. [56] The liner and joining strip can also be made from other suitable plastics material such as other thermoplastics, including polypropylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride. Rubber material can also be used for the liner and the joining strip. [57] The tank can also be used to store other fluids. [58] A lid for each tank can be attached thereto using same sealing process. This involves casting a liner 20 into the outside perimeter of the lid and another liner 20 to the top of the tank 6 wall, and then sealing the two liners 20 to each other by welding using a joining strip 30 in a similar manner to the openings above. [59] The joining strip can also have extension flanges extending spaced from the edges thereof, where the flanges can be jointed to another portion of the liner. In this manner, the joining strip can be joined at more than one edge to the liner. The liner can also extend to outer and/or inner surfaces of the container adjacent the opening. [60] Other joining means can also be used such as the use of an adhesive. [61] The container can also be made in other shapes such as tubular. [62] The invention can also be used for plastics material containers or containers made from other materials if desired.

Claims (26)

1. A concrete storage tank comprising at least one opening adapted for connection to an opening of an adjacent concrete storage tank.

2. The storage tank of claim 1 wherein the at least one opening comprises a liner.

3. The storage tank of claim 2 wherein the liner is made from a plastics material.

4. The storage tank of claim 2 wherein the liner is a closed strip.

5. The storage tank of claim 2 wherein the liner covers an internal surface of the opening.

6. The storage tank of claim 2 wherein the liner comprises an external surface having at least one anchoring formation thereon for anchoring into the concrete.

7. The storage tank of claim 2 wherein the liner is made from polyethylene.

8. The storage tank of claim 1 wherein the storage tank is of a generally hollow prism construction.

9. The storage tank of claim 8 wherein the at least one opening is formed in a side wall of the storage tank.

10. The storage tank of claim 1 wherein the storage tank comprises two or more openings, each opening being formed at a respective wall of the storage tank.

11. The storage tank of claim 1 wherein the at least one opening is a rectangular, circular or oval opening.

12. A storage tank assembly comprising at least two storage tanks according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein respective openings of the storage tanks are joined and sealed by a joining strip therebetween.

13. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the storage tanks are disposed adjacent each other with the respective openings being substantially aligned with each other.

14. The assembly of claim 12 wherein each opening comprises a plastics liner and the joining strip comprises a similar plastics material.

15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the joining strip is plastic welded to the liners.

16. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the joining strip is at least partly flexible.

17. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the joining strip is at least partly expandable.

18. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the joining strip is at least partly rigid.

19. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the joining strip comprises flexible edge sections 8

20. A method of forming a concrete storage tank having at least one opening, the method comprising positioning a plastics liner along the formwork which will form the opening such that the liner covers internal surfaces of the formed opening.

21. A storage tank comprising at least one side opening adapted for connection to a side opening of an adjacent storage tank.

22. The storage tank of claim 21 wherein the at least one opening comprises a liner.

23. The storage tank of claim 21 wherein the storage tank is made from concrete and the liner comprises an external surface having at least one anchoring formation thereon for anchoring into the concrete.

24. The storage tank of claim 1 wherein the storage tank comprises two or more side openings.

25. A storage tank assembly comprising at least two storage tanks according to any one of claims 11 to 25, wherein respective openings of the storage tanks are joined and sealed by a joining strip therebetween.

26. The assembly of claim 25 each opening comprises a plastics liner and the joining strip comprises a similar plastics material.