Wave attenuation structure construction units, uses thereof and methods of making the same

Abstract

A construction unit is provided for construction of eco-friendly wave attenuation structures in a body of water, containing a cementitious material; wherein the construction unit is a unitary structure having an anchoring pile having at one end thereof a plurality of rectangular extensions extending from at least opposite sides of the anchoring pile, wherein each of the plurality of rectangular extensions has one or more openings, wherein the one or more openings traverse the thickness of each of the plurality of rectangular extensions at an angle from a front face to a rear face of the rectangular extension such that the opening on the front face of the rectangular extension is lower than or higher than the opening on the rear face of the rectangular extension, methods for making the construction unit and uses thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A construction unit for construction of eco-friendly wave attenuation structures in a body of water comprising:
 a cementitious material;   wherein the construction unit is a unitary structure comprising an anchoring pile having at one end thereof a plurality of rectangular extensions extending from at least opposite sides of the anchoring pile, wherein each of the plurality of rectangular extensions has one or more openings, wherein the one or more openings traverse the thickness of each of the plurality of rectangular extensions at an angle from a front face to a rear face of the rectangular extension such that the opening on the front face of the rectangular extension is lower than or higher than the opening on the rear face of the rectangular extension.   
     
     
         2 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the construction unit comprises two rectangular extensions each extending from opposite sides of the anchoring pile. 
     
     
         3 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the anchoring pile has a quadrilateral cross section. 
     
     
         4 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the anchoring pile has a square cross section. 
     
     
         5 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein each side of the anchoring pile ranges from 8 to 16 inches. 
     
     
         6 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the anchoring pile has a length of from 8 to 20 feet. 
     
     
         7 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of rectangular extensions extends from the anchoring pile from 36 to 50 inches, has a height of from 3 to 5 feet, and has a thickness from 4 to 12 inches. 
     
     
         8 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein a top of each of the plurality of rectangular extensions is level to a top of the anchoring pile. 
     
     
         9 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein each rectangular extension has three or more openings. 
     
     
         10 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more openings traverse the thickness of the rectangular extension such that the opening on the front face is lower than the opening on the rear face. 
     
     
         11 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more openings is rectangular in shape having short sides approximately parallel to the anchoring pile and long sides approximately perpendicular to the anchoring pile. 
     
     
         12 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more openings is rectangular in shape, having long sides in a range of 24 to 38 inches and short sides in a range of 4 to 8 inches. 
     
     
         13 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the rectangular extensions has three openings, each of said three openings being rectangular in shape having short sides of 5 to 7 inches and approximately parallel to the anchoring pile and long sides of 34 to 38 inches and approximately perpendicular to the anchoring pile. 
     
     
         14 . The construction unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the cementitious material comprises a primarily calcium carbonate material and a cement that is capable of holding the primarily calcium carbonate material. 
     
     
         15 . The construction unit according to  claim 14 , wherein the primarily calcium carbonate material is obtained from once living material from an organism. 
     
     
         16 . A wave fence comprising a plurality of construction units of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of construction units are arranged in a head to tail fashion in a body of water such that 30% or more of the plurality of rectangular extensions are exposed above a water line and at least one of the one or more openings is below the water line,
 wherein the anchoring pile is sunk into the ground beneath the water to a depth such that the construction unit is positionally stable with respect to waves acting on the construction unit and the plurality of rectangular extensions are approximately perpendicular to a direction of wave travel.   
     
     
         17 . The wave fence of  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of construction units is arranged in the head to tail fashion a predetermined distance from a shoreline, such that the wave fence approximately follows a path of the shoreline. 
     
     
         18 . A method of making the construction unit according to  claim 1  comprising:
 a) providing a plurality of primarily calcium carbonate material; 
 b) placing the primarily calcium carbonate material in a mold structure; and 
 c) pouring the cement into the mold in a sufficient amount that when the cement hardens the structure can be removed from the mold. 
 
     
     
         19 . A method of making the construction unit according to  claim 1  comprising:
 a) providing a mold structure; and 
 b) pouring the cementitious material into the mold in a sufficient amount that when the cement hardens the structure can be removed from the mold. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the cementitious material comprises a primarily calcium carbonate material and a cement that is capable of holding the primarily calcium carbonate material.