Specification Of Patent No. 113487
AUSTRIAN PATENT OFFICE SPECIFICATION OF PATENT No. 113487
Class 84. Issued 10th June 1929.
VIKTOR SCHAUBERGER IN PURKERSDORF, LOWER AUSTRIA. A DEVICE FOR TORRENT CONFINEMENT AND RIVER REGULATION.
Application date: 31st January 1927 - Patent applies from: 15th January 1929
The object of the invention is a device for the purposes of torrent confinement and river regulation, by means of which the velocity of the water can be braked in such a way that the transported sediment can engender no hazardous, destructive effects and the move- ment of the water can be so influenced as to displace the theoretical flow-axis towards the middle of the channel.

The attached drawing depicts the object
of the invention schematically and Figure 1 shows the installation of such a braking, flow-guiding device in the form of brake- groins installed at right angles to the direc- tion of flow.
The brake-groins 1 are desirably made out of reinforced concrete and are anchored into the ground by the downwardly projecting stumps 2 shown in Figure 1, to prevent their being dislodged by the onflowing water. In an upstream direction these brake-groins incorporate a concave, fluted wedge-shape (Figure 5 ), onto which the water flows and by means of which it is lifted and directed towards the centre of the channel, thus dissi- pating a great deal of its momentum and rendering it incapable of transporting larger rocks or stones.
These brake-groins are installed at greater or lesser intervals in the stream-bed, accord- ing to the steepness of the gradient. In order to displace the theoretical flow-axis towards the centre of the channel during the course

Figs. 33 & 34: Note: Figures referred to in patent text relate to those indicated in fig. 33 of this book, Fig. 34 is the translator's interpretation of the above patent description, the latter seeming to be at variance with the patent diagram (fig. 33). The design shown in fig. 34 is more in accord with the curve generators shown in figs. 4, 5 & 6.

of flow and corresponding to the purpose of the invention, those water-braking devices are installed on the sides of the channel at right-angles to the direction of flow in those locations where pot-holing and the under- mining of the riverbanks occurs or is likely to occur, as shown in Figures 2 and 6. In Figure 2 the brake-groins are indicated by the number 3, whereas the deposition of sediment occurring on the opposite side of the channel is indicated by the number 4. The flow-axis desirably to be displaced by these installations is shown by the arrowed line indicated by the number 5.
Figure 3 depicts the device at a larger scale and Figure 4 shows the cross-section through the same. The essential shape of the device is triangular (Figures 4 and 5) and its active surface rises towards the riverbank and gradually projects towards the centre of the channel. The function of these devices is particularly apparent in Figure 4 in which the solid line 6 shows the bed-profile prior to the installation of the device and the dotted line 6' indicates the profile ultimately produced.
Between these braking-groins 3 the transported sediment is deposited, creat- ing a zone of dead-water near the bank, which serves as a buffer and keeps the flowing water-body away from the bank, thus preventing the bank from being undermined (Figure 3). In Figure 3 the solid line 5 shows the flow-axis before installa- tion of the devices and the dotted line 5' shows the displaced flow-axis due to the action of the invention.
PATENT CLAIMS
1. The device for torrent confinement and river regulation is characterised by the concave fluting on the upstream side so that the on-flowing water is deflected upwards and backwards, or towards the middle of the channel.
2. In accordance with Claim 1 the device is further characterised by its triangular shape, which projects from the bank at right-angles to the current flow.

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