Rubberdam

As its name suggests, Rubberdam is a flood protection barrier made in rubber, used on rivers liable to floods. Its characteristic is that is lowers automatically when the flood surge arrives, so that the river does not burst its banks.

This barrier consists of a tubular element anchored to the terrain. When it is empty, the container lies on the bed of the water course, without obstructing water flow. When it is filled by pumping water or air into the container, the tube inflates to complete rigidity, creating the desired barrier. Rubberdams can be installed in a single span, or by multiple spans to subdivide the volume of water flowing through the system of barriers.

Their height is normally between 50 cm and 4 metres (the upper limit is determined by the strength of the rubberized textiles currently available on the market). However, by using rubberized textiles made using special rubber mixes, dams as high as 6 metres have been installed.