4.1 Approach to Categorisation
This section deals with the classification of the existing temporary and demountable flood
protecton systems into generic categories. The categorisation system was developed on the
basis of existing products and those currently in development. It was however done in such a
manner as to enable likely new systems to comfortably fit into it.
The most important factor in the development of the generic categories was the behaviour of
the systems in terms of their operation and under hydraulic loading. Where any aspect of a
group of systems make their behaviour or form significantly different from others, they are
separated into a generic group. While it can be argued that more or less categories would have
been appropriate, a balance between having enough generic groups to minimise large
behavioural ranges within each category and having a manageable number was made. The
generic categorisation of temporary and demountable systems was carried out in a manner that
ensures consistency across both systems.
Every temporary or demountable flood protection system has its unique functional,
operational and structural characteristics which limit how, where and when it can be
effectively deployed. The characteristics that are important for the satisfactory performance
of temporary and demountable flood protection systems are discussed in Section 4.2. As these
characteristics are similar for systems within the same generic grouping, a review of each
group was undertaken to highlight some of their key characteristics. This is presented in
Sections 4.3 and 4.4 respectively for temporary and demountable systems.