GB2063328A

GB2063328A - Floor covering slabs

Info

Publication number: GB2063328A
Application number: GB7933166A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Bergovist H G F
Current assignee: Bergovist H G F
Priority date: 1979-04-11
Filing date: 1979-09-25
Publication date: 1981-06-03
Also published as: FI63862C; FI63862B; NO145645B; DE2936072A1; GB2063328B; NO145645C; SE7903222L; NO792866L; SE438878B; DK156156B; DK5380A; DK156156C; FR2453939B1; FR2453939A1; FI792747A

Abstract

A surface covering for games arenas such as tennis courts comprising a slab shown inverted formed of a plurality of regular polygon shaped regions (1), e.g. squares, delimited by ribs (5) which depend from the upper load bearing surface of the slab and which abut the surface to be covered and by grooves (2) in the upper surface. Further ribs (3, 4) which depend from the upper surfaces are arranged to abut the surface to be covered, and radiate from the centre of each region. The grooves (2), ribs (3, 4) and apertures 6 allow small expansions or contractions of regions (1) due to temperature differentials to be absorbed by the individual regions (1) and allow larger changes to take place substantially in the plane of the covering, thus avoiding ridges and cavities which occur with known coverings. The outer edges are supported by semi-circular 11 or quarter-circular 13 pegs. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A surface covering The present invention relates to a surface covering. It has particular application in coverings for games arenas such as tennis courts.

A surface covering for ball games, such as tennis, must be resilient, wear-resistant, impermeable to water, homogeneous over the whore surface, have a low weight and require a minimum of maintenance. There are known coverings which satisfy such requirements but they have the disadvantage that their surface tends to become uneven as a result of contraction and/or expansion occurring when the covering is exposed to high or low ambient temperatures.

This is a serious disadvantage particularly in the case of outside tennis courts which are subject to fluctuating temperature conditions. Cavities and ridges tend to be formed in the known coverings when part of the covering is exposed to strong sun light which causes expansion of the part exposed towards those parts which are, for example, located in the shade, and are not therefore subject to the same degree of expansion as the exposed parts, or which do not expand at all. Thus considerable forces are generated between parts of such coverings and as a result of the high, or relatively high, frictional forces between the covering and the surface being covered, those parts which expand the least will be moved upwardly in the direction of the force, forming cavities and ridges and rendering the covering Virtually useless.

It is practically impossible to economically produce a covering which does not exhibit differential expansion and contraction, because all synthetic materials expand or contract to a greater or lesser extent in dependence upon the ambient temperature.

According to the present invention there is provided a surface covering in the form a generally planar slab having a rib structure depending from an upper load bearing surface, said rib structure comprising a first and a second set of ribs, both sets being adapted for abutting the surface to be covered, said first set delimiting a plurality of regions of said slab and said second set of ribs radiating from a substantially central portion of each of said regions, said regions being further delimited, on the upper, load bearing, surface of said slab, by grooves extending substantially coextensively with said first set of ribs, the rib structures and grooves being arranged to cooperate in such a manner that expansion or contraction of the covering due to changes in temperature takes place substantially in the plane of the covering.

It can be seen that a covering according to the present invention can be constructed so that each region is able, within limits, to expand or to contact under the influence of temperature substantially independently of an adjacent region, and so that unavoidable, large scale expansion or contraction affects an adjacent region in a manner such that the entire covering is caused to move horizontally thereby avoiding the formation of cavities and ridges. Hence a covering can be constructed according to the present invention which can be used in weather conditions which would cause irregularities in the surfaces of previously known coverings.

According to a preferred embodiment all the regions are in the form of polygons such as rectangles or squares, all regions are congruent, and the upper load bearing surface has a thickness no less than the depth of the grooves.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a slab forming a covering according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the covering illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates part of two adjacent assembled slabs; and Figure 4 is a cross section taken along line IV in Figure 1.

The slabs shown in Figures 1 and 2 are intended to be joined together as shown in Figure 3 to form a surface covering. Each slab forming the covering comprises 16, identical, square regions 1. Each region 1 has an upper face with a planar surface comprising a lattice network with lattice openings 12. The lattice network takes a given pattern in which the dimensions of the lattice ribs and of the lattice openings are chosen to give the appropriate resiliency to suit the purpose for which the covering is to be used, e.g.

for playing tennis in the case of a tennis court.

The pattern on the upper side of an element may take any form: that illustrated is one example only. The individual regions need not be square as illustrated, but they may take any shape and may be for example rectangular, pentagonal, or hexagonal.

In Figures 1 and 2 the under-side is shown upwardly turned. The underside comprises downwardly extending edge connecting regions 5 arranged to connect adjacent edges of adjacent regions 1. Those regions which are situated round the outside of a slab have a slightly different configuration to those regions in the central area of the slab. The regions 1 in the centre of the slab have four edge connecting regions 5, those along the edges have three, and those at the corners have only two. The outer periphery of the slab is therefore provided with support pegs 11 and corner pegs 13 of semicircular and quadrant-like cross section respectively.

Those parts of the regions of the slab which are intended to directly abut the ground are shown by heavy black lines. These parts include the edge connecting regions 5, the support pegs 11, and corner pegs 13, and also a centrally arranged rib structure in each region. This rib structure is formed by a central cross rib structure 3 and four diagonal ribs 4 lying on the bisectors of the cross angles of the cross angles of the cross rib structure 3.

The rib structure may, for example, take either of the forms illustrated in Figure 2. The ribs of the rib structure may be joined up at the centre of the region, or they need not be connected at the centre. Preferably, the edges of the surfaces of the ribs and of the edge connecting regions which abut the floor are chamfered so as to give the ribs a slightly rounded profile, as illustrated in Figure 4.

The arrangement of the rib structures and the edge connecting regions 5 facilitates movement of the regions 1 on the surface it is covering in all directions, i.e. they facilitate movement of the regions as a result of their fundamental expansion or contraction and enable the whole covering to moved horizontally within the expansion tolerance.

The rib structures are composed of ribs extending in 8 directions each being angularly spaced from an adjacent rib by about 400. This is found to create the least possible friction between regions for movement of the regions in any direction as a result of temperature changes.

The edge connecting regions 5 are generally V or U-shaped in cross section (see Figures 1 and 4).

The legs 14 of the U-shape are comprised by the edges of the respective regions 1. The bridge joining these legs 14 forms the surface which abuts the ground at the edges of the region 1. The groove 2 formed between the legs 14 permits a certain degree of expansion and contraction of each region 1 independently. An opening 7 is provided at selected positions in the slab, in this case at the corners of the regions 1, in order to allow for drainage of the grooves 2. This opening 7 also allows for expansion and contraction of the bridge of the connecting regions 5. From Figure 4, which illustrates the groove between two regions, it will be seen that the depth of the groove does not exceed the thickness of the upper portion of the covering.

Figure 3 shows parts of two adjacent slabs which have been coupled together. The slabs have been coupled together with the aid of coupling members comprising pegs 9 which fit into sleevelike members 8. From Figure 2 it will be seen that the peg-like members 9 are arranged at the centre of the outside edges of the regions 1 which are disposed around two outside adjacent edges of the slab. The sleeve-like members 8 are similarly arranged around the other two adjacent edges of the slab. The external diameter of each of the pegs 9 is smaller than the internal diameter of the sleeves 8 so that when the pegs and their associated sleeves are fitted together a clearance space exists in order to permit relative movement between the pegs and the sleeves in consequence of changing temperature conditions.

The slabs can be moulded from resilient synthetic material.

Claims

1. A surface covering in the form of a generally planar slab having a rib structure depending from an upper, load bearing, surface, said rib structure comprising a first and a second set of ribs both sets being adapted for abutting the surface to be covered, said first set delimiting a plurality of regions of said slab and said second set of ribs radiating from a substantially central portion of each of said regions, said regions being further delimited, on the upper, load bearing, surface of said slab, by grooves extending substantially coextensively with said first set of ribs, the rib structure and grooves being arranged to cooperate in such a manner than expansion or contraction of the covering due to changes in temperature takes place substantially in the plane of the covering.

2. A surface covering according to claim 1 wherein all of said regions have congruent shapes.

3. A surface covering according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each of said regions is polygon shaped.

4. A surface covering according to claim 3 wherein each of said regions is rectangular shaped.

5. A surface covering according to claim 4 wherein each of said regions is square shaped.

6. A surface covering according to claim 4 or 5 wherein each of said second set of ribs comprises eight ribs which extend along at least a part of respective perpendicular and diagonal bisectors of the region.

7. A surface covering according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said upper, load bearing, surface has a thickness no less than the depth of the grooves.

8. A surface covering according to any one of the preceding claims wherein every one of the ribs of the second set of ribs of each region are joined to every other one at the centre of the respective region.

9. A surface covering according to any one of the preceding claim wherein support pegs are provided around the periphery of said slab, some of said support pegs being positioned at the corners of said slab and being of quadrant cross section and the others of said support pegs being positioned along the edges of said slab and being of semi-circular cross section.

10. A surface covering according to any one of the preceding claims wherein coupling means are arranged along the edges of said slab for coupling said slab to another slab.

1 A surface covering according to claim 10 wherein said coupling means comprises peg-like members and sleeve-like members respectively adapted for being received and for receiving sleeve-like members and peg-like members respectively of one or more other slabs.

12. A surface covering according to claim 11 wherein the external diameter of each peg-like member is smaller than the internal diameter of its associated sleeve-like member.

13. A surface covering according to any one of the preceding claims formed from mouldable and resilient synthetic material.

14. A surface covering according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the upper surface thereof is perforate.

15. A floor or ground covering substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.