GB2212177A

GB2212177A - A stabilising mat

Info

Publication number: GB2212177A
Application number: GB8726616A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham Edwin Cooper
Original assignee: Shanks and Mcewan Ltd
Current assignee: Shanks and Mcewan Ltd
Priority date: 1987-11-13
Filing date: 1987-11-13
Publication date: 1989-07-19
Also published as: GB8726616D0

Abstract

A stabilising mat (10) for stabilising a temporary road comprises a plurality of articulated links (11) of a wear-resistant material such as an alloy, e.g. carbon steel, or plastics. The mat (10) is laid upon and conforms to the surface of the road and becomes embedded therein such that the road (20) is stabilised, and also provides a durable surface for vehicles to travel over. The mat (10) may be subsequently recovered as by rolling up and moved to a new location for reuse. A layer of water-permeable polymeric material may be laid below the mat and optionally a similar layer may be laid on top of the mat. <IMAGE>

Description

A Stablisina Mat The invention relates to a stablising mat for stablising temporary road surfaces.

Temporary roads are commonly utilised for example on construction sites where the loading is heavy for a limited period. Such roads are often stablised by stabilising layers which must be buried beneath the surface of the temporary road to avoid deterioration and are therefore uneconomical to reclaim for reuse. It is also known to apply a durable rigid surface to a temporary road, but such surfaces do not stabilise the ground beneath the rigid surface and do not conform to the contours of the ground thus causing uneven loading.

The invention provides stablising mat as claimed in claim 1.

A mat according to the invention may be laid directly onto the surface of the temporary road. It conforms to the contours of the ground and provides a wear-resistant surface on which vehicles may travel. Additionally, the links allow the mat to become slightly embedded in the surface of the ground such that the ground is stabilised. A further advantage is that the mat is recoverable for reuse since the mat does not become buried to any great extent.

The largest dimension of each link is preferably substantially 50 mm and the mat is preferably rectangular in shape. The dimensions of a rectangular mat are preferably substantially 4m X 50m.

The invention also provides a method of stablising a temporary road surface wherein a mat as described above is laid over the surface of the temporary road.

The invention further provides a method of recovering a mat as described above, comprising the step of rolling the mat from one end thereof.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a mat according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the mat of Figure 1 in use; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a mat according to a second embodiment of the invention; and Figure 4 illustrates a method by which a mat according to the invention may be recovered for reuse.

The mat 10 shown in Figure 1 is made up of interlocking links 11. Each link 11 has a maximum dimension D measuring approximately 50mum and is made from a hardened alloy which may be carbon steel, or any other wearresistant alloy. It is envisaged that the links 11 may equally be made from a high-strength plastics material.

The links 11 are articulated in order that the mat 10 may conform to the surface 21 of a temporary road 20, as shown schematically in Figure 2. When the mat 10 is placed on the surface 21 of the temporary road 20, the mat 10 embeds itself into the surface material which is forced between the links 11. Thus the surface material is stablised whilst providing a wear-resistant surface for the passage of vehicles.

The mat 10 described above is suitable for use in construction work and is rectangular in shape with a length of approximately 50m and a breadth of approximately 4m. However, the mat could equally have any shape or size according to the needs of the surface to be established.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 3. This second embodiment differs from that described above in that a water-permeable layer of polymeric material 30 is placed between the upper surface 21 of the road 20 and the lower surface of the mat 10. The polymeric layer 30 enhances the stability of the surface 21 and restricts the passage of the surface material of the road 20, preventing the ingress of larger particles between the links of the mat 10. The layer 30 is water-permeable to enhance the drainage of the mat 10.

Figure 4 illustrates a method by which a mat 10 as described above may be recovered after use in order that it may be reused elsewhere. A large cylindrical drum 40 having a central spool 41 is positioned near one end of the mat 10 which is fastened to the spool 41. The drum 40 is then rotated in the direction of the arrow 42 by means not shown such that the mat 10 is wound onto the spool 41. Since the mat 10 remains at the surface of the temporary road 20. the mat 10 will be pulled free as the drum 40 rotates. Any surface material retained by the links of the mat 10 can be dislodged manually, mechanically or by vibration as the mat 10 approaches the spool 41. It will be understood that the method described above is merely illustrative of the flexible nature of the mat and that any similar method may be used to recover the mat for reuse.It is envisaged that a mat of smaller dimensions than those specified may be rolled onto itself or folded for recovery or transportation purposes.

As stated above. a mat according to the invention may have any desired shape or size. However, for practical purposes, there must be an upper limit to the mass of the mat in order to render it movable from one location to another. It may therefore be desirable to provide means for joining one mat to another in situ in order that a continuous mat, which would ordinarily be impractically heavy, is obtained. For example, rectangular mats may be joined end to end by means of hooks and/or chains to provide a long, straight mat suitable for stabilising a long straight road.

Under certain ground conditions, it may be desirable to position a mat as described in connection with Figure 3 below the surface of the temporary road, at a depth of say, several inches. When this is necessary, a second polymeric layer such as that described above is positioned adjacent the upper surface of the mat. The second polymeric layer is also water-permeable to allow drainage of the material of the temporary road, to enhance stability of the road surface and to restrict the ingress of material between the links-of the mat.

Claims

Claims:

1. A stablising mat for stabilising a temporary road surface, comprising a plurality of articulated links of a wear-resistant material.

2. A mat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the links are identical.

3. A mat as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the largest dimension of each link is between 25mum and 100mm.

4. A mat as claimed in claim 3, wherein the largest dimension of each link is substantially 50mm.

5. A mat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims1 wherein the wear-resistant material is a high strength alloy.

6. A mat as claimed in claim 5, wherein the high strength alloy is a carbon steel.

7. A mat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wear-resistant material is a high strength plastics material.

8. A mat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mat is substantially rectangular in shape.

9. A mat as claimed in claim 8, wherein one end of the mat is adapted for releasable attachment to a rolling device, such that the mat may be rolled for storage.

10. A mat as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the width of the mat is between 2m and 6m.

11. A mat as claimed in claim 10, wherein the width of the mat is substantially 4m.

12. A mat as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the length of the mat is between 20m and 80m.

13. A mat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the length of the mat is substantially SOm.

14. A mat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a water-permeable layer located adjacent the lower surface of the articulated links for enhancing the stablising effect of the mat and for restricting the ingress of material between the articulated links.

15. A mat as claimed in claim 15, wherein the water-permeable layer is of a polymeric material.

16. A mat as claimed in claim 14 or 15, further comprising a second water-permeable layer located adjacent the upper surface of the articulated links for enhacing the stablising effect of the mat and for restricting the ingress of material between the articulated links.

17. A mat as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second water-permeable layer is of a polymeric maerial.

18, A stabilising mat for stabilising temporary road surfaces substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A method of stabilising a temporary road surface wherein a mat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims is laid over the surface of the temporary road.

20. A method of stabilising a temporary road surface wherein a plurality of mats as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18 are laid end to end over the surface of the temporary road.

21. A method of stabilising a temporary road surface substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

22. A method of recovering a mat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18 after use, comprising the step of rolling the mat from one end thereof.

23. A method of recovering a reusable stablising mat substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.