AU645288B2 - Safety fabric for construction sites - Google Patents

Description

ff AU8TRAIA, b4528" PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

ORIGINAL

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title.

Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: oe oeoQ Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: PJ8706 Related Art: 0oeQ Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Herbert Willem Musch 1B Moore Park Road, CENTENNIAL PARK NSW 2021 AS ABOVE Address for Service: ANDERSON-TAYLOR ASSCCIATES, Registered Patent Attorneys of 10 Harrison Avenue BONNET BAY N.S.W. 2226 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: SAFETY FABRIC FOR CONSTRUCTION SITES The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: SO 19952 14/02/91 -1- This invention relates to building materials and more specifically although not exclusively discloses a fabric for encasing construction scaffolds.

Building safety regulations require that the outside face of construction scaffolds be encased with fabric.

The purpose of this is to prevent debris from falling off the scaffold and also to reduce the spread of dust and fumes from the construction site. To provide a sufficiently strong and impervious fabric it is common practice to apply layers of sack cloth and chain link mesh over the scaffolding. These layers .e "0 are then fixed at prescribed points to the scaffold structure.

Such existing techniques however are inefficient as the labour *0 cost is increased by having to apply and fix these layers separately. Also, unless the mesh and sack cloth are tied together at closely adjacent points over their area the cloth tends to flap and tear in the wind. In addition, the fixing of

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the chain mesh tends to be a dangerous operation and imposes a heavy loading on the scaffold structure.

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It is therefore an object of this invention to ameliorate the .00* aforementioned disadvantages and accordingly this invention discloses an improved fabric for use in construction applications which comprises at least one load sustainable flexible mesh layer sandwiched between adjacent layers of cloth weave substantially impervious to airborne dust.

-2- The currently preferred form of this invention will now be described with reference to the attached illustrations in which: Figure 1 shows a section of fabric according to this concept, Figure 2 shows a schematic view of an apparatus for manufacturing this fabric, and Figures 3 and 4 show end and sectional views of the apparatus of figure 2.

*see *see The fabric may comprise a central layer of light guage wire mesh 1 (for example .55 mm galvanized wire formed onto 13 mm openings) sandwiched between adjacent layers of plastic cloth weave 2 of the type commercially available for sun screens. One

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suitable type of plastic weave is produced by Hytech Plastics Pty. Ltd. of Blaxland New South 0 Wales Australia and sold under the name "70% Shade Cloth". While these particular materials have been ":00 found to provide a suitably strong, flexible and *0e impervious fabric for most building applications the invention however is not limited to any specific type of mesh or weave.

Preferably as shown the layers are held together by ultra-violet resistant polyester thread stitching -3- 3 at intervals of about 200 mm. Although not shown in the drawings the edge sections of the fabric are preferably double stitched for increased strength.

In use it is envisaged that strips of said fabric having a width of say 1.8 meters could be uncoiled down the height of a scaffold and fixed in overlapping fashion against the structure by inserting conventional nylon ties through the weave. This procedure would enable substantial savings in labour over conventional methods which require the installation of chain link and cloth *0SS separately.

The currently preferred apparatus for manufacturing the fabric according to this invention may comprise a frame 4 with a bank of sewing machines arranged across its width. The sewing heads 5A to 5F and separate bases 6 are Mounted on a subframe 4A and driven from a single motor 7. In order to ensure operation in unison between the respective sewing heads and bases they are both chain driven from a multidirectional box 8. More specifically the sewing heads are cranked via a common chain 8A which loops around driven sprockets 9 on each machine and a single driving sprocket on the box 8. The bases are powered by separate chain drives 11 from a common horizontal shaft -4- 12 extending across the underside of the subframe 4A. This shaft is in turn driven from a second sprocket on the box 8.

As best shown in figures 3 and 4 the mesh 1 and plastic weave 2 are drawn by rollers 13 (which are driven off shaft 12 by chains 13A and 13B) from respective supply rolls in bins 14, and 16, and thence through feed rollers 17 to pinch the layers together before they pass under the sewing heads. The lengths of weave and mesh are thus continuously sewn together to form a single length of construction fabric according to this invention which is then wound onto takeup roller 18. Although not shown in the drawings the end sewing heads 5A and 5F are preferably each fitted with two needles so as to provide a double stitch along each side *D of the fabric.

It will thus be appreciated that this invention o at least in the form of the embodiment described provides a novel and useful fabric for construction e i* sites where a strong and flexible dust/debris barrier is required over the scaffolding. Clearly however the particular example described is only the currently preferred form of this invention and a wide variety of modifications may be made which would be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

For example the aperture size of the weave and mesh, the type of material from which they are made and the method of fastening the layers together can all be varied according to application.

Also the apparatus used to construct the fabric is not limited to any specific type or number of sewing machines or the shape and configuration of the supporting framework.

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Claims (4)

1. A fabric for encasing construction scaffolding, said fabric comprising at least one layer of load sustainable flexible mesh sandwiched between adjacent layers of cloth substantial'ly impervious to airborne dust, said layers being secured together by rows of stitching along the length and/or width thereof.

2. The fabric as claimed in claim 1 wherein said load sustainable flexible-mesh is a wire mesh.

3. The fabric as claimed in claim 2 wherein said cloth layers comprise an ultra-violet resistant plastic weave.

4. The fabric as claimed in claim 3 wherein the edges thereof are double stitched. Dated this 16th day of August, 1993 Herbert Willem Musch By His Patent Attorney MICHAEL ANDERSON-TAYLOR