CA1276092C - Hold-down system for storage of silage - Google Patents
Hold-down system for storage of silageInfo
- Publication number
- CA1276092C CA1276092C CA 511813 CA511813A CA1276092C CA 1276092 C CA1276092 C CA 1276092C CA 511813 CA511813 CA 511813 CA 511813 A CA511813 A CA 511813A CA 1276092 C CA1276092 C CA 1276092C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- sheet
- tube
- pockets
- hold
- film
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01F—PROCESSING OF HARVESTED PRODUCE; HAY OR STRAW PRESSES; DEVICES FOR STORING AGRICULTURAL OR HORTICULTURAL PRODUCE
- A01F25/00—Storing agricultural or horticultural produce; Hanging-up harvested fruit
- A01F25/16—Arrangements in forage silos
- A01F25/166—Arrangements in forage silos in trench silos
Abstract
ABSTRACT
"Hold-down System for Storage of Silage"
A hold down system for the retention of material such as salt or silage in the form of a pile comprising, in combination, a sheet to cover the material; and sheet retaining means comprising a plurality of tubular flexible thermoplastic members adapted to be weighted and arranged intermittently across the sheet to keep it over the material. The system is of lower than conventional initial economics cost, can be installed rapidly, and is gentler to plastic coverings than ropes or nets.
"Hold-down System for Storage of Silage"
A hold down system for the retention of material such as salt or silage in the form of a pile comprising, in combination, a sheet to cover the material; and sheet retaining means comprising a plurality of tubular flexible thermoplastic members adapted to be weighted and arranged intermittently across the sheet to keep it over the material. The system is of lower than conventional initial economics cost, can be installed rapidly, and is gentler to plastic coverings than ropes or nets.
Description
:~IL27~92 r~
\
This invention relates to a hold-down system for retaining material such as sila~e~ salt or the like under a retaining sheet and, more particularly, to the use of retaining thermoplastic bands or tubes with the retaining sheet.
Heaps or piles of mat~rials are amassed outdoors for a number of purposes, the usual one being storage. It is often advantageous to cover such heaps with a thin sheet of fabric or thermoplastic film in order to avoid contamination, spoiling, wetting, or wind erosion. However, such a thin covering is often vulnerable to damage or lifting o~f by wind.
One method used to reduce such lifting-off by the wind is to specially texture the covering plastic fil~ like the dimples on a golf ball to make the wind "let-gon. By far the most common practice of film retention is to mechanically hold-down the covering material onto the pi~e.
Some storage piles benefit from minimum air or gas pocketing between the covering and the material being stored.
Sometimes a net is stretched over the covering while on others a number of individual ropes which may be interwoven are stretched over the covering. All of these methods require either anchors around the periphery, or weights attached to the net or ropes. Sometimes individual weights themselves are placed on the covering, one of the most common being disused tires.
~.~7~
,,-A combination of two or more of these methods may often be employed~
All of these methods have drawbacks. Netting is expensive, must be rolled back carefully when retrieving the stored material from the pile, and its high cost necessitates storage for re-use. Ropes are less expensive but still costly enough to demand storage for re-use.
When weights are used in combination ~ith netting or ropes, they must be secured together at each covering of a pile and must be detached upon removal of a pile; this labour intensive activity is time consuming and cos~ly;
also, time may be of the essence when bad weather threatens.
Yet further, the ability to rapidly construct and cover one or more piles may be paramount when there is no control over the rate of arrival of new material to be stored.
When plastic films are used for covering, particularly, when thin films are used, nets and sspecially ropes used for hold-down may damage the covering in two ways. First, the only force these devices can exert downwards or into the pile at any point is the resultant vector from pulling forces across the pile. Any woven rope or net has an inherent gripping effect on the film and will exert unnecessary stress in the plastic in a direction parallel to the surface of the heap. Second, the resulting forces on the film that are in a useful direction, that is into the pile, are exerted through fairly narrow rope or twine that can chafe or even cut the film. As many as 80 ropes may be stretched over a single pile.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hold-down system of a lower than conventional initial economic cost that can be installed rapidly.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved hold-down system that is gentler to plastic coverings than ropes and/or nets and that allows of the convenience of disposability.
~2~6~2 Accordingly, the invention in its broadest aspect provides a hold-down system for the retention of material in the form of a pile comprising, in combination, a sheet to cover said material; and sheet retaining means comprising a plurality of members, each of said members comprising a tubular f]exible thermoplastic film adap~ed to be weighted and arranged intermittently across and upon said sheet to effect retention thereoP upon said material.
While the invention embraces those embodiments having the tubular flexible thermoplastic film in the form of a pair of thermoplastic bags, each at the end of a connecting strap, it is highly preferred that the strap consists of a connecting band of a tube laid flat and sealed at regular or irregular intervals at right-angles to its length. The member is thus analogous to a roll of tear-off convenience bags without the tear-off perforations.
Thus, in a preferred form the invention provides a hold-down ~ystem as hereinbefore defined wherein the tube is sealed at substantially right angles to the length of the tube intermittently of the tube to provide a plurality of pockets, said pockets being adapted to be opened and weighted.
In a more preferred embodiment an opening is made at an upper part of the sealed pocket to allow for the addition of a weighting material.
In order that the invention may be better understood a preferred Pmbodiment will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic sketch of a conventional hold-down system for use with silage;
Figure 2 represents a schematic side elevation of a section of the hold-down system of Figure l;
Figure 3 represents a diagrammatic sketch of a hold-down system according to the invention; and Figure 4 represents a schematic side elevation of a - ~7~9~
section of the hold-down system of Figure 3.
The following example illustrates a common practice in the agricultural sector.
Green plants are generally stored in a~heap until S needed to feed cattle in the winter months. The plants are cut in the field with the objective of storing them in an air-tight system within fourteen hours in order to preserve their maximum nutritional value. The plants are typically piled in rectangular heaps 29 feet wide while the height is usually limited to 16 feet~ The length of the pile is dependent on the dimensions of flat land available but usually exceeds 100 feet. A sheet of polyethylene film of sufficient width, typically 40 feet in this case, is unrolled along the top of the pile, and allowed to drape down the sides, with at least 2 feet of extra film resting on the ground. This covering is pulled as tight as possible over the pile since entrapped air would hinder the desired preservation process (ensiling), and loose film would flap in the wind and tear after a time. The bottom edges of the covering are tucked under the pile, and the edges are further secured and sealed by piling sand agains~ them.
Individual ropes are then slung across the pile, parallel and about 2 feet apart. One tire is tied to sach end of every rope such that the tires remain on the pile just above the ground. Further "pull" is achieved at each tire by placing a bag filled with sand atop the tire, resting on both the tread and the fllm.
It will be understood that these practices usually transforrn a uniform heap into an unsightly patchwork.
Reference to Figures 1 and 2 shows a sheet 10 formed of a polyethylene covering a heap of silage 11 on the ground 12. The edges of sheet 10 are tucked under the heap and secured. Holding down sheet 10 on top of the heap is a plurality of ropes 13 attached to weighting tires 14.
~2~6~
Figures 3 and 4 show a polyethylene sheet 10 covering the heap of silage 11 on ground 12 but wherein sheet retaining means different to that shown in Figures 1 and 2 are presented.
Figures 3 and 4 show a plurality of sheet retaining members consisting of bands 15 formed of 100 micron thick polyethylene tubing laid flat having a width of 30 cm and sealed at regular intervals 16, about 75 cm apart, intermittent the length of the band at right angles to its length to provide a plurality of pockets 17 within each band. The bands are arranged intermittently across and upon sheet 10.
In the embodiment shown end pockets 18 of each band 15 have openings in their upper part whereby the pocket is partly filled with some weighty material l9, such as sand, earth or the like. Suitable pockets are selected on opposite sides or ends of each band 15 appropriately above the ground and weighted as desired (not shown). The resulting "saddlebag" effect is usually sufficient to provide uniform hold-down of the sheet covering the heap.
Optionally, addi~ional pairs of opposed pockets in band 15 may be weighted.
In a further optional feature bands 15 may be adapted to be retained to sheet 10 such as by means of clips, pegs or by an adhesion.
An advantage of the flexible, tubular, multi-sealed band as hereinbefore described of use in the practice of the present invention is that it can be supplied in the form of extensive lengths which can be cut to size "on-site" as appropriate. Sufficient numbers of weighting pockets are always available. Thus, it is generally convenient, both for manufacturing and field installation considerations, to package this banding in continuous rolls, to be cut into individual bands ("saddlebags") during installation when exact length requirements are evident.
- ~276~
Thus, in a further aspect the invention provides a sheet retaining member comprising a tube formed of flexible thermoplastic film, said film being sealed across the tube at substantially right angles to the length of the tube intermittently of the tube to provide a purality of pockets, said pockets being adapted to be opened and weighted with a weighting material.
While many thermoplastic films have a low coefficient of riction, polyethylene is particularly suitable, especially when "slip" additives have been added in the film manufacturing process. This invention is especially effective when used on a heap covering made of polyethylene:
the very low friction results in the maximum possible portion of the end tension being transformed into hold-down forces.
\
This invention relates to a hold-down system for retaining material such as sila~e~ salt or the like under a retaining sheet and, more particularly, to the use of retaining thermoplastic bands or tubes with the retaining sheet.
Heaps or piles of mat~rials are amassed outdoors for a number of purposes, the usual one being storage. It is often advantageous to cover such heaps with a thin sheet of fabric or thermoplastic film in order to avoid contamination, spoiling, wetting, or wind erosion. However, such a thin covering is often vulnerable to damage or lifting o~f by wind.
One method used to reduce such lifting-off by the wind is to specially texture the covering plastic fil~ like the dimples on a golf ball to make the wind "let-gon. By far the most common practice of film retention is to mechanically hold-down the covering material onto the pi~e.
Some storage piles benefit from minimum air or gas pocketing between the covering and the material being stored.
Sometimes a net is stretched over the covering while on others a number of individual ropes which may be interwoven are stretched over the covering. All of these methods require either anchors around the periphery, or weights attached to the net or ropes. Sometimes individual weights themselves are placed on the covering, one of the most common being disused tires.
~.~7~
,,-A combination of two or more of these methods may often be employed~
All of these methods have drawbacks. Netting is expensive, must be rolled back carefully when retrieving the stored material from the pile, and its high cost necessitates storage for re-use. Ropes are less expensive but still costly enough to demand storage for re-use.
When weights are used in combination ~ith netting or ropes, they must be secured together at each covering of a pile and must be detached upon removal of a pile; this labour intensive activity is time consuming and cos~ly;
also, time may be of the essence when bad weather threatens.
Yet further, the ability to rapidly construct and cover one or more piles may be paramount when there is no control over the rate of arrival of new material to be stored.
When plastic films are used for covering, particularly, when thin films are used, nets and sspecially ropes used for hold-down may damage the covering in two ways. First, the only force these devices can exert downwards or into the pile at any point is the resultant vector from pulling forces across the pile. Any woven rope or net has an inherent gripping effect on the film and will exert unnecessary stress in the plastic in a direction parallel to the surface of the heap. Second, the resulting forces on the film that are in a useful direction, that is into the pile, are exerted through fairly narrow rope or twine that can chafe or even cut the film. As many as 80 ropes may be stretched over a single pile.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hold-down system of a lower than conventional initial economic cost that can be installed rapidly.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved hold-down system that is gentler to plastic coverings than ropes and/or nets and that allows of the convenience of disposability.
~2~6~2 Accordingly, the invention in its broadest aspect provides a hold-down system for the retention of material in the form of a pile comprising, in combination, a sheet to cover said material; and sheet retaining means comprising a plurality of members, each of said members comprising a tubular f]exible thermoplastic film adap~ed to be weighted and arranged intermittently across and upon said sheet to effect retention thereoP upon said material.
While the invention embraces those embodiments having the tubular flexible thermoplastic film in the form of a pair of thermoplastic bags, each at the end of a connecting strap, it is highly preferred that the strap consists of a connecting band of a tube laid flat and sealed at regular or irregular intervals at right-angles to its length. The member is thus analogous to a roll of tear-off convenience bags without the tear-off perforations.
Thus, in a preferred form the invention provides a hold-down ~ystem as hereinbefore defined wherein the tube is sealed at substantially right angles to the length of the tube intermittently of the tube to provide a plurality of pockets, said pockets being adapted to be opened and weighted.
In a more preferred embodiment an opening is made at an upper part of the sealed pocket to allow for the addition of a weighting material.
In order that the invention may be better understood a preferred Pmbodiment will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic sketch of a conventional hold-down system for use with silage;
Figure 2 represents a schematic side elevation of a section of the hold-down system of Figure l;
Figure 3 represents a diagrammatic sketch of a hold-down system according to the invention; and Figure 4 represents a schematic side elevation of a - ~7~9~
section of the hold-down system of Figure 3.
The following example illustrates a common practice in the agricultural sector.
Green plants are generally stored in a~heap until S needed to feed cattle in the winter months. The plants are cut in the field with the objective of storing them in an air-tight system within fourteen hours in order to preserve their maximum nutritional value. The plants are typically piled in rectangular heaps 29 feet wide while the height is usually limited to 16 feet~ The length of the pile is dependent on the dimensions of flat land available but usually exceeds 100 feet. A sheet of polyethylene film of sufficient width, typically 40 feet in this case, is unrolled along the top of the pile, and allowed to drape down the sides, with at least 2 feet of extra film resting on the ground. This covering is pulled as tight as possible over the pile since entrapped air would hinder the desired preservation process (ensiling), and loose film would flap in the wind and tear after a time. The bottom edges of the covering are tucked under the pile, and the edges are further secured and sealed by piling sand agains~ them.
Individual ropes are then slung across the pile, parallel and about 2 feet apart. One tire is tied to sach end of every rope such that the tires remain on the pile just above the ground. Further "pull" is achieved at each tire by placing a bag filled with sand atop the tire, resting on both the tread and the fllm.
It will be understood that these practices usually transforrn a uniform heap into an unsightly patchwork.
Reference to Figures 1 and 2 shows a sheet 10 formed of a polyethylene covering a heap of silage 11 on the ground 12. The edges of sheet 10 are tucked under the heap and secured. Holding down sheet 10 on top of the heap is a plurality of ropes 13 attached to weighting tires 14.
~2~6~
Figures 3 and 4 show a polyethylene sheet 10 covering the heap of silage 11 on ground 12 but wherein sheet retaining means different to that shown in Figures 1 and 2 are presented.
Figures 3 and 4 show a plurality of sheet retaining members consisting of bands 15 formed of 100 micron thick polyethylene tubing laid flat having a width of 30 cm and sealed at regular intervals 16, about 75 cm apart, intermittent the length of the band at right angles to its length to provide a plurality of pockets 17 within each band. The bands are arranged intermittently across and upon sheet 10.
In the embodiment shown end pockets 18 of each band 15 have openings in their upper part whereby the pocket is partly filled with some weighty material l9, such as sand, earth or the like. Suitable pockets are selected on opposite sides or ends of each band 15 appropriately above the ground and weighted as desired (not shown). The resulting "saddlebag" effect is usually sufficient to provide uniform hold-down of the sheet covering the heap.
Optionally, addi~ional pairs of opposed pockets in band 15 may be weighted.
In a further optional feature bands 15 may be adapted to be retained to sheet 10 such as by means of clips, pegs or by an adhesion.
An advantage of the flexible, tubular, multi-sealed band as hereinbefore described of use in the practice of the present invention is that it can be supplied in the form of extensive lengths which can be cut to size "on-site" as appropriate. Sufficient numbers of weighting pockets are always available. Thus, it is generally convenient, both for manufacturing and field installation considerations, to package this banding in continuous rolls, to be cut into individual bands ("saddlebags") during installation when exact length requirements are evident.
- ~276~
Thus, in a further aspect the invention provides a sheet retaining member comprising a tube formed of flexible thermoplastic film, said film being sealed across the tube at substantially right angles to the length of the tube intermittently of the tube to provide a purality of pockets, said pockets being adapted to be opened and weighted with a weighting material.
While many thermoplastic films have a low coefficient of riction, polyethylene is particularly suitable, especially when "slip" additives have been added in the film manufacturing process. This invention is especially effective when used on a heap covering made of polyethylene:
the very low friction results in the maximum possible portion of the end tension being transformed into hold-down forces.
Claims (10)
1. A hold-down system for the retention of material in the form of a pile comprising, in combination, a sheet to cover said material; and sheet retaining means comprising a plurality of members, each of said members comprising a tubular flexible thermoplastic film adapted to be weighted and arranged intermittently across and upon said sheet to effect retention thereof upon said material.
2. A system as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said film is sealed across the tube at substantially right angles to the length of the tube intermittently of the tube to provide a plurality of pockets, said pockets being adapted to be opened and weighted.
3. A system as claimed in Claim 2 wherein said film is sealed at substantially right angles across the length of the tube at regular intervals along the length of the tube to provide a plurality of pockets, each of said pockets having an aperture to permit the addition of a weighting material thereto.
4. A system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein said member is adapted for attachment to said sheet.
5. A system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein said member is formed of a polyethylene material.
6. A system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein said sheet is formed of a polyethylene material.
7. A sheet retaining member comprising a tube formed of flexible thermoplastic film, said film being sealed across the tube at substantially right angles to the length of the tube intermittently of the tube to provide a plurality of pockets, said pockets being adapted to be opened and weighted with a weighting material.
8. A member as claimed in Claim 7 wherein each of said pockets has an aperture whereby said pocket can be filled with a weighting material.
9. A tube as claimed in Claim 7 adapted for attachment to a sheet of thermoplastic material.
10. A tube as claimed in any one of Claims 7 to 9 wherein said flexible thermoplastic material comprises a polyethylene.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 511813 CA1276092C (en) | 1986-06-18 | 1986-06-18 | Hold-down system for storage of silage |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 511813 CA1276092C (en) | 1986-06-18 | 1986-06-18 | Hold-down system for storage of silage |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1276092C true CA1276092C (en) | 1990-11-13 |
Family
ID=4133370
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 511813 Expired CA1276092C (en) | 1986-06-18 | 1986-06-18 | Hold-down system for storage of silage |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1276092C (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP2708112A1 (en) * | 2012-09-18 | 2014-03-19 | Böck Silosysteme GmbH | Silo cover tape and silo |
-
1986
- 1986-06-18 CA CA 511813 patent/CA1276092C/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP2708112A1 (en) * | 2012-09-18 | 2014-03-19 | Böck Silosysteme GmbH | Silo cover tape and silo |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKLA | Lapsed |