DE2830873A1 - GRID AND GRILLE PARTS - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to grids or grid-like grids (hereinafter only "grids" will be spoken of) and lattice parts.

An important area of application for grids or grid parts is for livestock, such as pigs or cattle, for To provide people, vehicles or machines with a floor or sub-surface, the material that is liquid, semi-solid or fixed, but of suitable dimensions with regard to the spacing of the grid parts, allowed by the Walking through the ground. Modern methods of keeping animals mostly use pots or other enclosures in which Livestock, e.g. pigs or cattle, can be housed in high density and for longer periods of time. the The floors of the cubicles, crates or enclosures have grids. The grid components are spaced apart which enables the animals to sit on the floor without the risk of injury, e.g. that their feet get through the grid to stand, while on the other hand the waste products of the animals get through the grid can get into a collection facility, e.g. a pit, from which they can be recovered as fertilizer or for other use, can be obtained again.

The invention provides a floor part in the form of a

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molded grid or grid part made of thermoplastic polymer. The term "floor part" is intended to be a part denote that, together with others, provide a support floor for cattle such as pigs or cattle, or for people, Vehicles or machines. On the whole, it has been found by the inventors that a thermoplastic Material is particularly suitable for use with animals (e.g. pigs). Wood tends to splinter and become stained and can be attacked biologically, apart from the fact that its price for the use considered here is almost prohibitively high. Steel, or other suitable metals, such as cast iron, tend to be attacked by the urine at least partially to corrosion. Concrete is pretty porous and tends to hold the waste in superficial cavities and it is also so dense that only relatively small parts of the grid can be handled without mechanical support. This last one Characteristic of the concrete particularly affects farms, as it is customary to place the grids at intervals to allow access to the collection points below.

The grid or grid parts are preferably made of one

thermoplastic dough at a pressure below 200 atmospheres shaped. In the following, the term "low pressure" is used to denote such molding pressures as opposed to normal Mold pressing, e.g. extrusion molding of over

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200 atmospheres, to be labeled. The term "dough" is intended here to mean a mass that is physically first Line has been made workable by applying shear forces to its components. The dough, out which the moldings or compacts are produced, by shearing a mass of particles of thermoplastic Polymer, which, if desired, is mixed in a smaller amount, e.g. up to 20% by weight of other materials, be generated. The energy imparted by the application of shear forces creates a temperature increase sufficient to to partially melt the particles and form a moldable or compressible mass. Dent batter can too Heat can be applied, although this will be unnecessary if sufficient shear forces are applied. Preferably consist of more than 70% polyolefin-class materials such as polyethylene.

The warm dough can be shaped by placing it under low pressure, as is known, is introduced into a shaped receptacle, and then the shaped The dough is left to solidify inside or outside the mold. This procedure results in a molding with a relatively dense outer area and one Core area with relatively low density.

In practice, the core has voids. This gives that

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In effect, molding has a tubular cross-section, although it is not a tube. We are convinced, that the resulting, typical density profile at a relatively high strength / weight ratio contributes. The low density core region may have an approximately central axial region of the molding, which occupies approximately 1/4 to 1/2 of the smallest cross section of the molding and has a plurality of cavities, which have diameters in the range of 1/2 to 3 mm or even larger and which are as a result of the pressure changes Are formed during the solidification of the dough. The grids or grid components are preferably made of molded a dough obtained from mixed thermoplastic waste from the molding industry as this is a extremely competitively priced product and at the same time meets the general need for waste recovery serves. It has been found that thermoplastic materials can be easily poured into a grid part can be molded with a smooth surface which is generally easy to clean and sterilize. Thermoplastic materials also have the general advantage of being easy to use at much lower Temperatures as metals can be poured into the desired shapes. The color recovered thermoplastic Waste material is usually dark and not particularly attractive, but it is useful for bars in animal sheds this has little or no meaning. Plastics have im

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generally a lower thermal conductivity than metal and concrete and are therefore more comfortable for the animals, which increases productivity.

According to an essential feature, the invention provides a grid that has an arrangement in a horizontal plane a plurality of substantially T-shaped parts, each of which has a stem corresponding to the spread of a T and a head corresponding to the crossbar of the T, in which arrangement;

(a) The stems of adjacent parts are mutually antiparallel in their orientation with respect to position the heads of the parts are;

(b) the stems of adjacent lattice parts by engagement between the heads and stems of the parts at a distance held, thereby defining grid slots between the sides of the logs;

(c) the logs have a constant cross-section along their length to have;

(d) the top surfaces of the logs a flat surface form, which is interrupted by the slots; and

(e) the slots have a downwardly flaring 809885/0854

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Have width.

The invention further provides a set of lattice parts for arrangement in a grid, as just described above.

The invention further provides a structure for housing of animals whose floor is formed by a grid according to the present invention.

Preferably, the grid has a molding made of thermoplastic Polymer on, and particularly preferably a low-pressure molding of such a polymer.

The engagement of heads and trunks ensures the stability of the grid parts against back and forth movement. Since the logs have a constant cross-section (feature (c)) _r , the engagement between a head and a log is not impaired if all the logs are shortened, for example by sawing. For this reason, lattice parts can be delivered to a customer who saws them off to the length that is determined, for example, by the existing equipment in his pig breeding facility. As an alternative, the mold can be stuffed if shorter logs are desired. Neither of these solutions could be used if, for example, each grille part were I-shaped, and the grids were formed by arranging the parts in the following shape --IIIIII.

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It should be noted that two of the overall dimensions of the grid are variable, one dimension being variable Shorten the trunks of the parts and the other dimension by adding or removing parts to or from Grid.

The trunks of the lattice parts preferably have a symmetrical cross-section, and in a particularly special one Embodiment of trapezoidal or approximately trapezoidal cross-section.

The meaning of the above features (d) and (e) lies in that a high, solid floor surface is to be created, with a passage for solid or semi-solid materials through creating the floor which is less easily blocked than a constant width slot.

In general, the dimensions of the grid parts are chosen with a view to the intended use, e.g. in the With regard to the vehicles, people, machines or animals that are supposed to rest or move on the grille and with regard to the material to be passed through the slots therein.

The grid arrangement according to the invention can by the inclusion Reinforcing spacers between the logs are reinforced to prevent bending in a horizontal plane

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to reduce the risk of an animal's foot becoming entangled between adjacent trunks. The spacers can be molded in one piece with the grid parts or can be separated in a suitable shape and dimension are made to match the formation of the sides of the slots through adjacent grating members

facing the slot opening

be made to match. Preferably the / Sides of the spacers at an angle to vertical to match the angle to vertical of the sides of the logs correspond.

Connection or lacing devices are preferably used, e.g. one or more rods or wires running across the logs in connection with the Spacers are used to increase the rigidity of the lattice and make any load more even to distribute between the tribes. The insertion of the connecting rods or wires is easy to do, since the logs can be easily drilled to accommodate them. Preferably a plurality of separate Tie rods or wires used to form separately removable grille sections.

Conveniently, adjacent grid parts can be joined together at their points of engagement after manufacture connected, e.g. during application, in order to increase stability, e.g. by the application of heat

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on the surface areas of the T-arms and the trunks, which come into engagement with one another to create a weld. A suitable device to apply heat, is a hot air welder. The parts can also be attached to one another by solution welding. In order that the grid can be removed in sections, if desired, an adjacent pair is preferably used V-θϊΓ smaller suitable sections each unwelded calmly.

Lattice sections of the type described above can also be formed during manufacture, for example the original Forming process, in which case the T-parts of the grids are only theoretically present, but not separated have been shaped. Nevertheless, the grid sections so produced form a new and useful article of manufacture and are another aspect of this invention. The reference aif a number of lattice parts is related with integrally molded floor sections, an indication of the number of trunk areas this Section corresponds. Integrally molded or cast grid sections, as just described, can have one or more spacers at each end of the section to ensure that each section from the next section with the desired slot width, together with, if desired, reinforcement

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Spacers and connecting devices. Such spacers are attached to each end of a series of grid sections are superfluous can be removed by sawing.

Because of the relatively low density of low pressure molded Lattice sections, such sections can suitably have two to six lattice parts or their Contained equivalently without becoming unduly heavy to remove and reattach by hand.

Grid sections can advantageously be formed in pairs that are connected to the heads of the lattice parts. Such moldings preferably contain a certain amount of additional material between the sections so that the exact length of the lattice parts including the heads by cutting away a suitable part of additional material can be chosen if the Lattice sections are separated. "

The lattice parts, let them be in one-piece shaped lattice sections or not, may be formed with one or more internal reinforcement members. Have this suitably metallic in character and are, suitably, in the form of beams, rods, tubes or Bars that are arranged according to known principles.

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These devices allow the parts to have a required minimum thickness for use with large loads to be brought.

The grid is preferably carried at the ends of the grid parts, above the collecting device those below of the grid is provided to carry away material that has passed through the slots.

A preferred form of use for the grid is in the housing of animals, especially pigs and calves. A suitable arrangement exists for this purpose from a pit or trough with an edge that has a horizontal flange and a vertical lip Has. The grid parts lie across the width of the channel or the basin in a suitable position to one another and are supported on both sides by the horizontal flange and will slip out of the correct arrangement Hindered in the longitudinal direction by the vertical lip. The bottom of the basin or the gutter can after be inclined at the bottom to allow the animal waste to run off. Suitable pits or gutters of these Kind are already known.

It may be desirable to adjust the dimensions of the grating parts adapt if animals other than pigs are possible. Cattle are bigger, and that's why the lattice

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part generally be longer. Because of the increased length of the part and also because of the generally larger one Due to the weight of the calves, it may be desirable to reinforce the grid as described above.

The invention is described below with reference to Drawings that are expressly referred to because of their great clarity and clarity for the disclosure is explained in more detail on preferred embodiments which are suitable for pigs.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is an assembled grid in plan view, schematically, with only the axes of the trunks and Heads of the parts are shown;

FIG. 2 shows two adjacent parts of that shown in FIG Grid, in an exploded perspective view;

FIG. 3 is an end view of one of the parts shown in FIG in the direction of arrow A;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the grating (not exploded) along line B-B of Fig. 1 or Fig. 2;

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FIG. 5 shows a cross section through a grid according to the invention, in the same sense as FIG. 4, but with a deviation in the cross-sectional shape of the grid parts;

6 shows a cross section through a trunk of another lattice part according to the present invention; and

Fig. 7 schematically, possible deviations of the design of the lattice parts from the strict T-shape shown in 1 to 4 is shown.

Figures 1, 2 and 4 to 6 are not true to scale. Fig. 3 is true to scale, the length of the folding line 14 being 1 cm.

The arrangement of the grid parts shown in Fig. 1 is mutually antiparallel with respect to the position of the Heads that have axes 2. j

The total length of the lattice part shown in Fig. 2 is 1088 mm and the thickness of the head part is 67 mm. All dimensions can be changed to a greater or lesser extent, and the relevance of the given Dimensions will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is noted that the given dimensions are strictly Senses that are the inner wall of the form that is used,

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to make the lattice part, and that a shrinkage up to 2% of any linear dimension was allowed in the design of the mold. In the assembled grid are the faces 5 and 6 of the grid part 4 (which are the end faces of the head) in engagement with corresponding side faces (which are not visible in the figure) of the trunk of part 3. The engagement consists in touching or almost touching it between the surfaces. A similar engagement occurs between the side surfaces 7 and 8 of the Trunk of the part 4 and the end faces (not visible in the figure) of the head 9.

The cross-section of the trunk is approximately trapezoidal (see Fig. 3). The four sides of the trapezoid are marked with 10, 11, 12 and 13 designated. The side 10 lies in the surface of the trunk which, together with the surfaces of the other trunks, which forms a flat surface interrupted by slits. The folding lines or surfaces 14 and the radii 15 can be designed as desired. The bevels or chamfers 14 leave the edges of the rod break less easily than if the edges were not chamfered.

The slots are created by the engagement between the heads and tribes formed. This is shown in more detail in Fig. 4, in which the walls of a slot with 16 are designated. It will be noted that the slots have a

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have a width that widens towards the bottom.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 there is the bottom surface formed from solid flat surfaces 79 mm wide and slots 23.5 mm wide. The slots are vertical for 10 mm below the soil surface and then widen downward with the sides at an angle of about 12 ° from vertical. It these dimensions have been found to be a good compromise for accommodating pigs, with caution it must be that a pen can contain a sow and a piglet. The embodiment shown in Figs of the invention includes low pressure molded lattice members, the recovered thermoplastic waste, from the approximately 80% polyolefin polymers.

In Fig. 5, the trunk portion 17 is approximately trapezoidal, but two of the angles of the trapezoid are 90 °. Still expand the slots of the grille (with the sides 18) facing down. The heads and trunks are in contact or Almost touch each other over a substantial area, as in the case of the one previously described Lattice. However, alternating parts are mirror images of one another, and that can happen during production and the Be inconvenient to install. For this reason, "in general, Trunks are preferred that lie in a plane perpendicular to the face that forms the top surface of the lattice.

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det, are symmetrical. In this case all parts can of a set of lattice parts be equal.

Another trunk cross-section that is also suitable is shown in Fig. 6.

Of the strict T-shape shown in Fig. 1-4 can also be deviated. The head of the lattice part can also have two arms, one on each side of the trunk, one or both of which are not at the end of the trunk. In addition, or as an alternative, the head of the lattice part need not be perpendicular to the trunk. This is done in the generally less practical than a correct T-shape, but the property of the adjustable length of the lattice (which was discussed above and the ζ.B. an I-shaped Part does not have) is retained. Deviations of the type just discussed are shown in FIG. 7 shown.

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Claims (1)

DR. BERG DIPL.-tNG. STAPF DIPL.-ING. SCHWABE DR. DU. SANDMAIR PATENT LAWYERS 9830873 P.O. Box 860245,8000 Munich 86 Lawyer File 29 228 Laporte Industries Limited London W1R OBE / Great Britain Grilles and grilles Patent claims : fl.) floor part in the form of a grille or lattice part, as characterized in that it is a molding made of thermoplastic polymer. 2. Floor part according to claim 1, characterized in that the grid or grating part is a low-pressure molding made from thermoplastic polymer dough. B09885 / 08B4 K089) 98-72 ". . Mauerkircherstc 45 ■ MOO Munich 80 banks: 988273 "Ill / Wi. Teleinmme: BayerischeVereinsbinle Munich 453100 - / 2 988274 BERGSTAPFPATENT Munich Hypo-Bank Munich 3890002624 9833.10 TELEX: 05245WBEKCd Postscheck Munich 65343-80 " / NSPECTEO 3. Floor part according to claim 1 or 2, characterized / that the thermoplastic Polymer comprises more than 70% by weight of a material of the polyolefin class. 4. Floor part in the form of a grid, characterized by an arrangement of a plurality of essentially T-shaped parts in a horizontal Level, with each of the parts having a stem corresponding to the upstroke of the T and a head corresponding to the Cross line of the T corresponds, and in that in the arrangement (a) the stems of adjacent parts are mutually antiparallel in their direction with respect to position the heads of the parts are; (b) the trunks of adjacent parts of the grid by engagement between the heads and the trunks of the parts in the Are spaced apart, thereby forming grid slots between the sides of the logs; (c) the logs have a constant cross-section along their length; (d) the upper surfaces of the logs form a flat surface which is interrupted by the slots; and (e) the slots become larger downwards Have width. 809 885/08 54 - / 3 5. Floor part according to claim 4, characterized that the trunks of the lattice parts have a symmetrical cross-section. 6. Floor part according to claim 4 or 5, characterized g e k e η η ζ e i c h ηe t that there are spacers having between the trunks of the lattice parts. 7. Floor part according to claim 6, characterized in that g e k e η η ζ e i c h η e t that connecting rods or Wires run across the trunks of the lattice parts, to hold them together. 8. Floor part according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that adjacent Lattice parts are connected at their points of engagement. 9. Floor part according to claim 8 _f, characterized in that the connection is carried out after the production of the grid parts 10v floor part according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that it is a low-pressure molding made of thermoplastic polymer. 809885/0854 - / 4 11. Floor part according to one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that it is in the form of a grid section which corresponds to a plurality of grid parts which are connected or held together. 12. Floor part according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it contains one or more metallic reinforcement parts. 13. floor part, characterized in that that it is in the form of an integrally molded thermoplastic polymer mesh section and contains from 2 to 6 lattice parts and the dimensions are suitable for carrying cattle. 14. A set of lattice parts, characterized in that it is used for the arrangement for Formation of a floor part according to any one of claims 4 to 12 is suitable. 15. Floor part according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it is in the form of a section of lattice which is dimensionally suitable for carrying livestock. 809885/0854 -75 16. Shed for cattle, characterized that he has a floor part according to one of the preceding claims and an underlying Has device for collecting the (waste) products. 17. A method for raising livestock, characterized in that it is keeping the animals in one Crate according to claim 18 includes. 809885 / 08S4 '- / 6