EP2010702A1

EP2010702A1 - Improved ground covering

Info

Publication number: EP2010702A1
Application number: EP07728533A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Georges-Paul Deschamps
Original assignee: Deschamps SARL
Current assignee: Deschamps SARL
Priority date: 2006-04-25
Filing date: 2007-04-25
Publication date: 2009-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 2027-04-25
Also published as: CA2650010A1; SI2010702T1; AU2007242762B2; NO338224B1; MY149283A; US8871659B2; UA91758C2; ZA200809366B; CY1111728T1; EA016074B1; IL194898A0; BRPI0710763A2; KR20090008382A; CA2650010C; EP2010702B1; TNSN08430A1; WO2007122257A1; ATE507336T1; CN101466883B; EA200870473A1

Abstract

A temporary ground covering for displacement on sandy, muddy or boggy ground. The covering includes a woven structure formed of warp and weft. The weave is such that each warp thread interlaces with the weft thread, following approximately half the intersections of the rows and columns of the weave. The warp thread is left in the remaining intersections for each warp thread to obtain at least one simple tight weave area followed by an area of floats. The alternation of the different areas causes contractions of the weft thread creating a significant relief of the obtained fabric. The covering includes flat threads over at least one part of the width of the woven structure on at least one of the surfaces. Each thread is taken, steadily or not, by weft threads placed at the end of the projections of the woven surface structure.

Description

IMPROVED FLOOR COATING

The present invention relates to a temporary floor covering in particular to allow or facilitate the movement of people and / or gear on sandy or marshy ground.

Provisional recovery structures of this type of soil are known, which are likely to be deployed on the surface of the ground to allow the circulation of machines, for example.

Figure 1 shows schematically a partial profile view of such a cover structure of the prior art. This structure, which has been described by the present applicant in the patent application WO 95/26435, consists of a woven structure 1 formed from weft yarns 2 of the monofilament type arranged in a single layer and of warp yarns 3. also arranged in a single layer.

The weave of the woven structure is such that each warp thread 3 intersects with the weft yarns 2 next, preferably and very approximately, half of the intersections of the rows and columns of the weave, the warp yarn 3 being left in the remaining intersections, so that for each warp 3 there is at least one tight and simple armor zone 4 followed by a float zone 5.

The alternation of the tight interlacing zones 4 and zones where the warp yarns do not work 5 causes the weft threads 3 to tighten, creating on both sides of the fabric a ribbed embossed structure.

The driving wheels or tracks of the vehicles moving on the surface of the covering structure have good adhesion to these reliefs thus conferring a speed advantageously high displacement to these vehicles. These reliefs also ensure a good grip of the structure itself on the floors thus covered.

This grip combined with the flexibility of the covering structure that allows it to match the profile of the soil to be covered, prevents a possible movement of the structure under the weight of the machines circulating on its surface and the formation of ruts.

More generally, the implementation of such a covering structure makes it possible to protect the soil from any erosion associated with trampling or passing machinery. This covering structure, which therefore gives excellent results for the circulation of machines on low-consistency soils or unstable soils can nevertheless be further improved.

It has indeed been found that the important reliefs of this structure form an uneven surface which combined with its rigidity makes a displacement on its surface barefoot difficult.

In some cases, such a barefoot move can cause bruises to the feet.

Also, there is a certain disaffection of these structures by the beachmen inconvenienced by the relief and the rigidity of these, the latter preferring to move directly on the sand.

It would therefore be interesting to adapt these cover structures to facilitate the barefoot movement of pedestrians but also machines with small wheels such as strollers. The latter are indeed also sensitive to the unevenness of the surface of the covering structure. Moreover, these cover structures are very perforated to ensure a total flow of water. They do not allow the printing of graphics or messages on their surfaces.

However, it would be interesting to use these structures as information or advertising media at events such as sports or promotional events.

Finally, these covering structures can melt with the ground, for example, on a snowy ground when they are white or be very little visible for a vehicle moving in the dark.

The risk of a bad engagement of the vehicle on such a structure of floor covering or exit of this vehicle of this structure is likely, the vehicle can at any time be immobilized. It is then necessary to mark the road or lanes defined by the floor covering structure, which requires additional means and the immobilization of operators.

It would therefore be interesting to have a floor covering structure incorporating its own markup to indicate its lateral ends and allow high speed traffic on its surface in difficult traffic conditions.

The objective of the present invention is therefore to provide a floor covering structure, simple in its design and its operating mode, light and flexible and allowing a barefoot displacement on its surface while maintaining a very good grip of the coating at ground.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cover structure deployable on the surface of a beach that allows both the movement of barefoot people and also gear, such as disabled wheelchairs and trailers. boats or scooters of the seas.

To this end, the invention relates to a temporary surface coating especially for moving on sandy, muddy or swampy soil comprising a woven structure formed of warp son arranged in a single layer and weft son also arranged in a single layer, the weave of said woven structure being such that each warp thread intercrosses with the following weft threads, preferably and very approximately, half of the intersections of the rows and columns of the weave, the warp thread being left in the remaining intersections, so for each warp, to obtain at least one zone of simple and tight armor followed by a float zone, the alternation of the various aforesaid zones causing tightening of the weft son creating a important relief of the fabric thus produced.

According to the invention, this coating comprises flat threads arranged on at least part of the width of the woven structure and on at least one of its faces, each of these flat threads being taken, regularly or not, by weft threads placed at the ends of the projections of said face of the woven structure.

By "taken" is meant the connection of the flat wire with the original structure. From the point of view of the armor of the flooring of the invention, this results in a left.

The term "flat wire" means an extruded product through a die, drawn or otherwise whose solid and substantially constant cross section over its entire length is in the shape of an oval, a square, a rectangle, a flattened circle and square or modified rectangle, that is to say having two opposite sides having a convex arc shape, the other two being rectilinear, equal and parallel. These flat wires may still be hollow and have, for illustrative purposes, a flattened tubular section.

This hollow area inside the flat wire is a housing capable of receiving one or more elongated objects such as a heating element. By connecting these heating elements to an external energy source, it thus becomes possible to melt, as implementation, ice or snow present on the road defined by the temporary surface coating. The temperature range of the heating element is, of course, below a temperature likely to damage the son constituting the coating. The maximum temperature is thus lower, for example at 80 ^° C.

Preferably, the flat wire is then made of a good thermal conductor material such as a metal material, to minimize the heat radiation losses generated by the heating element.

At least some flat son of the flooring may be flat son emitting and / or receiving a signal. It can thus be, purely illustrative, antennas capable of capturing electromagnetic waves but also to emit such waves. By connecting the end of these flat wires to a signal transport line such as a coaxial cable, it is possible to bring the signal picked up by the antenna to the input of a receiver or in the opposite direction to bring a signal provided by an external transmitter to the floor covering.

These flat wires may be of different dimensions to form an antenna array emitting in different frequency ranges.

These flat wires can thus be used, for example, to emit geolocation signals of the flooring of the invention to the attention of a helicopter operating in difficult weather conditions. These signals emitted by the coating may allow the pilot despite reduced visibility to locate the floor remotely and to land on its surface.

By "preferably and very approximately" is meant an equality of takings and leashs of each warp which is not absolute but which on the contrary can deviate from 10 to 15% for example, or even more, it being understood that the further we go from strict equality, the more the profession will require adjustments.

The flat yarns may have a length substantially equal to that of the woven structure or a length less than this. Their length is, however, greater than 3 changes in the weave of the woven structure.

More generally, the invention therefore relates to a temporary surface coating comprising a woven structure formed of warp son arranged in a single layer and weft son arranged also following a single layer, said woven structure comprising first weft yarns placed above or below second weft yarns defining a main plane, said first weft yarns thus forming protrusions in the woven structure, characterized in that comprises flat wires arranged on at least a portion of the width of said woven structure on at least one of its faces, each of said flat wires being taken, regularly or otherwise, by weft threads placed at the ends of the projections of said face of the woven structure.

In various particular embodiments of this temporary surface coating, each having its particular advantages and susceptible to many possible technical combinations:

each flat wire is taken only by the outermost weft yarns of said woven structure,

This prevents the flat wires from penetrating into the woven structure to cover the surface unevenness and to form a smooth outer surface. These weft yarns the most external to the woven structure are of course to be considered not with respect to all the projections of the woven structure but locally, at the level of the projection in which the flat wire is inserted.

the flat wires are parallel and spaced apart from one another,

This embodiment advantageously makes it possible to maintain a flow of water and therefore a high permeability of the surface coating. It also allows the passage of particles (dust, grains of sand or earth, ...) leaving the surface of the coating substantially clean.

the flat yarns are at least partially pressed against said woven structure between two grippers, the flat yarns are taken, or bonded, all the n weft yarns of said woven structure, n being> 8,

Advantageously, the number n corresponds to the number of weft threads present in an evolution of the armor.

each flat wire being placed between two guide warp wires, the flat wires have a height less than or equal to the diameter of these warp wires,

The flat wire is parallel to these two warp son, the latter enclosing the flat wire over at least a portion of its length as a guide. the flat yarns are made of a material chosen from the group comprising polyesters, polyamides, polypropylenes and polyethylenes,

These materials impart a rot-proof nature to the temporary surface coating thus formed and a resistance to ultraviolet (UV). Advantageously, the flat wires may also be made of biodegradable materials such as a biodegradable plastic material, or in an oxodegradable plastic material. The biodegradable plastic material can be based on starch. Since the coating is made entirely of one of these biodegradable or oxodegradable plastic materials or a combination of these materials, it has the ability to be self-destructible in a few weeks or a few months depending on the diameter of the warp and weft threads and according to the invention. thickness of the flat wires used. at least some of the flat wires comprise a highly reflective coating for reflecting the light emitted by the machines moving on the coating and forming a light guide,

By arranging these flat wires on the lateral edges of the liner, it is possible for the machines traveling on its surface to more easily locate the track of movement in difficult conditions such as darkness, fog, showers, etc. According to a variant flat wires can be photoluminescent.

at least some of said flat wires are able to transmit and / or receive signals.

The invention also relates to the use of the coating as described above as support for at least one temporary dwelling on sandy, swampy or snowy grounds.

The presence of these flat son surface of the woven structure advantageously reduces the imprint of the temporary coating on a deformable surface such as a tent mat. The surface coatings of the invention also make it possible to provide thermal insulation by forming a screen between the floor of the tent-type temporary dwelling and the natural floor.

The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 shows schematically a partial view of a cover structure of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a temporary surface coating according to a first embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 3 is a side view of a floor covering according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the floor covering of Figure 3 showing the manner in which each flat wire is inserted into the cover structure of Figure 1; Figure 5 shows the armor of the floor covering of Figure 3;

- Figure 6 shows schematically the armor of Figure 5 reduced to the weft son, the warp No. 1 and flat wire;

- Figure 7 is a side view of a floor covering according to a third embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 shows the armor of the floor covering of Figure 7;

Figure 2 shows a temporary surface coating especially for moving on sandy soil, muddy or swampy according to one embodiment of the invention.

This coating comprises a woven structure formed of warp threads 6 arranged in a single layer and weft threads 7 also arranged in a single layer. These warp 6 and weft 7 son are preferably monofilament to ensure the woven structure the necessary rigidity. However, the warp threads may be monofilaments or not.

The weft threads 7 may have, for example, a diameter of the order of 30 to 200 hundredths of a millimeter. The warp threads 6 preferably have a diameter slightly smaller than that of the weft threads 7. For purely illustrative purposes, the weft threads 7 have a diameter of 80 hundredths of a millimeter and the warp threads 6 have a diameter of 65 hundredths. mm.

The warp 6 and weft 7 son are advantageously made of a material selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyamides, polypropylenes, biodegradable plastic materials based on starch, oxodegradable plastic materials and polyethylenes. The weave of this woven structure is such that each warp 6 intersects with the weft threads 7 next, preferably and very approximately, half of the intersections of the rows and columns of the armor, the warp 6 being left in the remaining intersections, so that, for each warp yarn, at least one zone of simple and tight armor followed by a zone of floats, the alternation of the various aforesaid zones causing tightening of the yarns of frame 7 creating an important relief of the fabric thus produced. For a more detailed description of such a woven structure, reference may be made to the patent application WO 95/26435.

This temporary surface coating thus has on both sides an embossed structure with transverse ribs formed by projections and recesses, which give the coating its properties of attachment of tires and caterpillars of vehicles called to move on this coating. The coating comprises on one of its faces flat wires 8 disposed over a portion of the width of the woven structure thus generating a portion having a soft profile particularly suitable for barefoot walking and another portion having a large relief adapted to the movement of the woven structure. vehicles. Each flat wire 8 is only taken, or bonded, by weft threads 9 that are more external to the woven structure on the corresponding face, which makes it possible to cover the hollows of the woven structure as much as possible while minimizing the penetration of these flat threads. 8 in the woven structure. The coating thus retains its qualities of hanging on the ground. The flat threads 8 may all be taken by the same weft thread 7 or, on the contrary, by different weft threads 7 in order to cause a shift in their binding, thus favoring the softness of the surface.

These flat wires 8 are parallel and spaced from each other to ensure significant permeability to the coating. At the same time, they constitute a barrier limiting the infiltration of foreign bodies into the woven structure.

To prevent the flat wires 8 from being able to move transversely on the woven structure, each flat wire 8 is placed between two consecutive warp wires 6 serving as guides for this flat wire 8.

The flat wires 8 then preferably have a height, or thickness, smaller than the diameter of these warp son 6 so as to maintain these flat son 8 prisoners.

By way of purely illustrative example, the warp threads 6 having a diameter of 65 hundredths of a millimeter, the flat threads 8 have a height of 42 hundredths of a millimeter. Furthermore, the flat threads 8 are stretched so as to be at least partially pressed against the woven structure between two taken to prevent a possible setting of this flat thread and the application thereon of a strong stress for example by traction .

These flat wires 8 are preferably made of polyester for outdoor applications, however they may also be made of a material selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polypropylenes, polyethylenes and biodegradable or oxodegradable plastics.

For sandy floor coating applications for example, these flat wires 8 may be previously coated with an antimicrobial agent before weaving the coating.

Flat wires can also serve as information or advertising media. For this, they comprise at least one printed face. To manufacture such a coating, it is possible to cut a support previously printed by a method known to those skilled in the art, in ribbons of uniform width, for example 3.5 mm. These ribbons or flat wires 8 are then assembled together, and these strips 8 thus assembled are wound on a wire storage system.

This wire storage system is then installed on a loom for the manufacture of the woven structure. This loom preferably comprises its own independent feed system of warp threads 6 and weft 7. The loom is thus capable of receiving a sheet of threads that do not have the same embossing as that of the woven structure. .

The woven structure is made by incorporating the printed ribbons. The loom comprises a sensor connected to a processing unit. This processing unit sends control signals to a cutting tool to determine the length of the flat wire 8, or ribbon, to be inserted. This ensures that the pattern is not damaged by cutting the assembled tapes into a strip in the wrong places.

The flat wires 8 being spaced apart from each other by a small distance, for example between 3 and 5 mm, +/- 10%, the pattern of the previously printed information carrier is found on the floor covering.

Of course, the printing of the flat son can be carried out by any other known method and after manufacturing the temporary floor covering so as to insert the advertising message or information on demand.

The flat wires 8 may also comprise at least one protective layer disposed on at least one of their external surfaces, after printing the advertising message or information to protect the printed face (s) from external aggression.

The woven structure described above may finally be bonded to an auxiliary woven structure comprising a warp web and a weft web. The woven structure is then superimposed on this auxiliary woven structure and the connection between these two woven structures is formed so as to form between the two structures, from place to place, tubular pockets oriented along the warp son 6 or the son of frame 7.

The pockets are made from place to place, at regular intervals or not. They can serve as receiving housing for reported items for various purposes. Thus, the pockets can receive, at the time of weaving or later, an elongate stiffening element, such as a bar for example of composite material of a few tens of millimeters in diameter. The bars, for example of the fiberglass and polyester resin type and 25 mm in diameter, are held captive in the pockets between the two woven structures and give the coating increased lift while reinforcing the salient character of the areas where these are inserted. bars. The nature and diameter of the son of the auxiliary woven structure can of course vary, depending on the intended applications.

For a description of the auxiliary structure and the connection of these woven structures, reference may be made to the patent application WO 99/49116 of the present applicant. Figures 3 and 4 show a floor covering according to a second embodiment of the invention. The weft threads 7, 6 and flat thread son 8 having been previously described, it will be described later how each flat thread 8 is inserted into the cover structure of FIG. 1.

The flat threads 8 are identical and taken, or bonded, by the same weft thread 7 over the width of the floor covering. Each flat wire is also regularly inserted in a woven structure of the type of Figure 1.

FIG. 4 shows in particular that to prevent the flat wires 8 from being able to move transversely on the woven structure, each flat wire 8 is surrounded on either side of its lateral edges by at least one warp 6 serving The flat wires 8 are, moreover, pressed against the woven structure.

Figure 5 shows the armor of the floor covering of Figure 3. This armor conventionally represented comprises ten warp threads, numbered 1 to 10, facing ten vertical columns and 26 weft threads, numbered 1 to 26, in look of twenty six rows for the woven structure in which are inserted the flat threads. An eleventh vertical column represents the flat wires inserted identically in the woven structure of FIG. 1. Next to this eleventh column is thus placed a flat wire numbered 11.

At the intersections of the rows and columns are shown in the known manner, in black, the warp or flat thread taken and in white, the warp threads or flat thread left in the remaining intersections.

Thus, for example, considering FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that the woven structure in which the flat wires are inserted, the warp thread No. 1 passes successively (is taken) over the first five weft threads (No. 1 to 5), then passes (is left) under weft thread No. 6, back on weft thread No. 7, then under weft thread No. 8, then on No. 9, then goes under Nos. 10 to 18, then No. 19, No. 20, No. 21, No. 22 and finally Nos. 23 to 26.

In total, the warp # 1 is taken thirteen times and left thirteen times. Moreover, as can better be seen in FIG. 6, the warp thread No. 1 intersects with the weft threads (numbered 1 to 26) in a plain and tight weave of the canvas type, in two zones called A preceded and followed each by an area called B where the warp is left. Each zone A or B covers several consecutive weft threads.

For each warp of the armor of FIG. 5, therefore, there is an alternating succession of zones A (plain weave) and B (left warp threads), the number of zones A and of zones B that can vary. from one warp to another. The alternation of the tight interlocking zones A and B areas where the warp yarns do not work and therefore create large floats, causes tightening of the weft yarns creating an important relief of the woven structure in which the yarns are inserted. dishes as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The flat wire for its part is taken or bound only once by the No. 4 weft wire generating a left on the armor of the flooring. The flat wire thus evolves above the weft threads Nos. 1 to 3 and 5 to 26.

Figure 7 shows a side view of a floor covering according to a third embodiment of the invention and Figure 8 is a schematic representation of the armor of this floor covering. This flooring has an alternation of two numbered flat wires

11 'and 12' inserted differently in a basic woven structure.

The basic woven structure in which, during manufacture, flat wires are inserted, as and when, to obtain the floor covering of the invention comprises 25 weft yarns and 10 warp yarns in an evolution of its weave. The armor of the floor covering thus comprises twelve vertical columns opposite which are placed the warp threads, numbered 1 'to 10' of the basic woven structure and the two flat threads numbered 11 'and 12'. The weave comprises 25 weft threads, numbered 1 to 25, in front of twenty five rows for the basic structure into which the flat threads are inserted. Looking at Figure 7, it is observed that the flat wire 11 'is taken twice which is reflected in Figure 8 by two left for an evolution of the armor. According to Figure 8, it passes successively (is taken) on the first three weft son (No. 1 'to 3'), then passes (is left) under the weft thread No. 4 ', returns to the weft threads Nos. 5 'to 13', then under weft thread No. 14 ', then passes again on weft threads Nos. 15' to 25 '.

In Figure 7, the flat wire 11 'is taken by the weft son 4' and 14 '.

Looking at Figure 7, it is observed that the flat wire 12 'is also taken twice, which is shown in Figure 8 by two left for an evolution of armor. In Figure 8, the flat wire 12 'passes successively (is taken) on the first 13 weft son (No. V to 13'), then passes (is left) under the weft thread No. 14 ', back on weft threads Nos. 15 'to 20', then under weft thread No. 21 ', then again passes to weft threads Nos. 22' to 25 '.

As a result, between the weft yarns 4 'and 14', the flat yarn 12 'is horizontal thus covering the hollow of the basic woven structure and imparting a planar appearance of this zone as seen from the outside of the flooring. .

Claims

A temporary surface coating comprising a woven structure formed of warp threads (6) arranged in a single layer and weft threads (7) also arranged in a single layer, the weave of said woven structure being such that each thread chain (6) intersects with the weft threads (7) next, preferably and very approximately, half of the intersections of the rows and columns of the armor, the warp thread (6) being left in the remaining intersections such that, for each warp yarn (6), at least one simple and tight armor zone followed by a float zone, the alternation of the various aforesaid zones causing tightening of the weft threads (7 ) creating an important relief of the fabric thus produced, characterized in that it comprises flat threads (8) arranged on at least part of the width of said woven structure on at least one of its faces, each of said flat threads (8 ) being taken, regularly or not, by weft son (7) placed at the ends of the projections of said face of the woven structure.

2. The coating of claim 1, characterized in that each of said flat son (8) is taken only by the outermost weft son (9) to said woven structure.

3. The coating of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said flat son (8) are parallel and spaced from each other.

4. Coating according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each of said flat son (8) is at least partially pressed against said woven structure between two taken.

5. Coating according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said flat son (8) have a solid or hollow cross section.

6. Coating according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said flat son (8) are taken every n weft son (7) of said woven structure, n being> 8.

7. Coating according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each flat wire being placed between two warp son (6) as a guide, said flat son (8) have a height less than or equal to the diameter of said warp threads (6).

8. Coating according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the weft son (7) have a diameter of the order of 30 to 200 hundredths of a mm and the warp son (6) preferably a diameter smaller than that of the weft threads (7).

9. Coating according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said flat son (8) are made of a material selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyamides, polypropylenes, polyethylenes and biodegradable plastic materials or oxodegradable.

10. Coating according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said flat son (8) comprise at least one printed face to serve as information carrier.

11. The coating of claim 10, characterized in that said flat son (8) comprise at least one protective layer to protect said printed face from external aggression.

12. The coating according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that at least some of said flat son (8) comprise a highly reflective coating to reflect the light emitted by the gear moving on said coating and form a guide luminous.

13. The coating according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that said flat son (8) are coated with an antimicrobial agent.

14. Coating according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it comprises an auxiliary woven structure comprising a web of warp son (6) and a ply of weft son (7), said woven structure being superposed on said auxiliary woven structure and the connection between the two woven structures being formed so as to form between the two structures, from place to place, tubular pockets oriented along the warp threads (6) or the weft threads (7). ), said pockets serving as receiving housing elements reported for various purposes.

15. The coating according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that at least some of said flat son (8) are able to transmit and / or receive signals.

16. Use of said coating according to any one of claims 1 to 15 as a support for at least one temporary dwelling on sandy soils, swampy or snow.