GB2116596A - A flooring system - Google Patents

Abstract

A flooring system for use in an agricultural building, to permit the drying of produce with pumped air, has a plurality of parallel bearers 11 laid on the building floor, and a plurality of parallel floor members 12 laid on the bearers to extend transversely thereof, with gaps 13 between adjacent floor members 12. Each floor member has two grooves 15 running parallel to and adjacent the long edges of the member, and the gaps between the floor members 12 are covered by bridge pieces 14, having flanges located in the grooves 15. Each bridge piece has a plurality of apertures therein, so that air pumped into the spaces between the bearers 11 may flow upwardly through the apertures in the bridge pieces, to filter through produce stored on the flooring system. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A flooring system This invention relates to a flooring system, and in particular to such a system suitable for the storage of agricultural produce thereon, to allow ventilation of that produce.

It is often necessary to harvest agricultural produce -- such as all types of root crops or cereal crops - at times other than the ideal, and thus when the produce is wet or has a too high moisture content. In either case, bulk storage of such produce can lead to the rapid deterioration thereof, unless measures are taken to dry the excess moisture from the produce.

It is known to effect the drying of agricultural produce by depositing the produce on the floor of a so-called drying shed, which shed has underfloor passageways communicating with perforated panels in the main floor surface, such that air may be pumped under pressure to the passageways, to issue through the perforated panels. The air thus rises through the produce stored on the floor, so as to effect the drying thereof. In view of the benefits which can accrue from a specially constructed drying shed, there have been proposals for the conversion of a conventional produce storage shed so that it may be used as a drying shed, by adapting the floor of the storage shed so as to allow air to be passed into a crop stored therein.One of these proposals comprises laying bearers on the floor, each somewhat similar to a conventional flooring joist, and then affixing to those bearers transversely extending floorboards, with gaps between each floorboard. Air may then be pumped to the spaces between the bearers, to issue upwardly through the gap between adjacent floorboards. Whilst this arrangement may be satisfactory for relatively large produce, such as root crops in general, it is not suitable for cereal crops, because the grain may fall through the gaps between the floorboards and eventually block the spaces between the bearers. If however the gaps are reduced to prevent this happening, there may be insufficient air flow for drying the crop.

In an attempt to overcome the abovementioned problem, there has been a proposal for a floor constructed generally in the abovedescribed manner, but with metallic perforated strips disposed so as to cover the gaps between the floorboards. In this proposal, each floorboard is provided with a pair of grooves, each groove extending into the floorboard from closely adjacent an upper corner of the floorboard long edge, substantially at 450 to the horizontal. Each strip is formed from perforated sheet metal and has a substantially flat major area and two side portions extending at 450 to the major area, so that these portions may be received in the grooves formed in the floorboards.

Though the above-described floor may display an adequate performance once installed, it has several disadvantages. The floor has to be laid successively from one end by inter-connecting alternate floorboards and metallic strips, fixing the floorboards to the bearers as construction progresses. Should a floorboard or a strip become damaged when the floor is in service, then the floor must be dismantled from one end, up to the damaged section, before the floorboard or strip can be replaced.Moreover, the floor is relatively inflexible; if the floor is assembled with perforated strips suitable for storing for example a relatively small-sized cereal crop but subsequently is to have stored thereon a root crop, the strips cannot easily be removed; rather, the floor must completely be dismantled and then re-laid, either without any metal strips, or with metal strips having perforations of a different size.

It is an object of this invention at least to reduce the disadvantages mentioned above of the particularly-described type of produce floor, employing floorboards and strips covering the gaps between adjacent floorboards.

Accordingly, this invention provides a flooring system comprising a plurality of bearers each adapted to be laid on a substantially flat base surface, a plurality of elongate floor members laid parallel to one another transverse to and on the bearers so as to be supported thereby, the floor members being spaced apart so as to define gaps therebetween, and a plurality of bridge pieces each of generally rectangular shape to span the gap between adjacent floor members, each bridge piece having a major surface in which are formed apertures to allow the passage of air therethrough, and having a pair of flanges projecting one from one long edge respectively of the major surface substantially at right angles thereto, and each floor member having adjacent and parallel to each long edge thereof a groove extending into the floor member normally from the top surface thereof suitable for receiving the flange of a bridge piece, whereby a bridge piece may be fitted to cover the gap between adjacent floor members, or removed from such a position, after the floor members have been laid on the bearers.

It will be appreciated that once a flooring system of this invention has been laid on a substantially flat base surface, such as the flat floor of a storage barn, means would be provided to pump air to the spaces between the bearers, the flat base surface and the floor members, such that when produce has been stored on the flooring system, air pumped into those spaces may rise upwardly through the apertured bridge pieces, to spread through the produce and thereby effect drying thereof.Moreover, in view of the defined relative disposition of the grooves in the floor members and the flanges on the bridge pieces, any one or more bridge pieces may be removed from the floor without affecting the floor members nor requiring the removal thereof; conversely, bridge pieces having appropriately sized apertures may be fitted to a floor already laid and comprising bearers and transversely-extending spaced floor members.

In the flooring system of this invention, it is greatly preferred for at least some of the apertures in each bridge piece to be formed as a louvre, so that the air flow from such an aperture will lie at an acute angle to the major surface. Conveniently, each such aperture is formed by making a linear cut through the major surface of the bridge piece and then pressing a portion of the bridge piece downwardly from the major surface, thereby to define the louvre. Though such louvred apertures may have little significant effect when a large mass of produce is stored on the floor, nevertheless such apertures may greatly assist the clearing of the floor, when produceand especially cereal crops - are being cleared therefrom.Thus, by pumping air to the spaces below the floor members when the floor is being cleared, the directional air currents caused by the louvres will tend to blow the produce towards one end of the floor, provided that all the louvres are appropriately disposed.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of a flooring system constructed in accordance with this invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the section of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the section of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of part of the floor section of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a detail view of the connection of two floor sections disposed side-by-side; Figure 6 is a plan view of a bridge piece used in the flooring system; and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view through the bridge piece of Figure 6.

The flooring system of this invention is intended to be laid on a substantially flat base of a storage shed, such that crops and other agricultural produce may be stored on the floor and the ventilation thereof then effected. The entire flooring system to cover the storage shed floor is built up from a plurality of sections, one of which is illustrated in Figures 1 to 4. This section 10 comprises three elongate soft-wood bearers 11 extending parallel to one another, in a spacedapart disposition. Each bearer 11 is laid directly on the storage shed floor (not shown) so as to upstand therefrom, the height of the bearers being selected having regard to the volume of air which is to be pumped through stored produce per unit time.Laid on the bearers 11 are hard-wood floor members 12, disposed to extend transversely to the length of the elongate bearers 11 with a gap 13 between adjacent floor members 12. Each gap 13 is covered by a metallic bridge piece 14 having apertures formed therein, as will be described below.

Extending parallel and immediately adjacent to each long edge of each floor member 1 2 is a groove 15, which groove extends into the floor member normally from the adjacent top surface 1 6 of the floor member 12. The top surface of the portion 1 7 between a groove 1 5 and the side edge 1 8 of each floor member is relieved slightly, so that the upper surface of a bridge piece 14 fitted to cover the gap between two adjacent floor members may lie co-planar with the top surface 1 6 of the major part of the floor member 12. The inner upper corner of each groove 15 is also bevelled, as shown at 19.

Each bridge piece 14 (Figures 6 and 7) has a major generally flat surface 20 of rectangular shape, there being two flanges 21 projecting downwardly one from each long edge of the flat surface 20. These flanges 21 are formed integraliy with the material of the flat surface 20, by appropriate bending thereof so that the flanges extend perpendicularly to the flat surface 1 8. Each bridge piece 14 is formed with a plurality of apertures 22, each in the form of a louvre, as illustrated in Figure 7. The louvred apertures 22 are provided in a series of groups 23 along the length of the bridge piece, each louvred aperture in each group extending parallel to the length of the bridge piece.The louvred apertures of each group are out of alignment with the louvred apertures in an adjacent group, but aligned with the louvred apertures of the next-but-one group along the length of the bridge piece. Each louvred aperture is formed by slitting the major flat surface 20 of the bridge piece, and then pressing the material of the bridge piece downwardly, so as to form the louvre proper, as illustrated in Figure 7.

It will be appreciated that once the bearers 11 have been laid and the floor members 1 2 have been affixed thereto, the bridge pieces may be fitted to the floor members 12 or removed therefrom at will, without disturbing the fixing of the floor members 1 2 to the bearers 11. Thus, the bridge pieces 14 may be removed for cleaning, and this also will allow cleaning of the spaces between the bearers 11, under the floor members 12. When produce is to be stored on the floor, bridge pieces 14 having apertures of an appropriate size may be fitted to the floor members - or the bridge pieces may be omitted altogether, for example in a case where relatively large root crops are to be stored.

A consideration of Figures 1,2 and 5 shows that one long edge 24 of a flooring section 10 has a strip 25 attached to the ends of the floor members 1 2 so as to project laterally from adjacent the upper half of the ends of those floor members, whereas the opposed long edge of the section has a strip 26 attached to project from the lower halves of the ends of those floor members.

In this way, as illustrated in Figure 5, adjacent sections may be fitted together with no substantial gap therebetween, even should the sections creep or expand and contract, in use.

Sections of the floor may also be laid end-to-end, and the disposition of the floor members 12 at the ends of each section as well as the ends of the bearers 11 are such that a further bridge piece 14 may be used to interlock the end floor members of two sections disposed end-to-end.

Once the complete floor area of a storage shed has had a flooring system of this invention laid thereon, appropriate apparatus for pumping air is suitably disposed to allow air to be supplied under pressure to the spaces between the bearers 11 of all the flooring sections. Then, when produce has been stored on the flooring system, air may be driven into the space between the bearers 11 , the floor members 12 and the original base of the storage shed, which air may then issue through the louvred apertures 22, to rise upwardly through produce stored thereon. In the case where a relatively small-sized crop - such as cereal crops stored on the floor, when the floor is being cleared of that crop, by driving air between the bearers 11 so as to rise upwardly through the louvred apertures 22, the air will issue out of the louvred apertures so as to cause an air current generally along the length of a flooring section.

This will tend to blow the stored crop to one end of the storage shed -- provided that all the bridge pieces 14 have appropriately been.laid with the louvred apertures pointing in one direction -- thus assisting clearance of the crop from the floor.

Claims (6)

1. Aflooring system comprising a plurality of bearers each adapted to be laid on a substantially flat base surface, a plurality of elongate floor members laid parallel to one another transverse to and on the bearers so as to be supported thereby, the floor members being spaced apart so as to define gaps therebetween, and a plurality of bridge pieces each of generally rectangular shape to span the gap between the adjacent floor members, each bridge piece having a major surface in which are formed apertures to allow the passage of air therethrough, and having a pair of flanges projecting one from each long edge respectively of the major surface substantially at right angles thereto, and each floor member having adjacent and parallel to each long edge thereof a groove extending into the floor member normally from the top surface thereof, each groove being suitable for receiving the flange of a bridge piece, whereby a bridge piece may be fitted to cover the gap between adjacent floor members or removed from such a position, after the floor members have been laid on the bearers.

2. A flooring system according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the apertures in each bridge piece are formed as louvres, so that the air flow from such an aperture will lie at an acute angle to the major surface.

3. A flooring system according to claim 2, wherein each such aperture is formed by making a linear cut through the major surface of the bridge piece and then pressing a portion of the bridge piece adjacent the cut downwardly from the major surface, thereby to define the louvre.

4. A flooring system according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein each aperture has a major axis which extends substantially normally to the length of the bridge piece.

5. A flooring system according to claim 1, and sbstantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

6. The combination of a flooring system according to any of the preceding claims, and means to pump air into the spaces defined between the bearers, the flat base surface on which the floor is laid and the floor members, such that when produce has been stored on the flooring system, air pumped into those spaces may rise upwardly through the apertured bridge pieces.