GB2168405A

GB2168405A - A lattice mat for use in building

Info

Publication number: GB2168405A
Application number: GB08526252A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Der Linde Horst Van
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-10-25
Filing date: 1985-10-24
Publication date: 1986-06-18
Also published as: NL8502845A; GB8526252D0; DE3439069A1; DK492285A; DK492285D0

Abstract

A lattice mat for use preferably in hydraulic engineering as an apron or similar protective device, comprises intersecting rods, cables, wires or similar steel or plastics elongate members or strands (1, 2), and detachable connecting elements (4) joining them. Each connecting element (4) is made up of dismountable faceplates (6, 7). Each faceplate (6, 7) holds at least one strand (1, 2) so that the strands (1, 2) may be joined to form a lattice mat by interconnection of the faceplates (6, 7). Artificial sea grass or the like may be secured to the mat. Other forms of connecting elements are disclosed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A lattice mat for use in building The present invention relates to a lattice mat of intersecting rods, cables, wires or similar steel or plastics elongate members (hereinafter referred to as "strands"), for use in building.

Known lattice mats are flat structures in the form of prefabricated sections which are transported to the place of installation or laying. The prefabricated sections are then individually laid or installed. If for example they are used for protecting coasts or watercourses, the individual sections have to be interconnected to provide a covering over the surface of the subsoil to be protected.

When used in hydraulic engineering in particulr, the mats often also have to be adapted to a given contour, e.g. the water bottom or other ground, terrain and soil conditions. Such work is very difficult, since the prefabricated mat sections have a relatively large area, e.g. a mesh may have a mesh size of 0.5m, a length of 15m and a width of 5m, and is therefore difficult to handle.

It is also complicated and difficult to lay individual sections, particularly under water, since the sections are connected to form a lattice-mat to be laid on the surface of the subsoil. The necessary steps of the installation process are repeated when each section is laid, and thus multiply and increase the assembly and labour costs.

An object of the present invention is to construct a lattice mat which is easy to lay and install.

A lattice mat according to the present invention comprises elongate members or strands and connecting elements attached to individual strands, each connecting element comprising at least one faceplate having retaining means for holding at least one strand and means for securing one faceplate to another.

By means of the connecting elements, a lattice mat can be produced directly on site. Advantageously the mat can be laid at almost the same time as it is made. More particularly, some stranded material, e.g. solid wire about 6mm in diameter, can be unwound from coils so as to produce a substantially endless lattice mat. It is only necessary for the strands extending transversely to the longitudinal direction, and intersecting a number of longitudinal strands, to be cut to a length corresponding to the width of the finished mat, and the connecting elements are used for joining the strands, e.g. at the intersections.

The laying of lattice mats is greatly simplified by eliminating the laborious manipulation of largearea individual sections which have to be connected to one another.

In hydraulic engineering, lattice mats produced and laid according to the invention can also be covered with artificial sea grass by securing bundles of plastics strips to the individual longitudinal and transverse strands between intersections.

To enable the connecting elements to hold the strands at the intersections, each connecting element preferably has at least two retaining means.

Each retaining means is able to hold one strand, so that a connecting element secures a plurality of strands at their intersection. The retaining means may also be disposed so that one connecting element holds two or more strands extending parallel without an intersection. Another alternative would be a number of retaining means for forming a multiple intersection. The retaining means may be disposed so that the strands may intersect at any desired angle.

In a preferred embodiment of the lattice mat, the retaining means of a connecting element comprises a channel which extends through the element and holds a strand.

A channel can easily be formed, e.g. by drilling.

The channel also surrounds the strand which it secures, so that the connecting element, without any further action, is held substantially without slipping to the strand located in the channel. The strand can be inserted into the channel simply by pressing in, so that a connecting element may be secured to the strands without the use of special tools.

According to another preferred feature, each channel extends through the connecting element in a different plane with nothing to prevent the strands crossing inside a connecting element. The intersecting strands extend straight through and do not have to bend at the point of intersection.

Positioning in different planes also advantageously enables the channels to cross inside a connecting element.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, each connecting element is a plastics member. A plastics member may be economically produced and is resistant to corrosion, which is particularly advantageous when the lattice mats are used in hydraulic engineering.

Advantageously each channel comprises a groove having constricted opening edges and formed in an associated surface of the connecting element. An open groove makes it easier to press in the strands. The constricted edges hold the pressed-in strand firmly and thus prevent it from falling out of the connecting elements.

Another preferred feature which further simplifies the manufacture of a lattice mat directly at the laying or installation site, is that each connecting element comprises a member made up of two faceplates and each faceplate is formed with at least one channel. The strands, i.e. the longitudinal and transverse strands, for joining to form a lattice mat, may be separately fitted to the faceplates or halves of a connecting element, and the faceplates simply need to be joined together for simultaneously producing the connecting elements and lattice mat.

According to a specially preferred feature, adjacent flat surfaces of the faceplates have connecting means for joining faceplates to form connecting elements. In this manner, individual faceplates can be joined simply by pressing together without using special tools, the connecting means interlocking at the flat surfaces.

Advantageously the faceplates and the strands in their channels are permanently secured together to form connecting elements, so that the mats cannot subsequently come apart. This is achieved more particularly if the connecting means are recessed and pins, spigots or similar projections engaging in the recesses. Each faceplate has a projecting spigot and a recess which co-operate with corresponding connecting means in a faceplate which is to be attached.

Preferably the spigot has cross-slits, the recess widens conically and a pointed conical wedge is provided for driving into the cross-slits. When the two faceplates are being joined to form a connecting element holding together the strands of a lattice mat, the wedge is driven in and the spigot is spread or expanded in a recess and firmly forced into the recess, which is conically undercut. The resulting advantage is that the joined halves of a connecting element are additionally tightened together, increasing the strength of the connection.

The connecting elements can also serve as loading members for a lattice mat to be lowered under water. For example, each faceplate may be embedded in a member made of loading material, e.g.

concrete, the flat surface of the faceplate equipped with connecting elements being flush with a surface of the loading-material member. In that case each loading member, like the connecting element, will be made up of two halves, each half holding a strand of a lattice mat so that no tools or special aids will be needed for producing crossing-points or similar connections between strands to form a lattice mat. After being assembled in this way, a mat can be immediately laid.

A loading member may be e.g. a concrete block in which the faceplate is embedded. Each plastics faceplate has peripheral anchoring grooves so that the faceplates are firmly held in the concrete.

Advantageously each concrete block has a flattened hemispherical shape. When the two hemispheres are joined to form a connecting element for securing stranded material, the resulting concrete block is ellipsoidal, a particularly advantageous shape for laying a lattice mat under water, since the rounded shape offers a reduced area of resistance to flow, ice drift or similar mechanical forces.

Alternatively, each concrete block may be e.g.

hexagonal, in which case lattice mats and concrete blocks may be combined to form a relatively continuous breakwater glacis, rubble slope or the like.

A lattice mat made by using connecting elements according to the invention may also be intalled and laid with filter, fibre or similar fabric mats and may likewise be held by corresponding connecting elements, which connect the individual strands to form a lattice mat.

The connecting elements may be used with or without loading members, so that every embodiment of lattice mats may be produced. Special shapes for adaptation to a particular site may be obtained without difficulty during manufacture and laying.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of part of an assembled lattice mat; Figure 2 is a side view in section of an intersection between two strands in a lattice mat comprising connecting elements and loading members; Figure 3 is a side view in section of half a connecting element; Figure 4 is a plan view of the half connecting element in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a sectional view of a half connecting element usable without loading members; Figure 6 is a side view of a simplified embodiment of a connecting element; Figure 7 is a plan view of the connecting element in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a sectional view of a connecting element for stranded material extending in the same direction.

Figure 1 is a partial plan view of a lattice mat.

The mat is made up of longitudinal strands 1 and transverse strands 2, made e g. of 6mm diameter steel wire. The longitudinal and transverse strands are placed on top of one another and joined at intersections 3 by connecting elements 4 to produce a lattice mat having a mesh width of e.g. 0.5m. The mat may be covered with artificial sea grass 5, which in the present case comprises bundles of synthetic fibres secured to the strands between connecting elements.

Elements 4 can also serve as loading members for the lattice mat.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a connecting element 4 constructed as a loading member. Element 4 is substantially a plastics member comprising two joined faceplates 6 and 7.

Each faceplate has a retaining means or channel 8 for holding a single strand - i.e. faceplate 7 holds a transverse strand 2 and faceplate 6 holds a longitudinal strand 1. Both faceplates have recesses 9, 9a for receiving spigots which project from the other faceplate and are spread apart by wedges 10, 10a driven into them when the two faceplates are pressed together. The two faceplates, each holding a strand of the lattice mat, are thus firmly interconnected in the area where the strands intersect.

In the embodiment in Figure 2, each faceplate is cast into a flattened hemispherical loading member 11, 11a. The loading members are made e.g. of concrete and designed so as to form a continuous round member in co-operation with faceplates 6 and 7 after being fitted together.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a single faceplate 6. A peripheral anchoring groove 12 is formed, for improved securing in the loading-member material. A projecting spigot 13 and recess 9 provide connecting means for connection with the corresponding means on an adjacent faceplate (Figure 2). As illustrated, the recess 9 is conically undercut and has a projecting wedge 10. The spigot 13 has cross-slits. The spigot 13 engages in the corresponding recess in a faceplate (plate 7 in Figure 2) and in the process wedge 10 pushes the cross-slits apart, so that each spigot is forced into the conically undercut recess 9 of the other faceplate. Ref erence 8a denotes a channel for receiving a strand of the lattice mat.

Figure 4 is a plan view of faceplate 6, showing how channel 8a extends through the faceplate. The channel is constructed as a groove having constricted opening edges 14, 14a. Figure 4 clearly shows the cross-splits 15 in spigot 13.

Each faceplate 6, 7 may be cast in concrete, so that each connecting element may serve as a loading member or concrete block, e.g. for a breakwater glacis.

Figure 5 shows a further embodiment of a connecting element. As before, the drawing shows only one half of a connecting element, corresponding to a faceplate. A connecting element made up of thesehalves is manufactured from plastics and is used to join the intersecting strands to form a lattice mat. A conical recess is denoted by 9a as before and 13a denotes a corresponding spigot. A strand may be inserted into a retaining means or channel 8b. Two corresponding halves as in Figure 5 are joined together to form a connecting element for connecting two intersecting strands.

Figure 6 shows a particularly simple embodiment of a connecting element, i.e. a plastics plate 16 formed with two channels 8c, 8d crossing one another. Channel 8c has the clearly-visible shape of an open groove having constricted opening edges.

The connecting element in simplified form is made of plastics and may be used e.g. as a dismountable assembly aid in the manufacture of lattice mats.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the simplified connecting element in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of another embodiment of a simplified connecting element. In this embodiment the channels for receiving strands do not intersect but lie parallel, so that the connecting element shown in Figure 8 may be used for making secure connections between two lattice-mat strands extending in the same direction.

Claims

1. A lattice mat for use in building comprising elongate members or strands and connecting elements attachable to individual strands, each element having at least one retaining means for a strand.

2. A lattice mat according to claim 1 wherein each connecting element has at least two retaining means.

3. A lattice mat according to claim 1 wherein each retaining means is a channel extending through the connecting element and holding a strand.

4. A lattice mat according to claim 3 wherein each channel extends in a different plane through the connecting element.

5. A lattice mat according to claim 4 wherein the channels intersect.

6. A lattice mat according to claim 1 wherein each connecting element is a plastics member.

7. A lattice mat according to any of the preceding claims wherein each channel is a groove formed in an associated surface of the connecting element and having constricted opening edges.

8. A lattice mat according to any of claims 1 - 7 wherein each connecting element is a member made up of two faceplates and each faceplate has at least one channel.

9. A lattice mat according to claims 7 and 8 wherein adjacent flat-surfaces of the faceplates have connecting means by which the faceplates may be brought into operative connection with one another.

10. A lattice mat according to claim 9 wherein the connecting means are recesses and pins, spigots or similar projections engageable in the recesses.

11. A lattice mat according to claim 10 wherein each faceplate has at least one projecting spigot and at least one recess.

12. A lattice mat according to claim 11 wherein each spigot has cross-slits, each recess widens conically and pointed conical wedges are provided for driving into the cross-slits.

13. A lattice mat according to any of the preceding claims wherein each faceplate is embedded in a member made of loading material, the flat surface of each faceplate being equipped with connecting elements and positioned flush with a surface of the loading-material member.

14. A lattice mat according to claim 13 wherein the loading-material member is a concrete block in which the faceplate is embedded.

15. A lattice mat according to claim 14 wherein each faceplate has peripheral anchoring grooves.

16. A lattice mat according to claim 14 wherein each concrete block has a flat hemispherical shape.

17. A lattice mat according to claim 13 wherein each channel in the loading-material member continues as a groove formed in the member.

18. A method of constructing a lattice mat in situ from strands or elongate members and connecting means, comprising attaching the connecting means or parts thereof to the individual strands and joining the parts to form an intersection between two or more strands.

19. A connecting element for use in construction of a lattice mat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17 comprising a first retaining means for retaining one strand and a second retaining means for retaining a second strand.

20. A connecting element as claimed in claim 19 wherein the two retaining means are located on two or more separate parts of the connecting means, means being provided for joining the parts such that a rigid connecting element is formed after joining.

21. A lattice mat substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

22. A connecting element substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.