GB2273519A - Sheeting - Google Patents

Abstract

Sheeting comprising a base sheet (14), a strip of sheet material (42) overlying a portion of the base sheet, a row of openings (40) formed either in the strip or in the said portion of the base sheet, the strip being secured to the base sheet on either side of the row of openings and an elongate element (15, 16, 17) sandwiched between the said strip and the base sheet and secured in and/or to the base sheet, the arrangement being such that a tie can be passed through one of the said openings and be looped around the element to secure the element (hence the sheeting) to an object, e.g. scaffolding. The elongate element may be formed with openings for the tie, figures 4a, 4b (not shown). The strip of sheet material may be a hem of the base sheet. <IMAGE>

Description

SHEETING The present invention relates to sheeting that is to be secured to an object, primarily for providing protection against the exigencies of the weather, and is especially concerned with scaffold sheeting but the present invention also finds application in tarpaulins for covering objects and hence isolating them in whole or in part from the weather and, e.g. in the construction of tunnels of plastic sheeting (often called "polytunnels") used in horticulture. The present invention also provides a method of securing sheeting to an object.

Generally, scaffold sheeting is attached to scaffolding by means of specially designed ties which incorporate a "T"-shaped piece (or a toggle) which is inserted through an eyelet or eyehole in the sheeting and the other end of which is attached to the scaffolding. An example of such a tie is described in British Patent Application N2 2 254 879.Eyelets and eyeholes can be provided in the sheeting in a number of ways; either an eyelet can be directly secured to the sheeting and the eyehole punched through the sheeting in the area surrounded by the eyelet or an eyelet can be attached (and the eyehole formed) in a reinforced area of the sheeting, which may either be a patch or a reinforced strip of the sheeting; alternatively an eyehole can be formed without an eyelet by punching a hole in a reinforced area or strip so long as the reinforcement itself is strong enough to support the eyehole without ripping.

The force exerted on scaffold sheeting by high winds can be enormous and can be sufficient to damage the scaffold structure or, eventually, to cause the scaffold to collapse. In order to avoid this problem, it is known to construct the ties in such a way that they will fracture when a predetermined force is exerted on them. Sometimes, however, the eyelet can be pulled out of the sheeting before the tie fractures and this can lead to premature release of the scaffold sheeting.

GB-2 062 078 describes sheeting which is so woven that loops are formed by weft threads that can be used to secure the sheeting to scaffolding. However, in practice the woven-in loops have to be tied to the scaffolding structure with an extensive elasticated tie in order to protect the loop's yarns from gusting forces. When cablelratchet ties are used, the yarns in the woven-in loop tend to break one by one and thus progressively weaken the loop before ultimately giving way.

According to the present invention, there is provided sheeting for providing weather protection comprising a base sheet, an elongate element secured to the base sheet such that a tie can be passed either around the element (without forming an opening through the sheeting) or through the element to secure the element and hence the sheeting to an object or structure.

According to one embodiment, the elongate element is sandwiched and secured in a pocket between the base sheet and further material overlying the base sheet, openings being provided in the pocket to allow access to the element for passing a tie around or through the element. The openings may be provided in the base sheet, the further material and/or between the base sheet and the further material.

The element may be secured along its whole length to the base sheet and provided with holes, eyes, loops or slots through which the ties can be passed. Alternatively, the element may be secured only at intervals to the base sheet and a tie can be passed around the element, e.g. between the element and the base sheet. It is not necessary for the element to be secured directly to the base sheet and can be indirectly secured to the base sheet, e.g. by being secured to the said further material, which in turn is secured to the base sheet. It is especially preferred that the base sheet, the further sheet and the elongate member are fixed together except in places where ties are to be secured.

The tie may be any tie that can be secured in a closed loop and we especially prefer ties that are customarily used for securing electric cable and/or for bundling articles together. Such ties have a band provided with a first and second end. One face of the band is embossed with transverse ridges; a channel is provided at the first end that incorporates at least one tooth so that when the second end is inserted into the channel to form the band into a closed loop, the tooth in the channel engages the ridges on the band and prevents the second end being pulled out from the channel to release the tie except if a predetermined force is exerted on the tie.

The elongate element distributes the force exerted on the sheeting by the tie along the length of the element and hence over a relatively wide area of the sheeting and accordingly the force exerted on any one area of the sheeting by the tie due to high winds is much less than is the case when eyelets are provided, where the force is concentrated at the eyelet. This is particularly important when the wind direction is such as to cause the sheeting to billow away from the scaffold, which places the eyelet of the prior art arrangement under considerable force and can lead to the eyelet being pulled out. In contrast, with the system of the present invention, the force of the wind exerted on the sheet via the tie is spread along the length of the elongate element and the adjacent parts of the sheeting.

As mentioned above, it is advantageous for the sheeting to be released in the event of a very high wind in order to prevent damage to the scaffold. In the arrangement of the present invention, the release of the sheeting from the scaffold can be determined solely by the strength of the individual ties and pre-release due to pulling out of an eyelet will not occur since the local force on the sheeting around the tie will be much lower with the system of the present invention than with the eyelet arrangement the prior art.

The elongate element preferably extends continuously longitudinally along the sheeting and is preferably unstretchable under the forces encountered in use. The elongate element is preferably stronger per unit width than the base sheet and may be, and preferably is, semi-rigid (i.e stiffer than the base sheet) but it should not be so rigid, however, as to prevent the sheeting from being rolled "p. Especially preferred is strapping tape made, for example, of polypropylene which is customarily used for binding, e.g. pallets.The elongate element may be secured to the sheeting by stitching, by being incorporated into a hem, by welding (assuming the material of the elongate element and the material of the sheeting can be welded together), by gluing or by means of a strip of material (usually sheeting material) that overlies the element and that is secured to the sheeting, e.g. by gluing, stitching or welding, thereby capturing the elongate element within a pocket formed between the base sheet and the elongate element.

The strip, the elongate element and the base sheet are preferably all secured together except at specific locations, where the tie may be free to pass through or around the elongate element.

Alternatively, as indicated above, the elongate element may include through holes,eyes, loops or slots and the ties can be passed through the holes or slots, in which case the elongate element may be secured along its whole length to the base sheet.

The elongate element may be of circular cross-section but, in order better to spread the force exerted on the sheeting by the ties over as large an area as possible, it is more preferably of flat cross-section (that is to say in the form of an elongate strap).

The element may be a rope although such an arrangement is not preferred since rope (and similar circular cross-section elements) markedly increase the bulk of a roll of the sheeting and do not spread the force exerted on the element on the ties over as large an area of the sheeting as a flat strap.

An important aspect of the present invention is that it allows the ties to secure the sheeting without forming holes through the sheeting that will allow wind and rain to enter.

There will now be described, by way of example only, several embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of scaffolding and scaffold sheeting for attachment thereto; Figure 2 shows a detail of the arrangement of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a further detail of the arrangement of Figure 1; Figures 4a and 4b show two alternative forms of an elongate element forming part of the scaffold sheeting; Figure 5 is an exploded view of an alternative scaffold sheeting; Figure 6 shows a view of the sheeting shown in Figures 1 to 3; and Figure 7 shows a schematic isometric view of scaffolding once the sheeting of Figure 6 has been attached to it.

Referring initially to Figures 1 to 3, there is shown a section of scaffold having two uprights 10 and three horizontal scaffold bars 12 that are spaced approximately 1 metre apart according to U.K. Standards.

Sheeting is secured to the scaffold bars 12; the sheeting includes a reinforced base sheet 14 (e.g. made of fibre-reinforced polyethylene) and three flat semi-rigid straps 15, 16 and 17 (e.g. made of polypropylene) located at the top edge, the bottom edge and along the centre of the sheet respectively. The distance between the three straps corresponds approximately to the spacing between the scaffold bars, so that, when the sheeting is secured to the scaffolding, the straps 15, 16 and 17 lie adjacent to the horizontal scaffolding bars 12. The strap 15 at the top edge of the sheeting is held in place by a turned over hem 18 (see Figure 2) that is fixed to the main part of the sheet 14 to secure the strap 16 at the hem.The central strap 16 (shown in detail in Figure 3) is covered by a strip or ribbon of sheeting material 42 that is welded, glued or stitched to the base sheet 14 on either side of the strap 16, thereby holding the strap in a pocket between the strip 42 and the base sheet 14. Openings 40 (see Figure 6) are formed in the base sheet 14 on the opposite side to the strip 42 of material to provide access to the strap 16. Preferably, the strap, the base sheet 14 and the strip 42 are laminated together except in the region of the openings 40, where the strap is not attached to the base sheet 14 or to the strip 42. The strips of material 42 are sufficiently wide to cover the row of openings 40 and so the arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 6 has no through slits or holes from one side of the scaffold sheet to the other.The bottom strap 17 is formed and secured in the same way as central strap 16.

The sheeting is secured to the horizontal scaffold bars by ties 22 of known design (see Figure 1); essentially, the ties comprise (see Figure 2) a band 24 carrying a point at one end 26, a channel at the other end 28 and transverse ridges 29 on one face of the band. A tooth 30 is located in the channel so that once the pointed end is threaded into the channel 28, the tooth engages the ridges on the band and prevents the end 26 from being pulled back out of the channel.As shown in Figure 2, the top edge of the sheeting is secured to a scaffolding pole by passing the tie through a slit in the hem of the sheeting just below the strap 15 and looped around the upper scaffold pole 12, whereupon the end 26 of the tie is inserted into the channel 28 to form a closed loop around the scaffold pole and the strap; the end 26 of the tie is pulled tight and cannot be disengaged from the channel by virtue of the engagement between the tooth 30 in the channel and the ridges 29 on the tie band. The openings 40 face the scaffolding and the central strap 16 can be accessed through the openings 40; a tie can be passed around the central strap 16 and around a scaffolding pole, and the tie can be fastened in a closed loop to hold the sheet 14 on a section of scaffolding.The lower strap 17 is secured to the lower scaffold pole 12 in a similar manner to the central strap 16.

Figure 4a shows an alternative design for straps 15, 16 and 17; essentially the strap is semi-rigid and includes slots 35 passing horizontally through the strap from one side to the other; a tie 22 can be passed through slots 35 and around an adjacent scaffold pole 12 to secure the sheeting. The strap of Figure 4a is secured along its whole length to the base sheet. The strap of Figure 4b is the same as that of Figure 4a except that the slots 35 extend longitudinally along the strap rather than laterally. In the case of the straps of Figures 4a and 4b, there is no need to provide strips of material 42 in order to render the sheeting waterproof.

Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of sheeting according to the present invention that differs from the arrangement of Figures 1 to 3 and 6 in that the top strap 15 is of the same construction as central and lower straps 16 and 17.

In Figures 3, 5 and 6 the rows of openings 40 are formed in the base sheet 14 but it will be appreciated that they can, alternatively, be formed in the strips of material 42 rather than in the base sheet 14. Furthermore, in the case of the two straps 15, 17 at the edges of the sheeting, the strips 42 may be formed by a turned-over hem (and the row of openings may then be formed either in the turned-over hem or in the underlying base sheet).

The arrangement of Figure 5 is preferred when only a single length of sheeting is used (or where the edges of adjacent sheets are not overlapped) but the arrangement of Figures 1 to 3 srld 6 is preferred when several lengths of sheeting are used one above (or adjacent to) another with the edges of adjacent sheets overlapping. One method of securing sheeting to scaffolding is described in connection with Figure 7. The sheeting is as shown in Figure 6 except that the row of openings 40 are made in the strip 42 and the base sheet 14 remains unperforated. A weatherproof arrangement can be achieved with three sheets 52, 54 and 56 secured to horizontal scaffold bars 12. The top strap 15 of the top sheet 52 is secured to the top bar by means of ties using the arrangement shown in Figure 2. The middle strap 16 of the top sheet is secured to the adjacent bar by the method described above in connection with Figure 3. The bottom strap 17 of the top sheet and the top strap of the middle sheet 54 are secured to the same bar by passing ties through the middle sheet just below its top strap, around the bottom strap of the top sheet and forming the ties into closed loops encircling the two straps and the adjacent bar and securing the ties. The other straps of the middle and lower sheets are secured in a similar manner to that already described. Such an arrangement is a watertight since there are no holes passing through any of the sheets except for the holes made just below the top strap of each sheet and, except for the top sheet, such a hole is covered by the bottom of the sheet lying immediately above it.

Several variants to the arrangement shown in Figure 7 are possible, for example, the sheeting can be hung vertically instead of horizontally (as shown). Furthermore, it is not necessary to overlap the edges of adjacent sheets (as shown) and the edges of adjacent sheets may simply butt against each other. Any number of elongate members may be included in each sheet and some (but not all) may be of form requiring a tie to penetrate through the sheet in order to secure sheet to an object.

Claims (18)

1. Sheeting for providing weather protection comprising a base sheet, an elongate element secured to the base sheet such that a tie can be passed either around the element (without forming an opening through the sheeting) or through the element to secure the element and hence the sheeting to an object or structure.

2. Sheeting as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongate element is sandwiched and secured in a pocket between the base sheet and further material overlying the base sheet.

3. Sheeting as claimed in claim 2, wherein openings are provided in the pocket to allow access to the element for passing a tie around or through the element.

4. Sheeting as claimed in claim 3, wherein the openings are provided in the base sheet, in the further material and/or by gaps between the base sheet and the further material.

5. Sheeting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the further material is the edge of the base sheet that is turned over to form a hem.

6. Sheeting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the elongate element is secured along its whole length to the base sheet and provided with holes, eyes, loops or slots through which the ties can be passed.

7. Sheeting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the elongate element is secured only at intervals to the base sheet and a tie can be passed between the element and the base sheet.

8. Sheeting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the elongate element is unstretchable under the forces encountered in use.

9. Sheeting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the elongate element is resilient under the forces encountered in use.

10. Sheeting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the elongate element is semi-rigid.

11. Sheeting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, which includes two longitudinal edges and wherein an elongate element is secured along each of the longitudinal edges.

12. Sheeting as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one elongate element extends longitudinally along the sheeting intermediate between, and parallel to, the two longitudinal edges.

13. Sheeting comprising a base sheet, further material overlying a portion of the base sheet, a row of openings formed in the further material and/or in the said portion of the base sheet and/or between the base sheet and the further material, the strip being secured to the base sheet on either side of the row of openings, a reinforcing element sandwiched between the said further material and the base sheet and secured in and/or to the base sheet, the arrangement being such that a tie can be passed through one of the said openings and be looped around the element to secure the element (and hence the sheeting) to an object.

14. Sheeting as claimed in claim 13, wherein the further material is the edge of the base sheet that is turned over to form a hem.

15. A method of securing sheeting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14 to an object, e.g. scaffolding, which method comprises placing the elongate element adjacent to a structural part of the object, passing a tie around or through the element and around the said structural part to encircle the element and the said part and fastening the tie to secure the element onto the object.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the tie does not pass through the base sheet except, optionally, in locations covered by the said further material.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein first and second lengths of sheeting are secured to the object with the first length of sheeting being secured alongside the second length of sheeting and wherein common ties secure adjacent edges of the first and second lengths of sheeting.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein one longitudinal edge of the first length of sheeting overlaps the adjacent longitudinal edge of the second length of sheeting and wherein the ties pass through the said edge of the second length of sheeting and are passed either through or around an elongate element (without forming an opening through the sheeting) at the said edge of the first length of sheeting to secure the said adjacent edges of the first and second lengths to an object or structure.