GB2608722A

GB2608722A - Assembly line

Info

Publication number: GB2608722A
Application number: GB2212454.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Heselden James
Original assignee: Hesco Bastion Ltd
Current assignee: Hesco Bastion Ltd
Priority date: 2022-08-26
Filing date: 2022-08-26
Publication date: 2023-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 2042-08-26
Also published as: GB202212454D0; GB2608722B

Abstract

A gabion barrier assembly line, wherein at least a portion of the floor of the assembly line is formed from smooth metal. The smooth metal may be steel. The steel may comprise carbon, manganese, copper, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur. The floor may comprise smooth metal sheets welded together. The metal floor portion may be surrounded by a portion of floor with a higher static coefficient of friction. There may be a gantry with an L-shape or C-shape corridor. The gantry may have wheels.

Description

ASSEMBLY LINE

The present invention concerns a gabion barrier assembly line and a method for manufacturing gabion barriers.

Assembly lines are regularly used to manufacture products, including gabion barriers, for example in a factory. In view of the safety requirements for the individuals involved in the manufacture, it is conventionally considered important for the floor of the assembly line to be anti-slip, to reduce the chance of accidents. There are therefore a variety of products available to increase the anti-slip properties of the flooring in a factory. This can involve using materials with a high coefficient of friction and/or using flooring materials with some form of patterning or texture to increase the anti-slip properties of the floor.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gabion barrier assembly line, wherein at least a portion of the floor of the assembly line is formed from a smooth metal.

The installation of a smooth metal on a portion of the floor reduces the coefficient of friction of that portion of the floor, thereby increasing the slipperiness. In contrast to consensus, this can be beneficial as it increases the ease with which the gabion barriers can be dragged along the floor, thereby aiding the assembly, movement and folding of the gabion barrier.

Additionally, the smooth metal floor can protect the gabion barrier against damage to an anticorrosion coating on the barrier when it is being moved. This is important as any damage to the anticorrosion coating can reduce its efficacy and render the gabion barrier susceptible to corrosion. The smooth metal floor is also more durable than other known flooring materials, such as concrete.

By "smooth" it is meant that there is no patterning or texture applied to the surface of the metal. The metal is therefore not perforated, scored or otherwise patterned, as is conventionally done with metal flooring for assembly lines. Thus, the coefficient of friction of the metal floor results from the inherent properties of the metal itself.

A gabion barrier may comprise a plurality of gabion baskets connected together. Thus, the gabion barrier may comprise a plurality of parallel side panels, each facing an opposing side panel. Each basket may contain two or four side panels, connected by partition panels extending perpendicularly to and between the side panels. The gabion baskets may fold in a concertina fashion if there are four side panels per basket. The gabion baskets may be formed from welded metal wire mesh panels. The wire mesh panels may be held together by coils. The gabion baskets may each contain a lining, preferably a geotextile lining.

Thus, folding a gabion barrier that comprises a plurality of gabion baskets connected together by coils can involve sliding the partition walls of the gabion baskets together, such that each basket folds in a concertina fashion. The smooth metal floors of the present invention provide less resistance to the sliding required to fold the gabion barrier, thereby increasing the ease of manufacturing the gabion barrier as a whole. While only small improvements may be seen in the manufacture of each gabion barrier, when scaled up to an assembly line level the increase in ease of manufacture can be significant.

The smooth metal floor may be formed from steel. Steel is a hard-wearing material, with the necessary coefficient of friction to improve the ease of sliding a metal gabion basket over the floor. The steel may be low carbon steel.

The steel may comprise between 0.1 and 0.3 wt.% carbon, between 1 and 2 wt.% manganese, between 0.1 and 1 wt.% copper, between 0.01 and 0.02 wt.% nitrogen, between 0.02 and 0.06 wt.% phosphorous and between 0.02 and 0.06 wt.% sulphur. The steel may have between 0.1 and 0.3 wt.% carbon. The steel may have between 1 and 2 wt.% manganese. The steel may have between 0.1 and 1 wt.% copper. The steel may have between 0.01 and 0.02 wt.% nitrogen. The steel may have between 0.02 and 0.06 wt.% phosphorous. The steel may have between 0.02 and 0.06 wt.% sulphur. The steel may have any combination of these components.

Only a portion of the floor of the gabion barrier assembly line may be covered by the smooth metal. Between 25 and 75% of the floor of the gabion barrier assembly line may be covered by the smooth metal. The portion of floor formed from the smooth metal may be the area in which the gabion barrier is assembled and/or the area in which it is folded for storage. The assembly line may comprise a plurality of areas of floor that are formed from smooth metal.

A portion of the floor comprising the smooth metal may be at least partially surrounded by a portion of floor having a higher static coefficient of friction and/or a higher kinetic coefficient of friction than the smooth metal. This improves the safety of the assembly line, as individuals can walk along the portions of floor with the higher coefficient of friction. A portion of the floor comprising the smooth metal may be entirely surrounded by a portion of floor having a higher static coefficient of friction and/or a higher kinetic coefficient of friction than the smooth metal.

The portion of floor having a higher static coefficient of friction and/or a higher kinetic coefficient of friction than the smooth metal may be formed from concrete, or another flooring material. Said flooring material may be patterned or textured in order to provide anti-slip properties.

The smooth metal may be in the form of one or more smooth metal sheets. The smooth metal floor may be formed from a plurality of smooth metal sheets. This is an easy and cost-effective way in which to install a smooth metal floor in an assembly line.

The one or more smooth metal sheets may have any conventional dimensions. The one or more smooth metal sheets may have a first dimension of between 1000mm and 3000mm and a second dimension of between 20000mm and 4000mm.

The area comprising the one or more smooth metal sheets may comprise multiple sheets. The area may be square or rectangular. The portion of the floor comprising the one or more smooth metal sheets may be between 2 and 10 sheets wide. The portion of the floor comprising the one or more smooth metal sheets may be between 2 and 10 sheets long. The plurality of sheets may be welded together. The plurality of sheets may all have the same dimensions.

The one or more smooth metal sheets may have a thickness of between 2 and 15mm, preferably between 4 and 10mm. This means that the metal sheets are easy to install, while still being durable as an assembly line floor.

The one or more smooth metal sheets may not be fixed to the floor. This allows for easy and reversible installation of the floor in the assembly line. This is particularly advantageous when there are a plurality of smooth metal sheets.

Alternatively, the one or more smooth metal sheets may be connected to the ground in any conventional manner, such as being bolted or screwed into the ground. The bolts or screws are preferably flush with the surface of the one or more smooth metal sheets, so that no trip hazard is created.

Also disclosed herein is a gabion barrier assembly line comprising one or more platforms or gantries. The one or more platforms can be used to raise the gabion barriers to a suitable height during assembly. The one or more gantries can be used to provide access for an individual to the inside of the gabion barriers during manufacture.

The gabion barrier assembly line may comprise a portion of smooth metal floor, one or more platforms and/or one or more gantries. Thus, the one or more platforms and the one or more gantries may be used with or without the smooth metal floor.

The one or more platforms may be used to lift the gabion barrier to a comfortable working height, to aid in the assembly of smaller gabion barriers. Thus, in use, the gabion barriers may be constructed on the platforms before optionally being moved to the smooth metal floor. The platforms may be between 0.5 and lm high.

The one or more gantries may comprise a staircase or ladder up to a raised corridor. The raised corridor may be at least partially surrounded by a safety barrier.

The use of one or more gantries provides easier access to the inside of the gabion barriers during manufacture. This is particularly important in the manufacture of larger gabion barriers, which can be over 2m high. Thus, an individual needs help to access the top and the inside of the gabion baskets to attach the lining material, which is preferably a geotextile lining.

The lining material may be attached to a gabion basket by folding a portion of the lining material over the top of the walls of the gabion basket and stapling the folded portion to the portion within the basket. Thus, an individual needs to be able to access the top of the gabion basket easily, which can be done using the gantry.

Thus, the gantry corridor is preferably at a height of between 0.5m and 2m, preferably between 0.75 and 1.75m. This ensures that an individual can reach the inside of the standard larger gabion basket sizes, which can be between 2m and 3m high. The corridors may be between 1 and 3m wide, preferably between 1.5 and 2.5m wide.

The one or more gantries may be straight. The one or more gantries may be L-shaped or C-shaped. Thus, the gantry corridor may be L-shaped or C-shaped. This means that two gantries can be used together to surround a gabion barrier, allowing an individual to access both sides of the gabion barrier. The two gantries may be connected together.

Two L-shaped gantries may be connected together to create a U-shaped gantry. Two C-shaped gantries may be connected together to form an 0-shaped gantry. The gabion barrier may be located in the centre of the C-shape or the 0-shape, thereby ensuring that an individual can reach all sides thereof.

The gantries may be connected with pins, bolts, locks and/or hinges. Additional corridor parts may be inserted near the point at which the two gantries meet, in order to increase the space between the two parallel gantry corridors, thereby widening the space in the middle of the resulting C-shape or 0-shape. The additional corridor parts may comprise a corridor floor portion and one or more handles.

The gantry corridor may have an end portion that is movable away from the rest of the corridor, such that one or more additional corridor parts can be inserted in the resulting space between the end portion and the rest of the corridor. The resulting space may comprise two bars, connecting the end portion to the rest of the corridor, on which the additional corridor parts can rest. The corridor floor portion of the additional corridor part may be positioned to be continuous with the floor of the rest of the corridor and/or the end portion.

The one or more gantries may comprise wheels. Thus, the entire gantry can be movable around the assembly line. This means that it can be moved out of the way when smaller gabion basket sizes are being manufactured and then positioned as desired when larger gabion basket sizes are being manufactured. This also makes it easier to connect two gantries, as discussed above. Alternatively, part of the gantry may be movable to allow a gabion barrier to be removed from the C-shape or 0-shape between the gantry corridors.

The wheels may be lockable, so that the gantry remains in position once it has been moved to the desired location.

The gantry may be adjacent to the smooth metal floor portion, such that the gabion barrier does not have to be moved after the panels have been connected to one another in order for the lining material to be inserted. The gantry may be separate from the smooth metal floor portion, such that the insertion of the lining material happens away from one or more of the other assembly steps, such as the connection of the wire mesh panels.

The safety barrier of the gantry may comprise rails that are spaced such that a manufacturer can reach therethrough to access the gabion baskets from the gantry corridor. The rails may be solid bars, preferably of metal. The safety rails may be at a height such that they are below the top of the gabion barrier.

The assembly line may further comprise a machine for manufacturing the coils, a machine for cutting the lining material to the required size and/or a machine for packaging the gabion barriers, preferably on a pallet. The assembly line may contain all of the necessary components to manufacture and package the gabion barrier from mesh panels and lining material sheets.

The assembly line may also comprise one or more jigs that hold the gabion barriers in position while they are assembled. This is particularly beneficial in larger gabion barriers, ensuring that the component parts are aligned correctly.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing gabion barriers, wherein the gabion barrier is assembled and/or folded for storage on a floor formed from a smooth metal.

As discussed above, the use of a floor formed from a smooth metal reduces the coefficient of friction between the gabion barrier and the floor, such that sliding the gabion barrier along the floor as part of the manufacturing process is easier.

The assembly of the gabion barrier and the folding for storage may occur on the same smooth metal floor. Alternatively, there may be a plurality of portions of floor formed from a smooth metal, on which different parts of the assembly method occur. The one or more portions of floor formed from a smooth metal may each be at least partly surrounded by a portion of floor formed from a material with a higher static or kinetic coefficient of friction.

The assembly of the gabion barrier may include the steps of connecting wire mesh panels together using a coil to form a plurality of gabion baskets connected together. Each gabion basket may fold in a concertina fashion, due to a coil connecting two parallel side panels thereof. The assembly of the gabion barrier may further include the step of connecting a lining material to a gabion basket, preferably a geotextile lining material. Preferably, a lining material is connected to every gabion basket in the gabion barrier. The gabion barriers may then be folded for storage.

Connecting the wire mesh panels together may be done on a different portion of the floor to the folding of the gabion barriers for storage. Alternatively, these two steps may be conducted on the same portion of floor formed from a smooth metal. The insertion of the lining material may happen on the same or a different portion of floor. The method may involve moving the gabion barrier to the relevant portion of the assembly line between each step.

The method may further comprise assembling the gabion barrier on a platform. The method may further comprise the step of connecting a lining material to a gabion basket from a gantry. This is preferably done before the gabion is folded for storage. The gantry and the platform may have any of the features discussed above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention.

The method of the second aspect of the invention may use the gabion barrier assembly line discussed above. Any of the features discussed above in relation to the gabion barrier assembly line therefore applies equally to the second aspect of the invention.

The gantry may be adjacent to a portion of the floor formed from a smooth metal. The gantry may be movable, such that it can be positioned on or near the portion of the floor formed from a smooth metal when larger gabion baskets are being manufactured and removed when smaller gabion baskets are being manufactured.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A gabion barrier assembly line, wherein at least a portion of the floor of the assembly line is formed from a smooth metal.
2. The gabion barrier assembly line of Claim 1, wherein the smooth metal is steel.
3. The gabion barrier assembly line of Claim 2, wherein the steel comprises between 0.1 and 0.3 wt.% carbon, between 1 and 2 wt.% manganese, between 0.1 and 1 wt.% copper, between 0.01 and 0.02 wt.% nitrogen, between 0.02 and 0.06 wt.% phosphorous and/or between 0.02 and 0.06 wt.% sulphur.
4. The gabion barrier assembly line of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein only a portion of the floor is covered by the smooth metal.
5. The gabion barrier assembly line of Claim 4, wherein a portion of the floor covered by the smooth metal is at least partially surrounded by a portion of floor having a higher static coefficient of friction and/or a higher kinetic coefficient of friction.
6. The gabion barrier assembly line of any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the smooth metal is in the form of one or more smooth metal sheets, optionally wherein the one or more smooth metal sheets have a first dimension of between 1000mm and 3000mm and a second dimension of between 20000mm and 4000mm.
7. The gabion barrier assembly line of Claim 6, wherein the one or more smooth metal sheets have a thickness of between 2 and 15mm, preferably between 4 and 10mm.
8. The gabion barrier assembly line of Claims 6 or 7, wherein a plurality of smooth metal sheets are welded together but are not connected to the ground.
9. The gabion barrier assembly line of any one of Claims 1 to 8, further comprising one or more gantries.
10. The gabion barrier assembly line of Claim 9, wherein the one or more gantries comprise an L-shaped or C-shaped gantry corridor.
11. The gabion barrier assembly line of Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein the one or more gantries comprise a gantry corridor at a height of between 0.5m and 2m, preferably between 0.75 and 1.75m.
12. The gabion barrier assembly line of any one of Claims 9 to 11, wherein the one or more gantries comprise wheels.
13. The gabion barrier assembly line of any one of Claims 9 to 12, wherein two or more gantries are connected together to form a U-shaped gantry or an 0-shaped gantry,
14. The gabion barrier assembly line of Claim 13, further comprising one or more additional corridor parts to increase a space between the connected gantries.
15. A method for manufacturing gabion barriers, wherein the gabion barrier is assembled and/or folded for storage on a floor formed from a smooth metal.
16. The method according to Claim 15, wherein the assembly of the gabion barrier and the folding for storage of the gabion barrier occur on the same or a different portion of floor formed from a smooth metal.
17. The method according to Claim 15 or Claim 16, wherein a lining material is connected to the gabion basket from a gantry.
18. The method for manufacturing gabion barriers according to any one of Claims 15 to 17, using the gabion barrier assembly line of any one of Claims 1 to 14.