WO2012054965A1

WO2012054965A1 - Construction safety netting

Info

Publication number: WO2012054965A1
Application number: PCT/AU2011/001357
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rodney George Price
Original assignee: Price Link Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-10-25
Filing date: 2011-10-25
Publication date: 2012-05-03
Also published as: AU2011101706B4; NZ610651A; AU2011101706A4

Abstract

The construction safety netting disclosed by the present invention comprises a web and a plurality of reinforcing strips, each reinforcing strip comprises a plurality of fiber strips inside along the length direction thereof.

Description

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY NETTING

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety netting, for use at construction sites. BACKGROUND ART

[0002] At construction sites, safety nettings are usually attached to the buildings for safety, protecting workers from injuries caused by construction materials falling and preventing the spread of dust from spoiling the environment. A conventional safety netting usually comprises webs surrounding the scaffoldings. The protection is weak, lacking of damping force against the heavy objects falling, and having a short lifespan and low repeat utilization.

[0003] A Chinese patent (200720041663.3) has solved the above-mentioned problems by disclosing a construction safety netting comprising a web and steel-plastic or plastic strips forming a crisscross grid. The web is disposed and clamped between the longitudinal and transversal strips and the junctions of strips are welded with the web to form an integral whole. However in this technical solution, using steel-plastic materials to form a crisscross grid will lead to relatively high cost, inapplicable for large scale deployments, but using plastic strip alone to form the crisscross grid is unable to satisfy the strength requirements in construction.

[0004] It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0005] The present invention is directed to a construction safety netting which may at least partially overcome at least one of the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

[0006] With the foregoing in view, the present invention in one form, resides broadly in a construction safety netting including a flexible web of material and a plurality of reinforcing members, the reinforcing members provided in at least two layers, each layer in a different direction to form a grid, each reinforcing member comprises a plurality of non-metallic fibres inside along the length direction thereof, the flexible web and the grid are attached together.

[0007] In a first alternative form, the present invention resides in a construction safety netting including a flexible web of material and a plurality of reinforcing members, the reinforcing members provided in at least two layers, each layer in a different direction to form a grid, each reinforcing member comprises a plurality of non-metallic fibres inside along the length direction thereof, the flexible web and the grid are stitched together.

[0008] Preferably, the web is formed of a material with the ability to allow passage of water, air, or other fluids but to prevent or minimise the passage of particulate material of above a particular size. The web may be formed from material with interstices of a given size and the size may vary according to the application of the netting.

[0009] It is particularly preferred that the web be formed from a textile material. A textile or cloth is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of any one or more of a variety of materials including wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands.

[00010] The terms "fabric" and "cloth" are used in textile assembly trades (such as tailoring and dressmaking) as synonyms for textile. However, there are subtle differences in these terms in specialized usage. Textile in special usage refers to any material made of interlacing fibres. Fabric in special usage refers to any material made through weaving, knitting, spreading, crocheting, or bonding that may be used in production of further goods (garments, etc.).

[00011] The web can be manufactured in any way including weaving, knitting, braiding, plaiting, interlacing, felting or bonding (nonwoven). The web may be treated to provide the web with desired properties such as fire, liquid or chemical resistance as examples. ·

[00012] The web is typically formed in a sheet configuration. The web will normally have a plurality of open interstices and the open interstices may be in a regular or irregular pattern.

[00013] The web can be formed of natural and or synthetic materials but it is preferred that the web is formed from a plastic material.

[00014] Each reinforcing member is preferably elongate and "flattened" or planar in configuration.

[00015] The reinforcing members are preferably provided in layers with one or more layers being provided, preferably two. There is normally a first layer in a first direction and a second layer in a second direction different to the first direction. The reinforcing members in the preferred pair of layers are normally perpendicular to one another. The members in each layer are normally parallel with one another.

[00016] Each reinforcing member has a plurality of fibres within an outer surround. The outer surround can be any material although plastic is preferred. It is further preferred that any plastic used is at least partially rigid in order to provide shape and dimensional stability.

[00017] The reinforcing members may be biased into a particular shape or configuration, normally due to materials selection and/or combination with the fibres.

[00018] The reinforcing members may have any shape but will normally have a substantially planar outer face to abut the web. The reinforcing members are normally substantially rectangular or rectilinear in cross-sectional shape. The reinforcing members may have rounded corners or edges.

[0001 ] The layers of reinforcing members referred to above may be located one on either side of the web or alternatively, both layers can be on the same side of the web. If provided on both sides of the web, the layers will typically extend perpendicularly on either side. If provided on the same side of the web, the attachment of the reinforcing members to the web will typically flatten the grid into a pseudo-single layer except where the reinforcing members

intersect/overlap.

[00020] Any fibres may be used, but it is preferred that the fibres are non-metallic. Glass or synthetic fibres are particularly preferred.. The fibres are normally aligned to form strands extending longitudinally through the reinforcing members rather than multidirectional or randomly oriented fibres in the reinforcing member.

[00021] Most preferred is a series of between two and ten fibre strands spaced apart across the width of the reinforcing member.

[00022] The fibre strands may be inextensible or extensible to a small degree to provide an element of elongation in the longitudinal direction if required such as for attachment and positioning.

[00023] The reinforcing members will preferably be attached to the web over their length rather than at intermittent regions along the length of the members. This may be achieved by any method but a particularly preferred method is stitching the reinforcing member to the web and/or to other reinforcing members in areas of overlap. [00024] There are three preferred embodiments of the construction safet netting of the present invention. The first of these particularly preferred embodiments is one in which reinforcing members containing the fibre strands are provided on either side of the web and attached to the web. It is particularly preferred that the attachment to the web be through bonding or adhesion of the reinforcing members to the web and/or to each other in regions of overlap.

[00025] The bonding may occur through application of heat and/or pressure to the reinforcing members. The bonding or adhesion of the reinforcing members to the web will preferably be over the length of the reinforcing member. Care should be taken with the degree of heat or pressure applied to form the bond as an excess of either could deform or rupture the fibre strands within the reinforcing members.

[00026] The bond will normally be formed by fusion of a part of the outer surround of the reinforcing member to the web and/or other reinforcing members where they overlap.

[00027] The bonding may occur on one or both sides of the reinforcing member and/or web.

[00028] The second of the particularly preferred embodiments may involve the formation of the grid of reinforcing members by attachment of the reinforcing members to each other prior to attachment to the web. Again, the attachment may be formed by bonding or adhesion of the reinforcing members to one another in regions of overlap. The formed grid is then typically attached to the web on one side only of the web. The attachment may be formed at particular points, areas or regions or alternatively and more preferred, over the length of the reinforcing members.

[00029] The third of the particularly preferred embodiments involves laying the reinforcing members on the web in the preferred orientation and configuration, and attachment of the reinforcing members to the web. Again, stitching is a preferred method or by any method can be used.

[00030] A preferred form of attachment of the grid to the web is through stitching.

[00031] The stitching can use any thread whether natural or artificial. Stitches and their variations are named according to the position of the needle and direction of sewing, the form or shape of the stitch or the purpose of the stitch and no limitation in the use of these terms is intended. "

[00032] Moreover, the stitching is preferably arranged in wave shape or zigzag shape on the reinforcing strips.

[00033] The netting of the present invention will normally be produced in a continuous sheet or similar which can be cut to any length. It will typically be rolled for transport. The reinforcing members will also typically be biased into a substantially planar configuration so force must be exerted to roll the netting.

[00034] In an alternative form, the present invention resides in a construction safety netting including a flexible web of material and a plurality of reinforcing members, the reinforcing members provided in at least two layers, each layer in a different direction to form a grid, each reinforcing member comprises a plurality of fibres inside along the length direction thereof. The flexible web is attached to the grid over the length of the reinforcing members.

[00035] The construction safety netting disclosed by the present invention has a higher strength as the reinforcing strips used have fibre strips inside for extra strength. Moreover, each reinforcing strip is stitched with the web preferably with braided thread, providing outstanding integrity and better adhesion strength between web and strips, whereby various of conditions at construction sites can be fully satisfied, the cost is effectively reduced and consequently the market competitiveness is significantly enhanced.

[00036] A significant advantage is gained through the use of fibre strips as opposed to metallic strands in that a large reduction in cost can be achieved in the first instance, weight reduction, as well as functional advantages relating to a reduction in corrosion of the metallic strands if the outer surround is damaged which weakens the netting and also the shape memory of the netting is significantly altered.

[00037] Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[00038] Various embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[00039] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a construction safety netting in accordance with the present invention;

[00040] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a reinforcing strip in accordance with the present invention; and [000 1] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the reinforcing strip in Figure 2.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[00042] As shown by FIG. 1 to 3, the construction safety netting disclosed by the present invention comprises a web 1 and a plurality of reinforcing strips 2, wherein the reinforcing strips 2 consists of three layers, each reinforcing strip 2 comprises a plurality of fibre strips 3 inside along the length direction thereof, the reinforcing strips 2 in two adjacent layers are crisscrossed and welded to form a grid. The web 1 is stitched on the bottom side of the grid through silk threads 4. The fibre strips 3 used in this invention may be glass fibre or chemical fibre.

[00043] The construction safety netting disclosed by the present invention has higher strength as the reinforcing strips used have fibre strips inside for extra strength. Moreover, each reinforcing strip is stitched with the web after braided thereby providing outstanding integrity and better adhesion strength between the web and reinforcing strips, whereby various of conditions in a construction site can be fully satisfied. The cost is effectively reduced and consequently the market competence is significantly enhanced.

[00044] In this embodiment, the silk threads 4 are arranged in wave shape on the surfaces of each reinforcing strips 2 to create a firm connection between the web 1 and the reinforcing strips 2, as well as to prevent injuries to the fibre strips 3 during stitching, thereby further enhancing the strength of the netting.

[00045] In the present specification and claims (if any), the word "comprising" and its derivatives including "comprises" and "comprise" include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.

[00046] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.

[00047] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A construction safety netting including a flexible web of material and a plurality of reinforcing members, the reinforcing members provided in at least two layers, each layer in a different direction to form a grid, each reinforcing member comprises a plurality of non-metallic fibres inside- along the length direction thereof, the flexible web and the grid are attached together.

2. A construction safety netting including a flexible web of material and a plurality of reinforcing members, the reinforcing members provided in at least two layers, each layer in a different direction to form a grid, each reinforcing member comprises a plurality of non-metallic fibres inside along the length direction thereof, the flexible web and the grid are stitched together.

3. A construction safety netting including a flexible web of material and a plurality of reinforcing members, the reinforcing members provided in at least two layers, each layer in a different direction to form a grid, each reinforcing member comprises a plurality of fibres inside along the length direction thereof, the flexible web is attached to the grid over the length of the reinforcing members.

4. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the web is formed of a material to allow passage of water, air, or other fluids but to prevent or minimise the passage of particulate material of above a particular size.

5. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein each reinforcing member is elongate and flattened or planar in configuration.

6. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the reinforcing members in each layer are substantially parallel with one another.

7. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the reinforcing members in different layers are perpendicular to one another.

8. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein each reinforcing member has a plurality of fibres within a plastic outer surround.

9. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the layers of reinforcing members are located one on either side of the web

10. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the layers of reinforcing members are located on the same side of the web.

11. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the reinforcing members have glass or synthetic fibres therein.

12. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the fibres are aligned to form strands extending longitudinally through the reinforcing members.

13. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the reinforcing members containing the fiber strands are provided on either side of the web and attached to the web.

14. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the grid of reinforcing members is formed by attachment of the reinforcing members to each other prior to attachment to the web

15. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the reinforcing members are located on the web and attached to the web.

16. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the reinforcing members are attached to the web over their length rather than at intermittent regions along the length of the reinforcing members.

17. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein attachment of the reinforcing members to the web is at least partially through stitching.

18. A construction safety netting as claimed in claim 17 wherein the stitching is arranged in wave shape or zigzag shape on the reinforcing strips.

19. A construction safety netting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein attachment to the web is at least partially through bonding or adhesion of the reinforcing members to the web and/or to each other in regions of overlap.

20. A construction safety netting as claimed in claim 19 wherein bonding is formed b fusion of a part of an outer surround of the reinforcing member to the web and/or other reinforcing members where they overlap.