WO2019025824A1

WO2019025824A1 - Separating structure

Info

Publication number: WO2019025824A1
Application number: PCT/HU2018/000035
Authority: WO
Inventors: Áron CSIKÓS
Original assignee: Terraway Research Ltd.
Priority date: 2017-08-01
Filing date: 2018-07-30
Publication date: 2019-02-07
Also published as: HU4963U; DE212018000274U1

Abstract

Separating structure for embedding into a paving layer around a tree, the separating structure comprising concentric elements and interconnecting bridges connecting adjacent concentric elements, wherein it comprises - a first separating element (10) extending along a first closed path, the first separating element (10) having an upper edge (11) extending in an upper plane and a lower edge (12) extending in a lower plane and opposite wall surfaces (13) extending between the upper and lower edges (11, 12), - a second separating element (20) extending along a second closed path, the second separating element (20) having an upper edge (21) extending in the upper plane and a lower edge (22) extending in the lower plane and opposite wall surfaces (23) extending between the upper and lower edges (21, 22), and - rupturable bridge elements (30, 31) interconnecting the first and second separating elements (10, 20),

Description

SEPARATING STRUCTURE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a separating structure for embedding into a paving layer around a tree, for enabling easy removal of portions of the paving later, in order to successively provide area for the growing tree.

BACKGROUND ART

A soil covering protective device for protecting plants is disclosed US 2007/0199240 A1. The device comprises concentric elements and radial interconnecting bridges which connect the adjacent concentric elements to each other. This known device is not suitable for enabling easy removal of portions of paving in order to successively provide area for growing trees.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a separating structure for embedding into a paving layer around a tree, which enables to form the paving layer as continuous as possible on the top surface, while separating the paving layer into concentric sub- areas, which can be successively removed for providing area for the growing trees.

The above object has been achieved by means of the separating structure according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed as examples, with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig.1 is a spatial top view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a spatial top view of a sector part of the embodiment according to Fig. 1 , Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 , Figs. 4A to 4C are schematic top views of the steps of successively removing parts of the paving around a tree, as the tree grows, and

Fig. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the arrangement according to Fig. 4A.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The preferred embodiment of the invention depicted in Fig. 1 is a separating structure for embedding into a paving layer around a tree, the separating structure comprising concentric elements and interconnecting bridges connecting adjacent concentric elements. The separating structure comprises

- a first separating element 10 extending along a first closed path, the first separating element 10 having an upper edge 11 extending in an upper plane and a lower edge

12 extending in a lower plane and opposite wall surfaces 3 extending between the upper and lower edges 1 1 , 2,

- a second separating element 20 extending along a second closed path, the second separating element 20 having an upper edge 21 extending in the upper plane and a lower edge 22 extending in the lower plane and opposite wall surfaces 23 extending between the upper and lower edges 21 , 22,

- a further separating element 60 formed similarly to the first and second separating elements 10, 20, and

- rupturable bridge elements 30, 31 interconnecting the first, the second and the further separating elements 10, 20, 60.

The opposite wall surfaces 13, 23 extend preferably perpendicularly to the upper and lower planes, which enables an easy design and application, but other shapes and orientations thereof are also possible.

The closed paths of the separating elements 10, 20, 60 are in a concentric arrangement. It is noted that the depicted embodiment contains three separating elements 10, 20, 60, however the number of the separating elements can be any between two and preferably about five. It is conceivable that a single separating element does not enable the achievement of the object of the invention, while too many concentric separating elements result a less rigid, more frequently interrupted paving around the tree, which can lead to unintended rupture of portions of the paving which is not desirable from aesthetic and structural point of view. It is also noted that the shape (i.e. the path) of the separating elements can be different from circles. Any suitable concentric shapes of the paths are conceivable, for example elliptic, triangle, square, hexagon, star-like shape, etc.

The rupturable bridge elements 30, 31 are arranged between the upper plane and the lower plane, with a distance from the upper plane. In this way, the rupturable bridge elements 30, 31 can be embedded into the paving material around the tree, enabling as continuous upper paving surface as possible.

In Fig. 1 , two types of rupturable bridge elements 30, 31 can be seen. Rupturable bridge element 30 is a relatively narrow stick, enabling an easy rupture at the junctions with the separating elements 10, 20, 60. Rupturable bridge element 31 is, however of a larger cross section, because, as depicted in Fig. 2, these elements serve for an easy assembly of sector parts 50 of the separating structure.

The rupturable bridge elements 30, 31 preferably extend radially in the concentric arrangement, thereby minimising material needs and maximising rigidity. It is of preference, if the lowest surfaces of at least some (preferably all) of the rupturable bridge elements 30, 31 extend in the lower plane. In this way, the rupturable bridge elements 30, 31 contribute to an abutment of the separating structure onto the soil surface.

The separating structure is preferably - but not necessarily - equipped with anchoring spikes 40, each projecting downward from a junction of a separating element 20 and a rupturable bridge element 30. The anchoring spikes 40 enable an appropriate fixation of the separating structure upon installation. Namely, after placing the separating structure and pressing it onto the top surface of the soil, the paving material can be applied onto the surface, preferably just with the same height, as that of the separating elements 10, 20, 60. In this way, apart from the top edges 1 1 , 21 , 61 of the separating elements 10, 20, 60, the entire separating structure is embedded into the paving material, so the separating structure is exposed to a minimum, thereby minimizing interruptions in the top paving surface.

By forming the anchoring spikes 40 at junctions of separating elements 20 and rupturable bridge elements 30, a sufficiently rigid support can be provided for the anchoring spikes 40, thereby enabling the pressing of the separating structure onto the surface of the soil without any substantial deformation of the separating structure itself.

As mentioned above and as depicted in Fig. 2, the separating structure is preferably formed of identical sector parts 50 having complementary tight fit connector parts 51 ', 51 " at the radial edges thereof.

Preferably, longitudinal halves 31 ', 31 " of rupturable bridge elements 31 are arranged at the radial edges of the sector parts 50, and the tight fit connector parts 51 ', 51 " are arranged on the halves 31 ', 31 " of the rupturable bridge elements 31. Practically, the tight fit connector parts 51 ', 51" are positioned around at the middle between two separating element segments.

In Fig. 2, the complementary tight fit connector parts 51', 51 " are pins and corresponding openings, respectively, by which the identically formed sector parts 50 can be fixed together by pressing to form a complete circular structure. Of course, any other types of connector parts are conceivable. It is also conceivable that the separating structure can be divided into any practical number of identical sector parts, so the number of sectors is not necessarily four, and that the sector parts are not necessarily identical.

The top view of Fig. 3 depicts an example of appropriate dimensioning of the preferred embodiment. The inner separating element 10 has a diameter which is dimensioned for the given application, i.e. it is sufficiently large to surround various tree trunks of newly planted trees. The radial distances between separating elements 10, 20, 60 can be chosen according to the growing rate of the given trees. The radial distances between the separating elements 10, 20, 60 - which are not necessarily equal - should be sufficiently large in order not to affect structural integrity and stiffness of the paving around the tree and to enable longer time periods of maintenance, i.e. paving ring removals. On the other hand, the radial distances should not be too large, as that would result that only larger paving areas could be removed later on, which is detrimental to adjustability to the actual required tree diameter. In Figs. 4A to 4C a typical application of the preferred embodiment of Fig. 1 can be seen in schematic top views. Figs. 4A to 4C represent various stages of paving material removal, as the tree 200 in the middle grows. For the sake of being informative, the Figs, also show the rupturable connecting bridges, which are in fact embedded into the paving material, so in real applications those are not visible and are not exposed.

The surrounding pavement can be of any type; in Figs. 4A to 4C a pavement 100 made of brick stones is depicted. Between the tree 200 and the pavement 100, preferably a layer of water permeable paving 101 is arranged which has a porous material enabling the flow of rain and other waters from the top surface to the roots of the tree 200. It is conceivable, however, that the paving material around the tree 200 is not necessarily a water permeable paving 101 , but any other type of paving material can be applied, which is to be removed successively, as the tree 200 grows. As depicted in the figures, the separating structure is embedded into the water permeable paving 101. Preferably, there is no paving material between the tree 200 and the inner separating element 10 of the separating structure. This area can be left empty or can be filled with a loose material, enabling for the tree 200 an initial area for growing.

The tree 200 is preferably planted into a tree pit 103, containing a soil mixture selected according to the given plant. On the top of the tree pit 103, just below the water permeable paving 101 , a soil mixture 102, selected according to the given plant and water-permeability is arranged. The soil mixture 102 preferably enables an easy placement of the separating structure by enabling an easy pressing of the anchoring spikes 40 into the soil mixture 102. The water permeable paving 101 and the surrounding pavement 100 are preferably separated by means of a metal frame 104, which is supported by base ring, preferably made of concrete. The tree pit 103 is surrounded by the soil 105, which provides the supporting basis for the entire installation.

The rupturable interconnecting bridges 30, 31 can be preferably provided with weakenings at the junctions with the separating elements 10, 20, 60. These weakenings enable an easier rupture and removal of the inner parts of the separating structure together with the paving material being between the removed separating element and the remaining separating element. It can be seen that the removal of the inner separating elements can be carried out until the last outer separating element remains, the diameter of which can be selected to surround even the largest possible tree trunk diameters. In this way, the paving surface around the tree, which is preferably the water permeable paving 101 , can be kept adjustably as large area as possible, thereby protecting the soil above the tree pit 103 and in turn the roots of the tree 200.

According to our experiments, the preferred distance of the rupturabie bridge elements 30, 31 from the upper plane (i.e. the distance of the topmost surface of the rupturabie bridge elements 30, 31 from the upper plane) is at least 30 % of the distance between the upper plane and the lower plane. As it can be seen in the Figs., the distance between the upper plane and lower plane is preferably the height of the paving layer around the tree, and accordingly, the height of the separating elements 10, 20, 60 determines the height of the paving layer. As already detailed above, embedding the rupturabie bridge elements 30, 31 into the paving material is of preference, so as to ensure as continuous upper surface for the paving layer as possible. We have found that embedding the rupturabie bridge elements 30, 31 lower that at least 30% of the height of the paving material, ensures that the integrity of the upper surface of the paving layer remains undisturbed above the rupturabie bridge elements 30, 31. Even more preferably, the distance is at least 40%, i.e. at least 40%) of the paving layer is present above these elements. This enables an even more rigidity for the upper part of the paving layer above the rupturabie bridge elements 30, 31. Even more preferably, the distance is at least 50%>, which entails even more rigidity for the upper surface. It is noted that increasing said distance of embedding provides even more rigidity for the paving material, which can have disadvantages in the later removal of the portions of the paving material. Namely, rupturabie bridge elements 30, 31 of a considerable height will enable an easy sectioning of the paving ring to be removed, and our experiments have shown that the most preferred height of at least some of the rupturabie bridge elements 31 is around 50% of the distance between the upper and the lower plane. In this way both the surface integrity is maintained, and an easy sectioning of the paving material ring at removal is ensured. The preferred separating structure has rupturable bridge element 30, 31 of different heights; it is enough if only some of the elements have a larger height for easy sectioning. The rupturable bridge elements 31 consists of two longitudinal halves 31 ' and 31 ", the total height of these elements - also carrying the tight fit connector parts 51', 51 " - is practically chosen larger than the remaining rupturable bridge elements 30.

The separating structure can be preferably made of plastic, however, any feasible material may be suitable, e.g. welded or soldered metal, an organic material which dissolves over time, etc.

The above detailed description of the preferred embodiments shows that the invention is industrially applicable and is capable of providing the advantageous effects with respect to the state of the art.

List of reference signs

10 (first) separating element

1 1 upper edge

12 lower edge

13 wall surfaces

20 (second) separating element

21 upper edge

22 lower edge

23 wall surfaces

30 rupturable bridge elements

31 rupturable bridge elements

31 ', 31 " halves

40 spikes

50 sector parts

51 ', 51 " tight fit connector parts

60 (further) separating element

61 upper edge

100 pavement

101 water permeable paving 102 soil mixture

103 tree pit

104 metal frame

105 soil 200 tree

Claims

1. A separating structure for embedding into a paving layer around a tree (200), the separating structure comprising concentric elements and interconnecting bridges connecting adjacent concentric elements, characterised by comprising

- a first separating element (10) extending along a first closed path, the first separating element (10) having an upper edge (1 ) extending in an upper plane and a lower edge (12) extending in a lower plane and opposite wall surfaces (13) extending between the upper and lower edges (1 1 , 12), - a second separating element (20) extending along a second closed path, the second separating element (20) having an upper edge (21 ) extending in the upper plane and a lower edge (22) extending in the lower plane and opposite wall surfaces (23) extending between the upper and lower edges (21 , 22), and

- rupturable bridge elements (30, 31) interconnecting the first and second separating elements (10, 20),

wherein the first closed path and the second closed path are in a concentric arrangement, and the rupturable bridge elements (30, 31) are arranged between the upper plane and the lower plane, with a distance from the upper plane.

2. The separating structure according to claim 1 , characterised in that the rupturable bridge elements (30, 31 ) extend radially in the concentric arrangement.

3. The separating structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the lowest surfaces of at least some of the rupturable bridge elements (30, 31) extend in the lower plane.

4. The separating structure according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised by comprising anchoring spikes (40), each projecting downward from a junction of a separating element (20) and a rupturable bridge element (30).

5. The separating structure according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that it is formed of identical sector parts (50) having complementary tight fit connector parts (51 ', 51 ") at the radial edges thereof.

6. The separating structure according to claim 5, characterised in that longitudinal halves (31 ', 31 ") of rupturable bridge elements (31) are arranged at the radial edges of the sector parts (50), and the tight fit connector parts (51 ', 51 ") are arranged on the halves (31 ', 31 ") of the rupturable bridge elements (31).

7. The separating structure according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the shapes of the first closed path and of the second closed path are circles.

8. The separating structure according to any of claims 5 to 7, characterised in that the number of sector parts (50) is four.

9. The separating structure according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the distance of the rupturable bridge elements (30, 31) from the upper plane is at least 30%, more preferably at least 40%, even more preferably at least 50% of the distance between the upper plane and the lower plane.

10. The separating structure according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterised by comprising further separating element(s) (60) in a concentric arrangement with the first and second separating elements (10, 20).

1 1. The separating structure according to claim 1 , characterised in that the opposite wall surfaces (13, 23) extend perpendicularly to the upper and lower planes.