Wooden laminated floor product to improve strength, water protection and fatigue resistance

Abstract

A vehicular surface floor has a length and a width, made from a plurality of planks. Each plank has a length substantially equal to the length of the floor and a width that is less than the width of the floor. Each plank has first and second side surfaces and are arranged side by side so that a first side surface of one plank faces a second side surface of an adjacent plank, a joint region being formed at an area where the first side surface meets the second side surface. Each plank consists of at least two rows of boards, and each board consists of a plurality of segments joined end-to-end to one another by shaped coupling portions and side by side along a glue line; so that each of the at least two rows are longitudinally offset from an adjacent row, and a glue line of one row is offset from a glue line from an adjacent row.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to laminated product to improve the strength, water protection and the fatigue resistance on a laminated wooden cargo-carrying floor of a cargo-carrying body. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Conventional wood flooring for over-the-road truck trailers and containers is normally manufactured with hardwoods such as oak, maple, birch, beech, etc. The green lumber used as a starting material in such manufacture is suitably dried in special drying chambers under controlled conditions. The dried lumber is then sawed into strips of rectangular cross-section and defective portions are eliminated by cross cutting the strips. After, with a double end matching or during the cross cutting process, hooks or knuckle-type joints are formed at the ends of the lumber strips. The joints are a simple mechanical coupling between the ends of opposing lumber strips without significant adhesive bonding at the joint itself. The relatively defect...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] The present invention is a new product to improve the strength, fatigue resistance and provide moisture resistance on a laminated wooden cargo-carrying floor of a cargo-carrying body such as that of either a transport vehicle or a transport container, which offer an intermediate solution to a composite floor but at a much lower cost.

Problems solved by technology

Although conventional wood flooring has many desirable features, it also suffers from certain disadvantages.

One of the main problems is the effect of the end of each lumber strips on the strength and durability of the floor.

First, the joint reduces the capacity of the floor to react properly to the dynamic action of a moving lift truck placing or removing heavy cargo into the trailer.

Bending of the floor between two adjacent cross-members due to any applied load on the top of the floor has a tendency to open the hook joints and enlarge the gaps.

The effect of repeated lift truck operations on the conventional wood floor causes considerable fatigue damage including: de-lamination of the edge glued lumber strips near the joints leading to the “pop-out” of the lumber strips on the underside; crack initiation and propagation in the wood strips on the underside of the floor due to tensile stresses; and cracking of edge glue lines due to shearing, transverse bending and twisting of the floor.

Second, the joint represents a weak area of protection against water coming from the road.

Capillarity and the tendency of the end grain of wood to absorb and store water over time eventually creates a problem of water leaks into the trailer and a degradation of the structural integrity surrounding the joint area.

Also, because of the way that conventional floors are made, when de-laminating occurs, the cracks will penetrate through the laminated floor creating a weak area where the water can enter.

The combination of moisture attack and fatigue damage to the wood floor affects its performances thus necessitating its repair or replacement.

In some cases, catastrophic structural failure of the trailer floor system may occur leading to the unacceptable injury to working personnel and damage to machinery.

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