Multi-purpose panels with a modular edge

Abstract

A panel for use in constructing a mat or a road and method for same is provided. The panel can include a wafer having at least three sides operatively coupled to an edge having a complementary profile for overlapping and attaching to another edge coupled to another wafer. The edge can be attached to the wafer using a scarf joint or a mortise and tenon joint. The complementary profile can include a lap joint, a tapered lap joint, an S-shaped lap joint or a modified lap joint for use with fasteners for attaching two edges together.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO FOREIGN PRIORITY APPLICATION[0001]Priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Canadian Application No. 2,593,600 entitled “Multi-Purpose Panels with a Modular Edge,” filed on Jul. 13, 2007, by Richard Kulhawe and Anthony G. Warren.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to multi-purpose panels for constructing a continuous surface and, in particular, panels comprising of wafers having at least one modular edge.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Access into wilderness areas for the purposes of natural resource discovery and exploitation requires that heavy equipment traverse areas having sensitive soil types that are easily compressed or damaged by the presence of workers, machinery and vehicles. Some representative examples of such areas are desert, muskeg, tundra, and farmland.[0006]The fact that such environments are sensitive to the damage by compression or erosion caused by workers, machinery and ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]An apparatus to construct a continuous surface is provided. In one embodiment, a panel is provided having a wafer and a modular joint system that is designed to have a stiffness and weight to satisfy the requirements for a variety of surfaces such as oil rig sites, helicopter pads, temporary roads, housing sites amongst other applications. Each wafer can have at least three sides. An edge having the same or a diff

Problems solved by technology

First, ongoing damage to such an environmentally sensitive area may prevent the movement of workers, machinery or vehicles over the surface of the area and cause the area to be inaccessible.

Second, the damaged caused by workers, machinery and vehicles may take a decade or more to repair and thus lead to long-term environmental damage to the area.

These roadways used heavy materials that were difficult to handle, put into place and joint together.

As the materials were hard to use these roadways could not be recovered and became permanent structures that were difficult to repair and maintain, and as such were abandoned over time, thus preventing the natural recovery of the environmentally sensitive area.

These prior art systems require the arrangement and assembly of individual boards and are labour intensive to assemble and disas

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