Lightweight support mat for equipment and vehicles

Abstract

A lightweight rig mat comprises a cellular soil stabilization material, with a plastic foam injected into the cells of the cellular material to provide required load-carrying capacity. The cellular material is preferably treated with a bonding agent to promote a structural bond between the plastic foam and the cellular material, thereby enhancing the overall shear strength, structural integrity, and flexural rigidity of the mat. The cell walls may also have textured surfaces to enhance the bond with the foam. The walls between the cells in the cellular material may have perforations to permit foam to flow between cells during the foam-injection process. The mat may be formed with connector pockets to facilitate interconnection of adjacent mats using suitable connection means, so as to prevent lateral separation between mats while allowing articulation between adjacent mats to accommodate irregular ground surfaces.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0001]The present disclosure relates in general to support mats used over soft or unstable ground surfaces for temporarily supporting vehicles and equipment at construction sites, oil well drilling sites, and other temporary installations.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Temporary support mats are commonly used for supporting equipment and vehicle loads at drilling rig sites, construction sites, and in other applications, particularly in locations where soil conditions are soft or weak. Similar mats may also be used in permanent applications—for example, by being incorporated into roadway and embankment substructures to distribute loads over poor subsoils. Such support mats are commonly referred to as rig mats or road mats. For convenience, the term “rig mat” will be used in this patent document as a non-limiting term intended to encompass support mats for purposes as mentioned above and for similar or analogous purposes.[0003]Rig mats need to have structural ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about a lightweight rig mat that uses a cellular soil stabilization material with plastic foam injected or poured into the cells to provide required structural load-carrying capacity. The mat has good shear strength, flexural rigidity, and a strong bond between the foam and the cellular material, thanks to a suitable bonding agent. The foam used can be polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene. To enhance the overall structural strength, reinforcing material like Fibermesh® can be mixed into the foam. This invention allows for improved stability and flexibility in construction, especially for rig mats.

Problems solved by technology

These are simple and comparatively economical to build, but they are prone to impact damage and environmental damage.

They are also quite heavy (especially rig mats made from oak or other dense hardwoods), which makes them more expensive to transport because fewer mats can be transported in a given shipment due to truck and roadway loading restrictions.

However, these types of mats also have drawbacks.

Steel and wood / steel mats are still heavy, and they are more costly than wood mats.

HDPE mats, rubber mats, and fiberglass-coated foam mats may be considerably lighter than wooden mats, but they can be considerably more costly.

Images