Temporary surface cover

Abstract

A ground protection mat 10 comprising an insert 20 anchored within a body thickness of the mat 10 and partially exposed to a surface 15 of the mat. The mat may comprise lift assist openings 16 and coupling apertures 18 which may align with apertures (28, fig.6) in the insert. The insert 20 may be webbed, made of recycled or virgin plastics materials such as HDPE, LDPE, PP and / or ABS and may be exposed at one or more edges of the mat and used as an identifier whereby different batches may comprise different colour inserts. The mat edges 15 may have a slight taper, and the insert edges 22 may match this tapered profile.

Description

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to temporary ground protection mats, of the type used to provide temporary matting, vehicle surfaces or designated walkways. More specifically, the invention relates to a marker to facilitate identifying and tracking such mats for storage and logistics. Background Temporary ground protection mats are used to provide temporarily reinforced surfaces for vehicles and / or as walkways, and may be used in construction environments, outdoor events, festivals and the like to protect ground underneath or to visually indicate vehicle access and / or designated walkways. Temporary matting of this form is often provided in the form of large numbers installed and removed for a period of a few days, sometimes using mats from different suppliers to meet demand. It has been found that collection teams may confuse mats from different suppliers, which can lead to unexpected loss due to wrong mats being collected by a collection team. The present invention seeks to provide an improved mat that at least partially alleviates the problems that may arise in the aforementioned scenarios. Summary of the Invention In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a ground protection mat as defined in claim 1, comprising an insert element anchored within a body thickness of the mat and partially exposed to a surface of the mat. In some embodiments, the mat comprises a plurality of inserts each anchored at a different location of the mat within the body thickness of the mat and partially exposed to a different surface portion of the mat. In some embodiments, at least one insert element is of contrasting colour to the body. In some embodiments, the body of the mat is made from recycled plastics material. In some embodiments, at least one insert is made from virgin thermoplastics material. In some embodiments, the thermoplastics material is chosen from HDPE, LDPE, PP and / or ABS. The insert may be made from a suitable thermoplastic material such as high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP) or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). Other suitable materials might be used depending on colour, size and geometry of the insert. Different inserts may be made from different materials. In some embodiments, the insert element is exposed at an edge of the mat. Several inserts may be exposed at several edges, e.g. at two, three, or four corners of a mat. In some embodiments, the insert element comprises an exposed surface portion and an anchoring portion, the anchoring portion comprising a web extending in a planar extension. In some embodiments, the edges of the mat have an edge draft angle relative to a planar extension of the mat. In some embodiments, the exposed surface portion of the insert element has an exposed draft angle matching the edge draft angle. In some embodiments, the anchoring portion comprises an arrangement of spacer elements extending from the web. In some embodiments, the spacer elements extend generally perpendicularly relative to the planar extension of the web. In some embodiments, the spacer elements extend to both sides of the web. In some embodiments, the spacer elements comprise a tapering protrusion. In some embodiments, the spacer elements comprise a tip. In some embodiments, the web comprises a hole of at least 15mm diameter. In some embodiments, an exposed surface portion of the insert comprises at least two faces. The two faces may be arranged to provide abutment surfaces for abutment in a corner of a compression mould. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a stack comprised of a plurality of ground protection mats according to any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, wherein the insert elements of at least two mats have the same colour or corresponding colour. Features described in relation to one or more embodiments of the first aspect may be combined with any embodiment according to the second aspect. Description of the Figures Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the Figures, in which: Figure 1 is a top view of an embodiment; Figure 2 is a side view of the Figure 1 embodiment; Figure 3 is an isometric detail view of an exposed corner of the Figure 1 embodiment; Figure 4 is a wireframe view showing internal contours of an embodiment; Figure 5 is an isometric top view of a component used with embodiments; Figure 6 is an isometric underneath view of the Figure 5 component; Figures 7 to 9 are top, base and side views of the Figure 5 component; and Figure 10 is a section corresponding to line X-X of Figure 8, showing an embodiment. Description Referring to the Figures, a ground protection mat 10 comprises a generally planar body 12 of rectangular footprint. A typical size of a mat 10 is 2,40 * 1,20 meters and the mass may be in the region of 30kg so as to be suitable for a two person lift. Preferably, the mat 10 is made from recycled plastics material, although this is not necessarily a requirement of all embodiments of the invention. The mat 10 comprises a surface with an anti-slip profile pattern, and a mat thickness of about 1-2 cm. Here, the mat thickness is about 12 mm in regions without anti-slip features, although it will be appreciated that mat thickness variations can be observed in practice. The mat 10 comprises an arrangement of lift-assist elements, here in the form of spaced-apart openings 16 of generally obround form extending through the body thickness of the mat 10, having a length of about 15 cm and spaced about 2-4 cm from the edge, the material between edge and openings 16 providing handles for manual lift. The mat 10 comprises eight such handles 16 extending along the perimeter of the mat 10, however other forms of lift-assist elements may be used, such as engaging structures for a crane or hoist lift, which may be located close to a perimeter of the mat 10 and / or closer to a mass centre, or centrally, on the mat 10. Furthermore, the mat 10 comprises an arrangement of coupling apertures 18 in corner locations and in corner-engaging locations, the coupling apertures 18 providing anchoring locations for anchoring means such as bolts or the like, and / or for mat-to-mat connectors. In a simple form, the coupling apertures 18 are holes extending through the thickness of the body of the mat 10. Being of rectangular footprint, the mat 10 comprises four corners 14 comprising an integrally moulded insert 20. The insert 20 constitutes an example of an insert element. Figures 3 and 4 show detail of the region D indicated in Figures 1 and 2. The insert 20 comprises an outward-facing ledge 22, here configured to sit at the corner 14, comprising a first face 22a and a second face 22b extending perpendicularly to the first face 22a. The first face 22a and the second face 22b define two sides of a web portion 30. The web portion 30 is generally planar, of generally quadrilateral footprint of about 80 x 80 mm size, having a web thickness of about 4 mm (about a third of a mat thickness of 12 mm). The ledge 22 has a height of about 13 mm, slightly larger (here: a mm larger) than a target mat thickness of 12 mm. As such, the ledge 22 extends about 4.5 mm from both faces of the web portion 30. The web 30 constitutes an anchoring portion and the outward-facing ledge 22 constitutes an exposed portion. With reference to Figures 3 and 4, the mat 10 comprises a circumferential edge 15 that is slightly tapered, relative to a planar extension of the body 12, having an edge draft angle for demoulding. The draft angle may be in the region of 3 degrees. The web 30 comprises an arrangement of (here: two) apertures 26 of generally trapezoidal form extending through the thickness of and open to both faces of the web 30. In addition, the web 30 comprises a circular aperture 28 also extending through the thickness of and open to both faces of the web 30. The circular aperture 28 is located in a corner opposite the outward-facing ledge 22. Furthermore, the ledge comprises an arrangement of (here: four) pips 32 on one side of the web 30 and an arrangement of (here: four) pips 34 on the other side of the web 30. The pips 32, 34 are arranged to sit opposite each other, to extend in opposite directions from their positions on the web portion 30. Here, the pips 32, 34 are arranged spaced along the perimeter of the circular aperture 28, to thereby surround the circular aperture 28. The pips 32, 34 are spaced apart a few centimeters. The height of the pips 32, 34 corresponds to the extension of the ledge 22 from the web portion 30, here about 4 to 4.5 mm. The pips 32, 34 are of conical form, each having a generally triangular cross-section, providing a tapering profile and a pointed tip. The pips 32,34 and the ledge 22 provide a spacer function when the insert 20 is located in a compression mould. As will be appreciated, during the manufacture of a mat 10, the insert 20 may be compressed between two parts of a mould. As indicated in Figure 9, the pips 32, 34 and the ledge 22 are spaced apart relatively evenly across the width of the insert 20. Each pip 32 is located opposite a corresponding pip 34. Thereby the web 30 is held within the mat thickness. The in-use upper and lower edges 21 and 23 of the ledge 22 are flat, and plane parallel to the extension of the web 30. Furthermore, the outward-facing face of the ledge 22 is oriented at an angle 25, of about 3 degrees. The angle is chosen to correspond to the draft angle of a compression mould, and therefore to correspond to the taper or draft angle of the circumferential edge 15 (Figure 3). The draft angle (here 3 degree) and the ledge height exceeding the mat thickness (here: 13 mm compared to the mat thickness of 12 mm) achieve that the insert 20 can be pressed tightly against a corner of a compression mould during manufacture. This reduces the likelihood of mat material covering and overmoulding the ledge 22 during high pressure conditions expected in a compression mould. The effect is improved further by using a corner insert with two faces 22a, 22b, which is less likely to be dislodged from a corner of a mould during the moulding process. The draft angle may be relatively small, and as such not readily noticeable. As such, a suitable portion of the insert 20, such as the web 30 may be provided with a marker 24 indicating a side, here in the form of a number “0752” or, other suitable marker, e.g., a “top” side, or “This side up”, to avoid insertion of the insert 20 in a wrong orientation. As such, the insert 20 is designed to be overmoulded in the region of the web 30, such that mat material may flow above and underneath the web 30 and through the apertures 26 and 28. In practice, if it is desired to mould a mat 10 with apertures such as coupling apertures 18, a further insert component, such as a pin, may be temporarily located through the aperture 28 to maintain a coupling aperture. For instance, the aperture 28 may have a diameter of at least 15 mm to accommodate a temporary insert and to subsequently form a coupling aperture by removal of the temporary insert after moulding. Once overmouled, the insert 20 is firmly anchored within the body 12, having a planar extension approximately centrally within the mat thickness. In Figure 10, mat material is illustrated in hatching. Parts of the pips 32, 34 may remain visible, depending on the size of their tips, as point features at the surfaces of the mat 10. The insert 20 may be of a different composition to the body 12 of the mat 10. Specifically, it is intended that the insert 20 may be made from a contrasting colour, e.g. yellow or other colour thermoplastics material. The insert 20 is symmetric along its diagonal axis and may as such be used in all four corners 14 of the mat 10. However, this is not necessarily a requirement of all embodiments. For instance, differently shaped inserts may be used in the same mat if required to conform to different locations of coupling apertures 18. The insert 20 may be visible primarily from a side of the mat 10, particularly when a plurality of mats 10 is stacked on top of each other. Inserts 20 of different colour may be used as an identifier to assist with logistics and with collection of temporarily installed matting. Different batches of mats may be identified by an insert of a batchspecific colour. E.g., a stack of ground protection mats may comprise a plurality of mats each with an insert of the same or corresponding colour. The insert 20 has been illustrated as a corner component comprising two faces 22a, 22b of an angled ledge 22, to provide a region that remains partially exposed to the surface of the mat. As will be appreciated, the insert may comprise a differently shaped region, such as a linearly extending exposed ledge, to be located at regions between two edge corners, or corresponding to an edge contour of the mat with which it is intended to be integrated. For instance, the ledge 22 may follow a rounded corner contour or otherwise. The described embodiment allows a marker to be provided in a relatively thin edge region in a corner of a mat. This avoids a marker on an in-use upward-facing surface or the in-use ground-facing surface, where such markings may be either undesired or ineffective. Nevertheless, while the ledge is designed to remain exposed at an edge of a mat, alternative variants of the insert may comprise features such as upstands designed for increased exposure on a free face (i.e., the in-use ground-facing surface, or the in-use upward facing surface) of a mat. Such features may be integral or combined with a spacer feature, such as the pips 32, 34. For instance, a series of protrusions may be arranged to form a symbol, logo and / or lettering, and / or machine-readable code. Whilst the principle of the invention has been illustrated using exemplary embodiments, 5 it will be understood that the invention is not so limited and that the invention may be embodied by other variants defined within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A ground protection mat comprising an insert element anchored within a body thickness of the mat and partially exposed to a surface of the mat.

2. The mat according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of inserts each anchored at a different location of the mat within the body thickness of the mat and partially exposed to a different surface portion of the mat.

3. The mat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one insert element is of contrasting colour to the body.

4. The mat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body of the mat is made from recycled plastics material.

5. The mat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one insert is made from virgin thermoplastics material.

6. The mat according to claim 5, wherein the thermoplastics material is chosen from HDPE, LDPE, PP and / or ABS.

7. The mat according to any one of the preceding elements, wherein the insert element is exposed at an edge of the mat.

8. The mat according to any one of the preceding elements, wherein the insert element comprises an exposed surface portion and an anchoring portion, the anchoring portion comprising a web extending in a planar extension.

9. The mat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the edges of the mat have an edge draft angle relative to a planar extension of the mat.

10. The mat according to claim 9, wherein the exposed surface portion of the insert element has an exposed draft angle matching the edge draft angle.

11. The mat according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the anchoring portion comprises an arrangement of spacer elements extending from the web.

12. The mat according to claim 11, wherein the spacer elements extend generally perpendicularly relative to the planar extension of the web.

13. The mat according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the spacer elements extend to both sides of the web.

14. The mat according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the spacer elements comprise a tapering protrusion.

15. The mat according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the spacer elements comprise a tip.

16. The mat according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the web comprises a hole of at least 15 mm diameter.

17. The mat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an exposed surface portion of the insert comprises at least two faces.

18. A stack comprised of a plurality of ground protection mats according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insert elements of at least two mats have the same colour or corresponding colour.

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