Portable Containment Berm Floor With Puncture-Resistant Composite Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable drive-through berms face integrity issues due to uneven surfaces and debris, leading to tears and secondary containment failures when vehicles are serviced or maintained, as the berm's floor stretches and punctures under weight and tire contact.
Innovation Solution
A flexible floor design featuring a lower and upper sheet of impervious material with a sandwiched puncture-resistant intermediate layer and wear-resistant tread pads, welded together to maintain containment and resist vehicle weight and debris.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a simple single-layer flexible floor is used, then the floor can be easily deployed and moved, but it is prone to stretching, tearing, and punctures under vehicle weight and uneven surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The floor uses a composite structure with three distinct layers: an inner layer of flexible impervious material for liquid containment, a middle layer of puncture-resistant material for mechanical protection, and an outer layer of flexible impervious material for additional containment and surface protection. This composite construction provides both flexibility for deployment and high resistance to tearing and puncturing under vehicle loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor is divided into separate functional layers that can be manufactured and assembled independently. The inner layer, middle layer, and outer layer are welded together along their peripheries to form a laminar structure, allowing each layer to perform its specific function while contributing to the overall integrity of the floor system.
2Strength
If a rigid floor structure is used, then the floor can resist punctures and wear, but it cannot contour to uneven terrain and may cause containment failure
Solution Approach 1:
The floor employs flexible impervious material for the inner and outer layers that can conform to uneven surfaces and terrain variations while maintaining liquid containment. The flexibility allows the floor to adapt to various ground conditions without rigid support structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of flexible impervious material with puncture-resistant material in the middle layer creates a composite structure that maintains flexibility while adding puncture resistance. The flexible outer layer allows contouring to uneven surfaces, while the middle layer provides protection against rocks, gravel, and debris.
3Ease of operation
If the floor is placed directly on uneven ground with debris, then deployment is simple, but rocks, gravel, and tire debris cause tears and secondary containment failure
Solution Approach 1:
The middle layer of puncture-resistant material acts as an intermediary protective barrier between the inner containment layer and the harmful external environment including rocks, gravel, and debris. This intermediate layer absorbs and resists puncture forces from sharp objects while allowing the flexible outer layer to maintain contact with uneven surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The puncture-resistant middle layer provides beforehand protection against potential punctures from debris, rocks, and gravel that may be present on the ground surface. This protective layer is in place before any damage can occur, preventing tears in the inner containment layer.
4Ease of operation
If vehicle tires always contact the same areas of the floor, then vehicle positioning is simplified, but prolonged wear causes berm failure
Solution Approach 1:
The outer layer of flexible impervious material provides enhanced wear resistance specifically at the surface areas that contact vehicle tires. This localized reinforcement at the wear-prone outer surface extends the service life of the berm while allowing consistent vehicle positioning and tire contact patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A floor for a portable containment berm has an intermediate layer of flexible puncture-resistant material sandwiched between lower and upper sheets of flexible impervious material and at least one puncture-resistant and wear-resistant tread pad fixed to the top surface of the upper sheet of flexible impervious material. In one embodiment, the layer of puncture-resistant material and the sheets of impervious material are substantially coextensive and are welded in laminar relationship along their peripheries. In another embodiment, the intermediate layer of flexible puncture-resistant material includes at least two belts of flexible puncture-resistant material with the lower and upper sheets welded in laminar relationship along their peripheries and between each adjacent pair of belts. In either embodiment, the tread pads are welded to the top surface of the upper sheet of flexible impervious material in a configuration suitable to receive the wheels of a vehicle traversing the floor of the berm.