Industrial Mat Lifting Elements with Recessed Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional industrial mats for construction sites face challenges due to the scarcity of large wood beams, environmental degradation, and safety concerns during lifting and manipulation, particularly with exposed joining members that can lead to accidents.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a support structure made of non-wood materials like steel or thermosetting plastic, with lateral beams and rods forming a side-by-side arrangement, and integrated lifting elements with grasping means for safe and efficient lifting, reducing the reliance on long wood beams and enhancing safety by minimizing exposure of joining rods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional wood beams are used for mat construction, then the mats can be made with simple materials and reasonable cost, but the availability of suitable wood beams is reduced due to weather conditions and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction by combining wood beams with steel components (steel plates, steel rods, steel channels) to create a hybrid mat structure. This composite approach allows the mat to leverage the advantages of both materials: wood provides structural framework while steel components enhance durability, strength, and resistance to environmental degradation, thereby ensuring reliable service life even when wood beam availability is limited.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the material parameters of the mat construction by introducing treated wood (pressure-treated or chemically treated) and combining it with steel elements. These parameter changes in material composition and treatment enable the mat to withstand harsh outdoor conditions and extend service life, compensating for reduced availability of suitable virgin wood beams.
2Ease of operation
If joining members are exposed for lifting and manipulation, then lifting operations are facilitated, but workers can inadvertently step into the open hole around the connecting rod
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing the lifting eye or grasping means inside a recessed opening in the beam. The lifting component is nested within the beam structure rather than being fully exposed, allowing crane hooks to access it while preventing worker feet from falling into the opening. This nested configuration resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of lifting operation while eliminating the safety hazard of exposed holes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (the recessed opening with raised edges or flanges) that mediates between the lifting requirement and safety concern. This intermediary feature allows the lifting eye to be accessible for crane operations while the recessed configuration prevents direct access for worker feet, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and safety.
3Loss of substance
If alternative materials are used to replace wood beams, then timber resources are conserved, but the cost may increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the mat structure into distinct functional components: wood beams for the primary framework, steel plates or channels for reinforcement and joining, and steel rods for connection. This segmentation allows selective replacement of only the critical wear and exposure-prone elements with steel, rather than converting the entire mat to expensive alternative materials, thus conserving timber while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying steel reinforcement (steel plates, channels, or rods) only at specific locations where enhanced strength, durability, or resistance to environmental factors is needed, such as at joining points, bearing surfaces, and connection details. The remaining portions of the mat continue to use wood, balancing timber conservation with cost-effective localized enhancement.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial mat having a supporting structure; an upper layer provided above the supporting structure for forming an upper surface of the mat, a lower layer provided below the supporting structure for providing a lower surface of the mat; and lifting elements attached to the upper layer, the lower layer or the supporting structure. The lifting elements include D-shaped members, O-shaped members, U-shaped members, eyelets, hooks, circular or polygonal rings, chains, or cables that are configured and dimensioned for attachment to attached to the supporting structure or the upper or lower layer with sufficient strength to provide certified overhead lifting of the mat for installation and reclamation thereof.