Roll-up traction mat with hinged initiator tab
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing desilting devices for wheeled vehicles, such as rigid plates and mats, face issues with size, assembly time, fragility, and insufficient flexibility, which hinder effective extraction from mud or sand ruts.
Innovation Solution
A roll-up desilting mat with a main rolling portion and a flexible initiator roll tab, made of textile layers with a polymer coating, featuring studs for traction and stiffening elements for stability, allowing easy deployment and effective extraction of stuck wheels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid plates are used for desilting, then the vehicle can be freed from the rut, but the device becomes heavy and difficult to transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid metal or plastic plates with a flexible mat made of textile layers coated with polymer. This flexible mat can be rolled up into a compact form for easy transport and storage, while still providing sufficient structural support when deployed under the stuck wheel to enable extraction from the rut.
Solution Approach 2:
The mat is constructed from composite materials consisting of multiple textile layers coated with polymer material. This composite structure combines the flexibility and light weight of textiles with the durability and grip-providing properties of polymer coating, achieving both portability and desilting effectiveness.
2Reliability
If rigid plates are used for desilting, then the vehicle can be freed from the rut, but the device becomes fragile and difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible polymer-coated textile mat is inherently more durable and resistant to damage than rigid plates. It can withstand bending, folding, and repeated deployment without cracking or breaking, eliminating the fragility issue of rigid materials while maintaining desilting effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters from rigid to flexible, transforming the mechanical properties of the desilting device. The polymer-coated textile provides both flexibility for easy handling and sufficient strength for effective desilting, while its smooth surface prevents mud accumulation that would otherwise require cleaning and maintenance.
3Ease of operation
If the mat is made flexible to improve transportability, then it can be easily rolled and carried, but it may lack the rigidity to effectively support the wheel
Solution Approach 1:
The composite construction of multiple textile layers coated with polymer provides the necessary structural support despite the flexible nature of the material. The polymer coating adds stiffness and load-bearing capacity, while the textile layers provide tensile strength and flexibility, creating a material that is both transportable and structurally adequate.
Solution Approach 2:
The mat features localized reinforcement with stiffening elements integrated into the polymer-coated textile structure. These localized rigid elements provide additional structural support at critical areas under the wheel, while the rest of the mat remains flexible for easy transport and conformability to the rut geometry.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the initiator roll tab is lowered below the main roll portion, then it can reach the bottom of the rut, but the connection must withstand significant mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
The connection portion is designed as a flexible, dynamic element that can bend and articulate as the initiator roll tab is lowered into the rut. This flexibility allows the connection to accommodate the angular difference between the horizontal main roll portion and the vertically descending initiator tab without experiencing excessive stress, while still maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection portion is designed with curved, flexible geometry rather than rigid straight lines. This curved configuration allows it to flex and bend naturally when the initiator tab is lowered into the rut, distributing mechanical stresses more evenly and preventing concentration of force at single points, thereby maintaining connection strength.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The application relates to a traction mat (10) which can be wound onto itself for a vehicle (V) having at least one wheel (RI), said traction mat comprising a main rolling portion (12) and a tab for starting rolling (20) which is attached to one of the ends of the main rolling portion (12) via a connection portion forming a hinge (22) arranged such as to lower the tab for starting rolling relative to the main rolling portion, by means of which the tab for starting rolling can be positioned at the bottom of a rut (0) in which said wheel is stuck. The tab for starting rolling comprises a plurality of transverse rigidifying elements and an upper surface provided with studs. The tab for starting rolling and the main rolling portion are made up of at least one textile layer covered with a polymer layer.