Support Mat Structure With Recycled Friction Layer for Heavy Equipment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mat systems for temporary roadways and support surfaces face challenges in providing a stable, firm, and continuous support while being easily installable and removable, and they often lack sufficient friction to handle heavy equipment and vehicles in harsh environments.
Innovation Solution
The development of mats with integrated lip structures for secure joining, a honeycomb interior support structure for reduced weight, and a friction layer made from recycled materials to enhance surface traction, using locking pins and a manufacturing process that incorporates recycled components into the mat's surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If wooden boards or planks are placed end to end to form support surfaces, then the support surface can be constructed using simple materials, but the stability and continuity of the support surface deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mat is divided into multiple individual boards that can be easily handled and installed separately, yet when connected form a stable continuous surface. Each board is a discrete unit that can be manufactured independently and then assembled into the complete support structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple individual boards are combined into a single integrated mat structure with interconnected components. The boards are affixed together to form a unified assembly that provides continuous stable support, eliminating the gaps and instability associated with loosely placed planks.
2Strength
If prefabricated multi-layered mats are used to create temporary roadways, then the stability and load-bearing capacity improves, but the device complexity and installation difficulty worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The mat is constructed from discrete boards that can be individually manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of individual components while maintaining the overall structural integrity when assembled together with interlocking features.
Solution Approach 2:
The mat design incorporates universal features such as standardized lip structures and connection mechanisms that can be used across all boards. This multi-functionality allows the same structural elements to provide both structural support and interconnection, reducing overall complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional mat structures are used without surface treatment, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the friction and traction for heavy equipment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The friction-enhancing material is applied specifically to the top surface of the mat where contact with equipment occurs, rather than treating the entire structure. This localized treatment provides the necessary traction where needed while keeping the rest of the manufacturing process simple and unchanged.
Solution Approach 2:
The mat combines the base structural material with an added friction-enhancing surface layer. This composite structure integrates two different materials - the structural core for strength and the surface layer for enhanced traction - to achieve both structural integrity and improved grip for heavy equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
Method of manufacturing mats for use as support surfaces include depositing a resin material in a mold shaped to define a mat, depositing a recycled material on a top surface of the deposited resin material, and at least one of heat treating and pressure treating the resin material and the recycled material to generate a formed mat. The recycled material and the resin material are fused together during the treatment by at least one of the heat treating and the pressure treating to form a friction layer of the formed mat comprising the fused resin material and recycled material.