Claims
- 1. A flooring apparatus for a farrowing containment area for animals, the containment area having two side edges, a front edge and a rear edge and being located over a manure containment pit, the apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of support members for extending over the manure containment pit;
- a first floor portion which is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, zinc and alloys thereof;
- a second floor portion which is formed of a plastics material which is electrically non-conductive;
- at least part of the first floor portion having an upper surface which is apertured to allow escape of manure from the animals into the pit;
- the first floor portion forming a first sub-area of the containment area having a front edge, a rear edge and two side edges;
- at least two remaining sub-areas of the containment area being formed by said second floor portion such that the two remaining sub areas each lie along a respective side edge of said first sub-area such that the two side edges of the first sub-area are spaced from adjacent side edges of the containment area;
- the support members being formed of an electrically nonconductive material so as to provide electrical isolation of the first floor portion to prevent galvanic corrosion thereof.
- 2. The flooring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the second floor portion includes at least one additional sub area each arranged along at least one of the front and rear edges of the first sub area.
- 3. The flooring apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first floor portion is formed from a plurality of panels.
- 4. The flooring apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the first and second floor portions are formed from panels which are rectangular and of the same width.
- 5. The flooring apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the panels of the first floor portion have upper surfaces thereof at a raised height relative to the panels of the second floor portion.
- 6. The flooring apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the first panels each have an edge flange inclined downwardly onto the upper surface of the second panels, the flange having downwardly extending tabs for engaging into openings in the second panels to interlock at edges thereof to form an integral floor.
- 7. The flooring apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the support members include a plurality of beams and a plurality of cross webs arranged in parallel, spaced relation substantially at right angles to the beams with the first and second panels being supported on the cross webs.
- 8. The flooring apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the first panels each include at each end a cooperating pair of interlocking web engagement members extending outwardly to a respective side of the panel for engaging a top of a respective one of the cross webs for communicating weight from the first panels to the cross webs.
- 9. A flooring apparatus for a farrowing containment area for animals, the containment area having two side edges, a front edge and a rear edge and being located over a manure containment pit, the apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of support members for extending over the manure containment pit;
- a first floor portion which is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, zinc and alloys thereof;
- a second floor portion which is formed of a plastics material which is electrically non-conductive;
- at least part of the first floor portion having an upper surface which is apertured to allow escape of manure from the animals into the pit;
- the first floor portion forming a first sub-area of the containment area having a front edge, a rear edge and two side edges;
- said second floor portion forming sub areas each of which lies along a respective one of the front, rear and side edges of said first sub-area such that the front, rear and side edges of the first sub-area are spaced from adjacent side edges of the containment area so as to form an island which is spaced from each of the front, rear and side edges of the containment area by the second floor portion and which is electrically isolated from the front, rear and side edges of the containment area by the second floor portion;
- and the first floor portion being supported relative to the second floor portion and the support members such that the first floor portion is electrically isolated from any other electrically conductive element forming part of or associated with the flooring apparatus to prevent galvanic corrosion thereof.
- 10. The flooring apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the second floor portion is formed from a plurality of panels.
- 11. The flooring apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the first and second floor portions are formed from panels which are rectangular and of the same width.
- 12. The flooring apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the panels of the first floor portion have upper surfaces thereof at a raised height relative to the panels of the second floor portion.
- 13. The flooring apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the first panels each have an edge flange inclined downwardly onto the upper surface of the second panels, the flange having downwardly extending tabs for engaging into openings in the second panels to interlock at edges thereof to form an integral floor.
- 14. The flooring apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the support members include a plurality of beams and a plurality of cross webs arranged in parallel, spaced relation substantially at right angles to the beams with the first and second panels being supported on the cross webs.
- 15. The flooring apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the first panels each include at each end a cooperating pair of interlocking web engagement members extending outwardly to a respective side of the panel for engaging a top of a respective one of the cross webs for communicating weight from the first panels to the cross webs.
- 16. A flooring apparatus for a farrowing containment area for animals, the containment area having two side edges, a front edge and a rear edge and being located over a manure containment pit, the apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of support members for extending over the manure containment pit;
- a first floor portion which is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, zinc and alloys thereof;
- at least part of the first floor portion having an upper surface which is apertured to allow escape of manure from the animals into the pit;
- the first floor portion forming a first sub-area of the containment area having a front edge, a rear edge and two side edges;
- the first floor portion comprising at least one rigid panel defined by a plurality of cross beams at spaced positions along a length of the panel and a plurality of extruded members extending longitudinally of the panel at right angles to the cross beams and attached thereto, the extruded members being parallel and spaced each from the next to leave openings therebetween, the cross beams and the extruded members being formed from said material;
- a second floor portion which is formed of a plastics material which is electrically non-conductive;
- at least two remaining sub-areas of the containment area being formed by said second floor portion such that the two remaining sub areas each lie along a respective side edge of said first sub-area such that the two side edges of the first sub-area are spaced from adjacent side edges of the containment area;
- the support members being formed of an electrically non-conductive material so as to provide electrical isolation of the first floor portion to prevent galvanic corrosion thereof.
- 17. The flooring apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said at least one panel comprises a single panel defining the whole of the first floor portion.
- 18. The flooring apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said extruded members are welded to the cross beams.
- 19. The flooring apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the extruded members are generally triangular in cross-section with a generally horizontal upper surface and two sides converging downwardly and inwardly to a bottom apex underneath the top surface.
- 20. The flooring apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the extruded members are arranged alternately such that alternate ones thereof have an upper surface thereof at a raised height and a lowered height.
- 21. The flooring apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the cross beams each comprise a flat web standing in a vertical plane with a series of recesses in an upper edge thereof at spaced positions thereacross such that each extruded member is received in a respective one of the recesses.
- 22. The flooring apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the recesses are arranged such that an upper surface of each extruded member is no higher than the upper edge of the web.
- 23. The flooring apparatus according to claim 22 wherein there is provided a welded bead across the upper edge of the web and over the upper surface of each extruded member in turn.
- 24. The flooring apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the extruded members are hollow so as to define a tubular duct along the length thereof.
- 25. The flooring apparatus according to claim 24 wherein there is provided a source of cooling fluid for passing along the tubular ducts of the extruded members for cooling the first floor portion.
- 26. The flooring apparatus according to claim 25 including a heat pump for extracting heat from the cooling fluid for cooling the fluid and a heat transfer member for receiving the heat from the heat pump for transferring the heat to the second floor portion.
- 27. The flooring apparatus according to claim 26 wherein the heat transfer member comprises a radiator plate covering a part of the second floor portion.
- 28. A flooring apparatus for a farrowing containment area for animals, the containment area having two side edges, a front edge and a rear edge and being located over a manure containment pit, the apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of support members for extending over the manure containment pit;
- a first floor portion forming a first sub-area of the containment area;
- the first floor portion comprising at least one rigid panel defined by a plurality of cross beams at spaced positions along a length of the panel and a plurality of elongate tubular members extending longitudinally of the panel at right angles to the cross beams and attached thereto, the elongate tubular members being parallel and spaced each from the next to leave openings therebetween;
- a second floor portion defining at least two remaining subareas of the containment area such that the two remaining sub areas each lie along a respective side edge of said first sub-area such that the two side edges of the first sub-area are spaced from adjacent side edges of the containment area;
- the elongate tubular members being hollow so as to define a tubular duct along the length thereof;
- a source of cooling fluid for passing along the tubular ducts of the extruded members for cooling the first floor portion;
- a heat pump for extracting heat from the cooling fluid for cooling the fluid;
- and a heat transfer member for receiving the heat from the heat pump for transferring the heat to the second floor portion.
- 29. The flooring apparatus according to claim 28 wherein the heat transfer member comprises a radiator plate covering a part of the second floor portion for communicating heat thereto.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation in part application of application Ser. No. 08/798,210 filed Feb. 10, 1997 and now abandoned in favour of this application.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
396 881 |
Mar 1990 |
EPX |
0 472 206A1 |
Aug 1991 |
EPX |
3927462 A1 |
Aug 1989 |
DEX |
93 20 652 |
Aug 1993 |
DEX |
WO9518525 |
Jul 1995 |
WOX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Brochure--"Polygrate" (8 pages). |
*Article in paper "Feld und Wald" No: 16 of Apr. 16, 1976. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
798210 |
Feb 1997 |
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