Patent Application
20140255108
The present disclosure relates generally to preventing the leakage of liquid from a load-supporting surface and, more particularly, to a liquid containment system.
Temporary or semi-permanent support surfaces have been used for roadways, remote jobsites, industrial staging areas and the like in an ever-increasing myriad of industries, such as construction, military, oilfield, transportation, disaster response, utilities and entertainment. These support surfaces are often made up of heavy duty, durable, all-weather thermoplastic mats, which are reusable and interlock together to form the support surface. Traditionally, a plastic liner is placed below and around the mat assembly in an effort to capture liquids that are spilled or otherwise introduced onto the support surface before such liquids encounter the subgrade terrain.
The use of liners with temporary or semi-permanent support surfaces may have one or more disadvantages. In many instances, once the need for the temporary support surface has lapsed, the interlocking mats are disassembled for later use. However, since the liners, unlike the mats, are not normally reusable, they must often be discarded. This can be problematic because landfill operators have expressed disinterest in accepting used liners on the basis that they are bulky and require excessive landfill space, or for other reasons. Thus, it can be difficult to find suitable, cost-effective ways to dispose of the liners. For another example, the plastic liners are sometimes ineffective at preventing fluid leakage from the support surface or allowing effective clean-up, which can cause other problems and require significant time and effort. Thus, there is a need for improved apparatus, systems and methods for containing liquids spilled or otherwise introduced onto a load-supporting surface.
It should be understood that the above-described features, capabilities and disadvantages are provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope or subject matter of the appended claims or those of any related patent application or patent. Thus, none of the appended claims or claims of any related application or patent should be limited by the above discussion or construed to address, include or exclude each or any of the above-cited features, capabilities or disadvantages merely because of the mention thereof herein.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved systems, articles and methods useful in connection with containing liquids introduced onto a load-supporting surface having one or more of the attributes or capabilities described or shown in, or as may be apparent from, the other portions of this patent.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure involves a system for preventing the leakage of liquid from a reusable, load-supporting surface deployed on the ground without the use of any liners beneath the load-supporting surface. The load-supporting surface includes at least two interconnected planar mats forming a perimeter thereof. Each mat is constructed of impermeable plastic and includes a plurality of locking pin holes each configured to accept a locking pin therethrough. The perimeter of the load-supporting surface includes at least four sides, at least first and second perimeter sides having an upper lip extending horizontally outwardly therefrom and spaced above the ground, and at least third and fourth perimeter sides having a lower lip extending horizontally outwardly therefrom and resting on the ground.
The system includes a plurality of spacers and berm members. Each spacer is planar and constructed of impermeable plastic. Each spacer has a first section configured to be positioned on the ground below the upper lip of a portion of at least one among the first and second perimeter sides of the load-supporting surface, and a second section extending horizontally outwardly therefrom beyond the adjacent upper lip. Each spacer includes a plurality of locking pin holes, at least one of which is configured to be aligned beneath a locking pin hole of an adjacent mat and accept a locking pin therethrough for releasably securing them together.
Each berm member includes first and second ends and is constructed of impermeable plastic. The berm members are positionable around the perimeter of the load-supporting surface. Each berm member includes at least one horizontal base having front and rear edges extending between the ends of the berm member, and at least one vertical wall extending upwardly from the horizontal base proximate to the front edge thereof. Each berm member is configured so that its horizontal base is positionable atop and releasably engageable with the second section of at least one spacer and/or at least one lower lip of the third or fourth perimeter sides of the load-supporting surface. The base includes a plurality of locking pin holes, at least one of which is alignable over at least one locking pin hole of the spacer or lower lip it rests atop and accepts a locking pin therethrough for releasably securing them together. Each berm member on the perimeter of the load-supporting surface sealingly, releasably engages each adjacent berm member and the load-supporting surface to prevent the leakage of liquid from the load-supporting surface around its perimeter without the use of any liners beneath the load-supporting surface.
In many embodiments, the present disclosure involves a modular system for containing and draining liquid introduced onto a reusable, load-supporting surface without the use of any liners beneath the load-supporting surface. The load-supporting surface includes at least two planar mats forming a perimeter thereof. Each mat is constructed of impermeable plastic. The system includes a plurality of releasably, sealingly interconnected berm members configured to releasably, sealingly engage the load-supporting surface around its perimeter to prevent leakage of liquid from the load-supporting surface around its perimeter without the use of any liners beneath the load-supporting surface. Each berm member is constructed of impermeable plastic and includes first and second ends and at least one integrally formed horizontal base and vertical wall. The horizontal base and vertical wall extend from the first end to the second end of the berm member. Each berm member sealingly engages the adjacent berm members around the perimeter of the load-supporting surface sufficient to contain liquid introduced onto the load-supporting surface to the full height of the vertical wall thereof.
The system also includes at least one elongated drain channel constructed of impermeable plastic and configured to extend across the length of the load-supporting surface between adjacent mats on its sides and opposing berm members at its ends. Each drain channel includes at least one fluid passageway extending along the length thereof. The drain channel collects fluid introduced onto the load-supporting surface and directs it off the load-supporting surface. The drain channel, or series of aligned drain channels, releasably sealingly engages the adjacent mats and opposing berm members.
Accordingly, the present disclosure includes features and advantages which are believed to enable it to advance load-supporting surface technology. Characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure described above and additional features and benefits will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments and referring to the accompanying drawings.
The following figures are part of the present specification, included to demonstrate certain aspects of various embodiments of this disclosure and referenced in the detailed description herein:
Characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure and additional features and benefits will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and referring to the accompanying figures. It should be understood that the description herein and appended drawings, being of example embodiments, are not intended to limit the claims of this patent or any patent or patent application claiming priority hereto. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the claims. Many changes may be made to the particular embodiments and details disclosed herein without departing from such spirit and scope.
In showing and describing preferred embodiments in the appended figures, common or similar elements are referenced with like or identical reference numerals or are apparent from the figures and/or the description herein. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness.
As used herein and throughout various portions (and headings) of this patent application, the terms “invention”, “present invention” and variations thereof are not intended to mean every possible embodiment encompassed by this disclosure or any particular claim(s). Thus, the subject matter of each such reference should not be considered as necessary for, or part of, every embodiment hereof or of any particular claim(s) merely because of such reference. The terms “coupled”, “connected”, “engaged” and the like, and variations thereof, as used herein and in the appended claims are intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection or engagement. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections.
Certain terms are used herein and in the appended claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. Also, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used herein and in the appended claims in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . . ” Further, reference herein and in the appended claims to components and aspects in a singular tense does not necessarily limit the present disclosure or appended claims to only one such component or aspect, but should be interpreted generally to mean one or more, as may be suitable and desirable in each particular instance.
Referring initially to
In this particular example, at least first and second perimeter sides 42, 44 have an upper lip 46 extending horizontally outwardly therefrom and spaced above the ground 20 (or other surface). At least third and fourth perimeter sides 50, 52 have a lower lip 54 extending horizontally outwardly therefrom and resting on the ground 20 (or other surface). When included, the upper and lower lips 46, 54 may have any suitable size, shape, configuration and length. In this example, the upper and lower lips 46, 54 are formed on the adjacent mats 26, such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,551 to Seaux, entitled “Mat System for Construction of Roadways and Support Surfaces” and issued on Aug. 5, 1997, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,257 to Seaux et al., entitled “Interlocking Mat System for Construction of Load Supporting Surfaces” and issued on Jan. 28, 2003, both of which have a common Assignee as the present patent and the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. However, the liquid containment system 10 of the present disclosure is not limited to use with load-supporting surfaces 16 having upper and lower lips 46, 54. Other embodiments may be used with load-supporting surfaces 16 not having upper and/or lower lips 46, 54 around their perimeters 40.
The mats 26 may have any suitable form, construction and configuration. Some examples of mats 26 which may be used in various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,653,551 and 6,511,257. For example, the mats 26 may be 14×8′ DURA-BASE® mats currently sold by the Assignee of this patent. In this example, each mat 26 is flat, or planar, and constructed of impermeable material, such as thermoplastic. The exemplary mats 26 have a rectangular shape with opposing pair of short sides 28 (e.g.
In some embodiments, a “mat-to-mat seal” (not shown) may be used between adjacent mats 26 and between various components of the system 10 described below, such as to provide a fluid-tight seal therebetween. Some example of mat-to-mat seals that may be used in connection with various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/621,898, entitled “Method of Producing Impermeable Temporary Load Bearing Surfaces” and filed on Apr. 29, 2012, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Apparatus and Methods for Sealing Between Adjacent Components of a Load-Supporting Surface”, having attorney docket number 025020.03801 and filed on ______, both of which have a common Assignee as the present patent and the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
Referring specifically to
Now in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, referring again to
The spacers 60 and berm members 80 may have any suitable form, configuration, construction and operation. Each spacer 60 of this embodiment is flat, or planar, and constructed of impermeable material, such as thermoplastic. As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
Still referring to
Referring back to
Referring still to
The illustrated embodiment also includes different types of corner berm members 112: long-to-short-side corner berm members 126 and short-to-long-side corner berm members 130. The exemplary long-to-short side (first) corner berm members 126 are configured so that their left elongated portions 116 are positioned on the sides of the load-supporting surface 16 having the short side(s) 28 of the mat(s) 26. In the illustrated example, these are the first and third perimeter sides 42, 50. The exemplary short-to-long-side (second) corner berm members 130 are positioned on the other corners of the load-supporting surface 16, so their left elongated portions 116 are positioned on the sides of the load-supporting surface 16 having the long side(s) 30 of the mat(s) 26. In the illustrated example, these are the second and fourth perimeter sides 44, 52. In this embodiment, the left elongated portion 116 of the second corner berm member 130 is longer than its right elongated portion 118 and both portions 116, 118 of the first corner berm member 126. The right elongated portion 118 of the exemplary second corner berm member 130 is the shortest of the four respective elongated portions, and the left elongated portion 116 of the first corner berm member 126 is shorter than its right elongated portion 118.
Still referring to
Referring to
In another aspect of the present disclosure, referring back to
In another independent aspect of the present disclosure, adjacent berm members 80 may be releasably connectable in any suitable manner. For example, in
The exemplary end support 160 includes an outer face 164 disposed on the outwardly facing side thereof, and an inner face 170 on the opposite side thereof (
The protrusion 166 and recess 172 may have any desired configuration. In this embodiment, the protrusion 166 is a rib 168 and both the protrusion 166 and recess 172 are formed in the same overall shape as the end supports 160. This may be useful, for example, to form a tight sealing engagement between adjacent berm members 80.
Referring now to
Still referring to
Now referring to
The drive-over barriers 140 may have any suitable form, configuration and operation. In this embodiment, the drive-over barrier 140 is constructed of impermeable material, such as thermoplastic and includes an elongated, upwardly-angled ramp 142. In this example, the ramp 142 is wider than the horizontal base 90 of the other berm members 80, and reaches a height H above the load-supporting surface 16 sufficient to contain and prevent the leakage of a particular volume of fluid on the surface 16. For example, the height H of the ramp 142 may be at least three inches above the load-supporting surface 16.
When included, one or more drive-over barrier 140 can be added to or removed from the perimeter 40 of the load-supporting surface 16 as desired. In the embodiment of
The illustrated drive-over barrier 140 is positionable on the perimeter 40 of the load-supporting surface 16 in the same way and location as the linear berm members 16, such as previously described with respect to
The exemplary drive-over barrier 140 may be configured to releasably engage the adjacent berm members 80 is any suitable manner. For example, referring to
Now referring to
The berm members 224, 225 and drain channel 228 may have any suitable form, configuration and operation. Each illustrated drain channel 228 includes an elongated upper portion 234 and an elongated lower portion 237 extending along the length thereof. In this example, the lower portion 237 has at least one recessed fluid passageway 238 extending along its length. The fluid passageway 238 may have any desired configuration. In some embodiments, for example, the fluid passageway 238 may have a width of eight inches. If desired, the upper portion 234 may include a plurality of feed paths 240, each extending at least partially across the width thereof and terminating at the fluid passageway 238, to assist in allowing fluid on the load-supporting surface 16 to drain into the fluid passageway 238. Also if desired, the feed paths 240 may be angled downwardly toward the fluid passageway 238 to encourage fluid drainage from the load-supporting surface 16 thereto.
The exemplary drain channel 228 extends between the long sides 30 of adjacent mats 26 across the load-supporting surface 16 from the first to the third perimeter sides 42, 50. When the load-supporting surface 16 includes at least two mats 26 aligned at their short sides 28, the exemplary liquid drain assembly 220 includes at least two drain channels 228 axially aligned with one another so that their fluid passageways 238 are in fluid communication. In some embodiments, the terminal, or far, ends 230, 232 of the drain channel(s) 228 are offset relative to the first and third perimeter sides 42, 50 of the load-supporting surface 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the first terminal end 230 extends outward of the perimeter 40 and the second terminal end 232 is inward of the perimeter 40.
Still referring to
If desired, referring to
When included, the cover 244 may have any suitable form, configuration and operation. For example, the cover 244 may be constructed at least partially of metal or fiberglass. In this example, the cover 244 is a metallic grate 248 having openings through which liquid may flow into the fluid passageway(s) 238 from above. For another example, the cover 244 may instead be a solid panel (not shown) that partially or completely covers the fluid passageway 238, allowing liquid flow into the fluid passageway(s) 238 via the feed paths 240.
Now referring back to
When the terminal ends 230, 232 of the drain channel(s) 228 are offset relative to the perimeter 40, at least one among the third and fourth linear berm members 224, 226 may include an outwardly projecting protrusion 258 engageable with the first terminal end 230, and the other linear berm member 224, 226 may include an inwardly projecting protrusion 256 engageable with the second terminal end 232. In this example, the third linear berm member 224 has the outwardly projecting protrusion 258 and the fourth linear berm member 226 has the inwardly projecting protrusion 256. The terminal end 230 of the illustrated drain channel(s) 228 extends partially beneath and rearwardly beyond the third linear berm member 224 and is covered by the outwardly projecting protrusion 258.
Now referring to
The exemplary drain outlet member 250 releasably engages the terminal end 230 of the drain channel(s) 228 underneath the protrusion 258 of the third linear berm member 224. Specifically, the outlet member 250 has a base 251 that rests on the ground 20 below the upper and lower portions 234, 237 of the drain channel 228 at the terminal end 230. The drain outlet member 250 includes at least one locking pin hole (not shown) alignable with at least one locking pin hole 236 of the adjacent drain channel 228 and/or a locking pin hole 254 of the outwardly extending protrusion 258 of the berm member 224 to accept a locking pin 34 therethrough for releasably securing them together.
In many embodiments, all of the above components of the system 10 are durable, modular, weather-resistant and reusable. If desired, the liquid containment system 10 may be part of a spill management system to prevent liquid leakage from one or more permanent, semi-permanent or temporary load-supporting surface 16 and allow the clean-up or disposal of such liquid.
In another independent aspect of the present disclosure, the various components of the liquid containment system 10 may be sealingly engaged with adjacent components. For example, the system 10 may be used to provide a self-contained perimeter fluid barrier around the load-supporting surface 16 without the need for any liners below or adjacent to the load-supporting surface 16. For another example, some embodiments of the system 10 may be able to sealingly contain fluid that fills the area over the load-supporting surface 16 to the full vertical extent of the walls 100.
The liquid containment system 10 may be sealed in any suitable manner. Referring back to
Referring to
Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure thus offer advantages over the prior art and are well adapted to carry out one or more of the objects of this disclosure. However, the present invention does not require each of the components and acts described above and is in no way limited to the above-described embodiments or methods of operation. Any one or more of the above components, features and processes may be employed in any suitable configuration without inclusion of other such components, features and processes. Moreover, the present invention includes additional features, capabilities, functions, methods, uses and applications that have not been specifically addressed herein but are, or will become, apparent from the description herein, the appended drawings and claims.
The methods that may be described above or claimed herein and any other methods which may fall within the scope of the appended claims can be performed in any desired suitable order and are not necessarily limited to any sequence described herein or as may be listed in the appended claims. Further, the methods of the present invention do not necessarily require use of the particular embodiments shown and described herein, but are equally applicable with any other suitable structure, form and configuration of components.
While exemplary embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, many variations, modifications and/or changes of the system, apparatus and methods of the present invention, such as in the components, details of construction and operation, arrangement of parts and/or methods of use, are possible, contemplated by the patent applicant(s), within the scope of the appended claims, and may be made and used by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit or teachings of the invention and scope of appended claims. Thus, all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative, and the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims should not be limited to the embodiments described and shown herein.
