GB2229134A

GB2229134A - Floors for containers and vehicle bodies in general

Info

Publication number: GB2229134A
Application number: GB8929047A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Benedito Salomao Cerqueira
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-12-26
Filing date: 1989-12-22
Publication date: 1990-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 2009-12-22
Also published as: DE3942103C2; FR2642817A1; IT1236914B; FR2642817B1; IT8922783A0; BR8806879A; GB2229134B; GB8929047D0; IT8922783A1; DE3942103A1

Abstract

A floor for a transport container or for a vehicle body comprises a plate (10) composed of at least one central layer or core of wire framework (1), and two layers of curable material (2). In turn layers (2) may be covered with two layers of fragmented material (3) (e.g. small pieces of metallic wire, synthetic string or threads) impregnated with rubber (4). These layers (3), (4) may be lined with a reticulated framework (5) impregnated or recovered by a further rubber layer (6), the reticulated framework (5) being defined by strips or friezes of elastically deformable material such as rubber. The layers (5) may be covered with curable or settable material (7). <IMAGE>

Description

FLOORS FOR CONTAINERS AND VEHICLE BODIES IN GENERAL The present invention relates to floors for containers and vehicle bodies in general.

Conventional vehicle bodies are basically made up of stamped metallic plates or moulded fibre sheets (e.g.

glass reinforced resin panels), defining the vehicles contour or design.

More specifically, the floors of these conventional bodies are also constituted of stamped metallic plates or moulded fibre sheets, and in addition there are floors entirely constituted in wood or composed of wood in combination with fibre panels or metallic stock.

Although they have been produced and employed in this conventional manner, the floors heretofore known feature a series of drawbacks, which prejudice directly the vehicle as a whole.

Conventional floors of stamped metallic plates have as an inconvenience a relative mechanical strength and a low resistance against bad weather, usually overcome with specific treatments and coatings provided on the plates or panels after they have already been stamped.

Now, it happens that when the floors composed of metallic sheets receive external impacts, for instance, from the gravel of the roads traffic lanes, this causes a deformation which, at least, injures the surface treatment or coating, thereby generating a point of easy rust development that with time damages in an irreversible manner the whole floor.

Another drawback of these metallic floors or bottoms is the great noise index produced by the same as a result of external impacts; that is to say, there does not exist a suitable acoustic insulation, thus transmitting to the interior of the passenger compartment and/or vehicle's body the noises from external impacts suffered.

The conventional floors made from moulded fibres have a good resistance against bad weather, but do not present a suitable mechanical resistance and in addition they do not provide for a satisfactory acoustic, causing a series of problems in the interior of the passenger compartment and even in the bodies of cargo vehicles.

In the same way, floors made by compounding wood with fibre or metal plates, present the same inconvenience, since the wood, used as structural pieces, is subject to irreversible deformation and is exposed to the attack of bad weather, decaying when in contact with much moisture.

The present invention provides a floor for containers and vehicle bodies in general comprising a plate or panel composed of at least one interior or central layer, core or web of matallic wire (e.g.

metallic wire framework), and at least one layer of self-setting material, a curable material, or one obtained by solidifying or curing in situ a settable or curable material.

It should be pointed out that the layers which constitute the plate may be obtained from specific raw materials or by recycling scraps, suc# as may be

obtained by a -#ecov#y processXenabling the utilisating of the steel wire tread contained in tyre scrap-heaps from which there are obtained a multiplicity of steel treads to provide the core layer of metallic wires used in the composition of the floor.

With this constructive conception applied to floors of containers and vehicle bodies, there may be obtained as described specifically hereafter a floor of a high grade of mechanical resistance, low noise level, by means of an impact absorption increase, and further providing a significant increase in bad weather resistance, these features thus co-operating to give a long useful life for the floor and, consequently, the container body of a vehicle.

In the following, the invention will be described with refrence being made to the sole figure, in which a perspective view is illustrated schematically, having a part cut away, of a portion of a floor for a container or vehicle body according to the present invention.

According to the sole illustration, the floor for a container or vehicle body is comprise by a plate 10 configurated with an embedded metallic core 1, defined by a plurality of steel treads recovered from a tyre scrap, or by a metallic rubber impregnated wiring; said metallic core 1 being disposed between two layers of a curable material 2, such as rubber, resin, thermoplastics and the like, and then coated with two layers of fragmented material 3 impregnated with rubber 4, said fragmented material 3 being defined by small pieces of metallic wire, synthetic string or threads, or any other threads of high mechanical resistance.

The settable or curable materials used in this invention may be any elastomeric polymer material capable of being impregnated over the reinforcement in a flowable form and of then being soidified.

These layers 3, 4 are lined with a reticulated framework 5 impregnated or recovered by a further rubber layer 6, said reticulated framework 5 being defined by strips or friezes of elastically deformable material such as rubber.

Finally, the two reticulated framework layers 5 impregnated with rubber 6 receive, respectively, two layers of curable or settable material 7 which define the upper and/or lower faces of the floor or finished bottom 10.

There is thus provided a floor for containers and bodies for vehicles in general which is not harmed by external impacts and which offers a high level of mechanical resistance and which is impervious to and resists in a significant way against bad weather.

Furthermore, the floor described presents a high grade of noise absorption, and does not transmit impact noises of the inside of the passenger compartment of the vehicle's body or at least only to a much reduced level.

Finally, such a floor is not subject to mechanical wear or deformation, so providing a general longer useful life to the same.

It shall be understood that despite the above description of a preferred embodiment of a floor, various modifications may be made, for instance, providing more or less equal or different layers for its composition, without departing from the novel characteristics which define this present conception of floors for containers and vehicle bodies in general.

Claims

CLAItIS

1. A floor for a container or a vehicle body comprising a plate constituted by at least one interior layer or core of metallic wire, and at least one layer of curable material.

2. A floor as claimed in Claim 1, further including at least one layer of fragmentary material impregnated with curable material.

3. A floor as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the fragmentary material is composed of small pieces of wire of high mechanical strength randomly disposed in the curable material.

4. A floor as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the pieces of wire are pieces of metallic wire.

5. A floor as claimed in any preceding claim, further including at least one layer of reticulated framework impregnated with curable material.

6. A floor as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the reticulated framework or frameworks are resistant and elastically deformable.

7. A floor as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein the reticulated framework or frameworks are defined by rubber strips or friezes arranged with one another so as to define a mesh web.

8. A floor as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the layers of curable material are of rubber.

9. A floor for a transport container or for a vehicle body, comprising an elastomeric, solid polymer material reinforced by at least one layer of metallic wire reinforcement.

10. A floor as claimed in Claim 9, comprising on one or both faces of said layer of metallic wire reinforcement a layer of elastomeric, solid polymer material reinforced by small pieces of randomly disposed wire reinforcement.

11. A floor for a transport container or for a vehicle body substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

12. A transport container or vehicle having a floor as claimed in any preceding claim.