Drainage Beads
AssigneeRapac
InventorsDennis Wayne Koerner, Carl David Ring, Jonathan Browning Jackson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Polystyrene drainage beads having optimized shapes to provide increased specific gravity and void volume at a given bulk density. Expanded forms of such drainage beads may be used as a geosynthetic aggregate in pre-assembled drainage units. Such pre-assembled drainage units may be used as foundation drains, septic drainage fields, or for other applications.
Claims30
An aggregate comprising a plurality of polystyrene drainage beads, wherein at least some of the drainage beads comprise:
- (a) a central spine including a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
- (b) a plurality of first legs extending from the first side of the central spine and defining a plurality of first channels between the first legs, wherein the first channels are wider than the first legs;
- (c) a plurality of second legs extending from the second side of the central spine and defining a plurality of second channels between the second legs;
- and
- (d) a uniform, solid cross-sectional shape along an axis of extension.
An aggregate comprising a plurality of expanded polystyrene drainage beads, wherein at least some of the drainage beads comprise:
- (a) a central spine including a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
- (b) a plurality of first legs extending from the first side of the central spine and defining a plurality of first channels between the first legs;
- (c) a plurality of second legs extending from the second side of the central spine and defining a plurality of second channels between the second legs;
- and
- (d) a uniform, solid cross-sectional shape along an axis of extension, wherein the cross-sectional shape is perpendicular to the axis of extension and defines a cross-sectional area and a cross-sectional perimeter, wherein the ratio of the cross-sectional perimeter to the cross-sectional area is greater than 8.
An aggregate comprising a plurality of expanded polystyrene drainage beads, wherein at least some of the drainage beads comprise:
- (a) a central spine including a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
- (b) a plurality of first legs extending from the first side of the central spine and defining a plurality of first channels between the first legs, wherein the first channels are wider than the first legs;
- (c) a plurality of second legs extending from the second side of the central spine and defining a plurality of second channels between the second legs;
- (d) a first arm extending from a third side of the central spine and a second arm extending from a fourth side of the central spine, wherein the first and second arms extend in substantially perpendicular directions to the first and second legs;
- and
- (e) a uniform, solid cross-sectional shape along an axis of extension, wherein the cross-sectional shape is perpendicular to the axis of extension and defines a cross-sectional area and a cross-sectional perimeter, wherein the ratio of the cross-sectional perimeter to the cross-sectional area is greater than 8;
- wherein a perforated sleeve encloses the plurality of drainage beads.
An aggregate comprising a plurality of expanded polystyrene drainage beads, wherein at least some of the drainage beads comprise:
- (a) a central spine including a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
- (b) a plurality of first legs extending from the first side of the central spine and defining a plurality of first channels between the first legs;
- (c) a plurality of second legs extending from the second side of the central spine and defining a plurality of second channels between the second legs;
- and
- (d) a uniform, solid cross-sectional shape along an axis of extension;
- wherein the central spine defines a spine width extending between the plurality of first and second legs;
- wherein the plurality of first and second legs each define a leg length extending away from the central spine;
- and wherein the ratio of the leg length to spine width is greater than 0.8.
An aggregate comprising a plurality of expanded polystyrene drainage beads, wherein at least some of the drainage beads comprise:
- (a) a central spine including a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
- (b) a plurality of first legs extending from the first side of the central spine and defining a plurality of first channels between the first legs;
- (c) a plurality of second legs extending from the second side of the central spine and defining a plurality of second channels between the second legs;
- and
- (d) a uniform, solid cross-sectional shape along an axis of extension;
- wherein the plurality of first and second legs each define a leg length extending away from the central spine, and wherein the plurality of first and second legs each define a leg width;
- wherein the ratio of the leg length to leg width is greater than 1.4.
An aggregate comprising a plurality of expanded polystyrene drainage beads, wherein at least some of the drainage beads comprise:
- (a) a central spine including a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
- (b) a plurality of first legs extending from the first side of the central spine and defining a plurality of first channels between the first legs;
- (c) a plurality of second legs extending from the second side of the central spine and defining a plurality of second channels between the second legs;
- (d) a first arm extending from a third side of the central spine and a second arm extending from a fourth side of the central spine, wherein the first and second arms extend in substantially perpendicular directions to the first and second legs;
- and
- (e) a uniform, solid cross-sectional shape along an axis of extension;
- wherein the first and second arms each define arm length, wherein the plurality of first and second legs each define a leg width, and wherein the ratio of arm length to leg width is greater than 0.25.
An aggregate comprising a plurality of expanded polystyrene drainage beads, wherein at least some of the drainage beads comprise a central spine and a plurality of legs extending from the central spine, and wherein the aggregate of expanded polystyrene drainage beads further comprise a specific gravity and a bulk density such that a ratio of specific gravity to bulk density is greater than 2.3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.