Matting system
AssigneeDiamond T. Services, Inc.
InventorJames Ingalls
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Improved containment mats and systems of containment mats may include multiple adjoining mats with a top surface and a bottom surface. The multiple mats may provide a modular structural mat system that may be installed at a drill site, with multiple mats placed adjacent to each other with a lap joint connecting adjacent mats. A geotextile may be used to cover the lap joints and a coating applied to the geotextile. Such a system may provide containment of potential spills, a reliable working surface for drilling operations, and relatively fast and less expensive installation.
Claims17
A modular structural mat, comprising:
- a top layer comprising a plurality of adjacent boards arranged parallel to one another in a first direction;
- a bottom layer comprising a plurality of adjacent boards arranged parallel to one another in the first direction;
- and
- a middle layer located between the top layer and the bottom layer comprising a plurality of adjacent boards arranged parallel to one another in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction;
- wherein a first lap joint on at least a first edge of the modular structural mat is milled into the modular structural mat and extends through the bottom layer and into the middle layer,
- wherein a second lap joint on at least a second edge of the modular structural mat is milled into the modular structural mat and extends through the top layer and into the middle layer, and
- wherein the first lap joint of a first modular structural mat is configured to engage with the second lap joint of an adjacent second modular structural mat.
A modular structural mat system, comprising:
- a plurality of mats, including a first mat and a second mat, each mat comprising:
- a top layer comprising a plurality of boards arranged parallel to one another in a first direction;
- a bottom layer comprising a plurality of boards arranged parallel to one another in the first direction;
- a middle layer located between the top layer and the bottom layer comprising a plurality of boards arranged parallel to one another in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction;
- and
- a check and a shoulder along each edge of the first mat and the second mat, wherein the first mat is located adjacent to the second mat and the check and shoulder along a first edge of the first mat is engaged with a complementary check and shoulder along a second edge of the second mat to form a lap joint;
- a geotextile covering the lap joint between the first mat and the second mat;
- and
- a water-resistant seal covering the geotextile and at least a portion of the top layer of each of the first mat and the second mat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.