Fiberglass ladder and method of constructing same
AssigneeComposite Technology, Inc.
InventorAndrew Green
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fiberglass ladder comprising a pair of rails and a plurality of rungs interposed at selected intervals. Each rung and each rail has a continuous layer of fiberglass filaments extending parallel to its respective length. At the intersection of the rails with the rungs, the filaments bend with a portion of the filaments in the rung extendingin one direction along the rail, and a portion of the filaments in the rung extending in the other direction along the rail. The ladder is cast in a mold in a solid integral piece. Woven fiberglass is placed in the channels of the mold over a coating of resin. The fiberglass filaments are placed over the fabric in the bottoms of the channels. The channels are then filled wth a rigid plastic foam and the ladder is allowed to cure.
Claims10
A fiberglass ladder comprising:
- a pair of rails, each of the rails having a continuous layer of fiberglass filaments, the filaments extending substantially parallel to the length of the rail;
- a plurality of rungs disposed between and interconnecting the rails at selected intervals, each of the rungs having a continuous layer of fiberglass filaments, the filaments extending substantially parallel to the length of the rung;
- the fiberglass filaments in the rails and rungs bending at the intersections between the rails and the rungs, with a portion of the filaments in each rung also extending along each rail in one direction and another portion of the filaments in each rung also extending along each rail in the opposite direction, thereby defining a continuous layer of fiberglass filaments at the intersection.
A fiberglass ladder comprising:
- a pair of rails having at least one flat side;
- a plurality of rungs disposed between and interconnecting the rails at selected intervals, the rungs having at least one flat side that is in a plane that is parallel to the plane of the flat side of the rails.;
- a continuous layer of fiberglass filaments disposed along and bonded to the flat sides of the rails and the rungs, the filaments in the rails being parallel to the length of the rails and the filaments in the rungs being parallel to the lengths of the rungs;
- the continuous layer being continuous at the intersections of the rails and rungs with portions of the filaments in the rungs bending to extend in both directions along the rails;
- a layer of woven fiberglass adjacent and on the exterior side of the continuous filament layer;
- and
- rigid plastic foam filling the interior of the rungs and rails.
A method for forming a fiberglass ladder comprising the steps of:
- providing a mold with channels to correspond with a pair of rails and a plurality of rungs disposed between, interconnecting the rails at selected intervals;
- covering the mold with a release agent;
- coating the mold with a resin layer;
- placing a layer of woven fiberglass in the bottom and sides of the channels;
- placing a layer of fiberglass filaments in the bottom of the channels so that the filaments in each channel are parallel to the channel, and with a portion of the filaments bending at the intersections so that portions of the filaments in the rungs also extend in both directions along the rails;
- and
- placing rigid plastic foam within the channels adjacent the fiberglass filaments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.