Nonwoven sorbent manhole apron
AssigneeKG Fibers, Inc.
InventorsKirit H. Patel, Gulshan Chhabra
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Abstract
There is disclosed the manufacture and use of nonwoven absorbent mats laminated with barrier film for manhole aprons. The absorbent aprons are used about manholes during routine maintenance of underground transformers, utility cables, etc. The nonwoven aprons are coated to prevent the absorbed liquid from leaching through. The mat is specially designed to absorb contaminated liquid very quickly. The nonwoven mat is made out of cotton shoddy fibers and/or a mixture of synthetic fibers and/or synthetic fibers only with film on one side. The mat has a 36-inch manhole opening in the center thereof. The mat is thin and lays flat to conform to the road. The thickness of the mat ranges from 0.075" to 0.25" in order to avoid any tripping hazard.
Claims11
The manhole having a manhole surrounding apron, said manhole having an opening through which a person can go into and come out of said manhole, said apron surrounding said opening in said manhole and being effective to aid in protecting the environment from contaminated water brought through said manhole opening by a person who has come out of the said manhole, said apron being a flat nonwoven absorbent mat of fibers having a first face and a second, opposed face and having a hole within the confines of said mat, said hole being substantially the size of the manhole to be surrounded and being large enough to permit a person to pass therethrough, a barrier film or foil being laminated to the first said face and an anti-skid film being applied to said barrier film or foil on the first said face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.