Method for joining plastic parts and foundation mat product therefor

Abstract

An assembly method and resulting temporary foundation mat for equipment such as a crane, including the steps of driving a fastener through plastic either with a hydraulic force or pneumatic (air), mechanical, or by any other power assisted means, shown through experimentation to result in the plastic surrounding the bolt within itself, tightly giving added strength to the system. The fastener can have a head at the driven end and a threaded end at the lead end. When a threaded end exists exterior to the joined pieces of plank, the plastic around the threaded end can be power-wire brushed to expose the threads to a nut which then tightens the system. The penetration rate of the fastener into and through the plastic pieces can be increased by pre-heating the lead end of the fastener.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.