Inventor: Jon Fiutak

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present applications claims priority to United States Provisional

Application Number 61/759,824, filed under 35 U.S.C. § 111(b) on February 1, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The invention relates generally to the field of connecting mats or panels used in the construction industry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The construction industry uses solid sawn wood and wood panel members in a variety of forms to aid in the erection of buildings, roads, and bridges. For example, temporary road panels and crane mats are often constructed using solid- sawn hardwood timbers or some species of softwoods. These panels are used to form a temporary, lightweight roadway or foundation to facilitate vehicular and equipment travel as may be required in construction operations. Other industry users of such mats include users in the field of pipeline, utility, transportation, oil, and infrastructure.

[0004] As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional road panel, shown generally at 10, is formed by using a plurality of solid sawn timber elements 12. Typically, four pieces of solid sawn timber 12 are used, each having a cross-sectional dimension ranging from about 8 inches by 8 inches to about 12 inches by 12 inches, with a length of 16 feet. The four pieces of timber 12 are usually bolted together using bolts 14 to form the temporary road panel 10 having an assembled dimension of 4 feet by 1 foot by 16 feet. Several panels may be placed side by side over existing ground to form a temporary roadway or to support cranes on a construction site. Ground conditions under the panels vary greatly and may include, for example, sand, clay, wetlands, and possibly a considerable amount of water. Another conventional wood mat utilizes smaller dimensional lumber and utilizes nails, carriage bolts, or steel rods as a fastening system. All of these systems have mechanical fastening systems to transfer stresses between components.

Additionally, U.S. Patent No. 4,932,198 discloses a compound timber-metal stressed deck with metal plates inserted between the timbers.

[0005] The hardwood panels are typically discarded at the end of the construction project, or they may be re-used if they are in relatively good condition. The longevity of the panels may be as little as six months to one year, depending on the length of the construction project and the environmental conditions to which the panels are subjected. The wood panels are typically untreated with preservative chemicals because of environmental concerns. Hardwoods are typically used because of their superior wear resistance to heavy truck and other construction equipment traffic. In addition to road panels and crane mats, other applications for the hardwood panels include decks over steel girders for temporary bridges, and soldier piles.

[0006] Because the timber used to form the panel 10 is expensive, the panel 10 is very costly. Further, the roadway formed by the panels 10 is very costly because tens of thousands of the panels 10 may be used for a single construction project. In addition, the solid sawn timber used to form the panel 10 is scarce because of the solid sawn timber must be extremely long, typically about sixteen feet in length. Exposure to larger amounts of water or moisture for extended periods of time causes a portion of the panel 10 to swell or expand. Such expansion of the panel 10 causes undesirable cupping and/or buckling of the panel 10. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved laminated support mat for supporting heavy equipment. It would be further desirable to discover a means of fastening together such improved mats so heavy construction machinery can be driven over the mats without displacing them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] Disclosed is a fastener for joining together construction mats. The fastener can be in the form of a clip. In one embodiment, the clip has a U-shape with legs that flare outward. The clip can be used to join together construction mats by driving the clip into the hollow channels of the construction mats. When a plurality of clips is used to join together construction mats, the clips provide strength and support to the mats.

[0008] Further disclosed is a method of joining construction mats, comprising inserting a construction mat clip into hollow channels in the construction mats to hold the mats together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a prior art panel formed of solid sawn timber.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a partial side perspective view of a first embodiment of a laminated support mat.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a partial side perspective view of a billet illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a schematic end view of the laminated support mat illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a schematic end view of the laminated support mat illustrated in

FIGS. 2 and 4, showing the laminated support mat after expansion.

[0014] FIG. 6A is a side elevational view of the laminated support mat illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0015] FIG. 6B is as side elevational view of the laminated support mat illustrated in

FIG. 6A after a load has been applied.

[0016] FIG. 7 is a sketch a construction mat clip.

[0017] FIG. 8 is a sketch of a construction mat clip with the legs partially inserted into the hollow channels of laminated support mats.

[0018] FIG. 9 is a sketch of one embodiment of a construction mat clip comprising an additional loop for easy removal.

[0019] FIG. 10 is a sketch of one embodiment of a construction mat clip with legs flaring outward.

[0020] FIG. 11 is a sketch of one embodiment of a construction mat clip with bolts holding the clip in place after insertion into support mats.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention will now be described with occasional reference to the specific embodiments of the invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0023] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, and so forth as used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about." Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical properties set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained in embodiments of the present invention.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical values, however, may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from error found in their respective measurements.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 2, a first embodiment of a laminated support mat is indicated generally at 20. The illustrated laminated support mat 20 is comprised of a plurality of laminated beams or billets 22 and has a substantially planar wide or load- bearing face 96.

[0025] Each of the illustrated billets 22 comprises a plurality of wood members or individual wood laminations 24. Apertures 26 may be formed through the laminated support mat 20 for receiving fastening means, such as the substantially rigid fasteners or bolts 28, as will be described in detail herein. As used in the description of the invention, the term "mat" includes mats as well as panels. Examples of such a support mat are described in co-assigned U.S. Patent Nos. 7,137,226 and 7,818,929, herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0026] The individual wood laminations 24 may be fabricated by structurally joining together arbitrary or different lengths or strips of wood or wood material. The arbitrary strips of wood material may be disposed end-to-end and joined together, such as by a jointing process. One example of such a jointing process is finger jointing. It will be understood that the strips may be continuous and full length. The arbitrary strips of wood may be strips of hardwood, such as oak, birch, or maple, although any desired hardwood or softwood may be used. The strips of wood laminations 24 may be any length, such as a length within the range of from about 5 feet to about 16 feet. The strips of wood material may be joined together to define the individual wood laminations 24 of any desired length, such as individual wood laminations having a length within the range of from about 12 feet to about 60 feet. It will be understood however, that the individual wood laminations 24 may be of any other desired length. Not all the wood laminations 24 need to be formed by joining together the strips, and the billet may be formed with some of the laminations formed by joined strips, and some of the wood laminations 24 being a continuous piece of full length wood. In one embodiment of the billet 22, at least 50 percent of the wood laminations are made of strips joined together.

[0027] As best shown in FIG. 3, the individual wood laminations 24 have a thickness or height HI, a thickness or width Wl, and a length LI. The laminations 24 may have any desired length LI. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the length LI is about 8 feet. It will be understood however, that the laminations 24 may have any other desired length. The individual wood laminations 24 may have a height HI within the range of from about 3 inches to about 6 inches. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 the individual wood laminations 24 have a height HI of about 5½ inches. The individual wood laminations 24 have a width Wl within the range of from about 0.50 inches to about 1.00 inches. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the individual wood laminations 24 have a width Wl of about ¾ inches. It is to be understood however, that the individual wood laminations 24 may have any desired length LI, height HI, and width Wl.

[0028] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of the individual wood laminations 24 are joined together to form the laminated billets 22. The illustrated individual wood laminations 24 are vertically oriented, having a wide face 30 oriented parallel to a direction of a (load indicated by the arrow 32) applied to the laminated billet 22.

[0029] As best shown in FIG. 3, the laminated billet 22 has the height HI, the width W2, and the length LI. It is to be understood that the laminated billet 22 may have any desired width W2. A typical laminated billet 22 may contain within the range of from about 14 laminations to about 16 laminations and have a width W2 of about 12 inches. In the illustrated embodiment, the length LI of the laminated billets 22 is equal to the length LI of the laminations 24, and the height HI of the laminated billets 22 is equal to the height HI of the laminations 24.

[0030] The individual wood laminations 24 may be joined together into the billet 22 using any desired adhesive. The individual wood laminations 24 may be joined together with a waterproof adhesive, such as an adhesive that conforms to ASTM D2559-01. Each billet 22 includes outboard laminations 34, as shown in FIG. 3. The wide faces of the outboard laminations 34 of each outboard billet 22, such as the wide face 30, define a wide face 31 of the billet 22.

[0031] As best shown in FIG. 2, the laminated support mat 20 includes elongated protective edge members 70. Each illustrated protective edge member 70 is formed of tubular steel having a substantially square transverse cross-section. The illustrated protective edge member 70 has a height H _T of about 4.0 inches, a width W _T of about 4.0 inches, and a wall thickness T of about 0.25 inches. The illustrated protective edge members 70 have an inboard wide face 72 and an outboard wide face 74. As shown in FIG. 2, the inboard wide face 72 of the protective edge member 70 is positioned against one the wide faces 31 of the laminated support mat 20.

[0032] It is to be understood that the protective edge member 70 may have any height H _T corresponding to the height HI of the laminated support mat 20. For example, the height H _T of the protective edge member 70 may be equal to or slightly less than the height HI of the laminated support mat 20.

[0033] Alternatively, the protective edge member 70 may have any desired wall thickness T such as a wall thickness T within the range of from about 0.125 inches to about 0.5 inches. The protective edge member 70 may also have any other transverse cross-sectional shape, including but not limited to a substantially rectangular shape. The shape of the protective edge member 70 is not limited to a tubular shape and may include a solid substantially rectangular bar. The protective edge member 70 may also have a substantially M-shaped transverse cross-sectional shape. The M-shaped protective edge member 80 includes elongated outboard leg members 82, and elongated inboard leg members 84 which intersect at a central portion 86. The central portion 86 includes one or more apertures 88 through which a bolt 28 may be extended.

[0034] The protective edge member 70 may also be formed from material other than steel. Non-limiting examples of alternative material for the protective edge member 70 include aluminum, plastic, composite materials, and other metal and non-metal material.

[0035] The protective edge member 70 may have any desired length L2. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the laminated billet 22 has a length LI of about 8 feet and two protective edge members 70 are mounted to each outboard wide face 31 of the billet 22. The protective edge members 70 have at least two pairs of coaxially aligned apertures 90; each pair of apertures 90 includes a first aperture 92 formed through the outboard wide face 74 and a second aperture 94 formed through the inboard wide face 72. In the illustrated embodiment, the first aperture 92 is larger than the second aperture 94. Each pair of apertures 90 is structured such that the first aperture 92 is large enough that a head 28H of the bolt 28 may pass through the aperture 92, and the second aperture 94 is only large enough that a shaft 28S, but not the head 28H, of the bolt 28 may pass through the aperture 94. Allowing the head 28H of the bolt 28 to engage an inside surface 72S of the inboard wide face 72, ensures that the inboard wide face 72 will be firmly pressed into contact with the outboard wide face 31 of the billet 22 when the bolt 28 is tightened.

[0036] Each of the protective edge members 70 has a length L2 slightly less than 4.0 feet, such as about 47.875 inches. Alternatively, the protective edge members 70 may have a length L2 a within the range of from about 47. 5 inches to about 47.875 inches. Additionally, the protective edge members 70 may have a length L2 less than about 47.5 inches. The protective edge members 70 may be attached to one or more billets 22 by any suitable means to form the laminated support mat 20. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of billets 22 is assembled together with fasteners, such as the bolts 28. The bolts 28 extend through each pair of apertures 90 in the protective edge members 70 and the bolt apertures 26 in the laminated billets 22. Each bolt 28 is inserted through the first aperture 92, such that the head 28H engages an inside surface of the inboard wide face 72. A nut 29 is attached to a distal end 28D of the bolt and also engages an inside surface of the inboard wide face 72 of an opposite protective edge member 70 and securely tightened, thus ensuring that the inboard wide faces 72 of each protective edge member 70 will be firmly pressed into contact with respective outboard wide face 31 of the billets 22. When the protective edge members 70 and billets 22 are attached to form the laminated support mat 20 as described above, the edge members 70 are in an initial position, as best shown in FIG. 2.

[0037] It will be understood that any other desired fastener may be used. Adhesive, binding wire, shear connections, or brackets, all not shown, may also be used to connect the protective edge members 70 and laminated billets 22 together to form the laminated support mat 20. These mechanical fastening systems allow stresses to be transferred between components. Adhesive may also be used in conjunction with a mechanical fastening system.

[0038] As best shown in FIG. 6, the adjacent protective edge members 70 are longitudinally spaced apart by a minimum distance D that is long enough such that when the laminated support mat 20 bends in response to a load 32 on its load-bearing face 96, each protective edge member 70 pivots about each of the two bolts 28.

[0039] Advantageously, the pivoting movement of the protective edge members 70 about each of the two bolts 28 prevents a bending moment being imparted on the protective edge members 70. Thus, when the load 32 is removed from the laminated support mat 20, each protective edge member 70 pivots about each of the two bolts 28, and returns to the initial position, as shown in FIG. 6A. Further, the minimum distance D between the adjacent protective edge members 70 is long enough such that when the laminated support mat 20 bends in response to the load 32 on its load-bearing face 96, the adjacent protective edge members 70 do not touch one another at any time during bending of the support mat, such as shown in FIG. 6A.

[0040] FIGS. 2, 6 illustrate a laminated support mat 20 having a length LI of 8 feet and two protective edge members 70, each having a length L2 of slightly less than 4.0 feet. It is to be understood that other lengths of protective edge members may be provided on laminated support mats having lengths other than 8 feet.

[0041] One example of such an alternative embodiment comprises a laminated support mat at 98. The laminated support mat 98 has a length L3 of about 14 feet. The laminated support mat 98 includes three protective edge members. The outboard protective edge members are the protective edge members 70 described in detail above. The centrally mounted protective edge member 100 is substantially similar to the protective edge members 70, but has a length L4 of slightly less than 6.0 feet, such as about 71.875 inches, and has three pairs of apertures 90. Alternatively, the protective edge members 70 may have a length L4 a within the range of from about 71.5 inches to about 71.875 inches. Additionally, the protective edge members 70 may have a length L4 less than about 71.5 inches.

[0042] Another example of such an alternative embodiment comprises a laminated support mat is shown at 102. The laminated support mat 102 has a length L5 of about 18 feet. The laminated support mat 102 includes three of the protective edge members 100 described in detail above.

[0043] In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, a plurality of laminated billets 22 is attached to one another to form the laminated support mat 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the wide faces 30 of the outboard laminations 34 of adjacent billets 22 are disposed such that a space 36, the purpose of which will be described in detail below, is defined between the adjacent billets 22. The three laminated billets 22 illustrated in FIG. 2 further define a width W3 for the entire laminated support mat 20. It is to be

understood that the laminated support mat 20 may have any desired width W3. As best shown in FIG. 2, the laminated support mat 20 also has a height HI and a length LI. It is to be understood that the laminated support mat 20 may have any desired height HI and length LI.

[0044] Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 includes three billets 22 and the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 include four billets 22, it is to be understood that any desired number of laminated billets 22 may be attached to one another to form the laminated support mat 20. Also, the laminated billets 22 need not all be of the same width W2, but may be of different widths W2. Non-limiting examples of suitable mat widths W3 include widths of 4 feet and 8 feet.

[0045] Although the billets 22 are shown as having individual wood laminations 24 of a generally uniform width Wl, it is to be understood that the billets 22 may be made of individual wood laminations 24 that vary in thickness across the width W2 of the billet 22. Also, it is to be understood that the billets 22 on the outboard sides the mat 20 need not be identical to each other or to the billet or billets 22 in the central portion of the mat 20.

[0046] Referring again to FIG. 3, an embodiment of an expansion pad is indicated generally at 50. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of the expansion pads 50 is shown disposed on the wide faces 30 of the outboard laminations 34, and within the space 36 between adjacent billets 22. It is to be understood that any number of pads 50 may be disposed within the space 36 between adjacent billets 22, such as for example, one pad 50.

[0047] The plurality of expansion pads 50 may be positioned having any desired distance between adjacent pads 50. In the illustrated embodiment, a center 52 of the left and right- most expansion pads 50 are spaced a distance Dl from the longitudinal ends of the billet 22, and a center 52 of each remaining expansion pad 50 is spaced a distance D2 from the center 52 of an adjacent expansion pad 50. In the illustrated embodiment, the distance Dl is about 12 inches and the distance D2 is about 24 inches. Alternatively, the expansion pads 50 may be spaced at any desired distance from one another. If desired, the pads 50 may be secured by any suitable means to the wide faces 30 of the outboard laminations 34 prior to the billets 22 being assembled together with the bolts 28.

Examples of suitable means to secure the pads 50 to the wide faces 30 of the outboard laminations 34 include staples 51, nails, adhesive, and the like.

[0048] In the illustrated embodiments, the pads 50 are positioned such that the bolts 28 extend through an aperture at the center 52 of the pads 50. It is to be understood that the mat 20 may be assembled such that the bolts 28 extend through any desired number of the pads 50, extend through only a portion of the pads 50, or do not extend through any pads 50.

[0049] The expansion pad 50 may have any desired thickness or width W4. In one embodiment of the expansion pad 50, the pad 50 has a width W4 within the range of from about 0.375 inches to about 0.625 inches. In another embodiment of the pad 50, the pad 50 has a width W4 of about 0.375 inches.

[0050] The expansion pad 50 may have any desired length L2. In one embodiment of the expansion pad 50, the pad 50 has a length L2 within the range of from about 3 inches to about 12 inches. In another embodiment of the pad 50, the pad 50 has maximum length L2 of about 12 inches.

[0051] The expansion pad 50 may have any desired height H2. In one embodiment of the expansion pad 50, the pad 50 has a height H2 within the range of about 70 percent to about 80 percent of the height HI of the wide face 30 of the billet 22. In another embodiment of the pad 50, the pad 50 has a height H2 of about 75 percent of the height HI of the wide face 30 of the billet 22.

[0052] The expansion pad 50 may be formed from any desired material having the properties of good mechanical strength, high ozone and weather resistance, good aging resistance, low flammability, good resistance toward chemicals, moderate oil and fuel resistance, and adhesion to many substrates. One embodiment of a material for the expansion pad 50 has a shore A hardness (shore A hardness is the relative hardness of elastic materials, typically determined with a Shore A durometer) within the range of from about 40 to about 50, an elongation at rupture within the range of from about 100 percent to about 70 percent, and a moderate resistance to weathering, ozone, gas, diesel, mineral oil, and hydraulic fluid. Examples of suitable materials for the expansion pad 50 include chloroprene or polychloroprene (CR) rubber, and natural rubber.

[0053] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the laminated support mat 20 is substantially symmetrical and includes a first support surface 54 (upwardly facing as viewed in FIG. 4) and a second support surface 56 (downwardly facing as viewed in FIG. 4) opposite the first support surface 54. Each of the first and second support surfaces 54 and 56 define a substantially flat surface. Accordingly, either of the first and second support surfaces 54 and 56 may be placed against a surface, such as the ground, at a construction site. The other of the first and second support surfaces 54 and 56 thereby faces upwardly to support objects, such as vehicles, equipment, and the like.

[0054] When only a portion of the laminated support mat 20, such as a region 58 adjacent only one support surface (such as the second support surface 56 illustrated in FIG. 5) experiences prolonged exposure to water or other moisture over a period of time, swelling or expansion of the laminated support mat 20 may occur asymmetrically. As a result of such asymmetrical expansion, the region 58 adjacent only one support surface (the second support surface 56 in the illustrated embodiment) expands substantially as shown in FIG. 5. It will be understood that the period of time that the laminated support mat 20 must be exposed water or other moisture before the illustrated expansion occurs may vary based on the type of wood and/or laminates used and the environmental conditions extant at the site the mat 20 is used. Typically, such expansion of the region 58 may occur after the region 58 of the mat 20 has been continuously submerged in water for within the range of from about two weeks to about 3 weeks.

[0055] The expansion pads 50, disposed between each adjacent billet 22, permit the asymmetrical expansion of the billets 22 in the region 58, while preventing the laminated support mat 20 from undesirably cupping and/or buckling and thereby allowing the first and second support surfaces 54 and 56 to remain substantially flat. As the region 58 of the billets 22 expand, the pads 50 are compressed inwardly (as indicated by the arrows 64 in FIG. 5) such that portions of the pad 50 are caused to extend upwardly and

downwardly (as viewed in FIG. 5). The pads 50 may extend upwardly and downwardly substantially to or near the first and second support surfaces 54 and 56, as shown at 60 in FIG. 5. Alternatively, portions of the pad 50 may be caused to extend upwardly and downwardly (as viewed in FIG. 5) through only a portion of the distance to the first and second support surfaces 54 and 56, as shown at 62 in FIG. 5.

[0056] Referring now to FIG. 7, further described in this specification is a method and apparatus for connecting adjoining mats 200 or segments of mats. In one embodiment the apparatus is a clip 110 having two legs 120a, 120b connected by a connector portion 130, such as a rounded portion. The clip 110 can have many different shapes, such as having an approximate U-shape. In some embodiments, the legs 120a, 120b are symmetrical or are mirror images of each other. In some embodiments, the legs 120a, 120b are of different lengths. In some embodiments, the legs 120a, 120b of the clip 110 are flared outward, causing the clip 110 to somewhat resemble the capital Greek letter omega (Ω), as can be seen in FIG. 7. The clip 110 can be made out of steel, iron, copper, plastic, or any of many other materials with suitable tensile strength. The clip 110 should be made of material suitable for use in wet conditions, and in extreme temperatures.

[0057] To use a clip 110, the clip's legs 120a, 120b are inserted into the hollow channels 140 of support mats 200 used in construction with the use of a hammer or other tool, as shown in FIG. 8. The legs 120a, 120b of the clip 11 hold the mats 200 together. The rounded portion 130 acts as a spring. When a plurality of clips 110 is used to hold mats 200 in place, the mats 200 can be lifted up or driven over by heavy machinery without displacement.

[0058] The size of the clip 110 is customizable based on the dimensions of the construction mats 200 the clip 110 will be used to join. In one embodiment, the distance between the closest points between the legs 120a, 120b of the clip 110 is just smaller than the combined thickness of the walls of the hollow channels 140 into which the clip's two legs 120a, 120b will be inserted. In this manner, an external force must be applied to insert the clip's legs 120a, 120b into the hollow channels 140, but once inserted, the legs 120a, 120b of the clip 110 hold the mats together by each exerting a force toward one another. This force is applied against the walls of the hollow channels 140, thereby holding the mats 200 together. This force also holds the clips 110 in place and prevents them from slipping out.

[0059] A method of removing the clips 100 from the mats 200 can involve an elongate member, such as a crowbar or pike, being wedged between the rounded portion and the outer edge of the construction mat 200, such that the elongate member is used as a lever to remove the clip's legs from the inside the hollow channels 140 of the construction mats 200. Other methods of removing the clips 110 can be used.

[0060] In one embodiment, the rounded portion 130 of the clip 110 includes an additional loop 150, as shown in FIG. 9. When the clip 110 is applied in construction mats 200, the additional loop 150 remains readily accessible, enabling easy removal of the clips 110 from the construction mats 200. One method of removing a clip 110 with an additional loop 150 involves, for instance, by wedging an elongate member, such as a crowbar or pike, into the loop and using the member as a lever to force the clip out of the hollow channels.

[0061] In one embodiment the clip 110 is formed using legs 120a, 120b that flare outwardly at the tips 170a, 170b, as shown in FIG. 10. The spring force of the rounded portion 130 holds the clip 110 in place after the clip 110 is inserted. It is advantageous, but not required, for the ends of the clips 110 to be spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the spacing between centers of the channels 140, i.e., the protective edge members 70.

[0062] In another embodiment, the clips 110 are bolted or pinned in place with suitable fasteners 160a, 160b after insertion, as shown in FIG. 11. It is to be understood that the number of fasteners 160 used to secure each clip can vary. In certain

embodiments, two fasteners 160a, 160b are utilized, but other numbers of fasteners 160 are possible.

[0063] Although the clips 110 have been shown as having legs 120a, 120b with relatively flat cross- sections, in one embodiment the legs 120a, 120b are shaped with approximately square cross-sectional shapes, and are tapered to increase in cross- sectional size from the tip 170 toward the rounded portion 130. As the legs are forced or hammered into the channels 140 of the protective edge members 70, the legs 120a, 120b become wedged into the channels 140, thereby holding the legs 120a, 120b in place.

[0064] It can be appreciated that an important aspect of the clip 110 is the rounded portion 130, i.e., connector portion, because the force to hold the legs 120a, 120b together, which is ultimately the force to hold the adjoining construction mats 200 together, hinges on the rounded portion 130. Accordingly, the rounded potion 130 should have sufficient strength to hold the legs 120a, 120b together. The rounded portion can be any connector member suitable for holding together the legs 120a, 120b, and can have any suitable shape and orientation. The rounded portion 130 can be squared off, and can be connected to the legs 120a, 120b in any manner, such as by welding or bolting.

[0065] The principle and mode of operation of a construction mat clip 110 has been described in its various embodiments. However, it should be noted that the construction mat clip 110 and its method of manufacture described herein may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its scope.