FABRIC FOR USE IN HOARDING

Field of invention

This invention relates to a fabric for use in hoarding on building sites but may have application to fabrics in more general use where protection or screening is required, for example, in fences and the like.

Background

Hoarding has long been used on building sites to prevent access by unauthorized persons to such sites and to protect the public against accidental access and consequential injury. In many cases such hoarding was constructed of timber, plywood sheeting, chain wire, corrugated iron, and various other materials, and typically extended about the perimeter of the site up to a height of about one building level, even when the site supported a multi-story building. However, it is now necessary to protect the public against the egress of dust, debris and building materials from building sites so it is often necessary to erect hoarding to the full height of a building being constructed or refurbished.

Typically, such hoarding comprises a combination of shadecloth and chain wire which are secured to scaffolding erected on or about the site against the building being constructed or refurbished by wire ties or the like. The hoarding also provides some protection for workers against falling from the scaffolding. While such hoarding (or screening) is effective in use, it is difficult and time consuming to erect and remove and very often it is more cost effective to dispose of it after only one use rather than reuse it on another building site.

The present invention is aimed at providing fabric for use in hoarding or screening which ameliorates one or more of the problems of the aforementioned system. Other aims and advantages may become apparent from the following description. Disclosure of the invention

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides broadly in a fabric for use in hoarding, including: a plurality of spaced apart wires forming a first layer; a porous material on said first layer of spaced apart wires forming a second layer;

a plurality of spaced apart wires on said porous material forming a third layer; the wires of said first and third layers being bonded to said porous material at predetermined locations.

In another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a method of forming a fabric for use in hoarding, including: feeding a plurality of spaced apart first wires onto a former; feeding a porous material onto said spaced apart first wires; feeding a second wire onto said porous material; and welding said second wire to said porous material and said first wires at predetermined locations.

Preferably, the wires forming said first layer are parallel to each other. Similarly it is preferred that said wires forming said third layer are parallel to each other. It is also preferred that the wires of said first and third layers cross each other and preferably at right angles, that is to say, it is preferred that the wires forming said third layer are perpendicular to the wires forming said first layer.

Preferably, the wires of said first and third layers are bonded to the porous material of said second layer at, adjacent or about the point where they cross over each other. It is also preferred that the wires of said first and third layers are bonded to each other and to the porous material of said second layer through the porous material. Preferably, the wires forming the first and second layers are plastic coated steel, copper or aluminium strands and preferably each wire comprises a plurality of strands encapsulated by a plastics material such that the wire has at least one generally flat outer face which engages the porous material of the second layer. In one such form, the wire comprises a plurality of spaced apart side by side strands or groups of strands of steel wire with each strand or group of strands being encapsulated by the plastics material so as to form a flat wire.

In a preferred form, the bonding of the wires to the fabric and each other is provided by fusion of part of the plastics coating of the wires. It is further preferred that the fusion of the plastics coating be provided near the edges of the wire of the first layer where they overlie the wires of the third layer and vice versa, the fusion of the plastics embedding some of the fibres of the fabric within the fusion joint. The fused portions therefore span the other layer of

wires transversely each one with the other in a criss-cross pattern. The bonding of the wires to the fabric and each other includes a fusion joint formed by fusion of part of the plasties coating near the edges of the wires of one layer where they overlie the wires of the other layer, the fusion joint having embedded therein some of the fabric. Preferably, the porous material forming said second layer is a woven or knitted plastics fabric such as the fabric commonly known as "shadecloth" but other types of porous material are believed to be satisfactory.

Brief description of the drawings

In order that the invention may be more easily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a fabric according to the present invention from one side;

Fig. 2 is a pictorial representation of the fabric of Fig. 1 from the other side;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation along one wire of the third layer of the fabric of Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 4 shows detail from Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of a joint. Detailed description of the drawings

The fabric 10 illustrated in the drawings is designed specifically for attachment to scaffolding or other framework which is erected around a building or building site. The fabric 10 includes a plurality of spaced apart parallel "flat" wires 11 which form a first layer 12, a sheet of shadecloth 13 which rests against the first layer of wires forming a second layer and a plurality of spaced apart wires 15 running perpendicular to wires 11 of the first layer and resting on the shadecloth so as to form a third layer. Thus, the fabric comprises two layers of spaced apart parallel wires 11 and 15 respectively having a layer of shadecloth 13 therebetween. In the embodiment illustrated, the shadecloth is a woven plastics fabric but in other embodiments knitted, warp knitted or woven plastics fabrics or perforated sheets of flexible plastic or the like could be used.

The wires 11 of the first and third layers are each welded to the shadecloth by spots of plastic weld 16 where the wires of the two layers cross each other with each weld spot flowing through the shadecloth to the wire below as can be seen more clearly in Fig. 3 and in detail in Fig. 4. As can be seen more clearly in Fig. 4, each wire 11 and 13 is constituted by three spaced apart groups 18, 19 and 21 of three strands of steel wire 22 with the three groups being encapsulated in a sheath of plastics material 23. Each weld spot 16 connects a wire of the first layer to the adjacent shadecloth as well as the adjacent wire of the second layer and a weld spot is formed on each side of the wire at the cross over point. Thus at the location of each cross over, the wires and the shadecloth are held together by four weld spots 16. It will be appreciated that the detail 4 shown in Fig. 1 will be an upside down version of detail 4 with reference numbers 11 and 15 being reversed. The weld spots 16 may be considered as weld locations, spot welds or the like, but are preferably provided as a fusing of the plastics coating along the side edges of one set of wires where they cross the other and of a length commensurate with the width of the other set of wires. Accordingly, the weld spots span the width of the other set of wires transversely and embed a portion of the shade clothe fused plastics material.

Advantageously, the present invention provides a fabric which may be supplied in rolls or sheets and which is adapted to be secured to scaffolding or the like by wire ties, zip ties or the like. Moreover, the fabric is sufficiently flexible to be readily installed and sufficiently rigid to provide a secure screen for preventing egress of dangerous objects from a building site. The fabric is sufficiently durable to be rolled up upon completion of a building project and to be reused on a later project.

The foregoing description has been given way of illustrative example of the invention and modifications and variations which would be apparent to persons skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.