Means of utlising tyres.

Technical Field

[0001 ] The present invention relates to a method of utilising unwanted tyres to produce a range of useful products.

Background Art

[0002] Industrialised countries typically produce large volumes of discarded tyres. Storing the tyres indefinitely is not a desirable option - tyres stored in this way are a fire risk and also a source of vermin infestation, as well as being unsightly. Burying the tyres in landfill generally is unsatisfactory since the shape and material of the tyres means that they tend to “float” to the surface of landfill.

[0003] To date, the most satisfactory methods of utilising unwanted tyres are shredding the tyres and using the shredded material for uses such as roadbuilding, or burning or pyrolysing the tyres in high temperature furnaces. However, these options require a heavy investment in high cost and complex machinery and are viable only if a very large volume of discarded tyres is available. A further drawback to burning or pyrolyzing the tyres is the generation of toxic ash and toxic gases. Shredded material also was used as ground cover, but this gave problems of toxic leaching.

Summary of Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is the provision of a method for using unwanted tyres to produce a range of useful products, without requiring an investment in high cost equipment such as tyre shredders or high temperature furnaces.

[0005] The present invention provides a method of producing a structure from single tyres, including the steps of:

• providing a plurality of single tyres;

• securing the tyres together in a row with the axes of rotation of the tyres aligned;

• wrapping the aligned tyres with a flexible wrapping material to form a structure of the desired length. [0006] It is envisaged that the tyres may be secured together by sewing or stapling the tyre sidewalls together or securing one or more connecting wires to the surfaces of the aligned tyres.

[0007] Preferably, the flexible wrapping material is UV resistant (for example UV resistant plastic wrap) and impermeable, to reduce the risk of additives leaching from the tyres when the structure is in use. However, for some applications it is envisaged that a flexible fabric wrap or a flexible wire mesh wrap could be used instead.

[0008] The present invention also provides a method of producing a structure from tyre bales, including the steps of:

• arranging two or more bales of tyres to form a predetermined configuration;

• wrapping the arranged bales with a flexible wrapping material to form a structure.

[0009] Preferably, before wrapping, the bales are secured together e.g. by connecting wires.

[0010] As used herein, the reference to “tyre bales” refers to tyres formed into a compressed bale using any of a range of known tyre bailing equipment. Typically, about 100 average-size, tyres are compressed into a bale of approximately 1.6 by 1.4 by 1.0 metres, weighing about 800 KG. A typical tyre bale is tied with a plurality of spaced wires around the bale.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0011] By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the first stage of producing a structure from single tyres;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a structure produced from single tyres;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a tyre bale; and

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic representation of a structure produced from a plurality of tyre bales. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a structure 10 may be made from single unwanted tyres 11 by following the steps given below:

• Three tyres 11 are secured together with their axes of rotation A - A aligned as shown in Figure 1. The tyre sidewalls may be secured together as indicated by zigzag lines 12, securing the adjacent side walls of the tyres together. The tyres may be secured together e.g. by stitching or stapling or any other suitable method.

• The secured tyres 11 are then wrapped with a flexible wrapping material 13 which is wound around the three tyre unit in a series of overlapping layers, to completely encase the unit. The wrapped unit provides a stable, ready to use structure, suitable for use in a number of different applications as discussed below.

[0013] It will be appreciated that any number of tyres may be secured together and wrapped in this way, depending upon the size of the structure required. It is envisaged that tyres would be secured to the structure one by one and the resulting line of tyres progressively wrapped.

[0014] As an alternative, or in addition, to securing the tyre sidewalls together, the tyres can be secured together by stapling lengths of metal bar 14 at spaced intervals along the outer surfaces of the tyres, before wrapping.

[0015] Referring to Figure 3, a tyre bale 20 is shown, consisting of a large number (typically about 100) of baled unwanted tyres which are packed and compressed into a bale and secured in the compressed position by a series of spaced wires 21, 22. Bales of this type are well-known and commonly used to compact unwanted tyres into a manageable state for large-scale transport.

[0016] The bale 20 is shown as secured by plain wires 21 , 22, but it also is possible to include wire strainers (of known type) on each of the wires so that the wires can be tightened further if necessary. [0017] Depending upon the length of structure required, two or more bales 20 are secured together in a stack of the required shape, by securing the wires 21 , 22 together and/or by wrapping additional wires around the stack of bales. The stack of bales is then wrapped with overlapping layers of a flexible wrapping material 23, as shown in Figure 4, to provide a single structure of the desired size and shape.

[0018] As with the units made from single tyres, the structures made from bales can be further strengthened by securing spaced steel bars along the length of the structure before wrapping.

[0019] The wrapping material used to wrap the tyre units or the tyre bales is selected depending upon the intended end use of the structure:- for example, if the structures are to be buried or encased in some way, then it is not necessary to use a UV resistant wrapping material. However, if the structures are to be stored in daylight for some time before using, or are to be used exposed to the light, a UV resistant wrapping material is preferable.

[0020] It is envisaged that the wrapping material will be applied using a wrapping machine constructed in accordance with the principles used by any of the variety of known machines currently used for wrapping hay and silage bales, suitably scaled up to allow for the heavier weights of the tyres/bales.

[0021] Depending upon the end use of the wrapped structure, the wrapping material could be selected from a wide range of materials, for example:

• waterproof plastic material;

• ripstop nylon;

• wire mesh;

• high tensile wire.

[0022] The bales could be arranged end to end as shown in Figure 4, but preferably the bales would be not only arranged end to end but also stacked two or more deep and simultaneously compressed and wrapped.

[0023] Structures made either from single tyres secured together or from tyre bales secured together may be used for a wide variety of applications, some of which are listed below: • Forming fences and traffic barriers. For these applications, the structures could be covered with an outer layer of birth or other surfacing materials such as concrete.

• Forming building walls, with the addition of a suitable surfacing material such as concrete.

• Forming impact resistant track surface areas such as running tracks and recreation areas, by sinking the structures into the ground and adding a suitable surfacing layer. The surfacing layer could be a replaceable wear cover or could be a permanent top surface.

• Forming seaside or underwater structures such as artificial reefs or shore protection structures.

• Forming complete buildings by combining the structures with conventional building materials.

[0024] If the structures require a concrete surface, this can be achieved either by spraying the structure with concrete or moulding concrete over the structure.

[0025] The Figures show only structures made of small number of tyres or bales, as the case may be. However, it will be appreciated that extremely long structures may be constructed and covered by continuous wrapping.