For the above purpose, it is nowadays known to use for example plates or block pieces made of concrete, which are placed on the ground side by side in order to achieve a uniform coating. This type of plate structu- res are usually very high and on the other hand also relatively small sized, due to which the total mass of a coating made with a lot of work and enormous care- fulness of such structures gets disproportionately big. This is why transportation of this type of plates as well as treatment of the same during the installa- tion is difficult. In addition to the fact that the plates are relatively high, the ground must be dug generally hundreds of millimeters, in order to achieve a ground structure with adequate carrying capacity and stability for the surface structure. Despite the above and particularly when the foundation works have been carried out carelessly, the plates that are installed in place are able to move at the latest when a load is directed particularly towards an egde of some of the plates. This is why there are usually always depres- sions and on the other hand sharp corners even after a quite short use due to inclination of some separate plates. This is why the quality of a present concrete coating for example made of plate or block structures, does not very often stay even enough for a very long time, which problem is furthermore emphasized particu- larly in Nordic circumstances because of soil frost or of the like reasons.

The plate arrangement according to the present inven- tion is aimed to achieve a decisive improvement in the

problems described above and thus to raise essentially the level of prior art. In order to bring about the above, the plate arrangement according to the present invention is primarily characterized in that it comprises an essentially uniform plate element formed of the plate units, which includes a binding assembly with reinforced structure, such as a reinforced fabric, net or like, to which the plate units have been joined stationarily.

As the most important advantages of the plate arrange- ment according to the invention, first of all simpli- city of its composition and installation may be mentioned, which for its part enables furthermore minimizing of the amount of required installation works and advance preparations, because the amount of needed foundation works of the ground to be covered is not even close to those required by present solutions.

This is first of all thanks to the fact that the plate units, being connected to each with a reinforced fabric, for example with such as a so called geofabric or filtering textile, may be installed on the ground very easily and quickly as a single-piece plate element. In this connection it is furthermore even possible to compensate alteration of the surface formation of the ground by using plate units of deviating heights in the plate elements.

The plate arrangement according to the inventions does not require foundation works corresponding to those required by present solutions on the other hand for that reason either that the plate units, being connec- ted to each other stationarily, operate continuously as a uniform entirety or as an"elastic carpet", whereby for example soil frost of the ground or softening of the soil for example due to melting of the frosted ground does not cause damages to the coating. The reinforced fabric, being glued to the

plate units or that has been attached to the same in some other way, and that has a high tensile strength, levels all kinds of stresses and loads between the plate arrangement and the ground surface, whereby the stiff-structured plate units, being bound above the same, on the other hand spread loads sidewardly. In addition to the above, one further advantage of the plate arrangement according to the invention is the fact that the plate elements may, if necessary, for example while finishing of the coating, be cut to pieces of desired size along the seams. Furthermore as an advantageous embodiment, the plate elements may be equipped with lap parts, whereby the plate elements, being fastened for example by anchorings, may be arranged thanks to mutual lap joints, when necessary, as a totally uniform coating for example in order to keep the under growth in discipline. One advantage of the plate arrangement according to the invention is furthermore the fact that for example pieces, being sawn or the like products being formed within stone dressing industry and that are nowadays still classi- fied as waste, may be exploited.

In the independent claims related to the plate arran- gement advantageous embodiments of the plate arrange- ment according to the invention have been represented.

The invention is being described in detail in the following specification with reference to the enclosed drawing, in which some advantageous embodiments and operating principles of the plate arrangement accor- ding to the invention have been shown in views Fig. la -le.

The invention relates to a plate arrangement, which is meant particularly for covering of ground with several stiff-structured plate units la that are placed in connection with each other. The plate arrangement

comprises an essentially uniform plate element 1 formed of the plate units la, which includes a binding assembly 2 with reinforced structure, such as a reinforced fabric, net or like, to which the plate units la have. been joined stationarily.

As an advantageous embodiment, the reinforced binding assembly 2 comprises an elastic binding construction, for example made of polypropylene, polyester, polyami- de and/or like, which is nowadays being named within soil and foundation building industry generally for example as geofabric, filtering textile or net.

Furthermore as an advantageous embodiment, the rein- forced binding assebly 2, such as an elastic reinfor- cement fabric, net or like is connected stationarily to the bottom of the plate units la by glueing with such as a bicomponent glue based on castor oil, bitumen and/or in a corresponding manner.

Particularly in the advantageous embodiment shown in figures lc-le to the binding assembly 2 belonging to the plate element 1 there has been arranged a lap part L to one or more sides of the same particularly in order to couple the plate elements 1 to each other on lap joint principle I.

Furthermore as an advantageous embodiment with refe- rence for Figures la-lc, the plate element 1 comp- rises plate units la, la', la"that are fastened stationarily to the elastic binding assembly 2 belon- ging to the element, which units have from each other deviating heights and/or sizes/shapes.

With reference to the embodiment shown particularly in Figures lb and lc, those essentially higher plate units la'are placed on the binding assembly 2 essen- tially at a greater distance from the lower plate

units la when compared to the distance of those plate units la in respect with each other of essentially the same height, particularly in order to level the unevenness of the ground or for alike purpose. In Fig. la there has been shown on the other hand an embodi- ment, in which the plate units la', la"having diffe- ring cross sections and/or heights are placed essen- tially at corresponding distances from each other, which enables for example forming of a coating equip- ped with platforms for purposes for example such as crosswalks or like taking advantage of formed distance pieces la"shown in Fig. la.

As an advantageous embodiment, the plate element 1 consists of plate units la, la', la"made of essen- tially inorganic material, such as of stone, concrete, brickstone and/or like, being formed of such as plates, sheets, blocks and/or like manufactured from natural stone by quarrying, sawing or in a correspon- ding manner, or on the other hand of such as plates, being put together with cement, gypsum and/or like.

The invention may also be carried out on the other hand so that a part of the plate units or that the plate element 1 as a whole.

The plate element 1 consists of plate units la made of essentially organic material, being composed of such as plastic, wood and/or like.

Particularly in view of transportation and installati- on measures in practice, the size of the plate ele- ments 1 is advantageously between 100 mm x 100 mm- 2000 mm x 2000 mm, and on the other hand the thickness of the same is advantageously between 5 mm-200 mm.

Particularly in sites that require carrying capacity, the ground to be covered by the plate arrangement is arranged to be bound with an inorganic substance, such

as by cement or like, and/or with an organic substan- ce, such as by bitumen or like.

It is obvious, that the invention is not limited to the embodiments presented or described above, but instead it can be modified within the basic idea of the invention according to each need and istallation site. First of all it is naturally clear, that the plate units of the plate element or a part of the same may naturally be made of materials deviating from each other as well as of other materials than those descri- bed above, for example as such as ceramic materials etc. It is furthermore naturally clear, that the plate units may be manufactured for example by cas- ting, in which context it is naturally possible to couple also the binding assembly with reinforced structure in connection with the plate units by casting techniques. In this connection more developed manufacturing technology is naturally required compa- red to the type of solution described above, in which for example a geofabric or filtering textile and the plate units are being coupled together for example simply by a bicomponent glue based on castor oil and/or by bitumen or in a corresponding manner. In practice the reinforced binding assembly is naturally and most profitably flexible or so to say elastic, but it is naturally possible to use also stiffer structures in this connection, whereby however, naturally considerably more careful foundation works are required, when compared to exploiting the inventi- on in its simplicity. Furthermore the plate elements may be connected to each other and/or to the ground with the most heterogeneous mechanical arrangements or on the hand by using chemical components, such as glue or bitumen. Furthermore it is in practice naturally advantageous, or at least possible, to fulfil the grooves at the surfaces of the plate elements with suitable material, such as by stone ash, sand or by a

seaming substance that even solidifies to some extent to solid state. Furthermore, as the reinforced binding assembly, generally taken all kinds of filtering or non-woven fabrics or nets may be used that are being used within house, foundation or soil building, may be used that are being manufactured nowadays most common- ly for example by heat treatment processing, mechanically or by a combination of the above.