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United States Patent | 5,928,735 |
Padmanabhan , et al. | July 27, 1999 |
A fiber reinforced composite wood flooring is designed particularly for use in van-type truck trailers which experience adverse operating conditions due to heavy lift truck traffic on the top side and water spray during rainy periods on the bottom side. The composite wood flooring comprises edge-glued laminated wood boards which are underlaid with a thin fiber reinforced plastic. The top surface of the composite wood floor is the same as that of a conventional laminated wood floor. The fiber reinforced plastic underlay is composed of glass and/or carbon fibers embedded in a polymeric resin such as epoxy, phenolic or vinyl ester. The resin holds the glass fibers together and also bonds the reinforcements to the laminated wood boards. The reinforcement is designed to enhance the mechanical properties of the flooring in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the floor and also to provide better bonding to the wood. The fiber reinforced plastic improves the fatigue resistance of the composite wood flooring and prevents water leakage into the trailer through the floor boards.
Inventors: | Padmanabhan; Gopalkrishna (Cape Girardeau, MO), Dharani; Lokeswarappa R. (Rolla, MO), Vangilder; James N. (Jackson, MO) |
---|---|
Assignee: |
Havco Wood Products, Inc.
(Scott City,
MO)
|
Family ID: | 23923854 |
Appl. No.: | 08/484,364 |
Filed: | June 7, 1995 |
Current U.S. Class: | 428/33; 428/297.4; 428/299.1; 428/299.4; 428/55; 428/58; 428/77; 442/413 |
Current CPC Class: | B32B 21/08 (20130101); B62D 25/2054 (20130101); B62D 29/02 (20130101); Y10T 428/192 (20150115); Y10T 428/183 (20150115) |
Current International Class: | B32B 21/08 (20060101); B32B 21/00 (20060101); B62D 29/00 (20060101); B62D 25/20 (20060101); B62D 29/02 (20060101); B32B 021/08 () |
Field of Search: | ;428/485,532,413,507,511,528,537.1,225,228,227,232,297 |
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