Rubber Wheelchair Access Ramp

The present disclosure is broadly directed to a wheelchair access ramp as well as a method of forming a wheelchair access ramp. In both aspects the access ramp includes an exposed slip-resistant surface suitable for wheelchair and pedestrian traffic.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a wheelchair access ramp comprising:

Preferably the base layer is a composite mixture including rubber blended with polyurethane. More preferably the rubber includes a combination of synthetic and natural rubbers such as that sourced from recycled tyres. Even more preferably the rubber is in the form of crumbs or granules of a predetermined particle size distribution.

Preferably the grit material is coupled to the base layer via the intermediate adhesive layer. More preferably the grit material is granular and includes natural or synthetic oxides, carbides, and silicates including but not limited to silicon dioxide in the form of quartz such as sand, aluminium oxides, silicon carbides, and silicates in the form of garnets. The silicates in the form of garnets include 20/40 mesh size Sandblasting granules.

According to a second aspect of the disclosure there is provided a method of forming a wheelchair access ramp, said method comprising the steps of:

As shown in, there is a wheelchair access rampshown in part and being suitable for wheelchair and more generally pedestrian traffic. Although the access rampis illustrated in part only, it will be appreciated that the access rampis otherwise shaped and sized in a conventional manner typically complying with regulatory Standards directed to wheelchair ramps and wedges designed to accommodate wheelchairs, walking frames, motorised scooters, and pedestrian traffic.

As shown in, a first aspect of the disclosure is directed to a wheelchair access rampgenerally comprising:

In this aspect of the disclosure the adhesive layeris a coating system applied to the base layer. The coating systemfunctions to promote adherence or coupling of the grit materialto the base layer. Conventionally, a sealing layer is applied across an exposed aggregate material to provide a sealed slip resistance surface. In this aspect of the disclosure, it should be noted that a sealing layer is not required since the adhesive layeralso acts a sealing layer in anchoring the grit material. The adhesive layerincludes a polyol and activating agent mixture. In this aspect of the disclosure, the polyol is not limited to specific type of polyol. The polyol can be polyether, polyester, polycarbonate and acrylic polyols. Preferably, the activating agent is isocyanate.

The base layerof this aspect of the disclosure is a composite mixture including rubber blended with polyurethane. The rubber is typically in the form of rubber crumbs or granules of a predetermined particle size distribution. The rubber crumbs are derived from recycled tyres and as such include a combination of synthetic rubbers and natural rubbers. The rubber granules may be obtained from buffing material from tyre buffing.

The base layerof this aspect of the disclosure makes the largest contribution to the bulk of the access ramp. The base layeris of a relatively dense construction having a typically density of around 830 kg/m. This means the access ramps such asare relatively heavy and as such generally do not require mechanical anchorage for secure placement in temporary or permanent installations. The relatively heavyweight access ramps such ascan nonetheless be moved with relative ease, for example to place in storage when not in use.

In this aspect of the disclosure the grit materialis granular and includes natural or synthetic oxides, carbides, and silicates. The grit material such asmay be sourced or derived from sand wherein it is in the form of silicone dioxide or naturally occurring quartz. The grit materialalso extends to synthetic oxides and carbides such as those adopted in other applications requiring slip-resistant properties where for example aluminium oxides and silicon carbides are used. The silicates in the form of garnets include 20/40 mesh size Sandblasting granules.

In a further aspect of the disclosure, the adhesive layeris produced by mixing polyol and isocyanate together at a ratio of 4× parts polyol to 1× part isocyanate. Oxide can be added to suit and colour needed. In this example, Black Oxide is preferred as the above is a milky white colour when fully blended. The blend is then evenly spread onto the base layerusing a notch trowel. Once spread, the garnet is applied evenly on top of the blend, then manually mixed into the surface with manual circular motion using covered hands. It should be noted that there is a limited time to this process as the mixture goes off within 15-20 minutes depending on ambient temperature. The curing time is about 12 hours.

In a second aspect of the disclosure there is a method of forming a wheelchair access ramp such as. In the context of the access rampof the preceding aspect of the disclosure this method may generally comprise the steps of:

Now that aspects of the disclosure have been described it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the wheelchair access ramp has at least the following advantages:

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosure as described is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. For example, the materials from which the various layers are constructed may depart from the described aspect of the disclosure provided they remain broadly within the defined aspects of the technology. The grit material may include silicates in the form of garnets and the grit material may be a mixture of any combination of the grit materials disclosed. The layers may be constructed from different manufacturing methods which depart from aspects of the disclosure but nonetheless remain within the ambit of the disclosure. For example, the grit material may be applied simultaneously to the adhesive layer rather than separate application of these products. It will be appreciated that the general profile and sectional shape of the access ramp may vary depending on its application as well as the relative thickness of each layer where for example the base layer may be tapered. The disclosure is not limited to access ramps but may also extend to surface matting.

All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope of the present disclosure the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.