Support Product

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/822,048, filed Aug. 24, 2022, which claims priority to Australian Patent Application Nos. 2021221537, filed Aug. 24, 2021; 2021902684, filed Aug. 24, 2021; and 2022221468, filed Aug. 24, 2022; and to New Zealand Patent Application No. 779387, filed Aug. 24, 2021, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The present disclosure relates to a support product.

More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a support product used in construction of composite concrete trafficable pavements.

Traditionally, pavements are constructed as either flexible pavement or rigid pavements, each type of construction having specific benefits and drawbacks.

Pavements as described herein include any trafficable substance laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic. For example, but not limited to, footpaths, cycle paths, roads, rail track beds, parking lots and runways.

Flexible pavements consist of a sub-base course laid onto subgrade or existing native material, a base course laid on top of the sub-base, and a bituminous surface course laid on the base course.

The surface course consists of one or more bituminous or hot mix asphalt (HMA) layers.

The structural capability of the flexible pavement is determined by the combination of the different layers, and the surface course alone has negligible structural integrity, as the load is distributed into the subjacent layers.

Although by volume the materials required to construct flexible pavements are relatively cheap, the nature of the construction means that, especially in roads requiring high loads, the depth and material volume required is significant, with highways requiring over a metre of additional material to be provided on top of the sub-grade.

Therefore, the cost of construction of flexible pavements, especially those experiencing high loads, is significant.

Similarly, the logistical requirements of getting the required volume of materials to remote locations is also problematic.

Damage to flexible pavements is also common, as the surface course does not have significant structural integrity, and holes can be caused by impacts such as rocks being forced into the surface by traffic loads.

As vehicles pass across the surface course of a flexible pavement, the friction from the tires causes it to expand. Over time, this can lead to surface cracks, allowing water to gradually erode the surface course from underneath, causing larger cracks and pot holes to form.

Where cavities or voids appear in either the base course or sub-base, which may result from a pothole or other defects, repair of the flexible pavement is difficult and costly, as the entire section of pavement must be excavated and re-laid.

The flexible pavement is also affected by extreme temperatures which cause the surface to become tacky which leads to further deterioration.

Rigid pavements, on the other hand, include a surface course, typically in the form of a concrete slab, poured above a base course and possibly a sub-base laid upon the subgrade.

The rigidity provided by the concrete slab allows the load to be distributed more evenly, potentially allowing for fewer, or shallower, subjacent courses.

Concrete is adversely affected by temperature changes, and expansion and associated cracking must be mitigated by having a number of separate slabs, with adjacent slabs tied together with steel dowels or ties bars or example.

Concrete is also very expensive by volume, and although the construction of a rigid pavement requires less depth than a flexible pavement, the cost of construction is greater by area, primarily due to the concrete required.

Additionally, the logistic of providing concrete to remote locations is significant, and as such, rigid pavements are simply not an option for many remote applications.

Cracking of concrete is common due to high loads, especially towards edges of slabs where the supporting base course may be more susceptible to movement.

Repair of concrete slabs is also more difficult than flexible pavements, as a cracked concrete slab must be cut out and new concrete poured in place, rather than simply filling a small hole with bituminous or HMA product.

In addition, where cavities or subsidence appears in either the base course or sub-base, repair of the rigid pavement is difficult and costly, as the entire section of pavement must be excavated and re-laid.

Consideration of cost alone allows a determination to be made on the cheapest option for type of pavement, with soil CBR (California Bearing Ratio) and traffic load in MSA (Million Standard Axles) being contributing factors.

However, rigid pavements require significantly higher COemissions, with the total emissions during construction being 5 to 6 times higher than flexible pavements, largely due to the concrete volumes.

In summary, known methods of construction of pavements are costly, requiring large material volumes and COemissions, and are difficult to repair.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

In some embodiments, there is provided a support product. The support product may comprise a plurality of walls. At least some of the plurality of walls may define cells. The plurality of walls may comprise: an edge wall defining an edge plane that is parallel to the edge wall; and a plurality of partial keyway walls defining a partial keyway. The plurality of partial keyway walls may comprise: a pair of offset partial keyway walls that extend parallel to a first direction that is transverse to the edge plane; and a transverse partial keyway wall extending from one of the pair of offset partial keyway walls to the other of the pair of offset partial keyway walls.

In some embodiments, the pair of offset partial keyway walls comprises: a first partial keyway wall, the first partial keyway wall extending from a first junction to a second junction, the first junction being a junction between the first partial keyway wall and the edge wall and the second junction being a junction between the first partial keyway wall and the transverse partial keyway wall; and a second partial keyway wall, the second partial keyway wall extending from a third junction to a wall end portion, the third junction being a junction between the transverse partial keyway wall and the second partial keyway wall.

In some embodiments, a keyway opening is defined between the first junction and the wall end portion.

In some embodiments, the first partial keyway wall and the edge wall define an acute angle therebetween.

In some embodiments, the first partial keyway wall and the transverse partial keyway wall define an acute angle therebetween.

In some embodiments, the transverse partial keyway wall and the second partial keyway wall define an obtuse angle therebetween.

In some embodiments, the second partial keyway wall is longer than the first partial keyway wall.

In some embodiments, there is provided a support product. The support product may comprise: a plurality of walls defining cells; and a partial keyway that is configured to receive part of a key. The partial keyway may extend inwardly from an edge of the support product. The partial keyway may be configured to inhibit outward motion of the key when the part of the key is within the partial keyway.

In some embodiments, the partial keyway is defined by a plurality of partial keyway walls.

In some embodiments, there is provided a support product. The support product may comprise: a plurality of cells; and a plurality of partial keyway walls defining a partial keyway. The support product may be configured to be aligned with a second support product such that the partial keyway and a second partial keyway of the second support product form a keyway configured to receive a key. In use, the partial keyway walls may be configured to cooperate with the key to inhibit relative movement of the support product and the second support product.

In some embodiments, the partial keyway extends inwardly from an edge of the support product.

In some embodiments, there is provided a support product. The support product may comprise: a plurality of walls at least partially defining a cell structure that comprises a plurality of cells, the cell structure being repeated throughout at least part of the support product. Each wall of the plurality of walls may meet another wall of the plurality of walls at a junction. A perimeter profile of the cell structure may be determined by connecting the junctions with straight lines forms an asymmetric polygon.

In some embodiments, each instance of the cell structure shares at least one wall in common with another instance of the cell structure.

In some embodiments, one or more of the cells of the cell structure is a quadrilateral.

In some embodiments, one or more of the cells of the cell structure is symmetrical.

In some embodiments, one or more of the cells of the cell structure is regular.

In some embodiments, the cell structure comprises: a first group of cells that comprises a first axis of symmetry; and a second group of cells that comprises a second axis of symmetry.

In some embodiments, the first group of cells is symmetric with respect to the second group of cells about a third axis of symmetry.

In some embodiments, the plurality of cells comprises a first cell of a first shape, the first shape being defined, at least in part, by a first subset the plurality of walls.

In some embodiments, the plurality of cells comprises a second cell of a second shape, the second shape being defined, at least in part, by a second subset the plurality of walls, the second subset comprising at least one wall of the first subset.

In some embodiments, the first group of cells comprises the first cell and the second cell.

In some embodiments, the first cell and the second cell share a wall of the plurality of walls.

In some embodiments, the first axis of symmetry extends along at least part of the shared wall.