Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02639685 2008-09-18
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Geotextile applicator device and method.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device adapted for use on the rear portion
of
an off-highway or construction vehicle to improve the unrolling of geotextile
materials as
commonly used in road-beds, landscaping, retention walls, pond-lining, and the
like.
And, more specifically, the present invention relates to a device that couples
to a
conveyered material placement vehicle to simultaneously and continuously
dispense
fabric from a roll as an aggregate is placed on top of the dispensed fabric.
BACKGROUND
Certain construction techniques for roadbeds, drainage ditches, man-made
ponds and other landscaping needs require a cloth or fabric liner layer to be
placed on
the newly prepared and compacted soil. This cloth or fabric liner typically
arrives at the
construction site in large roles varying from about 3-feet to about 15-feet in
width and
(unfurled) having lengths of 300 feet or more for landscape rolls and about 13-
feet wide
or about 15-feet wide for road-bed fabric rolls, for example.
Fabric rolls used in road construction, landscaping and the like are generally
known as geotextiles and are defined by the American Society for Testing and
Materials
(ASTM) as any permeable textile material used with foundation, soil, rock,
earth as an
integral part of a construction project, structure, or system and may be
synthetic or
natural fibers, or both. Geomembranes, also used in similar applications, are
continuous
membrane-type liners or barriers that have low permeability to control
migration of fluid
and restrict fluid flow.
In the road construction industry there are essentially four primary uses for
geotextiles: separation, drainage, filtration, and reinforcement. However,
most often
geotextiles are used for stabilizing roads through separation and drainage.
Stabilization
results from the geotextile acting as a barrier to migration of fines in the
subgrade to the
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base layer (aggregate layer), while simultaneously permitting water to migrate
from the
base layer to the subgrade or laterally away from the roadbed. Migration of
fines is
highly undesirable because it weakens the road structure.
Geotextiles are well suited for temporary road construction, particularly in
environmentally sensitive areas where a biodegradable woven jute geotextile
can be
used. Geotextiles are economical for temporary road construction, such as
construction
roads in isolated areas as are needed to install power grid infrastructure,
wind-turbine
power generations, or remote logging roads, for example.
Such roads, for example, use a crushed aggregate layer on top of native
subgrade material. A geotextile serves as a separation layer between the
subgrade and
the aggregate, preventing intermixing of the two layers. Intermixing occurs
(absent the
geotextile layer) from pressure exerted on the road from vehicles, the
downward and
laterally moving load creates a pump-like affect that draws fines in the
subgrade upward,
intermixing in the aggregate layer. This affect becomes more dramatic when
there is
water migration as well.
Thus, proper selection and installation of a suitable geotextile is vitally
important
in road construction. The installation method for geotextiles (or fabric
rolls), as generally
known in the art, requires shaping the roadway subgrade, rolling the fabric
down the
road one lane per roll, and if windy, weight the sides of the unrolled fabric
with shovels
full of gravel or use spikes or staples to pin the fabric down. Then, dump and
spread the
gravel or base course material using normal methods with an end dump truck (or
belly-
dump or side-dump trucks) - but making certain to avoid driving onto the
geotextile with
any equipment other than rubber-tired vehicles operating over a solid sub-
grade in a
straight line with no turns and a vehicle speed of no more than seven miles
per hour or
otherwise risking a puncture or tear, damaging the fabric and making it less
suitable for
its intended use.
Currently, the tools and methods to unroll these large fabric rolls include a
hanger bar coupled to the rear of a vehicle, such as a dump truck (belly,
side, or end) or
a front-end loader using the bucket to suspend a roller bar and reversing to
unroll the
material. The hanger bar supports a roll bar adapted to slideably receive a
roll of
material. Then, several workers unroll a portion of the roll, stand on it, pin
it, or manually
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shovel some aggregate (e.g. gravel) on the roll to hold it in place. Next, the
vehicle
advances and unrolls the fabric as the vehicle travels. To hold the fabric in
place, the
army of workers shovels aggregate, or use spikes to pin the fabric to the sub-
grade.
Only after the fabric is fully installed, then a second aggregate delivery
truck (dump
truck), backs to the fabric - to avoid driving on the fabric, which could rip
or tear the
fragile material - and then dumps the aggregate. Next, a third vehicle (bull-
dozer)
distributes the piled aggregate on top of the fabric. This is a tedious and
time-consuming
procedure that must be repeated for the entire length of the road, which could
be several
dozens of miles.
The state-of-the-art method of installing fabric sheets, according to the
"North
Carolina Forestry BMP Manual", Appendix 4 at page 222 of 243 (amended 2006)
publication date unknown, includes shaping the roadway and establishing the
crown;
rolling the fabric, weight the sides and end of the unrolled fabric with
shovels full of
gravel, or use spikes to pin the fabric down. This method, however, has
certain
drawbacks. One drawback includes puncturing the fabric with spikes or staples
to pin the
material: it is undesirable to puncture the fabric as this causes rips and
tears in the
sheet, and the punctures themselves enable the base layer to intermix with the
aggregate layer, which weakens the roadbed. Manpower cost associated with
shoveling
aggregate on top of the unrolled sheet to weight it down is yet another
drawback of this
known method.
Certain devices are known to facilitate the laying of paving fabric along a
roadbed. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,456,399 issued on 26 June 1984 to
Conover
describes an apparatus for laying paving fabric comprising a core support
member of an
adjustable length for supporting a roll of paving fabric on a vehicle, a
tension applying
apparatus secured in the proximity of the fabric roll to remove wrinkles from
the web
prior to the application to the roadbed, and a broom apparatus for
facilitating adherence
of the web to the roadbed and a guard for the broom for reducing wrinkling of
the fabric.
Yet, there remains a need for improved methods and devices that improve the
installation of geotextiles and similar fabric rolls, particularly on
temporary road-bed
projects. Such tools and methods should minimize worker exposure to injury,
reduce
manpower required, and reduce expense of installation through time and
manpower
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efficiencies. An improved device and method is needed that enables the
unrolling of the
fabric roll without requiring spikes to penetrate the fabric to pin the roll
in place (as
needed, for example, in windy conditions). It would further be desired to have
a tool and
method that improves efficiencies by combining the rolling of the fabric with
the delivery
of the aggregate. Such a device, in addition, should be easy to transport to
the job site
on existing vehicles. Further, such an improved device should be easy to
assemble and
disassemble by one person.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes improved devices and methods to simultaneously
unroll geotextile fabric and place aggregate on top, without requiring spikes
or staples to
pin the fabric in place.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
geotextile-
roll applicator device for coupling to a vehicle frame, the device comprising:
a support frame;
a roller bar supported by the support frame and adapted to receive a roll of
geotextile fabric; and
a dead-weight member supported by the support frame and configured to extend
over and weigh-down a portion of the geotextile fabric that is dispensed from
the roll.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a
geotextile roll applicator device adapted to couple to a vehicle frame, the
device
comprising:
a first and second stinger member, each stinger member respectively comprising
a stinger arm having a first arm-end adapted to couple the vehicle frame,
an oppositely disposed second arm-end including a connecting means, and holder
leg
disposed intermediate to the first and second arm ends at a holder-leg first
end;
a hanger bar having a first and second eyelet, each eyelet adapted to
releasable
couple to the connecting means provided by the corresponding stinger arm to
support
the hanger bar from the corresponding connecting means, the hanger bar further
comprising a first and second chain-loop disposed on opposite ends of the
hanger bar
and adapted to receive a corresponding segment of roller-bar chain;
a roller bar suspended from the first and second segments of roller-bar chain
presented by the hanger bar, the roller bar further adapted to slideably
receive the
geotexitle roll;
a dragger bar coupled to the holder leg at a holder-leg second end, the
dragger
bar further comprising a plurality of eyelets disposed along a length of the
bar; and
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a dead-weight member adapted to couple to at least a portion of the plurality
of
eyelets disposed along the dragger bar.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method
for dispensing a roll of geotextile fabric using a vehicle having a frame
adapted to couple
to a geotextile roll applicator device, the method comprising:
providing a geotextile roll;
unrolling a portion of the geotextile;
placing a dead-weight member provided by the applicator device over the roll
and extending the dead-weight member onto the portion of unrolled geotextile;
dispensing an amount of aggregate; and
advancing the vehicle forward thus causing the geotextile roll to unroll and
the
dead-weight member to drag on top of the newly unrolled geotextile.
In one preferred embodiment, the present invention consists of a conveyered
material placement vehicle adapted to hold multiple widths and lengths of road
bedding
cloth or landscape cloth. The vehicle includes two receiver hitches welded,
attached or
otherwise coupled on opposite sides of the rear bumper, approximately seven
feet
between each other. The pair of receiver hitches slideably receive a
corresponding
square steel tube or round pipe having a through hole at one end, which
enables the
retaining pin of the receiver hitch to pass through the receiver hitch and the
end of the
steel tube when inserted in the hitch. The pair of horizontally disposed steel
tubes
protrude generally perpendicular from the rear bumper of the vehicle and serve
as
mounting arms for an approximately 16-foot length of square steel tubing (or
similarly
sized round pipe of about 2-inches in diameter) that serves as the hanger bar,
which
arranges generally parallel to the rear bumper of the vehicle and shares the
vehicles
centerline, but is offset from the rear bumper by a length determined by the
pair of steel
tubes, which are of a length to clear the device from the operation of the
conveyered
aggregate delivery apparatus mounted to the rear portion of the vehicle.
The hanger bar includes a pair of end caps and half links are welded to the
end
caps, and a pair of eye-loops are additionally welded to this bar. A segment
of about 2-
feet in length of chain hangs from each end cap half links. This pair of chain
segments
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supports a roller bar, which has a round cross section and adapts to suspend a
fabric roll
and allows the roll to rotate freely on the bar. The roller bar is further
adapted to receive
varying lengths of fabric rolls by means of several positioned through-holes,
which adapt
to receive lock-pins. Thus, a pair of locking plates can be positioned on the
roll bar, and
secured from sliding by the locking pins, ensuring the fabric roll remains in
fixed position
relative to the vehicle centerline. The roller bar is pre-drilled at about 15-
foot and about
13-foot lengths, which represent standard roll widths commonly used in road
building.
A mesh assembly fabricated from about five about 16-feet to about 18-feet
lengths of chain form the long (vehicle) axis of the grid, while about twelve
segments of
about 3.5-feet of chain create the cross axis of the grid. In stead of chain
segments, a
heavy cable could also be used to form the mesh grid. Similarly, a grid of
solid or hollow
metal bars or pipes could be arranged to drag on top of the fabric and,
although not
optimal for curves, the rigid grid members could serve the same function as
the mesh
assembly fabricated from chain segments.
A dragger bar adapts to accept the five long chains (or cable or rigid bar
segments), thus dragging the dead-weight member behind the vehicle. The
dragger bar
is positioned to carry the chain on top of the fabric roll, weighting down the
roll as it rests
on the roller bar.
With receiver hitches, roller bar, hanger bar, cloth roll, and dragger bar
with
chains in place, the cloth is initially held down with the weight of the
dragger bar chains
as the conveyered material placement vehicle moves forward. The conveyered
material
placement vehicle then begins to place gravel on top of the cloth as it
proceeds in a
forward motion, driven via a remote controlled drive system. The conveyered
gravel
placed on top of the cloth keeps the cloth flat and firmly held on the
subgrade even in
windy conditions. The operator stops the truck when the roll is empty, un-
clips the roller
bar from the hanger bar, slides out the spent roll, places the new roll on the
roller bar,
lifts the dragger bar from the pair of L-hooks on the hanger bar and sets the
dragger bar
on the ground. Then, the new roll on the roller bar is re-clipped to the
hanger bar, and
the dragger bar is lifted back on the L-hooks, automatically positioning the
dead-weight
member on top of the new fabric roll.
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A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a device consisting
of
sub-components sized and weighted for one worker to remove from the vehicle
when in
the transport mode, assemble the components, attach the device to the
receivers on the
vehicle and disassemble when the job is complete.
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DRAWING
Figure 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an off-set right-side view of the embodiment of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a partial, off-set right-side view of the embodiment of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an off-set left-side view of the embodiment of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a partial detail view of a component of a preferred embodiment of
the
present invention.
Figure 6 is an off-set frontal view of one embodiment of the present invention
and
shows a step according to a preferred method of the present invention.
Figure 7 is an off-set right side view of one embodiment of the present
invention
and shows another step according to a preferred method of the present
invention.
Figure 8 is a partial front view of one embodiment of the present invention
and
shows another step according to a preferred method of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention and shows
another step according to a preferred method of the present invention.
Figure 10 is an off-set frontal view of one embodiment of the present
invention
and shows another step according to a preferred method of the present
invention.
Figure 11 is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention and shows
another step according to a preferred method of the present invention.
Figure 12 is a possible environment of use of one embodiment of the present
invention and depicts an aggregate delivery vehicle dispensing aggregate onto
a fabric
roll on a roadbed.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Possible preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the
drawings and those skilled in the art will understand that alternative
configurations and
combinations of components may be substituted without subtracting from the
invention.
Also, in some figures certain components are omitted to more clearly
illustrate the
invention.
Figures 1- 5 illustrate a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The
present invention includes a mechanical implement 10, specifically, for
example, a
device utilized to unroll and fixably locate a geotextile fabric for roadbed
construction.
The implement (device 10) adapts to couple to a rear portion of a vehicle
frame (V), for
example, a conveyered aggregate delivery vehicle, or more broadly a conveyered
material placement vehicle, as used in roadbed construction, by cooperating
with the
vehicle's forward travel to unroll the fabric roll and incorporating a unique
and novel
dead-weight member 110, such as a heavy yet flexible cable, rope, tubes or
assembly of
chain segments arranged in a mesh grid assembly to weight the recently
unrolled fabric
on top of the prepared sub-grade.
Figure 1, a front view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
illustrates most of the major components including a support frame including a
stinger
member 20, which releasable couples to the vehicle frame V and carries the
principal
horizontal support or hanger bar 50. The support frame further includes a
hanger bar
arranged generally perpendicular to the long-axis of the vehicle frame and
extending
from about 6-feet to about 10 feet on each side of the vehicle's center line
for a total
length from about 12-feet to about 20-feet. The hanger bar includes a pair of
oppositely
mounted winches 60 on each extremity of the length of the bar. The winches
enable
workers to position and lift the relatively heavy rolls of fabric (once
located on the roller
bar 70, discussed below) relative to the hanger bar and determines the height
of the roll
from the ground and relative to the vehicle frame. Further, opposite ends of
the hanger
bar each include a chain loop or hook 52 (or other attaching means) from which
a first
and second chain segment 72 suspends.
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The chain segments 72, in turn, support a roller bar 70. The roller bar
supports
rolls of geotextile fabric as generally understood in this art. The roller bar
releasably
couples to the chain segments 72 at a corresponding first and second roller-
bar end,
each end has a corresponding end cap 74 with half-link 76 chain support means
(such
as a hook, receiver, quick-connect, or other coupling means) adapted to enable
the
chain segments 72 to attach and un-attach as needed to swap a spent roll for a
new roll
of fabric. Additionally, a winch cable 62 from the pair of winches 60 on the
hanger bar 50
equally releasably attach to the roller bar by means of the half-links 76.
Also suspended from the stinger assembly 20, a dragger bar 90 arranges
generally parallel to the roller bar 70, and positions intermediately between
the vehicle
and the roller bar. The dragger bar includes a plurality of attaching means 92
consisting
of hooks or half-links or chain, or other similar device adapted to
selectively and
releasably couple a link of chain to the dragger bar. A dead-weight member 110
adapts
to couple (not shown in Figures 1 - 5) to the dragger bar at the attaching
means 92.
Thus, the dead-weight member positions over the roll of fabric located on the
roller bar
(the roll of fabric is not shown in Figures 1 - 5) and extends rearward beyond
the
vehicle.
In the various embodiments and figures, the long horizontal members,
specifically, the hanger bar 50, the roller bar 70 and the dragger bar 90 are
depicted as
rigid members, solid with hollow centers having a fixed length. However, those
skilled in
the art will appreciate that these horizontal members may have a solid core
or,
alternatively, may include telescoping features to enable the bars to extend
and retract
to various desired lengths corresponding to transport of the device, or as
needed for
varying widths of the road bed, fabric roll, or application of use, for
example.
For example, the hanger bar 50, in another preferred embodiment (not
illustrated
in the accompanying figures) comprises a hanger member coupled to the vehicle
via
stinger arms 22. The hanger member has an length of about 8-feet to about 10-
feet long,
or about the width of the vehicle to which it attaches. The hanger member
further is
adapted to receive a first and second hanger arm at opposite ends of the
hanger
member: Accordingly, the hanger member may be solid, with the arms inserting
over the
bar, or, preferably, the hanger member has a hollow core, and the arms slide
inside a
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portion of the exposed ends of the member. The member is further configured
with
several though holes, arranged to correspond to similar through holes in the
associated
hanger arm so that a retaining pin can fixably secure the arm inside the
member. In
addition, the at least one hanger arm (adapted to slidebly engage a portion of
the hanger
member) effectively provides an adjustable and variable length hanger bar from
which
the roll bar suspends. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
this
embodiment enables a geotextile roll to be positioned off-center from the
vehicle, or on
center with the vehicle, as needed by the application. Further, should a more
narrow
installation process be involved, for example, re-paving a single vehicle lane
on an
existing roadway or installing a geotextile roll in a roadside ditch, the
present invention
more readily adapts to this use.
Making general reference to Figures 1 - 11, details of preferred embodiments
of
the present invention are further discussed, below. In one preferred
embodiment, a
geotextile-roll applicator device 10 for a vehicle frame V comprises a means
for coupling
the device to the vehicle frame, such as a stinger member 20 and pair of
receiver
hitches 30. The receiver hitches 30 mount to the vehicle frame by any means
well
understood in this art including, but not limited to, welding to the frame of
the vehicle. A
suitable receiving hitch 30 incudes a standard square receiver commonly
available for
tow-hitch applications as understood in this art. The stinger member 20
slideably inserts
into the receiver hitch and a hitch pin 32 engages a through-hole in the
stinger member
and receiver hitch, while a pin chain prevents misplacing the pin when not
inserted in the
hole.
The stinger member 20 consists of a pair of horizontal stinger arms 22
arranged
generally parallel to the long-axis of the vehicle and extending outward from
the rear
portion of the vehicle. Each stinger arm 22 includes a first arm-end adapted
to slideably
insert into the respective receiver hitch, an oppositely disposed second arm-
end
including a connecting means such as a U-shaped hook 24 (or other similar
releasably
coupling apparatus or means), and a vertically arranged holder leg 26 disposed
intermediate to the first and second arm ends at holder-leg first end. The
holder-leg 26
further includes a holder-leg extension member 28 adapted to slideably engage
the
holder-leg at a holder-leg second end and a pin cooperating with pin-receiving
holes
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aligned on both the extension and leg locates and secures the extension
relative to the
leg. A connecting member, such as an L-shaped hook 29, locates at the free end
of the
extension 28. This L-shaped hook adapts to receive the dragger bar 90,
discussed
below. Thus, the position of the L-shaped hook relative to the ground,
vehicle, and
importantly, to the roller bar 70 can be adjusted by sliding the extension
member 28 in or
out of the leg 26 and securing the desired position with the pin 27.
The roller bar 70 suspends below the hanger bar 50 by a first and second
suspension means consisting of two oppositely positioned and cooperating chain
segments 72. The roller bar adapts to support a roll of geotextile fabric and
enables the
roll to rotate on its roll-axis to dispense the fabric conventionally. The
roll bar, in one
preferred embodiment, includes a circular cross section, however a square
cross
section, oval, elliptical or rectangular cross section will work as well. A
spacer plate 80,
or preferably a pair of spacer plates adapt to arrange on the roller bar and
lock into
position by a locking means for selectively and releasably coupling the spacer
plate in a
first fixed position on the roller bar. The locking means comprises a pair of
spacer pins
82 that cooperate with features on the roller bar. The spacer plate enables
locating the
roll of fabric in a particular position relative to the center-line of the
vehicle and maintains
the roll in that desired position as the vehicle travels forward. Accordingly,
the roll of
fabric can be placed in the center, as required for a road-bed, or off center
as may be
required to lay fabric for a drainage ditch or retaining wall, for example. In
a preferred
embodiment, the roll-bar has pre-arranged pin-receiving holes at about13-feet
between
cooperating holes and at about 15 feet, representing two standard widths of
roll fabric.
Additionally, each pin attaches to a cable coupled to its corresponding plate
80 to avoid
loosing the pin when not inserted in the roller bar.
In one preferred embodiment, the hanger bar 50 carries a pair of cooperating
and
oppositely positioned winches 60. However, in other preferred embodiments the
winches
may be omitted without detracting from the invention. Additionally, the
accompanying
figures illustrate a set of hand-operated winches: However, electric or
hydraulic-powered
winches would work equally well. Each winch includes a winch cable 62 that
selectively
couples to the roller bar. Then, by cranking the winch handle, the loaded
roller bar can
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be positioned relative to the hanger bar and the chain segments 72 are
attached to carry
the load and the winch cable can be released and retracted for subsequent use.
A dead-weight member 110 having a generally grid-like layout comprising
interconnected segments of chain loops, releasably couples to the dragger bar
90. The
dead-weight member consists of five generally parallel drag chains measuring
about 15-
feet to about 25-feet (preferably about 18-feet) in length and extending from
the dragger
bar behind the vehicle. At a spacing of about 2-feet to about 4-feet
(preferably about 3.5
feet), each drag-chain includes a cross-member link chain. Thus, a grid
pattern of about
a 3.5-foot square grid with five columns is formed. This grid can,
alternatively, be formed
from cables or bar-segments in lieu of chains.
Figures 6 - 11 illustrate a first preferred method of using the device 10 of
the
present invention. Accordingly, this preferred method for dispensing a roll of
geotextile
fabric using a conveyered aggregate delivery vehicle having a frame adapted to
couple
to a geotextile roll applicator device, the method comprises: providing a
geotextile roll;
unrolling a portion of the geotextile; placing a dead-weight member provided
by the
applicator device over the roll and extending the dead-weight member onto the
portion of
unrolled geotextile; dispensing an amount of aggregate using the conveyered
aggregate
delivery vehicle; and advancing the vehicle forward thus causing the
geotextile roll to
unroll and the dead-weight member to drag on top of the newly unrolled
geotextile and
continuing dispensing aggregate as the vehicle advances forward.
Additionally, this method further includes steps of providing a remote control
drive system for the vehicle and advancing forward the vehicle with the remote
control
drive system.
In another preferred embodiment, the present invention contemplates a system
for dispensing geotextile fabric. The system comprises a vehicle having an
aggregate
dispensing mechanism that is operable to dispense aggregate from one end of
the
vehicle; and a geotextile-roll applicator device coupled to the vehicle
adjacent the end
from which aggregate is dispensed, the applicator device being configured to
support a
roll of geotextile fabric and dispense the fabric from the roll; wherein when
the vehicle is
moved along a path, the applicator device is operable to dispense fabric onto
the ground
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along the path and the aggregate dispensing mechanism is operable to dispense
aggregate from the vehicle onto the dispensed fabric.
Figure 12 illustrates another preferred method of the present invention
includes a
method for dispensing geotextile fabric from a roll. The method includes the
steps of
supporting the roll of fabric on an applicator device, which is coupled to a
vehicle;
moving the vehicle along a path; and dispensing fabric from the roll onto the
ground
along the path as the vehicle is moved and simultaneously dispensing aggregate
from
the vehicle onto the dispensed fabric.
When the device 10 is not in use, for example, when it is being transported to
and from a job site, the entire device dis-assembles and compactly stores on
the vehicle
by means of a T-rack 130. The T-rack adapts to insert in a receiver hitch
arranged
vertically on the vehicle frame. The T-rack cooperates with the conveyer rack
provided
by the vehicle.
The various components of the preferred embodiments of the present invention
are generally about 1-inch to about 2-inch square or round tube steel members
welded
or bolted, as conventionally understood in the art, or - as described herein -
adapted to
releasably couple to mating components by hooks or other fasteners as
described or as
would be generally understood in this art. And, although steel is
contemplated, other
materials would work equally well including aluminum, for example. Further,
the various
embodiments of the present invention and methods show a material placement
vehicle
(such as a conveyered aggregrate delivery truck, such as a Super Stone Slinger
brand
aggregate delivery vehicle available from W.K. Dahms Mfg. Ltd., of St. Jacobs,
Ontario,
Canada), it will be appreciated by those skilled in this art that other
vehicles - including
side-dump, belly-dump, or rear dump trucks - can be adapted to work with the
device
10, and may only require additional manpower or equipment to distribute
aggregate on
top of the unfurled geotextile.
Although the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference
to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
various
changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of
the invention.
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