Interlocking laminated support mat

Abstract

A laminated one-ply support mat comprised of a plurality of individual wood hat includes means for transferring load and interlocking with an adjacent one-ply The laminated one-ply support mat may be suitable for the construction of ads, flooring, or platforms to support heavy equipment. The laminated one-ply ay include a non-laminated member fastened to each side to prevent damage to the laminated support mat. The laminated one-ply support may be comprised of a individual wood laminations fastened together by a plurality of nuts and bolts support mat to be disassembled and repair in the field.

1 . A support mat having a first end and a second end comprising: 
 a plurality of beams fastened together, each of the beams being made of a plurality of individual wood laminations adhesively bonded to each other;    wherein each of the laminated beams comprises a plurality of vertically oriented individual wood laminations, the plurality of individual wood laminations having wide faces oriented parallel to a direction of a load applied to the support mat, each beam having outboard laminations, the wide faces of the outboard laminations of each beam defining a wide face of the beam;    wherein the wide faces of adjacent beams touch each other;    at least one load transfer tab extends from the first end of the support mat; and    at least one load transfer slot in the second end of the support mat aligned with the at least one load transfer tab of the first end.    
   
   
       2 . The support mat of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one load transfer tab may be positioned in a load transfer slot in the second end of an adjacent support mat to interlock the adjacent support mat.  
   
   
       3 . The support mat of  claim 1  further comprising a first non-laminate member fastened to a first longitudinal side of the support mat and a second non-laminate member fastened to a second longitudinal side of the support mat.  
   
   
       4 . The support mat of  claim 3 , wherein a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies fasten the first non-laminate member, second non-laminate member, and the plurality of beams there between together to form a support mat.  
   
   
       5 . The support mat of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of nut and bolt assemblies are positioned within a plurality of counter sunk bores in the first non-laminate member and the second non-laminate member.  
   
   
       6 . The support mat of  claim 3 , wherein the first non-laminate member and the second non-laminate member are wooden members.  
   
   
       7 . A one-ply mat unit to be interlocked with a plurality of other mat units to form a mat support system, each mat unit comprising: 
 a plurality of longitudinal beams, the plurality of longitudinal beams fastened together to form a one-ply mat unit having a first end and a second end;    wherein each beam is comprised of a plurality of vertically oriented longitudinal wood laminates vertically bonded together;    at least one load transfer tab extending from the first end of the one-ply mat unit; and    at least one load transfer slot in the second end of the one-ply mat unit, the at least one load transfer slot aligned with the at least one load transfer tab of the first end, whereby the at least one load transfer tab may be positioned in at least one load transfer slot in a second end of an adjacent one-ply mat unit to form an interlocked portion of a mat support system.    
   
   
       8 . The mat unit of  claim 7  further comprising a first non-laminate member fastened to a first longitudinal side of the mat unit and a second non-laminate member fastened to a second longitudinal side of the mat unit.  
   
   
       9 . The mat unit of  claim 8 , wherein a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies fasten together the first non-laminate member, second non-laminate member, and the plurality of longitudinal beams there between to form a one-ply mat unit.  
   
   
       10 . The mat unit of  claim 9 , wherein the plurality of nut and bolt assemblies are positioned within a plurality of counter sunk bores in the first non-laminate member and the second non-laminate member.  
   
   
       11 . The mat unit of  claim 8 , wherein the first non-laminate member and the second non-laminate member are wooden members.  
   
   
       12 . The mat unit of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one load transfer slot is wider than the at least one load transfer tab.  
   
   
       13 . The mat unit of  claim 7  further comprising three load transfer tabs extending from the first end of the one-ply mat unit.  
   
   
       14 . The mat unit of  claim 13  further comprising three load transfer slots aligned with the three load transfer tabs extending from the first end, wherein the three load transfer tabs may be positioned within the three load transfer slots in a second end of an adjacent one-ply mat unit to form an interlocked portion of a mat support system.  
   
   
       15 . The mat unit of  claim 14 , wherein each of the three load transfer slots is wider than each of the three load transfer tabs.  
   
   
       16 . A support mat to be interlocked with a plurality of other substantially identical support mats comprising: 
 a plurality of vertically oriented longitudinal wooden members, the plurality of wood members vertically bonded together to form a support mat having a first end and a second end;    at least one load transfer tab extending from the first end of the support mat; and    at least one slot in the second end of the support mat, the at least one slot aligned with the at least one load transfer tab of the first end, whereby the at least one load transfer tab of one support mat may be positioned in the at least one slot in a second end of an adjacent support mat to interlock the support mat with the adjacent support mat.    
   
   
       17 . A method of constructing a one-ply support mat, the method comprising: 
 laminating a plurality of individual wood members to make a plurality of laminated beams having a first length, the laminated beams having a first side and a second side;    laminating a plurality of individual wood members to make at least one laminated beam of a second length, the at least one laminated beam of the second length having a first end, a second end, a first side, a second side, a bottom surface, and a top surface;    removing a portion of material from the top surface of the first end of the at least one laminated beam of the second length, wherein the first end includes a load transfer structure;    removing a portion of material from the bottom surface of the second end of the at least one laminated beam of the second length, wherein the second end includes a load transfer structure; and    fastening together the at least one laminated beam of the second length between two laminated beams of the first length to form a one-ply support mat, wherein the laminated beams are vertically fastened together.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the individual wood members are vertically laminated together to make a plurality of laminated beams having the first length and wherein the individual wood members are vertically laminated together to make at least one laminated beam of the second length.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising fastening together a plurality of laminated beams of the first length, a plurality of laminated beams of the second length, a first non-laminated wooden member of the first length, and a second non-laminated wood member of the first length to form a support mat, wherein the first non-laminated wood member is adjacent to a first side of a laminated beam of the first length, the first side of a laminated beam of the second length is adjacent a second side of a laminated beam of the first length, the first side of a laminated beam of the first length is adjacent to the second side of a laminated beam of the second length, and the second non-laminated wood member is adjacent to the second side of a laminated beam of the first length.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising drilling at least one first counter bore in the first non-laminate wood member, drilling at least one second counter bore in the second non-laminate wood member, and drilling at least one hole through the first and second sides of the plurality of laminated beams of the first length and the plurality of laminated beams of the second length.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20  further comprising positioning a nut in the at least one first counter bore and inserting a bolt through the at least one hole through the sides of the plurality of beams wherein a head of the bolt is positioned within the at least one second counter bore.  
   
   
       22 . A laminated one-ply mat comprising: 
 a plurality of longitudinal beams, the plurality of longitudinal beams fastened together to form a one-ply mat unit having a first end and a second end;    wherein each beam is comprised of a plurality of vertically oriented longitudinal wood laminations vertically bonded together;    means for transferring load between a one-ply mat adjacent to the first end; and    means for transferring load between a one-ply mat adjacent to the second end.    
   
   
       23 . The laminated one-ply mat of  claim 22  further comprising a first non-laminate member fastened to a first side of the laminated one-ply mat and a second non-late member fastened to a second side of the laminated one-ply mat.