Ground cover material

Abstract

A woven ground cover sheet material woven from warp and weft tapes and in which the thickness of warp tapes is reduced in longitudinally extending opposite side margins of the material and in one or more centre regions relative to the width of warp tapes making up the balance of the material.

1 . A ground cover sheet material woven from warp and weft tapes, wherein the material comprises regions of relatively thicker (hereinafter: thicker regions) warp tapes and regions of relatively thinner (hereinafter: thinner regions) warp tapes, the thicker regions being at or adjacent one or both longitudinally extending opposite side margins of the material, and one or more longitudinally extending centre regions near or adjacent a notional centre or fold line of the material, and the thinner regions making up the balance of the sheet material. 
     
     
         2 . A ground cover sheet material according to  claim 1  wherein the thicker regions are at both longitudinally extending opposite side margins on either side of the material. 
     
     
         3 . A ground cover sheet material according to  claim 2  and comprising two centre regions of thicker warp tapes spaced apart on either side of the notional centre or fold line of the material. 
     
     
         4 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the warp tapes have a uniform thickness in the thicker regions and a uniform thickness in the thinner regions. 
     
     
         5 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the warp tapes in the thicker regions are between about 5 and about 300% thicker than the warp tapes in the thinner regions. 
     
     
         6 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the warp tapes in the thicker regions are between about 10 and about 200% thicker than the warp tapes in the thinner regions. 
     
     
         7 . A ground cover sheet material according to  claim 6  wherein the warp tapes in the thicker regions are between about 20 and about 100% thicker than the warp tapes in the thinner regions. 
     
     
         8 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each of the thicker regions is up to about 500 mm wide 
     
     
         9 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each of the thicker regions is up to about 300 mm wide. 
     
     
         10 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each of the thicker regions is between about 20 and about 300 mm wide. 
     
     
         11 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each of the thicker regions is up to about 200 mm wide. 
     
     
         12 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each of the thicker regions is about 100 mm wide. 
     
     
         13 . A ground cover sheet material according any one of  claim 1  to  claim 11  wherein each of the thicker regions is, for the side margins between about 140 and about 180 mm wide, and for the centre regions between about 40 and about 60 mm wide. 
     
     
         14 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the width of warp tapes is decreased in the thicker regions relative to the width of warp tapes in the thinner regions. 
     
     
         15 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in  claim 14  in which the warp tapes in the thicker regions have a width between about 1 and about 3 mm and the warp tapes in the thinner regions have a width between about 3 and about 5 mm. 
     
     
         16 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the transition between an inner edge of each side margin and a thinner region warp tapes of the material is marked by a line or other marking of contrasting colour. 
     
     
         17 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the colour of the warp tapes in the thicker regions contrasts to that of the balance of the sheet material. 
     
     
         18 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the warp and weft tapes are of a plastics material. 
     
     
         19 . A ground cover sheet material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the warp and weft tapes are substantially flat. 
     
     
         20 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the material is reflective of at least about 50% of visible light on at least one side of the material. 
     
     
         21 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the material is reflective of at least 50% of visible light and about 40% of the UV in the 280 to 400 nm wavelength range on at least one side of the material. 
     
     
         22 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein some or all tapes of a reflective material are formed from a resin comprising a white pigment, which resin has been formed by mixing a masterbatch consisting essentially of between about 5 and about 90% by weight of a white pigment or combination of pigments, and a first polymer, with a second polymer such that the resin (masterbatch) comprising the white pigment comprises between about 0.5 and about 50% by weight of the total mixture. 
     
     
         23 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in  claim 22  wherein the white pigment is selected from zirconium, dioxide, magnesium, zirconate, calcium zirconate, strontium zirconate, barium zirconate, zirconium silicate, zinc sulphide, zinc oxide, calcium carbonate, barium sulphate, magnesium oxide, strontium carbonate, barium carbonate, titanium dioxide and potassium titantae. 
     
     
         24 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in either one of  claim 22  or  claim 23  wherein the material incorporates a compound or compounds added to cause or increase the extent to which the material reflects and/or absorption of radiation from the earth (terrestrial (long wave or infrared) radiation). 
     
     
         25 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in either one of  claim 22  or  claim 23  wherein the material incorporates a compound or compounds added to cause or increase the extent to which the material allows transmission and/or absorption of radiation from the earth (terrestrial (long wave or infrared) radiation). 
     
     
         26 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in either one of  claim 22  or  claim 23  wherein the material incorporates a compound or compounds added to cause or increase the extent to which the material reflects and/or absorbs solar radiation. 
     
     
         27 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in either one of  claim 22  or  claim 23  wherein the material incorporates a compound or compounds added to cause or increase the extent to which the material allows transmission and/or absorption of solar radiation. 
     
     
         28 . A ground cover sheet material as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the warp and weft tapes are formed from polyolefin, or an ethylene alpha-olefin, or polyester, or a biopolymer, or a blend of any of the foregoing. 
     
     
         29 . A ground cover sheet material from warp and weft tapes of a plastics material in which the thickness of warp tapes is increased in:
 longitudinally extending opposite side margins of the material, and   one or more longitudinally extending centre regions near or adjacent a notional longitudinal centre or fold line of the material,   
       relative to the thickness of warp tapes making up the balance of the material. 
     
     
         30 . A ground cover sheet material from warp and weft tapes of a plastics material in which the thickness of warp tapes is increased in:
 one or more longitudinally extending centre regions near or adjacent a notional longitudinal centre or fold line of the material relative to the thickness of warp tapes making up the balance of the material.