Sandplate
A sand plate is an aid for the recovery of stuck vehicles and for the construction of runways at field airports or short stretches of road. Sand sheets are also called air landing sheets or flooring sheets. Sand sheets are roughly perforated plates made of sheet metal ( steel , aluminum ) or aramid fiber reinforced synthetic resin in lengths of up to 3 meters.
Use in vehicle recovery
Sand sheets are an important aid when driving in rough terrain, especially sandy deserts or muddy areas, in order to free sunken vehicles or to drive over obstacles. The sheets are also used as a base for jacks - by distributing the force over a larger area.
To recover the vehicle, the drive wheels are dug in the desired direction of travel and the individual sand plates are rammed under the wheels as horizontally as possible. Colored marking and / or the connection with a rope on the vehicle make it easier to recover the sand plates that are thrown backwards after successful recovery and search for a safe location. The rope connection is particularly useful on longer stretches of dunes or mud, as otherwise there is a risk of sinking in again during the rescue stop or when starting up afterwards.
Use as a floor attachment
These sheets have teeth on the long sides with which they can be connected to one another in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner . So they can be placed on a flat surface made of sand, earth or the like. This allows a large area to be used for aircraft and heavy equipment within a short time without the tires sinking in or a mud pit being created. These sheets are about 3 m × 60 cm and 3 to 5 mm thick.
To convert it into a vehicle recovery tool, the metal sheets are shortened to one to two meters and the side hooks removed.
history
Sand sheets were originally developed in 1941 in Marston, North Carolina, USA, near Camp Mackall , for the construction of runways for military aircraft, which is why sand sheets are also known as Marston matting in American English . At first they had no holes or beads. They were produced and used in large numbers by the Americans during World War II .
credentials
- ^ Archived copy ( memento of April 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) from July 31, 2009
Web links
- Vehicle recovery - sand plates, belts & Co. (private website)
- Types and photos of sand sheets (private website)