BELA SHOE CLEANING SYSTEMS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE ARCHITECT DESIGNING THE ENTRANCE.
The basics of design - what do you need to know? How to determine the most important parameters of aluminum mats in seven points?
1 What number of visitors is expected for a given entrance?
The number of visitors determines the selection of mat profile and length. Different heights of cleaning mats have been adopted, they range from 12 mm to 28 mm. The 12 mm profiles are used only for internal entrances, for a small number of visitors (about 50 people per day), because the low profiles are fragile, have a millimeter wall and bend easily. Connecting them with a 2mm diameter steel cable or, in some cases, with a vinyl connector, does not give guaranteed strength, for higher traffic volumes and the passage of any goods through such an entrance.
KTW Katowice - exterior mats with plane drainage
© BELA
The height of the cleaning profile determines the space between the profiles, this is where the waste is stored. For profiles low to 20 mm, this is a very small space, which in a few days will be filled with dirt and the mat ceases to serve its function.
The higher the height of the aluminum profile, the more robust the performance of the shoe cleaning system.
In order to increase the possibility of absorption of impurities, our company often installs cleaning mats on a substrate formed of galvanized steel structure with a plane created from Wema grating. This method allows the system to function for up to a year, obliging the owner to clean the substrate once a year.
High profile designed for high traffic volume
©BELA
2 What type of activity will be carried out in the designed facility? What type of transportation will be carried out through the entrance in question?
Delicate mats connected by a 2 mm diameter cable installed at intervals greater than 30 cm are prone to breakage.
Here the strength of the designed mat is important, in the case of, for example, a hospital or warehouse, dynamic loads per wheel of a passing element should be assumed. Matting Bela from the Robust group can withstand 2000 kg per wheel.
Also specific is the design of mats for primary and secondary schools, where a stream of running children is capable of devastating any ill-fitting mat design.
Mat substructure for ventilated terrace
©BELA
3. access roads to the new facility and what will their surface be? What should be the length, width and height of the cleaning draught profiles?
This is a critical parameter that determines the type of dirt that will remain in the space under the aluminum mat. Sandy fill of paving stones or concrete pavers obliges to install a linear brush in the outer entrance and the first part of the inner mat.
A large amount of moisture on strings covered with asphalt, concrete or other bitumen is a sign of the use of brush and long drying strings in the third phase of the created system.
What is important here is the length, that is, the number of steps taken through the space with the mats laid.
Also, be careful not to use felt mats in circular doors and closed vestibules, in the situation of bringing a lot of water into the facility, because they will have to evaporate the collected moisture during the night hours, which will be associated with unpleasant odors.
Classic 3-zone cleaning line
©BELA
4.Is the use of three-phase cleaning and drying possible?
The already proven solution used by all professionals, which gives the best results, should be designed in virtually every entrance. Where there is no room for three-phase cleaning and drying, the minimum is an external mat in the form of a "basement", where a rubber-brush mat lies on a Wema grid and inside in-line brushes are incorporated into felt-lined profiles.
Prepared design of a drainage tub for a shopping center
©BELA
5. can outdoor cleaning have rainwater drains?
This determines the effectiveness of the outdoor mat. It should be installed in a niche, otherwise it will drown in dirt and sand. It is necessary to slope it away from the building, and in cases where there is no canopy and there is a risk of large amounts of rainwater running off the facade, it is necessary to drain it into the building drainage and sewer system.
6. will the exterior mats not be exposed to the invasion of heavy equipment?
The outer mats must be able to withstand an invasion of at least 500 kg/dm2. Important here is not only the strength of the mat, but also of the substructure. A common symptom of devastation is a substructure stabilized on linear supports (e.g., every 60 cm), where aluminum profiles are simply notoriously bent, and their edges become a sharp protrusion that threatens the safety of passersby.
Finished entrance - VIVO shopping center
©BELA
7. how to divide the mat planes so that the service technician can dismantle, clean and re-laid them? How to design and make the mats to last 10 years?
The mats must lie in a plane, the plane (substrate) must be clean, smooth and washable, without any underdrain, otherwise the mats will curve during use, and their life will then be a maximum of 2 years.
The mats need to be cleaned, if this is not done the collected impurities in the ground will lift the mat, and the mat will become crooked and damaged. In order for the mats to be lifted, their size and weight can not be more than 60-80 kg - one element of the system, so that staff, two people can get such an element out of the niche, without devastating the side walls and glass. Round doors are a special example of this.
Plane drainage using Wema grating
©BELA
The joints of the individual elements of the system must be located in such a way that they do not pose a danger to the user if they are covered with waste, that is, the joints of the mats do not protrude above the plane of the entrance.
Bela Shoe Cleaning Systems has been using only divisions according to the attached sketches for some time, and most of the information is available in dwg form at www.bela.com.pl
For more information, please visit the Bela company page on the PdA portal.
