Prolam
A Canadian manufacturer of lumber products says that its unique, patented construction method promises a new level in trailer flooring durability, while adding trailer life and reducing maintenance costs.

Several factors differentiate this laminated hardwood floor, according to Cap-Saint-Ignace, Que.-based Prolam. Conventional trailer wooden floors are laminated from oak or maple, with each stick in the laminate keyed to the next in the laminating/gluing process with a simple hook joint. Prolam uses a unique Zig-Zag profiling of the ends of each stick in the flooring laminate strips. Instead of the hook joint between adjoining sticks, which can resist shear in one direction only, Prolam has a carefully machined Zig-Zag that has the ability to mechanically transmit vertical loads at both sides of the joint, evening the stress distribution of point loads such as the wheels of a fork-lift truck.

According to the company, the combination of the unique jointing between the sticks in the laminate, the excellent preparation of the maple or oak used in its floors and the use of Melamine Ureate adhesive, combine to make a flooring material that is five to 18 per cent stronger in direct dry and wet shear tests, and 40 per cent more durable over the life of a trailer.

Also aiding in the water barrier is the shape of the Zig-Zag joint that, with swelling, acts as an extra efficient barrier to the seepage of water through the joint area.

Another differentiating factor is the hand lay-up during the floor laminating process. Employees assemble a continuous jigsaw puzzle of advancing trailer floorboards in the gluing process. This ensures an even distribution of the joints of the randomly sized sticks, to keep all joints evenly spread over the boards in a floor for the maximum strength, the company says.

Prolam has been in production with the Zig-Zag flooring since last October, and is now going on stream with all production switching to the patented construction technique this month. The floors are available at Great Dane, Wabash, Utility, and other trailer manufacturers.