| 摘要 |
A method of making a large elongate discontinuous sheet comprises: (i) providing a plurality of vulcanizable rubber sheets the bonding edges of which comprise oomplementary formations, (ii) overlapping said bonding edges by engaging said complementary formations, the thickness of the resulting overlap (27) being substantially equal to that of the surrounding sheet, and (iii) subjecting the assembly to conditions which will vulcanize the assembly and bond the overlapped edges. The join or joins 27 are preferably longitudinal of the sheet and are achieved without the need for an adhesive. The main advantage of the method is that it results in a sheet without enlarged seams i.e. a better looking product with fewer handling difficulties. Uses of the sheet product include roofing and tank lining. Also described is an apparatus for making the sheet material which comprises carrier means for receiving a plurality of sheets and supply means for feeding the sheets to said carrier means so that adjacent sheets overlap. <IMAGE> |
