The Showman’s Show, held at the Newbury Showground in Chieveley, Berkshire, U.K., is a comprehensive exhibition of products, services and entertainments for the outdoor and special event industry.
At the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., U.S.A. New in 2010: Advanced Textiles, blending technology and materials. The largest specialty fabrics trade show in the Americas. For information on exhibiting, sponsoring or speaking at the show, visit www.ifaiexpo.com.
The MATRA 2010 Conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick/Providence, R.I.
IFAI Tent Expo 2011 will take place in St. Pete Beach, Fla. Don’t miss this great opportunity to network with industry colleagues, learn from experts and meet with top-notch suppliers.
The Special Event 2011 will take place at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona.
Annual convention of IFAI Canada country sector will be held at the Quebec City Convention Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. For more information, contact Sue Ryan, executive director, at ifaicanada@ifai.com.
The Rental Show 2011 will take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
At the new Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Exhibition Centre in Singapore, IFAI Expo Asia 2011 will serve the rapidly growing specialty fabrics marketplace in the Asia-Pacific region. For information, visit www.ifaiexpoasia.com.
At the Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, W.V., U.S.A. The premier forum for technical textile executives, focusing on business and economics outlooks. Details will be posted at www.narrowfabrics.org.
IFAI’s Tent Rental Division asked the University of Illinois School of Engineering to generate a 600-page report on maximizing the strength of tent stakes. Nearly all key factors in smart staking are summarized in what the engineers referred to as “baseline conditions.” The engineers used 1-inch-diameter, smooth stakes in their work. They vertically drove stakes 36 inches into the ground, fastened a load 2 inches above the ground surface and pulled it at a 45-degree angle.
Soil consistency is the first factor to consider in staking. The more resistant the soil, the greater the pull-out capacity, or strength, of an individual stake. The pull-out capacity of a stake driven at baseline conditions into hard soil is 2,500 pounds; a baseline stake driven into very soft ground is 100 pounds; stakes driven into saturated ground is about one-half the capacity of stakes driven into the same ground under dry conditions. Remember that soil conditions and pull-out capacity can change for the worse after installation.
The angle, depth, fastening height and load angle of the stake also affect its pull-out capacity. Stake angles 30 degrees or more decrease pull-out capacity. Angles between 0 and 15 degrees optimized a stake’s strength. A fastening height of 2 inches above the ground maximized a stake’s pull-out capacity-the higher the fastening height, the weaker the stake. A stake driven 36 inches deep had significantly more pull-out capacity than one at 24 inches. The angle of pull from horizontal should be 45 degrees. Even a 53-degree load angle could diminish a stake’s pull-out capacity.
Group configurations of stakes can multiply the pull-out capacity. The strongest grouping is a line of six stakes perpendicular to the direction of pull. Almost as effective is six stakes in two columns and three rows connected with a gang plate. Although less effective, double staking provides some added support, especially if the stakes are positioned about one-third as far as they are driven into the ground. More effective is placing four stakes in two columns and two rows. All stakes in group configurations must conform to the specifications previously listed.