EP0192590A1 - Complex floor covering made of plastic material - Google Patents

Abstract

Complex floor covering made of plastic material, consisting of a fine layer (1) of exposed surface, associated with a thermodiffusing layer (2), characterised in that the fine surface layer (1) is made of linear polyester. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a complex plastic floor covering.

Complex floor coverings made of plastic, in particular PVC, are well known. Although very widely used, these floor coverings most of the time have the disadvantage of poorly resisting contact with hot objects, in particular cigarettes. Indeed, when you drop or when you crush a lit cigarette on such coverings, their surface deteriorates aesthetically, then physically to even degrade to form a hole. Also, despite many advantages, the use of such floor coverings in public rooms, public transport, public places or passageways is limited and is even sometimes prohibited.

• - une fine couche de surface protectrice apparente,
• - une couche intermédiaire de diffusion calorifique, dénommée également couche thermodiffusante, en matière plastique chargée,
• - éventuellement, une couche de base, également en PVC, associée parfois à une sous-couche cellulaire.

To overcome this drawback, a complex plastic material has already been proposed, constituted in order respectively by:

• - a thin visible protective surface layer,
• - an intermediate layer of heat diffusion, also known as a heat-diffusing layer, of charged plastic material,
• - optionally, a base layer, also made of PVC, sometimes associated with a cellular sub-layer.

In patent FR-A-2,341,021 to the Applicant, it has been proposed to produce the heat-diffusing layer using fine conductive metal particles, finely dispersed in PVC, and to associate this layer with an apparent surface layer such as crosslinked polyurethane. This solution has hardly been developed because, on the one hand, it requires numerous manipulations since the surface layer must be affixed on the very place of use, and, on the other hand, the apparent surface resists badly to snagging. , to the scraps, so that the intermediate layer is then sometimes poorly protected.

It was also suggested to make the cross-linked PVC surface layer. If this solution is satisfactory in terms of mechanical strength and scraping, as well as in terms of resistance to crushed cigarettes, on the other hand, this solution does not have good resistance to the consumed cigarette, which is the more difficult to obtain.

The invention overcomes these drawbacks. It is aimed at a complex plastic material for flooring of the type in question, which has excellent resistance to crushed cigarettes as to - consumed cigarettes, which is aesthetic, easy to manufacture industrially and convenient to install.

This new complex plastic floor covering material, consisting of a thin visible surface layer, associated with a heat-diffusing layer, is characterized in that the thin surface layer is made of linear polyester.

By "linear polyester" is meant a linear polymer obtained by polycondensation of teraphthalic acid and a diol, in particular ethylene glycol. This type of polymer is well known for its fiber or film forming properties. Linear polyester films are widely used as negative photographic film carriers, as magnetic tape carriers or as food packaging materials. It is therefore quite surprising that this material, which has been known for a very long time and widely used in other application sectors than floor coverings, would make it possible to successfully solve the problem of resistance, resistance to the cigarette being smashed and consumed. , while this problem had existed for a very long time and we did not know how to solve it validly until then. In at very frankly, one could not think that a linear polyester film, material well known for other applications, would, after having been associated with a heat-diffusing layer, successfully obtain an excellent resistance to the crushed cigarette and to the cigarette consumed.

• - la couche thermodiffusante est à base de PVC et est éventuellement associée, sur son autre face, soit à une couche de base également en PVC, soit à une couche d'envers cellulaire en PVC plastifié, polyuréthane ou caoutchouc, soit à une combinaison de ces deux.éléments;
• - la couche thermodiffusante est en PVC additionnée de charges minérales lamellaires dispersées dans le PVC, conductrices de la chaleur, stables à 250°C, susceptibles d'adhérer au PVC, telles que par exemple du talc, du mica, du silicate d'aluminium, du kaolin calciné ou non, du quartz, des silico-aluminates alcalins tels que le feldspar ou la népheline, présentant une structure en lamelles, à raison de 50 à 300 parties pour cent parties de PVC, de préférence au voisinage de 150 parties ;
• - la couche thermodiffusante en PVC est colorée dans la masse ou est imprimée sur la face destinée à venir au contact de la surface transparente en polyester linéaire ;
• - la fine couche de surface en polyester linéaire est thermocollée à la couche thermodiffusante ;
• - la fine couche de surface en polyester linéaire est adhésivée puis est collée à la couche thermodiffusante ;
• - la couche de surface en polyester linéaire a une épaisseur comprise entre 10 et 200 microns ; en effet, si l'épaisseur est inrférieure à 10 microns, on obtient une mauvaise résistance aux brûlures et à l'éraillage mécanique, et, en revanche, si l'épaisseur est supérieure à 200 microns, on augmente inutilement le prix de revient sans obtenir une amélioration proportionnelle
• - la couche thermodiffusante en PVC a une épaisseur comprise entre 200 microns et 2,5 millimètres.

Advantageously, in practice:

• - the heat-diffusing layer is based on PVC and is optionally associated, on its other face, either with a base layer also in PVC, or with a cellular backing layer in plasticized PVC, polyurethane or rubber, or with a combination of these two elements;
• the heat-diffusing layer is made of PVC with the addition of lamellar mineral fillers dispersed in the PVC, conductive of heat, stable at 250 ° C., liable to adhere to PVC, such as for example talc, mica, aluminum silicate , kaolin, calcined or not, quartz, alkali silico-aluminates such as feldspar or nepheline, having a lamellar structure, at a rate of 50 to 300 parts per hundred parts of PVC, preferably in the vicinity of 150 parts;
• - the heat-diffusing PVC layer is colored in the mass or is printed on the face intended to come into contact with the transparent linear polyester surface;
• - the thin surface layer of linear polyester is heat-bonded to the heat-diffusing layer;
• - the thin surface layer of linear polyester is adhesive-bonded and then bonded to the heat-diffusing layer;
• - The surface layer of linear polyester has a thickness between 10 and 200 microns; in fact, if the thickness is less than 10 microns, poor resistance to burns and scuffing is obtained mechanical, and, on the other hand, if the thickness is greater than 200 microns, the cost price is unnecessarily increased without obtaining a proportional improvement
• - the heat-diffusing PVC layer has a thickness of between 200 microns and 2.5 millimeters.

The development of the different individual layers (surface, heat-diffusing, base) is carried out by known techniques such as calendering or extrusion. The various layers are also assembled using conventional heat-bonding or bonding techniques, in particular using hot or cold adhesive material (polyurethane or crosslinked polyester glue).

• - (1) désigne la fine couche de surface (ou de protection) ;
• - (2) la couche thermodiffusante intermédiaire ;
• - (3) la couche de base destinée à venir au contact de la surface ou du sol à revêtir.

The manner in which the invention can be implemented and the advantages which result therefrom will emerge more clearly from the following exemplary embodiments, given by way of non-limiting illustration, in support of the single figure - than annexed which is a representation in perspective view exploded summary of a floor covering according to the invention, in which:

• - (1) designates the thin surface (or protective) layer;
• - (2) the intermediate heat-diffusing layer;
• - (3) the base layer intended to come into contact with the surface or soil to be coated.

Example 1:

By calendering, a base layer (3) 1.5 mm thick is prepared from a homogeneous mixture containing for one hundred parts of PVC fifty pcr (parts for resin) of plasticizer (dioctyl phthalate), 2 pcr of stabilizer and 150 pcr of calcium carbonate.

In parallel, still by calendering, a 0.6 mm thermodiffusing layer (2) was prepared. thick from a homogeneous mixture containing 100 pcr of PVC, 50 pcr of the same plasticizer, 2 pcr of the same stabilizer, and 150 pcr of lamellar talc, marketed by CYPRUS INDUSTRIAL MINERALS Co. under the name MISTRON VAPOR.

The two layers (3) and (2) are heat-bonded to the calender, then on the free face of the heat-diffusing layer (2), a linear polyester sheet (1) 30 microns thick, pre-adhesive, is heat-sealed, marketed by ICI under the name MELINEX 301. On leaving the doubler, the complex is finally grained on the visible face (1).

• - consumée, selon la norme NF-T-54356 ou selon la norme CSTB_-D4 : on n'obtient aucune dégradation, pas de fusion ni de carbonisation, seulement une légère trace brune superficielle ;
• - écrasée, selon norme CSTB-D4 : on obtient aucune marque, aucune trace.

On the complex obtained, cigarette resistance tests are carried out, namely:

• - consumed, according to standard NF-T-54356 or according to standard CSTB _- D4: no degradation, no fusion or carbonization is obtained, only a slight superficial brown trace;
• - overwritten, according to CSTB-D4 standard: no marks, no traces are obtained.

Example 2:

Example 1 is repeated, replacing the talc with a micro-mica with a fine particle size.

In the test with the consumed cigarette, only a slightly more marked brown trace is observed than in Example 1. The test with the smashed cigarette gives the same results.

Example 3:

Example 1 is repeated, replacing the talc with calcium carbonate.

In the cigarette burn test, carbonization of the surface layer and a black spot encrusted in the complex are observed, probably due to pyrolysis.

Example 4:

Example 1 is repeated, replacing the base layer (3) with a 3 mm thick polyurethane cellular layer; the connection of the two layers (3) and (2) is carried out by bonding with a polyurethane adhesive. The complex obtained has better comfort and very good soundproofing while also having very good resistance to smoked or smoked cigarettes.

• - une bonne résistance mécanique à l'usure et à l'éraillage ;
• - une bonne résistance à la cigarette consumée et à la cigarettè écrasée ;
• - la facilité à le colorer ou à l'imprimer, ce qui le rend particulièrement esthétique ;
• - la facilité d'entretien ;
• - la facilité pour le fabriquer industriellement en continu, sans nécessiter d'intervention sur le lieu de pose;
• - la facilité de pose.

The floor covering according to the invention has many advantages compared to those marketed to date. We can cite :

• - good mechanical resistance to wear and to scraping;
• - good resistance to consumed cigarettes and smoked cigarettes;
• - the ease of coloring or printing it, which makes it particularly aesthetic;
• - ease of maintenance;
• - the facility to manufacture it industrially continuously, without requiring intervention on the installation site;
• - ease of installation.

In this way, this floor covering can be successfully used in public places, in sports and leisure halls, or in public transport.

Claims (10)

1 / Complex plastic floor covering, consisting of a thin layer (1) of visible surface, associated with a heat-diffusing layer (2), characterized in that the thin surface layer (1) is made of linear polyester. 2 / coating according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat-diffusing layer (2) is based on PVC and is optionally associated on its other face either with a base layer (3) also in PVC, or with a cellular layer, or a combination of these two elements. 3 / A coating according to claim 2, characterized in that the heat-diffusing layer (2) is made of PVC with the addition of lamellar mineral fillers dispersed in PVC, conductive of heat, stable at 250 ° C, capable of adhering to PVC. 4 / A coating according to claim 3, characterized in that the lamellar mineral fillers of the heat-diffusing layer (2) _are selected from the group consisting of talc, mica, aluminum silicate, kaolin, calcined or not, quartz , alkaline silico-aluminates such as feldspar or nepheline with a lamellar structure, at a rate of 50 to 300 pcr, preferably 150 pcr. 5 / coating according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat-diffusing layer (2) is colored in the mass or is printed on the face intended to come into contact with the surface layer (1) transparent in linear polyester. 6 / coating according to claim 1, characterized in that the thin surface layer (1) of linear polyester is heat sealed to the heat-diffusing layer (2). 7 / coating according to claim 1, character dried in that the thin surface layer (1) of linear polyester is adhesive-bonded, then is bonded to the heat-diffusing layer (2). 8 / coating according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the surface layer (1) of linear polyester has a thickness between 10 and 200 microns. 9 / coating according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the heat-diffusing layer (2) in PVC has a thickness between 200 microns and 2.5 millimeters. 10 / Complex plastic floor covering, characterized in that it comprises: - an apparent surface layer (1) of linear polyester with a thickness between 10 and 100 microns; - a heat-diffusing layer (2), associated with the surface layer (1), based on PVC, supplemented with lamellar mineral fillers dispersed in PVC, stable at 250 ° C, liable to adhere to PVC, conductive of heat , chosen from the group consisting of talc, mica, aluminum silicate, kaolin, quartz, alkali silico-aluminates such as feldspar or nepheline, at a rate of 50 to 300 pcr: - optionally a base layer (3), also made of PVC, associated with the back of the heat-diffusing layer (2); - possibly a layer of cellular backing in plasticized PVC, polyurethane or rubber.

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