Laminate flooring with two layer footfall nose absorption

Details Laminate flooring with two layer footfall nose absorption Laminate flooring with two layer footfall nose absorption

2002-10-15

2004-11-16

Nakarani, D. S. (Department: 1773)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Structurally defined web or sheet

Including components having same physical characteristic in...

C428S044000, C428S050000, C428S213000, C428S332000, C428S334000, C428S511000, C428S512000, C428S513000, C428S514000, C428S521000, C428S522000, C428S523000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06818286

ABSTRACT:

The invention relates to a floor covering with a footfall noise-absorbing layer, as frequently used in houses and apartments, and a manufacturing process for the floor covering. A floor covering of this kind is known from the patent specification WO 01/09461.
A rigid floor covering may consist of wood, wood materials and/or synthetic material. Laminate flooring made from individual panels and laid as a floating floor is already a known type of floor covering. An individual panel may consist, for example, of an HDF carrier board with a laminate layer applied to this, which is responsible, amongst other factors, for the appearance of the floor.
When people move around in a room which is fitted with rigid floor panels, the development of noise is considerably greater than in rooms fitted with carpets or resilient floor coverings such as PVC. The development of noise is based on reflections from shock waves, which are introduced into the floor by walking. The amplitude spectrum of the shock waves and/or noise waves depends on the limits room—floor, floor—under-floor, and on the noise absorption of the various layers. The development of noise is particularly large, if a layer of air is trapped between two layers, e.g. between the laminate flooring and the solid floor beneath it.
In order to reduce the development of footfall noise during walking, various matting-like materials such as Noppa-foam, cork, polymer-bonded matting made from recycled rubber and cork, corrugated cardboard or soft wood-fibre fleeces are used as an underlay beneath a rigid floor covering and above the solid floor. However, the noise-absorbing effect achieved in this manner is unsatisfactory. Accordingly, attempts have already been made to glue the named matting-like materials directly on to the reverse of the rigid floor covering, e.g. onto the base of a flooring panel. One disadvantage is that such processes are technology intensive and consequently involve high costs. Overall, the noise reduction is unsatisfactory by comparison with the technological investment.
Accordingly, a noise-absorbing film which is fitted with an adhesive strip is known from the patent specification DE 196 20 987 C1. This noise-absorbing film is supposed to be glued onto the under side of a rigid floor covering, in order to reduce the development of footfall noise on the floor.
The specification DE 43 29 766 A1 discloses a polymer material for footfall noise absorption in flooring.
According to DE 38 35 638 A1, a noise-absorbing material made from expandable polystyrene is used as a noise-absorbing layer for rigid floor coverings.
Firmly attaching a layer made from a thermoplastic material to the floor covering in order to achieve good noise-absorbing properties is known from WO 01/09461 A1.
With the prior art, a disadvantageous, relatively thick, noise-absorbing layer is generally required, in order to achieve the desired effect. Laying thick floor coverings in a building routinely causes problems because laminate flooring must not be thick because of doors and floors in adjoining rooms. Otherwise, steps to adjoining rooms are formed or doors can no longer be opened or closed. Steps are visually undesirable and present a risk of tripping. Doors have to be modified to the altered floor height.
By contrast with the previously named prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a floor covering which provides very good noise-absorbing properties, so that the noise-absorbing layer can be very thin. The further object of the invention is to create a process with which the floor covering according to the invention can be manufactured in a simple manner.
The object of the invention is achieved in a floor covering with the features of the first claim. A process for the manufacture of the floor covering provides the features of the first dependent claim. Advantageous embodiments are provided in the subordinate claims.
The floor covering according to claim
1
provides a layer made from a thermoplastic material on its underside. The layer made from thermoplastic material is attached firmly to the floor covering. The floor covering consists of wood, wood materials and/or synthetic materials.
A thermoplastic material is a material which becomes soft and fluid when it exceeds a temperature dependent upon the material. In this condition, the material can be formed and can be applied to the underside of the floor covering by coating or rolling and can, therefore, be attached firmly to the floor covering in the sense of the invention.
The material solidifies when it falls below the above-named temperature.
The above-named properties of the thermoplastic material allow it to be attached to the underside of the rigid floor covering by coating or rolling at increased temperatures. Noise waves are transferred through the firm connection directly into the noise-absorbing layer without reflection at the boundary layer. This therefore dispenses with a substantial cause for the lack of noise absorption which is problematic in flooring according to the prior art as described above. The result is a very good absorption of noise.
The underside of the noise-absorbing, thermoplastic layer is attached to another thin layer and, indeed, especially to a layer of paper. The firm connection between this further thin layer and the thermoplastic layer also improves the noise-absorbing properties.
The noise-absorbing layer made from thermoplastic material should ideally be firmly attached to the floor, for example, the solid floor, on which the panels are placed. In practice, this is too expensive. It has now been shown that the noise-absorbing properties of the thermoplastic layer can be further improved by comparison with the prior art named in the introduction, if its underside is not simply placed on a solid floor or similar, but is instead attached at the underside to a further thin layer such as a paper. With a suitably selected layer, that is, with a suitably selected paper, a layer thickness of the noise-absorbing layer of less than 2 mm is adequate to achieve very good noise-absorbing properties.
By comparison with the thermoplastic layer, the other layer does not provide noise-absorbing effects. The other layer may consist entirely or partially of a synthetic resin. It is thinner than the layer made from thermoplastic material.
Manufacturing is simple, because the thermoplastic material merely has to be warmed and applied by coating or rolling. Major technical investment is therefore not required. The thermoplastic material is applied in a pore-free manner, which also promotes the noise-absorbing effect of the thermoplastic layer.
The invention can in principle be used with every floor covering. However, the problem on which the invention is based occurs particularly with rigid floor coverings such as laminate or parquet flooring. A rigid floor covering generally consists of wood, wood materials (HDF or MDF) and/or synthetic material.
A thickness of at least 0.1 mm of the noise-absorbing layer has proved expedient. A thickness of 2 mm of the noise-absorbing layer of thermoplastic material should not been exceeded. Otherwise, the panels will become excessively thick. Moreover, the expenditure on materials is not in an economical proportion to the effect achieved.
In experiments, a thickness of 0.3 mm of the thermoplastic layer has proved advantageous, in order to combine the desired goals of “thin panel” and “very good footfall noise absorption”. The prerequisite in this case is the use of a further layer, for example, the use of a particularly well-suited paper.
Of course, the most suitable layer thickness for the thermoplastic layer depends on the material used and will therefore vary in each individual case.
In particular, polymers or copolymers are provided as thermoplastic material. Those polymers or copolymers which provide a pronounced physical relaxation behaviour within the range of room temperature are preferable. Examples of thermoplastic polymers with a pronounced physical relaxation behaviour within the room-temperature range are

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