Nov. 22, 1960
R. J. RAINAR
METHOD OF MAKING RESILIENT SMOOTH-SURFACED
FLOOR COVERING MATERIALS
2,961,029
Filed June 7, 1956
DECORATIVE
WEAR- RESISTANT LAYER
BEATER SATURATED FELT
HAVING A BUTADIENE
STYRENE COPOLYMER BINDER
FOAMED AND VULCANIZED
RUBBER LATEX
INVENTOR
ROBERT J. RANYAR
4Z4?1.76m
ATTORNEY
United States Patent " ‘
"ice
_
72,961,029
‘Patented Nov. 22,196__0
2
1
floor covering comprising in combination a water-repel
lent beater saturated felt containing butadiene-styrene
2,961,029
METHOD OF MAKING RE'SILIENT SMOOTH
' I SURFACED FLOOR COVERING MATERIALS
5.
Robert J. Rainar, Manor Township, Lancaster County,
Pa., assignor to Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster,
_ Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania
Filed June 7, 1956, Ser. No. 589,858
10 Claims. (Cl. 154-25)
copolymer deposited on the felt ?bers as a binder for
the ?bers. Adhered to one surface of the felt without
adhesives is a decorative wear-resistant layer, preferably
of linoleum composition or of a vinyl chloride resin
plasticizer-?ller composition. Adhered to the other surface of the felt without adhesives is a layer of foamed‘
and vulcanized latex containing at least about 50% by
weight mineral ?ller based on the weight of rubber solids
in the foam.
The attached drawing illustrates the laminate structure
of the ?oor covering prepared by the process of the
present invention.
This invention relates generally to resilient smooth-sur 15 One of the surprising features of the present invention
is that the backing material for both the wearing surface
faced ?oor covering materials, and more particularly to
and the foamed rubber layer must meet certain narrow
such ?oor covering materials having a foam backing.
and rigid requirements. Backings for foamed rubber
Still more particularly, it relates to a foam-backed ?oor
used in the past for other products have all achieved
surfacing material which possesses to a high degree the
requisite characteristics of a sturdy, long-lived, comfort 20 good >key—that is, good adhesion between the foamed
rubber and the backing, by mechanical means.
able ?ooring material. The invention also relates to a
In the past, one or more layers of a rubber foam or
cellular structure have been placed on various other ma
terials in order to impart a soft, resilient structure to the
?nished article. Such articles have been useful as up
2,5
holstery, shoe products, crash pads, table coverings, and
articles of wearing apparel such as brassieres. There has
not been developed, however, any practical method for
making a resilient smooth-surfaced ?ooring material 30
which incorporates a foam rubber backing as an integral -;
part of the flooring. There has been good reason for this
situation.
,
‘
'
The
foam has physically penetrated the fabric backing and
on ‘vulcanization has become ?rmly and mechanically
?xed. This type of mechanical key is not possible with
method of making such ?oor surfacing materials.
.
Flooring materials must posses'certain characteristics
a ?oor covering, since the backing must possess charac
teristics of strength, ?exibility, and others not met in any
but the ?ooring art. The backing in the flooring art is
of such nature that a permanent chemical and/ or mechan
ical key between the backing and the foam has been
difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. Yet a strong, ?rm
.key between the backing and the foam is essentialif the
flooring is to remain in place in use once it has‘ been per
manently installed on the sub-?oor by the use of ad
hesives. It has now been found that a strong permanent
to. be useful. They must be strong, wear-resistant, water 35 chemical and/or mechanical key can be obtained so long
and alkali-resistant. Additionally, they must feel.com~
as certain conditions are met.
can be permanently adhered to a sub?oor by means of
adhesives and must lend themselves to installations of
as opposed to a fabric. Secondly, the ?bers in the felt
must be coated with a butadiene-styrene copolymer in
‘order that a proper chemical key can be achieved be
;
The backing for ?ooring materials must be prepared
fortable under foot; they must not emit a hollow sound
in a certain way With certain ingredients if the backing
when the foot strikes the wearing surface. They must
is to serve as a support, both for a suitable decorative
possess unusual indentation properties in order that heavy
furniture and heavy tra?ic will not permanently deform 40 wearing surface and a suitable foam backing. In the
?rst place, the supporting layer must be a felted product
the ?ooring. They must be so manufactured that they
intricate shape and varied pattern. Additionally, most
?ooring materials must be fabricated on equipment which 45 tween the felted supporting layer and the foamed rubber
backing. 'A' felt having thes'e'characteristics' must-be pre
utilizes heat and pressure and which forms a hard, non
‘ pared by the beater saturation process if it is to possess
porous. article in order to meet the above-described re
‘the requisite strength for use in ?ooring materials. The
quirements. .This type of manufacturing process‘ is ex
term “beater saturated felt” as used herein de?nes a felt
actly the opposite of the type of procedure necessary to
prepared by well-known beater saturation technics.
form an article to Which a rubber foam will adhere.
‘Although foam rubber articles in the form of sheets -~
and pads have been used as underlayments for soft-sur
faced rugs and carpets, such underlayments cannot be
used for the resilient smooth surface ?oorings in view of
the peculiar requirements of such ?oorings. Thus, not 55
The ?bers from which the felt is made may be of
various kinds.’ Rag furnish is preferred, but there may
also be used asbestos, cotton linters, and other long ?bers
commonly used in the manufacture of felt as a support
ing‘layer in ?ooring material's.
.
only has there not been described in the past a unitary ~
article. of a wearing surface and a foam backing as a
?ooring, but it has not been possible to achieve a com
bination of smooth surface resilient ?ooring on a sup
The material to be deposited on the ?bers in a chest
is‘critical. The binder must be a butadiene-styrene co
Itegral part thereof a foamed rubber backing; no adhe
characteristics for a ?ooring felt binder and does not
possesses the requisite stringent characteristics which
necessarily de?ne a suitable floor covering. A further
object is to present a method of. making such a ?oor
covering. Other objects and: advantages ‘will be appar 70
neoprene has an adverse effect on the felt.
polymer containing between about 20% and 55% sty
rene, usually between 45% and 50% styrene, and pref
porting layer and a foamed rubber underlayment by any 60 erably about 50% styrene. It is completely unexpected
to ?nd that the butadiene-styrene copolymers are the
practical means.
only operable binders in the present invention. Neoprene
2 It is the primary object of the present invention to pre
v(polychloroprene) does not possess the proper aging
sent a resilient smooth-surfaced ?ooring having as an in.
sives of any kind are present in they ?ooring. It is a 65 allow a good permanent chemical key between the felt
and the foam rubber. Additionally, the acidic nature of
further object to present such a flooring material which
snti'nthe discussion below
"The invention contemplates a‘- resilient
; smooth‘
.r surface
Butadiené
acrylonitrile copolymers do not allow the formation of
a suitable key between the felt and the foam in ?ooring
applications. Natural rubber does not. form suitable
sheets for ?ooring, applicationsby the beater saturation
t'echnics. Asphalt saturated sheets act like‘ neoprene sat;
“£961,029 4.
urat'ed sheets; they result in poor permanent keys between '
i
>
about 50% to about 70% by weight of the wearing sur- ‘ ‘
the fel't'and ‘the foam and additionally attack and‘ dete
riorate'the foam. Alkyd resins commonly used to after
face composition.‘ ' ‘The‘?llermay‘include a‘ preponderhnt 3
portion by volume of ?brous ?ller such as wood ?our,‘ , ‘ '
impregnate flooringfelts do not allow the formation of
cork particles, asbestos and other mineral ?bers, and the 1
‘a permanent" key‘ of . su'?icient strength‘ ‘between the’ felt
a
1 like.’ The remainder or the total-of ‘the ?ller component 3
is comprised generally of ?nely divided particles such as‘ _ ‘
ZlAHCPthe‘ foam;‘additionally, driers used in‘ ‘the "oil alkyds
cause~ rapid: aging of the natural rubberfo‘arn. '- Thus, ‘out
whiting (calcium carbonate), clay, silica, slate ?our, and 7
ofa large list of binder material normally‘used‘ ‘in v?oor
similar non?brous ?ller material; - The ?nal mixture may"
ing' felts to. achieve the (necessary water‘repellencynand‘l ‘
other physical characteristics, only’lthe'butadicne-styrene
cop'olymers‘are suitable. I. This is completely unexpected.
‘It is essential that‘thje butadi‘enelstyr‘ene‘ copolymersv be
alsdinclud‘eysmalh‘but e?ectiveyamounts'gf' welieknown- i‘ 10 vulcanizing agents,‘ curing accelerators, lubricants, pig-I
‘ rner_1‘ts,'andv the like,rpar.ticula_rly 1 where a . curable syn~
thetic rubber is 'admixedlwithpthe vinyllchloride ‘resin. :
‘placed onthef?bers‘ b'y' the‘jbe‘ater' saturationtechni‘c and
The total, amount of' such compounding agents, when
‘styrene ‘cop'olym'er‘s after‘the felt has‘been‘formed, in
phthalate, butyl‘ octyl phthalate, and tricresyl'phosphate,
not by‘ one of ‘the "many‘after-impregnation‘technicm ‘If .r; used at all,'is-.generally"up Tto?about. 10%. by weight“ of ‘
an attempt is. made .to. impregnate .a felt .withl‘but'adi'ene 15' the ?ller.’ In‘additio‘n. to the plasticizers such as dioc‘tyl'
' complete "impregnation takes ‘place; "This will. be true
; unless the felt is loosely made. to allow adequate pene
other, well-known plasticizers such as epoxidized drying
oil acids may be used.
tration of-the butadienerst‘yrene copolymer. But in such'
‘
The syntheticrubber latex fromwhich the foam‘rbacki ‘
ingis prepared’ maybe made‘by. emulsion polymerize‘;
‘case the .felt is'th'en 'insu?iciently strong ‘to serve as a
supportfor the ‘decorative wearing surface ‘for-(?ooring
tion by methods well-known in ‘the prior‘gart. The late;
materials. This is also true of felts 'afteraimpregnated
to be ‘formed is‘one of hi’ghi‘rubber content, for example
with natural rubber.
50%‘ to 72%,:and may be prepared in low or “high solids
I
.
.
' ' The amount'of'butadiene-styrene copolymer to- be de
posited on the ?bers may vary within certain limits.
‘Amounts less. than about 10%, by weight copolymer
V
directly" by‘ emulsion polymerization orr‘by
25 concentration
centrifuging, ‘c'reaming; or otherwise concentrating low
‘ solids latices; .‘Conventional-jmodifying: agents such as
based on the dry weight ‘of the ?bersdo not‘ yield‘ a sui?~
vulcanizing agents Q (preferably sulfur), antioxidants,"
‘ciently strong sheet for flooring purposes, and additionally '7 emulsion"stabilizers,thickening-agents,accelerators}gel-el '7
fbegin to’diminish the. strengthof the chemical keytbe
ling "agents, ?llers; coloring‘agents;v and other modifying
tween the beater saturatedv felt ‘and ‘the foam backing. 30 materials areaddedto‘ the-,‘latenprior to or during‘tlie .
0n the other hand, more than about 80%“by weight
butadiene-styrene copolymer' basedon thedry weight ‘of r
foamref'ormation
‘the. ?bers produces‘ a rubbery sheetfwhich‘m'ayi'bejoo
‘invention ‘an’ 1115503115 and‘ other organic chemical?
operation.~
.
*
_
“
l.
:TheLemulsifying agents “used inlthe practice of
‘
‘
?exible and which’ haspo'oncutt'ing characteristicsxwhen t ' compounds ‘which have "both hydrophilic, and hydro?
‘serving as'a supporting lay‘erforza ‘.decorativef'wearin'g 35 phobieradicals so as’ to; promote; the mixing of oil-rand
surface‘ in ‘flooring materials. 'About?‘l15f%—l3'0%“fby
It; Tw'cight copolymer is preferred. _
pounds
water-miscible
emulsions.
is‘kn'own
so. formed.
ingredients
and availablefcommercially.
A"inwide
“the variety
latex- and
of stabilize‘
,theseqcomé
'AFor‘ex- " " ‘
Although the wearing ‘surface may ‘be any of‘ those
"_ idecorative wearing surfaces customarily employed in 5 i
ample, ‘potassium 'oleate‘ "soap, rosin'ateEsoaps,fsoditint
vthe ?ooring art, such as‘printed’?lm's, rubber composi 40 stearate;“_po't_‘assium ‘lauryl “sulfate,sulfonatedjhydrocari 5 ’
_ ' ‘tions,>and ‘other surfacing materialsfit ‘is preferred that
bons, and sodium ,alkyl “naphthalent. sulfate ‘ are ‘examples;
‘the wearing surface 'be a linoleum composition or a'vin'yl
of ‘typical wetting
In the‘practicegof
agents ‘useful‘the
in present’
stabilizing
invention;
‘the lateii
‘it '
chloride resin-plasticizer-V?ller composition. '
emulsions.
‘ Linoleum compositions are made from ‘linoleum cement 1 -
and ?ller such as wood ?our,‘ ?nely ground calcium 45
carbonate, and‘ other conventional ‘?llers and'other addi:
‘tives.
Linoleum cements typically are made ‘from ‘ a
drying oil and a resin, usually rosin, by‘a..number‘ of
methods which result 'in the production vof a‘ siccative
_
V
_
has "been found .‘that a soap formed ‘from ‘a 'mixture'of‘
higher fatty acids containing ~linoleic,Yl_inolenic, andgoleieq
.acids vyields a more desirable soap on treatingthe acids"
with the amount of potassium hydroxide‘ solution needed, ‘‘
'for neutralization,
lFor‘the. purposes of av ?ooring‘baclgl . ‘
I a
.ing," ‘a foam prepared with’ a rr;ixture_of these soaps is“ '
oil-resin ,gel by oxidizing and polymerizing .the- drying 50 superior to'a‘foam prepared" with‘, the earlier described‘;wv _‘
‘Oil, generally in the presence of ‘the resinous ‘material. 7
‘,Such cements are generally ‘made'with linseed .oil, ‘al
though in recent years the linseed oil has beenreplaced
.wholly or in 'part by tall oil,‘ tall oil fatty acids, or tall .
moreconventional soaps. ‘ These latter emulsifying agents >
serve ‘an additional role of g-foalming‘ agents and?furthefr‘ > .
‘aid ‘in maintaining the froth or ‘foam in a stable‘form until the curinggoperation :is completed.
7
V ,
.
1 oil esters. Thelinoleum compositions may ‘contain small 55 V The foamablelatex‘composition must contain‘a gelling
amounts of a compatible syn-thetic‘rubber‘; In‘any case,
agent to induce‘ theformation of' a‘ ‘stable solid foam);
' ‘the'plinoleum compositions are calendered onto‘ sheets ‘and '
‘the resulting product cured and otherwise treated to pro
duce the. well-known linoleum so useful .as a ?ooring
material.
.
'
1
'
‘In ‘recent years, a resilient smooth surface ?oor ‘cover
‘ing has been ‘produced by ‘forming a composition con
'ftaining ?llerand a binder that includes a vinyl chloride ~
_ Sodium ?uorosilicate'tNAzsiFe) is the gellingagent of _
choice, although ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate,
and 2-nitro-2y-methyl-l-propanolfmay‘be used.‘ Although‘ '
it occasionally may be desirable to ‘use two orgmore“ ‘ ‘
gelling agents, for -.example sodium ?uorosilicate
ammonium sulfatersuch is‘ not necessary.
._
,
'
1
Sensitizers, antioxidants,‘ and‘lultra accelerators ‘should
~resin and a plasticizer ‘for the resin, preferably. ofjthe
be used as is conventional in the rubber
A common‘
‘ester type. The composition isicalendered' into ‘a sheet 65 sensitizing agent for foam useful in 'the?ooriug
“is
or it may be molded or otherwise formed, and then it
_triethyl trimethylenef triamine sensitizer sold under‘lthe. .
may be adhered to a backing. The vinyl chloride resin
“name .“Trime'ni: Base." The antioxidant‘ may be phenyl
:may be polyvinyl chloride or a polyvinyl .chloridefvinyl ; beta-naphthalamine, di-béta-naphthol-Iama-phenylenedif
’
‘
;,‘ajcetfate copolymer usually containing about "l';2%.-1,5'%
‘by weight vinyl acetate, ‘or mixtures thereof. .The'bin‘der 70
generally contains between about.70% to ‘about 90%
‘by ‘weight of the vinyl chloride resin and about 30% to
j-about 10% by weight of the plasticizer or plasticizer
amine, and l the heptyl diphenylamines'
‘
'‘
.
Suitable ‘ultra '7
‘
accelerators are-‘activated dithiocarbamate {Setsit-‘Si‘Se‘t- 1' >. >
sit-9), zinc‘ ‘dimethyldithiocarbamate, zinc‘ diethyldithio
carbarnate, zinc.pdibutyldithiocarbamate, or others which
“provide maximum curing activity.
»
.1
i‘
lj'mixture. ‘Compatible ‘syntheticjrubbersi' may 'begpresen't.
‘Modifying'agentssuc‘h as caster .oillmay'beaddedlto ‘ ‘
when admires-1 with ?ller; theg?llefr' generally ‘comprises 75 .improveithe slash? grannies .Iof1th? .fQféimgiilihQllzg'llfwith _ r
L
2,961,02Q
6
5
The foam is delivered to the pointwhéi‘é used by;
a foam to be used for-?ooring materials, care must be
taken not to render the foam too elastic. In view of the
use as a ?ooring’, the cell tack in the foam must be
means of ?exible hoses. Since a continuous process’ is’
the only practical type of process for flooring applica~
reduced, and this can be accomplished best by the addi
tions, the foam is delivered to a point where it may be
tion of a
emulsion such as an emulsion of para?in
wax in water. Fillers such as carbon black, magnesium
placed upon the felt-wearing surface combination de-_
scribed earlier. The combination may be unrolled and’
passed down a table underneath a doctor blade, or roll,
or similar device, felt side up. The foam is deposited
should be added to stiffen the foam. Carbon black may
along the width of the moving felt to form a puddle or
serve this role and in addition will serve to impart color
to the ?nal product. Dyes or pigments may be added to 10 bank of foam behind the doctor mechanism. The doc
tor mechanism should preferably be chilled to retard
controlthe color as desired.
oxide, zinc oxide, and preferably calcium carbonate,
, It is in the ?ller content that the foam suitable for use
premature coagulation of the foam. The thickness of
in the combination of the present invention departs most
widely from prior foams. Prior foams seldom, if ever,
the foam deposited is easily adjusted by maintaining the’
exceed a ?ller content of about 35% by weight based on 15
felt. For ?ooring material application, the foam thick-5‘
the weight of the rubber solids. Such a low loading
ness will vary between about 1/32" and M4". The stiff-~
ness and ?exibility characteristics of the decorative wearing surface determine to a signi?cant extent the thick-z,
ness of the foam on the other side of the felt. Sti?er:
proper spacing between the doctor mechanism and the'
has been found unsuitable for use in a ?ooring material.
The foam must contain at least about 50% by weight min
eral inorganic ?ller based on the weight of the rubber
,
solids in the foam and preferably about 75% by weight in 20 wearing surfaces call for thicker foam backing.
Once the foam has been deposited on the felt support~
order that the foam will exhibit suitable compression
ing layer, su?‘icient time must be allowed for the foam to:
characteristics to be useful in combination with the decor
gel. The time is largely controlled by the amount of‘
ative‘wear surface and the felt supporting layer described
gelling agent added, which should be such that gelation;
earlier. The preferred ?ller is a ?nely ground mineral
inorganic ?ller customarily employed in the rubber art, 25 occurs within about 2 to 5 minutes from the time the
foam has passed beneath the doctor mechanism. If the;
or equivalent ?llers giving suitable compression charac—
gel time of the foam is too short, the‘foam may gelkin'.
teristics. These ?llers are readily dispersible. in latices.
the bank behind the doctor mechanism. If the gel time;
Among the preferred mineral inorganic ?llers are calcium
is too long, the felt supporting layer may absorb su?i-x
carbonate, clays, silica, slate ?our, and the like; calcium
carbonate ?ller is the ?ller of choice.
30 cient water to destroy the structure of the foam. Geli
time is also related to some extent to the water absorpe;
The latex to be used in preparing the foam useful in‘
tivity of the felt. It is for this reason that the felt must,
the present invention should be either a natural hevea
have some degree of water-repellency. Otherwise the
latex or one which has been replaced to the extent of up
foam structure would be destroyed as soon'as the un-v
to about 50% by weight with a butadiene-styrene co
gelled foam contacted the felt.
Subsequent to gelation, the foam is cured or vulcanized‘,
by heating to an elevated temperature, preferably in the;
The latex should be blended with the sensitizer and the
range of about 175 °—210° F. until the foam is dry and
soap, and the vulcanizing dispersion, in part or all, added
cured. A preferred embodiment of the present invenj
along with the wax emulsion, and the mixture allowed
to mature. The rate of maturation depends both on time 40 tion entails heating and curing the foam under radiant’
heaters. Alternatively, the ?ooring may be suspended
and temperature, the higher the temperature, the shorter
in suitable stoves or ovens which are then raised to the.
the time. A good time temperature relationship has
requisite temperature and maintained at that tempera-.
been found to be 16 hours at about 85° F. During ma~
ture until drying and curing are completed.
turation, the mix must be maintained under proper agi
tation such that no settling out ofany of the ingredients 45 The following examples illustrate speci?c embodiments _
of the present invention:
occurs but such that no air is beaten into the mix.
The matured batch is then mixedwith further small
Example I
amounts of the‘ triethyl trimethylene triamine sensitizer
A
felt
supporting
layer
measuring 0.043" in thickness~
and the potassium fatty acid soap. The ultra accelerator,
polymer latex; preferably the latex will be a 70:30 rub
ber latex mixture of heveazbutadiene-styrene copolymer.
was made by the beater saturated technic from‘ a. rag,
the pigments, and the inorganic mineral ?ller, or equiva-
furnish on which had been‘ deposited 20% by ‘weight,
butadiene-styrenecopolymer (50% styrene) based on the.“
lent, are also added and thoroughly intermixed with the
other ingredients. The?ller is preferably added in the
form of ‘a slurry.
dry weight of the ?bers.
.
duce ‘a froth or a foam.‘ Suitable apparatus to accom
plish the foaming is the Oakes foamer or blender, a
Hobart foamer, a Marco foamer, or any device which
5,0250 mixture of vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate co-‘
The following mixture was formed into a sheet, cooled,.‘
The compounded and matured latex is then vigorously
agitated or whipped with air, nitrogen, or the like to pro 55 and broken up into chips.
Pounds:
polymer containing 5% vinyl acetate,‘ and vinyl
chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 13%’
will incorporate a gas into the mixture to form a foam.
To prevent premature coagulation, it is preferred that 60
vinyl acetate
157
'
the zinc oxide in the form of a slurry be added at the
5% vinyl acetate _________________________ _- '94,
foaming head. The sodium ?uorosilicate or equivalent
Butyl octyl phthalate-dioctyl phthalate mixture con'
gelling agent may also be added at the foaming head,
taining 60% by Weight dioctyl phthalate _____ __ 24
but it is preferred to add the ?uorosilicate during an addi
tional blending operation subsequent to the actual froth 65 Dioctyl phthalate ______________________ __‘_,__, ‘23f
Epoxidized soya bean fatty acids ______________ _-_‘ 8.5 "
ing or foaming operation. Thus, a preferred embodi
Barium, cadmium soap ___________________ __'__.“ 8_
ment of the process contemplates adding the zinc oxide
Disodium
stay L) orthophosphate on clay carrier_ ' '(Van-' ‘_3.v'51_
"
slurry at’the foaming head during froth or foam forma
tion, passing the foam to a secondary blender, adding the
SO-mesh limestone plus pigments ________ _l__.;_';_452j
sodium ?uorosilicate at this point, and then distributing
The chips were deposited on the felt supporting layer’;
the ?nal mixture to the point where it is to be applied to
the felt supporting layer. The temperature during the
and subjected to heat and pressure in molding presses
foaming steps is preferably maintained within the range
of about 50°-75° 1F., and more preferably between about
5‘5°-60° F.
-
‘
‘
‘
“
Vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer containing
to consolidate the mixture on the felt.
=
After cooling, the above material, feltv side ‘11115..
1;
as,
75 passed down a table, at one end of which was tuo'tiftttui~
2591613029" ‘
1 agdoctor. muv in the-form
foam-backed material; Additionally; the standing due‘tol' ~
of a ‘ chilled ‘cylinder. Foam
Was.;d€livered;along the width of the~felt supporting layer ' ‘
behind-1
,. Thefoamwajs
.the‘doetormllmade-yes . follows;
'
‘p "
trai?ciand'other causes‘ offtheioam-backed 'mater-ial‘was. -
appreciably less than that'noted, in the conventional ?oor? >
c p
irigmate‘nials. ,_Th'e foam-backed material .was ‘jquieteru . . 1
,A latex dispersion was-.made'containingthefollowing
and more‘ comfortable under foot‘ andididqafzhetter job ‘
el-iniinating-showLthrough of ?oor irregularities":
_
'
"Ai‘felti'w'a‘s' preparedias'in Example r. '1
‘10
“
ring-mp1s 11'
Linoleiin'i c'mposition
l ‘
"
-
‘ 1“.
,
i
' from 73 parts byw
as" prepared‘
weight wood ?our, 117 parts by‘weight‘ f‘Whiting” (call - I , '
mum-carbonate); and 112 parts ibyi weight of a‘standardp
linoleum 'cement made of an‘ oxidized} mixture ‘c‘ontainin‘g‘if, '
56%‘ of thejpar't-ial esters o‘f‘r tall oil and'pentaerythritoli
15
and ‘44% linseed oil. VThe-compositlion'was sheeted out" .
to-form‘blankets,‘ and thefblanlgets were adhered to the‘felt M
by‘hot‘ calendering in accordance‘withi known methods; '
After curingjat- 195", F.’ for l2'da'ys” the ‘productwasi v‘ 7'
.A: vulcaniz‘ing‘dis'pérsion containing-the following in
‘gradients ‘was. well‘ dispersed in- water to. achieve 50%~
solids and was added.v to the ‘above latex‘ composition.
Ingredients :
‘Sulfur
Pound
_.._
;
t_..
‘
‘
'
20 delivered‘to the table for theapplication of foam.
'2
" Sym. di-beta-naphthyl-‘p-V- phenylene diamine
_____~_ ___________ _Y_;_-___.._ 1
Zinc salt of mercaptobenzothiazole (Zetax) _-___ 1
‘
7 of natural latex; no butadieneestyrene" copolymer latex‘1 ‘
Zinc diethyl dithiocarbamate (ethyl Zimate) __., 1
(agerite white)
7
A ‘foam similiar‘tto thatrapplied ‘in'Ex‘a‘mple I'was used,“ '
save that the starting rubber latex consisted of ‘l _60 pounds
was?usedi
25
I
._
7
~
i.
.
V
V
V,
H
‘_
k
‘
After application and cure-iof-the foam in accordance!
withlExlar'nple I, a ?ooring material‘ resulted which; on test
strong, wear-‘and stain-resistant,
itself‘ to be‘comfo‘rtable'
and superior ~under
to'rthe foot“ ‘H;‘ '
'Three pounds of 25a‘ wax emulsion of ‘para'?‘ina'nd water‘ , ' installatiomproved
containing about 50%“ solids was added ‘to'the‘ above ‘two
mixtures. The entire mixture was then maintained at
16 hours at a'temperature of 85° Flv while maintaining
the‘ mixture under agitati'onto“ prevent incorporation or
?ooring without the foam“ backing. f
I" claim:
' pound of an ultra accelerator, namely'activated' dithio
'
‘
v
beater saturated felt containing butadieneé‘styre e
‘To 172.5 pounds 'of’ther matured batch: there was‘ added‘
pound’ of the soap! 0.5
'
‘?oor covering comprising ' forming; a);
air but‘ to maintain‘ the :solids‘ in suspension.
l'poundof the sensitizer and‘
.
l. The method ‘of’ir'nakiri'g‘ a resilient vsiriclaothf:s/‘urfa‘cred“. " "
mer ‘deposited‘on the "?bers as a“ binder ‘ ‘therefor
35
ing on one surface'o'f said sheet‘ afd'ecorati've :
layer, 'subje‘ctinggsaid laye'ftolelevate temp‘e
latex
plyingcontaining
to the. other
a vulcanizing.
surface 'ofsalid‘felt‘
agent; a gellin agent,‘ and“.
‘
.in water of finely divided 'calciumi carbonate (“Calwhite'
T”)“.' When the composition was" thoroughly mixed; ‘it
at least about 50% by weight‘?llerbase'd; onfthe'wei‘ghtf ‘ .
Wasdelivered to an‘ Oakes foamer, where the above‘ 40 of rubber . solids‘ in said ilat‘ex, ‘ leveling ,off 1 said ;mas's" to‘?
amount‘ was ‘blended continuously’ and proportionately
forma ‘foamed latex layer‘ of eventhicknes’s pin, the‘ rang‘ei ’ l ‘
. with 10 pounds of a 570%‘ water :slurry of zinc ‘oxidelin
of 1/32" to 1A”, gelling said foamedlatex layer; and‘h‘eat t
' the presence of‘ nitrogen gas" under ‘pressure. The foam’
‘treating said foamed latex-layer tol'ea‘use‘ drying and"
from'ith'e Oakes' foamer’ head was passed‘ to an Oalces" 'vnlcaniizationthereof.
c “
blender; where it was" proportionately admixed with 45
2. The method nceordin’gto claim
whereiiiisai ‘
‘
2%‘ I pounds (dry basis) ‘ sodium: ?uorosilicatej slurry‘ ‘con
taining 20% solids. From the Oakes blender,- the foam
was delivered by meanslo?'ilexible‘ hoses to the point be
orative wear-resistant layer; comprise linoleum-‘compost: ‘
hind the. doctor. roll asdescrilbed above. » ‘
decorative wear-resistant 'la'y‘e
tion.’
féltf'supporting}layeri'was'1'2 'feet per minute.‘ Therate;
of the foam féed'wa's adjusted to‘. maintain» a'rminimum'
'
_'
c g
'‘
After passing under the‘ doctor'roll, the felt carrying 55.
the foam traveled down a table where inspection’ showed
that‘ itIg'elled. in . 4 -~minutes. v The foam? was then‘ passed ‘I
‘
' t
j '
“
resin-‘plasticizerf?llér' co'rnpo
1ia yinylchloride f ‘
c u
I.
foamed
4. The
latex
method
contains
according
’abo1it'75%7by
{to' cl‘ weig
"
based 'on' the weight ‘of rulbbei'c'solids'inv sad‘
5. The ‘method according ‘to claimztl who 5
saturated sheet ‘contains about} 10%78Q1
tadie‘n‘e-‘styr'en'e oopolyn'ier :depos d .onth
6-The 'method..'<ié.wtdins;to ela-imiiyvherein
7
0111-1’.
saidtQIt; I . V .
under. radian-t heaters: maintained at a temperature-_ of‘
480°~5209 F} Good ‘cure resulted."
~
3. The‘ nie'tlfod‘ according'to
The doctor wasrset to. deliver a ?nishedéfoam thickness 50
offl0.04 "+0I050"l‘(aftercure). The rate'of. feed‘ of’ the
bank behind the doctor roll. 7
‘
contains about 20%-by;weight butadiene-styrene cppoly-j‘ “
‘
The curedfo'am. backing exhibited unusually strong
co» 7.‘ The-method of ’'aking-ia;resilientfsmoothsurfaced"l, ’' '
trasted with the key existing between a. foam-backed f ?oor % . covering-é comprising”? f forming ‘a “t'walt'ererepellent'g ‘
adherence-to the felt supportingrlayer; This :is to ‘be con
beater saturated‘; sheet-"coiitainir‘iga but'adien'e
product prepared Zast described 7 above ~ save that ‘the ‘felt ,
polymer deposited‘ onih'el?b‘er asa binder
“binder. is a 'bntadienewacrylonitrile~copolymer; In'this
lattercase, the foam was, readily peeled from rthejbackingf
veven by hand.
. :The producf‘madeia’s ‘described-in!thisqexamplei pos-j
sessed:all5thelrequisitesof aheavy-dutyw?ooring material;
65
positing ‘on “one ‘ surface“ "of isai
positiojrrand'vinylfchlori
layer-‘selected fronii'the group“; "
Test installation brought tom light the surprising {fact that‘
sition'i
ing to subjecting
the‘other“ ‘saidj'la'yer
surface‘fof‘s V_
periods" on the ?ooring materiadlwere not as/noticeable
tainingga v‘ulcanizing"agent,v ljgellingfag‘eii landfabout .
vthe-Mmarks left by heavy .fnrniture-standing for‘ extended
in‘ the case of the foam-‘{btackedf'mateijial' as they were ‘in
I1‘ ,
latexiof‘at‘ least‘ 50%°by~ ‘eight naturalilat 'x_
,
.
thee-case of similar materialsfprepared‘ion'imorélconvené“
rubber solids in said.‘latex;"levelingjo?isaid mass to form‘:
tional felts without a' ’f_danrf'b?afckin'g';“ ‘residual ! indentation
a. ‘res-med: latex ‘layer of even:
inftl'ie'range‘ 10f‘ “ _ '_ 1‘
V oti-iroainébackétti'materiaii*was" superior’. wither 951mm 75 Jgég" fro l/lz", gelling ‘said foamed latex rlayerqw'zandhea-tj
2,961,029
9
treating said foamed latex layer to cause drying and vul
canization thereof.
8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said
foamed latex comprises a mixture of about 50% by
weight natural rubber latex and about 50% by weight
butacliene-styrene copolymer latex based on the weight of
the rubber solids.
9. The method according to claim 7 wherein said
foamed latex comprises a mixture of about 70% by
weight natural rubber latex and about 30% by weight
butadiene-styrene copolymer latex based on the weight of
rubber solids.
10. The method according to claim 7 wherein said
mineral ?ller comprises calcium carbonate.
10
References Cited in the ?le of this patent
UNITED STATES PATENTS
1,912,671
2,163,289
2,458,750
2,626,886
Van Horn ____________ __ June 6,
Pennel et a1. _________ __ June 20,
Trepp _______________ __ Jan. 11,
Scholl _______________ -_ Jan. 27,
1933
1939
1949
1953
2,629,678
2,720,476
2,759,865
2,802,765
2,816,852
Thompson et al. ______ __ Feb. 24, 1953
883,341
Germany ____________ __. July 16, 1953
Baymiller ____________ __ Oct. 11, 1955
Kolb _______________ __ Aug. 21, 1956
Baymiller ___________ __ Aug. 13, 1957
Banks ______________ __ Dec. 17, 1957
FOREIGN PATENTS
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE
_ CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION
Patent No“ 2,961,029
November 22, 1960
Robert J“ Rainar
It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered pat
ent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as
corrected below.
Column 1'‘ line 34iv _ for "posses" read ‘--- possess -=—;
column 4' line 41' for "naphthalent" read -— naphthalene M;
line 53-, strike out "a"; column 7Y lines 7 to 15, in the table,
first column thereof , last line, for "2O‘/2“ read —— 20% -=—,
column 8, line 1Y for "standing" read -— staining w,‘
Signed and sealed-this 2nd day of May 1961,
(SEAL)
Attest
ERNEST W° SWIDER
Attesting Officer
DAVID. L“ LADD
Commissioner of Patent.
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE
CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION
i
November 22, 1960
Patent Nos 2,961,029
Robert J‘, Rainar
It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered pat
ent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as
corrected below.
Column 1, line 34, for "posses" read —- possess -=~,
;
column 4, line 41, for "naphthalentu read —— naphthalene M’;
line 53', strike out "a"; column 'ZY lines 7 to 15, in the table‘i
first column thereof ,
last line,
for "201/2" read —- 20% “"3
column 8, line 1Y for "standing" read —-— staining we.
Signed and sealed this 2nd day of May 1961.
(SEAL)
Attest:
ERNEST W, SWIDER
Attesting Offic'ér
DAVID. L, LADD
Commissioner of Patents '
’