Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1
Floor panel
The invention relates to a floor panel.
Such a floor panel is known from W003/016655. The known floor panel is
executed in
such a way as to provide impact noise insulation and is given a layer of a
noise-insulation
material made, for example, of cork or a synthetic material that is integrated
into the
structure of the floor panel at some location. While an arrangement directly
below the
tread surface layer is preferred, the layer of the noise-insulation material
can also be
arranged between two core layers of wood or a wood material, particularly an
MDF and/or
HDF board. This arrangement between two core layers is only chosen, however,
if noise-
insulation material that cannot be provided directly with the tread surface
layer is to be
used. The noise-insulation material is provided in a wound-up form and is
integrated into
the structure during the manufacture of the floor panel, which nevertheless
requires
additional effort, however.
A further floor panel known from EP 1 264 946 consists of a hard, wear-
resistant and
decorative tread surface layer and a core made of a wood material. The core
consists of a
single board made of a wood material, which can be, for example, solid wood or
a wood
fibre material of the known type, in other words, for example, a particle
board, an MDF
board or an HDF board. The known floor panel is provided with elements of a
connector
device, which is arranged on at least two opposing sides. In the case of the
known floor
panel, the core consists of only one layer, and the elements of the connector
device are
incorporated into the layer of the core. The known floor panel furthermore
contains at least
one layer made of a noise-insulation material. This layer is, however,
provided outside of
the core. The noise-insulation layer consists of a noise-insulation material,
particularly one
made of plastic.
The object of the invention is to provide an effective noise-insulated floor
panel that can
be easily manufactured.
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This object is solved by means of the invention.
In one aspect of the invention there is provided a floor panel comprising a
tread
surface layer, a core containing at least two core layers made of a wood
material,
a first element of a connector device arranged on a first panel side and a
second
element of the connector device arranged on a second panel side opposing the
first panel side, wherein the at least two core layers consist of similar wood
material and are arranged so that they lie directly one on the other and are
glued
to each other by means of an adhesive formed as a noise-insulation layer by
being more elastic than the wood material of the core layers, with the first
and
second elements of the connector device being arranged on a first one of the
at
least two core layers.
It has become apparent that a noise-insulation material does not necessarily
have
to be used for effective noise insulation. As a result of the multi-layered
structure
of the core with the adhesive arranged between the layers, the noise
conduction is
effectively interrupted, so that good noise insulation results in a simple
manner,
even without noise-insulation material arranged between the layers.
Advantageous further developments of the invention can be derived from the
dependent claims.
A further improvement in the noise insulation, particularly the impact noise
insulation, results if the elements of the connector device are arranged on
only
one of the core layers, which is preferably that core layer that is not
provided with
the tread surface layer. In this way, the core layers are essentially
decoupled
from one another with respect to noise propagation between adjacent panels,
which further improves the noise insulation. It is also possible, however, to
provide the elements of the connector device on all of the layers or on a
separate
layer.
The manufacture of the floor panel according to the invention is particularly
simple
if two subpanels are glued to each other, whereby one of the subpanels is
provided with the tread surface layer and the other subpanel is provided with
the
elements of the connector device.
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2a
Nevertheless, a further layer made of a material developed especially for
noise insulation
can additionally be provided, whereby this material can be arranged at any
suitable
location, e.g., at the locations below the tread surface layer described in EP
1 264 946,
directly as the bottommost support layer or above the bottommost support
layer.
The invention is particularly well-suited for floor panels with a connector
device formed for
mechanical interlocking. A large number of such mechanically interlocking,
glue-free
connector devices are known.
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The invention is furthermore particularly well-suited for floor panels that
are provided with
the elements of the connector device on more than two opposing sides.
The noise insulation is further improved by the use of an adhesive that is, in
the adhesive
state, more elastic than are the core layers.
One embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail in the following,
using the
drawings. Shown are:
Fig. 1 A section of a floor panel according to the invention in a schematic
representation
and
Fig, 2 The exploded and magnified detail A from Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 is a schematic, perspective representation of a floor panel 1 according
to the
invention, whereby this floor panel I has the conventional geometric form in
the
embodiment shown, meaning that it is essentially formed with a longish,
rectangular,
board-like shape and has two pairs of opposing sides, whereby only one pair of
the
opposing sides 2a, 2b, which are parallel to one another, is shown and the
sides of the
second pair run at a right angle to these.
At least two opposing sides (in the depicted embodiment the two parallel long
sides 2a, 2b)
are provided with corresponding positive and negative elements 3a, 3b
(indicated only
schematically) of a locking mechanism 3.
The locking mechanism can be of the customary mechanically interlocking type,
which
interlocks adjacent panels together in both a horizontal and preferably also
in a vertical
level, so that a connection between adjacent panels is possible even without
the use of
glue, whereby these panels are held securely in this position relative to each
other. Such
connector devices are known in the state of the art and contain positive and
negative
elements that bring about the interlocking by means of being attached
diagonally and then
bent away, possibly with a limited horizontal movement and / or by means of
snapping in
the horizontal direction with the negative and positive elements of adjacent
panels.
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A particularly preferred locking mechanism is, for example, known from
W094/26999,
whose disclosure content is hereby included by means of reference. The locking
mechanism described therein additionally contains a locking strip, in addition
to the positive
and negative elements, whereby this locking strip is arranged on the underside
of the
panel, extending beyond one of the long sides or cross-sides. The free side of
this locking
strip is provided with an additional interlocking or snap-on element, which is
formed in such
a way that it can engage in a corresponding groove which extends along the
other long
side of the panel, so that adjacent panels are likewise connected to one
another by means
of the locking strip. A further locking mechanism that is suitable for the
invention under
consideration can be derived, for example, from W097/47834. This locking
mechanism
contains snap-on or snap-in protuberances that are integrated into the
elements, as well as
assigned grooves.
The floor panel I contains a tread surface layer 4. The tread surface layer 4
is located on
the upper side of the panel I and has decorative characteristics and
protective
characteristics, as well as characteristics that increase the stability.
Suitable materials for a
tread surface layer are known and do not have to be explained in detail. For
example, a
suitable tread surface layer 4 consists of a laminate of a decorative layer
and a wear-
resistant protective layer.
The tread surface layer 4 is connected to a core 6 by means of known measures,
preferably by means of compressing and possibly via an additional noise-
insulation layer 5.
The core 6 consists of a wood material, e.g., of solid wood or a wood fibre
material from a
very wide range of developments, for example, a particle board, however
preferably an
MDF board or an HDF board. The core 6 is that portion of the floor panel 1
that makes the
prominent contribution towards the total thickness D of the floor panel 1 and
that ensures
the torsional stiffness and / or flexural strength of the floor panel 1. For
this reason, the
core 6 is that layer of a floor panel 1 with the greatest thickness d.
According to the invention, the core 6 consists of a multiple number of
horizontal core
layers, whereby two core layers 6a and 6b are provided in the depicted
embodiment. The
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core layers 6a, 6b can, as shown in the depicted embodiment, have the same
thickness
dl, d2, but can also have different thicknesses. The two core layers 6a, 6b
preferably are
made of the same wood material, but can also be made of different wood
materials.
The total thickness D can, as is customary for floor panels, be roughly 7 to
11 mm, but can
also be thicker, for example, 11 to 15 mm. The thickness d of the core 6 can
essentially
correspond to the thickness D, particularly in the case that no additional
noise-protection
material is used and if the tread surface layer is only fractions of a
millimetre thick. The
thicknesses dl and d2 can therefore be 1/2 D, whereby preferably, however, the
core layer
6a has a thickness that is less than that of the core layer 6b. Preferably the
thickness dl of
the core layer 6a is 3 to 6 mm, preferably 5 mm, while the thickness d2 of the
second core
layer 6b is 6 to 10 mm, preferably 8 mm.
The two core layers 6a, 6b are arranged so that they lie directly one on the
other and are
connected together with the help of an adhesive 7. The connection is
preferably made
across the entire surface, i.e., across the entire surfaces of the core layers
6a, 6b, whereby
these surfaces face each other. In the depicted embodiment, the adhesive 7 is
shown as a
layer, but it is also possible to apply the adhesive so thinly that it only
fills in the uneven
areas in the opposing surfaces of the core layers 6a, 6b. The adhesive 7
should be elastic
and should preferably be more elastic than the material of the two core layers
6a, 6b. A
number of adhesives that are suitable for connecting surfaces made of wood or
wood
materials are suitable for use as the adhesive 7. These are, for example, hot-
melt
adhesives such as are used, for example, for gluing veneers, dispersion
adhesives or
solvent adhesives (e.g., casein glue), contact adhesives such as are used, for
example, for
particle boards or hardboards, glues such as, for example, joiners glue such
as is
conventionally used for wooden joints, or reactive adhesives, e.g., multi-
component
adhesives based on epoxy resin, or UF (urea-formaldehyde) resin, MF (melamine
formaldehyde) resin, PF (phenol formaldehyde) resin or RF (resorcinol
formaldehyde)
resin. The adhesive 7 can, however, also be applied more thickly, as would be
necessary
for purely connecting purposes. It has, however, turned out that the adhesive
7 is capable
of insulating the two core layers 6a, 6b with respect to noise propagation.
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The core 6, particularly the second core layer 6b, can He free downwards, but
can however
instead also be provided with a conventional compensation layer 8 and / or
with a noise-
insulation layer 9 of conventional development. The compensation layer 8 and /
or the
noise-insulation layer 9 are attached to the core 6 with the help of
conventional measures,
e.g., by means of compressing.
As particularly Fig. 1 shows, the elements 3a, 3b are provided in that core
layer that is not
provided with the tread surface layer 4, i.e., in the second core layer 6b. In
this way,
effective decoupling with respect to noise propagation is created between the
tread surface
layer and an adjacent panel. The elements can, however, also be provided in
both core
layers 6a, 6b and / or in an additional layer, e.g., the compensation layer 8
or the like.
The floor panel 1 according to the invention is preferably manufactured by
first
manufacturing two subpanels 10a and 10b. In particular, the first subpanel 10a
is
assembled from the first core layer 6a, which has the shape of an essentially
rectangular,
board-like panel, whose outer dimensions along the opposing sides correspond
to the
outer dimensions of the floor panel in the laminate of the floor after it has
been laid. The
first subpanel 10a furthermore contains the tread surface layer 4, possibly
the conventional
noise-insulation layer 5 that supports the tread surface layer 4 and possibly
even more
layers that are assigned to the tread surface layer. The peripheral surfaces
11 of the first
subpanel 10a are preferably flat and preferably extend at a right angle to the
tread surface
layer 4.
The second subpanel 1 Ob contains the second core layer 6b, which is likewise
formed as a
longish rectangular, board-like panel, but which is larger than the first core
layer 6a by the
dimensions of one of the elements 3a, 3b. The lateral surfaces or peripheral
surfaces 12 of
the second core layer 6b are provided with the elements 3a, 3b of the
connector device 3
in the customary manner. In the depicted embodiment, the elements 3a, 3b are
worked
from the material of the second core layer 6b; preferably they are milled out.
Furthermore, the second core layer 6b possibly holds the layer 9 made of noise-
insulation
material, which is connected to the core layer 6b via the preferably present
compensation
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layer 8. Both subpanels 1 Oa, 1 Ob are then connected to each other via the
noise-insulating
adhesive 7.
The subpanels 10a, 10b can also be derived from conventional individual
panels. In this
case, only the tread surface layer of the second subpanel 10b is replaced by
the first
subpanel 1Oa, and the first subpanel 1 Oa is given a lower surface that can be
glued.
In modification of the described and drawn embodiments, it is also possible to
provide
more than two core layers that are connected to each other by more than a
layer of
adhesive, whereby all of these interfaces and adhesive layers can serve as
impact noise
insulation.
