COUVRE-PLANCHER A MOTIFS DECORATIFS ET COULEURS MULTIPLES, ET METHODE DE FABRICATION

MULTI-COLOURED, PATTERNED FLOORING AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF

Abrégé français

Couvre-planchers à motifs décoratifs et à couleurs multiples constitué d'une bande d'une première couleur et d'un granulé d'une couleur différente qui est encastré dans la bande dans une distribution essentiellement uniforme, au moins à la surface de la bande. La bande et le granulé sont composés d'élastomères réticulés. Le granulé inclut au moins deux fractions de particules ayant des couleurs différentes l'une de l'autre ainsi que de la bande. Les quantités et les couleurs de ces particules sont choisies de façon que la couleur du mélange homogène de tous les éléments du couvre-plancher corresponde essentiellement à la première couleur. Il est ainsi possible de recycler toutes les rognures et les restants de production afin de fabriquer le même type de couvre-plancher sans qu'il y ait une différence de couleur dans le matériau de base de la bande. L'invention présente également un processus pour la fabrication de ce type de couvre-plancher.

Abrégé anglais

ABSTRACT

A multi-coloured, patterned flooring consists of a web of a first
colour and a differently coloured granulate which is embedded into the
web in an essentially even distribution at least at the surface of the
web. The web and the granulate are made of cross linkable elastomers.
The granulate includes at least two fractions of particles which have
colours different from one another and from the web. The amounts and
colours of the particles in the fractions are selected such that the
mixed colour achievable upon homogeneous mixing of all components of the
flooring essentially corresponds to the first colour. This permits the
complete recycling of edge clippings and production left-overs for the
manufacture of the same flooring without color deviations in the base
material of the web. A process for the manufacture of this type of
flooring is also disclosed.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A multi-coloured, patterned flooring having a thickness of 1 to
4 mm, comprising a web having a first colour and a granulate of different
colour which is embedded into the web in an essentially even distribution
at least at the surface of the web, the web and the granulate being made
of cross-linkable elastomers and the granulate including at least two
fractions of particles which have a colour different from one another and
from the web, whereby the amounts and colours of the particles in the
fractions are selected so that the mixed colour achieved upon homogeneous
mixing of all components in the flooring essentially corresponds to the
first colour.
2. A flooring as defined in claim 1, wherein the pattern of the
flooring includes areas of three different colours.
3. A flooring as defined in claim 1 or 2, wherein the amounts and
colours of the particles in the fractions are coordinated such that the
mixed colour achieved upon homogeneous mixing of the particles in the
fractions essentially corresponds to the first colour.
4. A process for the manufacture of a multi-coloured, patterned
flooring of cross linkable elastomers as defined in claim 1 or 2, wherein
the web is made by processing at least two differently coloured fractions
of a starting material into granulates of separate colour, mixing the
granulates, compressing the mixed granulates into a web by using a roller
calander and solidifying the web by subsequent vulcanization.
5. A process for the manufacture of a multi-coloured patterned
flooring of cross linkable elastomers as defined in claim 3, wherein the
web is made by processing at least two differently coloured fractions of
a starting material into granulates of separate colour, mixing the
granulates, compressing the mixed granulates into a web by using a roller
calander and solidifying the web by subsequent vulcanization.

Description

21~9!~0


MnLTI-COLOURED. PATTERNED FLOORING AND
PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF

The lnvention relates to multi-coloured, patterned floorings and to
a process for their manufacture. More particularly, the invention
relates to floorings consisting of a web of a first colour and a
granulate of different colour which is embedded into the web in an
essentially even distribution at least at the surface of the web.
French Patent 1,167,760 describes a multi-coloured, patterned
flooring of this type and a plurality of thermoplastic polymers usable
therefor. The preferred thermoplastic material disclosed for use in the
manufacture of that flooring is polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Further taught
is a process for the manufacture of this type of flooring, especially
when made of PVC, wherein at least two differently coloured fractions of
a starting material are processed into a web of thermoplastic material by
using a roller calander which includes two rollers of identical diameter
rotating at the same speed in opposite directions. Coloured granulates
are in that process embedded into the thermoplastic base material web.
The whole i~ later heated to at least the melting temperature of the base
material and again compressed so that the base material encloses the
particles on all sides.
It is a disadvantage of the floorings and manufacturing processes of
the above type that production left-overs and the continuously produced
clippings from the edge cutting operation include both base material and
granulates of the respectively used colours and, thus, cannot be reused
in the same manufacturing process either as base material or as colouring
granulates. Furthermore, they can be used only to a limited extent in
other recycled products.
It is now an ob~ect of the present disclosure to describe a flooring
of the above general type which is of such a composition that the left
overs and clippings produced during manufacture thereof are completely
reuseable in the same product. It is another ob~ect of the disclosure to
provide a process of manufacture for this type of flooring wherein all
waste clippings can be recycled in the same manufacturing process and for
the production of the same flooring.

2103~0


This object is achieved in a flooring wherein the base material of
the web has a first colour and the granulate embedded therein con~ists of
at least two fractions which are coloured differently from each other and
from the first colour, whereby the amounts and colours of the individual
granulate fractions are selected so that the colour achieved upon
homogeneous mixing of all components in the finished flooring
substantially corresponds to the first colour. This will allow clippings
being reused as base material in the manufacture of the same flooring
after homogeneous mixing thereof.
The flooring preferably has a thickness of l to 4 mm and includes a
web of a first colour and a granulate embedded therein, wherein the
granulate is essentially evenly distributed at least at the surface
thereof. Both web and granulate are preferably made of elastomeric
material which is cross linkable by vulcanization. The individually
coloured areas in the web produced by embedding the granulate fractions
therein have sharply defined edges. It is preferred that an area of 25
cm2 always includes approximately the same number of areas of each
color. Preferably, the coloured areas embedded in the web are l to 25
cm2 in size. Smaller areas would not be optically appealing and values
above 25 cm2 would no longer guarantee that even in flooring pieces as
small as 25 cm2 sufficient amounts of different colours are present for
the achievement of the colour of the web upon mixing.
All known vulcanizable elastomers suitable for use in floor
coverings can be used in the flooring and process of the present
invention, for example those elastomers having the standard designations
SBR, NBR and EPTM or natural caoutchouc as well as mixtures thereof.
One embodiment of the present flooring which is especially preferred
in view of the relationship between the amount of material used and the
special dirt concealing effects and colour achieved has a pattern of
three differently coloured areas in the web. This embodiment has an
optically especially appealing pattern and the material requirements
therefor are ~ustifiable.
In a preferred embodiment of the flooring of this invention the
amounts and colours of the particles in the granulate fractions are
coordinated such that the mixed colour achieved upon homogeneous mixture
essentially corresponds to the first colour. With this embodiment, the




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21 Q3990


mixed colour of the web including the re-used clippings does not
contribute to a new base colour. The mixed colour of homogeneously mixed
clippingg i9 determined mainly by the multi-coloured particles in the
fractions. Thus, the colour shade achievable with the recycled clippings
can be exactly predetermined.
French Patent 1,167,760 discloses a process for the manufacture of a
flooring made of thermoplastic materials only. However, the same process
can be used for the manufacture of the present flooring which is made of
vulcanizable material, whereby in both cases at least two differently
coloured fractions of a starting material are first processed into a web
by using a roller calander and then solidified. However, the present
process is characterized in that the fractions are first processed into
granulates of separate colour and ~hat the granulates are subsequently
mixed, fed into the roller calander and compressed into the web. The
inclusion of coloured areas into the web material is preferably carried
out with conventional strew-on arrangements for comminuted raw mixtures
in a continuous vulcanization machine or in a heated press at 160 to
190C and under pressure. The granulates are thereby so well embedded
into the base plate that no separation between the strewed-on granulates
and the base material can be observed along the granulate edges in a
thorn bending test according to DIN 51 949, at a thorn diameter of 20 mm
and a material thickness of 2 mm. Thus, the coloured particles form a
single, gap free plane with the surface of the base plate. Preferably,
between 80 and 450 g/m2 of coloured particles are strewn onto the web.
The particle slze is thereby selected so that the finished flooring
includes discrete coloured areas of between 1 and 25 cm2. If one
proceeds in such a way, surface portions of the flooring as small as 25
cm2 include approximately equal portions of the different colours used.
This guarantees that when the colour of the base web is achievable with a
mixture of about equal portions of the coloured, strewed-on particles,
edge clippings and left-overs generated during the manufacturing process
can be recycled in the same process, since the first colour of the base
plate will be achieved during the intense mixing in the extruder or on
the mixing and rolling press used in the manufacture of the web.
Consequently, multi-coloured waste and clippings produced durlng
manufacture of the present flooring can be completely recycled in line to

210~.~90


the same manufacture and process and, which is especially important, in
varying amounts without colour deviations in the final product. The
process provides for a sharp edged, gap-free embedding under pressure of
the coloured granulates into the web.




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