Acoustical flooring tile and method of manufacture

Abstract

An acoustical vinyl tile having an integral acoustical layer is disclosed. The vinyl tile includes a vinyl portion and an acoustical portion. The acoustical portion may comprise a crumb rubber component and a polyurethane foam component. The acoustical portion can include 10-40% crumb rubber and 60-90% polyurethane foam. The acoustical portion may comprise a plurality of individual layers, the combination of which is customized to the particular sub-floor structure to which the tile will be adhered or overlain. The individual layers of the acoustical portion can include any of a variety of combinations of rubber, cork, polyurethane foam, and the like. The resulting tile meets one or more of ASTM E 2179, ASTM E 989, ASTM E 492, and ASTM E1007 IIC sound requirements. A method of designing the disclosed tile to suit a particular flooring application is also disclosed. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This is a continuation application of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 108,754, which is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 808,670, filed Apr. 5, 2013, and which is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13 / 468,103, filed May 10, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,640,824, the entirety of which applications are expressly incorporated by reference herein.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]The present disclosure relates to vinyl flooring systems in general, and more particularly to an improved vinyl tile having enhanced acoustical properties coupled with improved long term stability.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0003]Vinyl flooring has been a popular floor covering material for many years. Vinyl flooring is typically available in either tile or sheet form for both commercial and residential use. As finished flooring material, vinyl tile has been used extensively in comme...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes an improved vinyl tile that is more stable, flexible, and has better sound absorption properties. The tile is made by bonding a sound dampening material to a vinyl tile slab using an adhesive that is compatible with both the vinyl and the dampening material. This results in a long-term bond that reduces color changes over time. The disclosed vinyl tiles are especially useful in multi-family housing developments where sound dampening is important.

Problems solved by technology

Vinyl flooring can also have limited acoustical properties, in that the material offers some rebound or resilience upon compression (i.e., when walked on).

Many conventional commercially available adhesive materials are chemically incompatible with vinyl polymers and will in some instances not provide the necessary long-term adhesion.

In even more extreme cases, certain adhesives will chemically react with the vinyl polymers resulting in discoloration and / or degradation of the vinyl tiles.

Moreover, breakdown of the adhesive bond between the acoustical base layer and the vinyl tile can lead to increased noise, which as previously noted, can be a problem in multi-family dwellings.

Because current vinyl tile systems employ a standard base layer, they are incapable of dampening sound optimally across a variety of floor / ceiling structure types.

For example, while a typical tile may provide reasonable acoustical dampening when applied over a poured concrete floor, it may not provide acceptable dampening when applied over a wood beam-supported floor.

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