Surface coating and method for the production of such

Abstract

The invention relates to a surface coating and a method for producing it, wherein the surface coating comprises a heating device enclosed in a material, which has a base layer on which the heating device is arranged. The object of the invention described here is to provide a heated surface coating that can be easily integrated into or applied to an existing component and, moreover, can be flexibly adapted to the structural conditions.This problem is solved with the surface coating according to the invention in that the heating device is at least a heating film which can be connected to the base layer by means of an adhesive layer and enclosed on the base layer by means of a sealing layer, wherein a wear layer is applied to the sealing layer, so that the sealing layer enclosing the heating film and the heating film itself are protected from any environmental influences.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a surface coating with a heating device embedded in a material, the coating having a base layer on which the heating device is arranged, wherein the heating device is at least one heating film which can be bonded to the base layer by means of an adhesive layer and enclosed on the base layer by means of a sealing layer, wherein a wear layer is applied to the sealing layer so that the sealing layer enclosing the heating film and the heating film itself are protected from any environmental influences. The invention further relates to a method for producing such a surface coating.

[0002] Various devices for temperature control of ramps, entrances, roofs, etc. are known from the prior art.

[0003] In particular, a surface coating of the type mentioned above is known from US 8 618 445 B2.

[0004] Furthermore, US patent application US 2004 / 0245234 A1 discloses a heating mat for outdoor use, which is characterized by having a structural layer, a heating element, a plurality of intermediate layers and at least one cable with a plug.

[0005] The first and second structural layers are each both durable and insulating. The first layer of each such layer has several edges, with the heating element positioned above it. Multiple intermediate layers are also attached to the first structural layer, located near at least one of the edges of the first layer and the heating element. The second structural layer is ultimately attached to the multiple intermediate layers opposite the first structural layer. As shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the patent application, this heating mat can be used for garage entrances and for stairs, particularly basement stairs.

[0006] Unlike the invention described here, the heating mat presented in patent application US 2004 / 0245234 A1 is not connected to the building element, such as the garage entrance or the stairs, but is merely placed on top of the respective building element. This, however, also leads to a corresponding loss of heat, which is released into the surroundings without being able to penetrate the component that is actually to be heated.

[0007] Furthermore, European patent EP 0 358 670 B1 discloses a surface coating comprising a heating cable or similar thread-like heating element enclosed by a plastic mass, which consists of an electrically insulated base layer made of a flowable, locally polymerizable plastic applied to a planar structure, and a heating cable arranged on the base layer, wherein the heating cable is enclosed by means of a thermally conductive layer consisting of a flowable, locally polymerizable plastic and containing particles of high thermal conductivity.This surface is characterized by the fact that, in order to reduce the maximum surface temperature to a minimum temperature to maintain the required working conditions and to increase the durability of the surface coating, a top layer made of a material with significantly low thermal conductivity is applied to this heat-conducting layer, acting as a heat-equalizing layer.

[0008] The surface can also be coated with granular quartz, particularly to improve slip resistance and increase friction. The polymerizable plastics used can be resins, especially acrylic resins.

[0009] Furthermore, an electric heating material is known from US 2010 / 0116808 A1. This electric heating material comprises a substrate and an electric heating layer that is essentially homogeneously bonded to the substrate. The electric heating layer is obtained from an electric heating coating containing an electrically heating base material and a binder.

[0010] WO 2017 / 147480 A1 further discloses a double-switching heating element containing a double-switching PTC ink applied to a substrate to form one or more resistors. The double-switching PTC ink consists of a first resin that produces a first PTC effect in a first temperature range, and a second resin that produces a second PTC effect in a second temperature range, the second temperature range being higher than the first. The substrate can be flexible or rigid and can be deformable to create a three-dimensional structure.

[0011] Based on this state of the art, the object of the invention is to provide a heated surface coating that can be easily integrated into or applied to an existing component and, moreover, can be flexibly adapted to the structural conditions and reduces the risk of penetration by any environmental influences, while simultaneously ensuring automated and uniform heating of the surface coating.

[0012] This problem is solved by a surface coating according to claim 1. Furthermore, this problem is solved by means of dependent method claim 7 and dependent use claim 9. Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

[0013] In its first aspect, the invention relates to a surface covering with a heating device embedded in a material. The surface covering has a base layer on which the heating device is arranged. The surface covering according to the invention is characterized in that the heating device is initially at least one heating film. The use of a heating film has the advantage that it can be easily laid on the base layer and readily adapted to the prevailing structural conditions on site. Furthermore, heating films are highly durable, exhibit high resistance to mechanical and chemical influences, and are also relatively insensitive to temperature.

[0014] To ensure that at least one heating film arranged on the base layer remains in its desired position, the invention further provides for the surface covering that the heating film is bonded to the base layer by an adhesive layer. This adhesive layer can be located beneath the heating film. However, it is also conceivable that the adhesive layer partially or completely encloses the heating film. According to the invention, a further layer, namely a sealing layer, is applied to the heating film bonded to the base layer by means of the adhesive layer. This sealing layer serves to protect the heating film and is intended to prevent environmental influences, such as rainwater, leaking chemicals, or excessive heat (fire), from penetrating to the heating film, thus preventing damage. The sealing layer also serves to compensate for any unevenness in order to guarantee a uniform layer thickness.Furthermore, to further reduce the risk of environmental influences penetrating the surface and simultaneously increase mechanical and chemical resistance, a wear layer is applied to the sealing layer. The invention is characterized, firstly, by the application of a sealing layer to the wear layer. This seals the wear layer, further minimizing the risk of environmental influences penetrating the deeper layers of the surface coating. Secondly, the surface coating according to the invention has a sensor element for detecting the temperature and / or humidity of the surface coating, enabling automated heating of the heated surface coating by means of the heating film integrated into the surface coating. The sensor element is integrated into the wear layer.The sensor element allows the temperature and / or humidity within or on the surface of the surface covering to be determined at any time. For example, if the temperature falls below a certain threshold at which there is a risk of any water present on the surface freezing (the presence of which can be determined by measuring the humidity), the heating film can be automatically switched on to heat the surface covering. Alternatively, a notification can simply be issued when a threshold has been crossed, allowing for manual intervention or activation.

[0015] To optimally adapt the surface coating to the prevailing local conditions, the invention, in an advantageous embodiment, provides that the respective layers consist of a plastic compound. The plastic compound is particularly preferably a polymerizable and flowable resin. A two-component resin, for example based on a polymethyl methacrylate resin, is particularly preferred.

[0016] To make the surface coating suitable for common types of vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and bicycles, the invention provides, in a further advantageous embodiment, that the wear layer comprises a durable material to increase its wear resistance. This durable material can be quartz, quartz sand, granite, or any other material that increases wear resistance and can be incorporated into the wear layer. The durable material also increases the surface roughness, which in turn has a positive effect on the coefficient of adhesion and friction.

[0017] The wear layer is preferably pigmented. It is also conceivable that the durable material is pigmented. This allows the color of the surface coating to be individually adapted to the visual conditions on site or to specific requirements, both with regard to the wear layer and any durable material that may be present within the wear layer.

[0018] A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for producing a surface coating with a heating device embedded in a material on a base layer, wherein the at least one heating film is bonded to the base layer by means of an adhesive layer and enclosed on the base layer by means of a sealing layer. Subsequently, a wear layer is applied to the sealing layer, which protects the heating film and the sealing layer encasing the heating film from any environmental influences. The method according to the invention is characterized, firstly, by the addition of pigment to the wear layer. This could involve adding a pigment to color the wear layer or adding another colored material.On the other hand, a sensor element for determining the temperature and / or humidity of the surface coating is embedded in the wear layer of the surface coating.

[0019] To increase the wear resistance of the wear layer, a durable material is advantageously added to the wear layer before it is applied to the sealing layer.

[0020] In a third aspect, the invention provides for the use of a surface covering according to the invention or a surface covering produced by the method according to the invention for driveways or ramps to prevent icing or to de-ice.

[0021] The invention will then be explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment.

[0022] It shows: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of an embodiment of a surface coating according to the invention, Fig. 2 a diagram of the time course of the heating of a surface material according to the invention.

[0023] Figure 1 Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of a surface coating 1 according to the invention. This coating consists of a base layer 2, an adhesive layer 3, a heating film 4, a sealing layer 5, a wear layer 6 and a sealing layer 7.

[0024] The heating film 4, which in this embodiment has a height of 0.6 mm, is bonded to the base layer 2 by means of an adhesive layer 3. The adhesive layer 3 can be located on the underside of the heating film 4, but can also partially or completely surround it. The base layer 2 is applied thinly here, with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The adhesive layer 3, on the other hand, can have a thickness of up to 1 mm and serves to fix the heating film 4 to the base layer 2, so that the position of the heating film 4 on the base layer 2 does not change when the sealing layer 5 is applied. Without the adhesive layer 3, the heating film 4, which was previously positioned on the base layer 2, could shift when the sealing layer 5 is applied, resulting in an uneven temperature distribution when the surface material 1 is heated.

[0025] The heating film 4, which is arranged on the thinly applied base layer 2 by means of the adhesive layer 3, and the adhesive layer 3 itself are enclosed by a sealing layer 5. The sealing layer 5 serves, among other things, to level any unevenness and, in this embodiment, has a layer thickness of up to 2.5 mm or a material quantity of up to 3.5 kg / m². The sealing layer 5 also serves to protect the heating film 4 and the adhesive layer 3 from potential environmental influences.

[0026] Furthermore, a wear layer 6 is located on top of the sealing layer 5. This wear layer 6 contains granite aggregate, which provides a high surface roughness and a high coefficient of friction, making the surface particularly suitable for use by cars and trucks. Additionally, the wear layer 6 is colored with dark pigments, so that the surface layer 1 visually resembles an asphalt road. The wear layer 6 is the thickest layer of the surface, with a thickness of up to 4 mm.

[0027] Furthermore, the surface coating 1 is provided with a sealing layer 7, which serves two purposes: firstly, it seals any pores within the wear layer 6; and secondly, it protects against the penetration of elements such as UV radiation and rainwater. As a result, the sealing layer 7 increases the durability of the wear layer 6. The sealing layer 7 has a thickness of 0.5 to 0.8 mm.

[0028] The surface covering 1, constructed in this way, is arranged in a planar structure 8, for example, an underground parking garage entrance, and has a total height of only 8 to 9 mm. Furthermore, the surface covering 1 has a sensor element (not shown) with which the temperature and / or humidity of the surface covering 1, in particular the temperature and / or humidity of the wear layer 6, can be detected. Should the temperature of the surface covering 1 fall below a certain threshold, the heating film 4 can be supplied with energy, thereby heating the surface covering 1. As soon as a certain temperature is reached, the heating film can be switched off. This heating process can be fully automated and dependent on predefined threshold values.

[0029] Such a heating process is in Figure 2The diagram shows that the ambient temperature was 1.5 °C when the heating film was switched on. It can be seen that within a very short time, i.e., within a few minutes of switching on at least one heating film 4 in and on the surface covering 1, a temperature is reached that leads to the melting of any existing ice layer. This is clearly evident from the temperature profile of the surface covering 9 and from the temperature profile within the surface covering 10. It can also be seen that the temperature within the surface covering is higher than at its surface. This is due, among other things, to the fact that heat is lost at the surface through the melting of any ice or is released into the environment, particularly the air.Furthermore, the use of a heating film ensures even heat distribution within the surface covering. As a result, the surface covering 1 described here guarantees a consistently ice-free surface.

[0030] Thus, a heated surface covering is revealed here that can be easily integrated into or applied to an existing component and, moreover, can be flexibly adapted to the structural conditions. REFERENCE MARK LIST

[0031] 1 Surface coating 2 Base layer 3 Adhesive layer 4 Heating film 5 Sealing layer 6 Wear layer 7 Sealing layer 8 Structure 9 Temperature profile on the surface of the surface coating 10 Temperature profile within the surface coating

Claims

1. Surface covering (1) with a heating device enclosed in a material, comprising a base layer (2) on which the heating device is arranged, wherein the heating device is at least one heating foil (4) which can be connected to the base layer (2) by means of an adhesive layer (3) and can be enclosed on the base layer (2) by means of a sealing layer (5) on the base layer (2), wherein a wear layer (6) is applied to the sealing layer (5) so that the sealing layer (5) enclosing the heating foil (4) and the heating foil (4) itself are protected from any environmental influences, characterized in that a sealing layer (7) is applied to the wear layer (6) for sealing and increasing the mechanical and chemical resistance of the wear layer, and the surface covering (1) has a sensor element for detecting the temperature and / or humidity of the surface covering (1) and / or a part or area of the surface covering (1), wherein the sensor element is integrated into the wear layer (6).

2. Surface coating according to claim1 , characterized in that the respective layer consists of a plastic compound.

3. Surface covering according to claim2 , characterized in that the plastic mass is a polymerizable and flowable resin.

4. Surface covering according to claim3 , characterized in that the polymerizable and flowable resin is a two-component resin.

5. Surface coating according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wear layer (6) comprises a durable material for increasing the wear resistance of the wear layer (6).

6. Surface coating according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wear layer (6) comprises pigmentation.

7. Method for producing a surface coating (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims1 to 6, wherein a heating device is enclosed with a material on a base layer (2) and at least one heating foil (4) is connected to the base layer (2) by means of an adhesive layer (3) and enclosed by means of a sealing layer (5) on the base layer (2), wherein a wear layer (6) is applied to the sealing layer (5) so that the sealing layer (5) enclosing the heating foil (4) and the heating foil (4) itself are protected from any environmental influences, characterized in that pigment is added to the wear layer (6) to color it, and a sensor element for determining the temperature and / or humidity of the surface covering and / or a part or area of the surface covering (1) is embedded in the wear layer (6) of the surface covering (1).

8. Method according to claim7 , characterized in that a durable material is added to the wear layer (6) to increase its wear resistance.

9. Use of a surface coating (1) according to any of claims1 to 6 or a surface coating (1) manufactured according to claims 7 or 8 in a driveway or ramp to prevent icing or to de-ice the driveway or ramp.

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