Sound-absorbing underlayment

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sound insulation underlay (2) made of insulating material configured to take a transport position in which the sound insulation underlay (2) is rolled up on itself and to take an application position in which the sound insulation underlay (2) is positioned on a support floor (4), said sound insulation underlay (2) comprising a first face (8) and a second face (10) opposite the first face (8) and intended to be in contact with the support floor (4), characterized in that said second face (10) comprises patterns (18) configured to form between them, in the application position of the sound insulation underlay (2), sound insulation cavities (19), the sound insulation underlay (2) comprising at least one slot (20) opening into at least one of the sound insulation cavities (19) and extending into the insulating material in the direction of the first face (8).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to sound insulation, and more particularly to sound insulation in the field of construction and / or in the field of transport.

[0002] In these areas, various structures, such as facades, interior and exterior walls, and floors, can include elements designed for sound insulation. Floating floors, in particular, can incorporate this type of element.

[0003] Floating floors typically consist of a subfloor, an insulating underlayment, and a finishing layer. The subfloor forms the base of the floating floor and is therefore designed to support the other layers.

[0004] The insulation underlay is applied over the subfloor and, in the case of a soundproofing underlay, provides sound insulation for the floating floor. Insulation underlays are therefore commonly made from insulating materials based on synthetic, animal, mineral, or plant fibers. Soundproofing underlays are generally supplied in rolls, which facilitates their transport to the installation site for floor assembly. Thus, in addition to its soundproofing performance, its ease of transport is an important technical characteristic.

[0005] The finishing layer is applied over the insulation underlayment and thus forms the visible top surface of the floating floor. It is therefore understood that the insulation underlayment is placed between the subfloor and the finishing layer.

[0006] A well-known method for improving the sound insulation of a floating floor is to increase the thickness of the underlayment. Indeed, the thicker the underlayment, the longer it takes for sound to pass through it, thus reducing its intensity. However, it should be noted that in this type of flooring, the underlayment is generally in complete contact with the finished layer and the subfloor, which can degrade sound insulation performance, since sound is a vibration and is therefore transmitted more easily when two objects are in contact. This method also has the disadvantage of making the underlayment, and consequently the floor, heavier and bulkier, which can reduce the available space in a room with this type of floating floor and complicate the transport of such an underlayment.

[0007] Another method involves reducing the rigidity of the insulation underlayment by using a low-rigidity insulating material. In this case, sound waves are transmitted less effectively through the insulation underlayment, thus attenuating them and improving sound insulation. While effective, this method can weaken the floor, making it unsuitable for heavy loads.

[0008] It should be noted that, in the case of increasing the thickness of the insulation underlay, as well as in the case of reducing its rigidity, these two methods have in common the effect of decreasing the apparent stiffness of the insulation underlay, the stiffness being calculated in N / m 3< , i.e. the Young's modulus divided by the thickness of the insulation underlay.

[0009] An alternative method is to increase the surface roughness of one side of the insulating underlay that is in contact with the subfloor. By making this surface rougher, voids are created between the subfloor and the insulating underlay. These voids then slow the propagation of vibrations and therefore sound, thus improving the effectiveness of the sound insulation.

[0010] As an example, patent FR2935012 describes a floor covering placed on a substrate and comprising an insulating underlay made of synthetic fibers. This insulating underlay has V-shaped reliefs that increase surface roughness and thus reduce the contact area between itself and the substrate. A major drawback of this solution, however, is that under high stresses applied to the floating floor, these reliefs can flatten, creating a virtually flat contact surface between the insulating underlay and the subfloor. This increases the contact with the substrate and reduces the effectiveness of the sound insulation. This insulating underlay also presents a flexibility problem, complicating its folding and therefore its transport and installation.

[0011] The objective of the invention is therefore to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an improved sound insulation underlay comprising patterns and slots. These slots, depending on their dimensions, facilitate folding and / or allow effective sound insulation to be maintained even under heavy loads.

[0012] The present invention thus has as its main object a sound insulation underlay made of insulating material configured to take a transport position in which the sound insulation underlay is rolled up on itself and to take an application position in which the sound insulation underlay is positioned on a supporting floor, said sound insulation underlay comprising a first face and a second face opposite to the first face and intended to be in contact with the supporting floor, characterized in that said second face comprises patterns configured to form between them, in the application position of the sound insulation underlay, sound insulation cavities, the sound insulation underlay comprising at least one slot opening into at least one of the sound insulation cavities and extending into the insulating material in the direction of the first face.

[0013] Insulation materials can include various materials, such as mineral fibers like glass wool and rock wool, or synthetic materials like polystyrene and polyurethane. Materials such as plant fibers, like wood fiber and cork, or animal fibers like sheep's wool can also be used.

[0014] Among synthetic materials, elastomeric foams can also be used. These elastomeric foams can be open-cell or closed-cell. Non-limiting examples include polyurethane (PU), expanded polystyrene (EPS), and extruded polystyrene (XPS).

[0015] The transport position of the sound insulation underlay corresponds to a configuration in which the sound insulation underlay is rolled up on itself, which facilitates its transport and / or storage, since rolling reduces bulk and thus simplifies handling.

[0016] The slot(s) in the soundproofing underlay facilitate this rolling process. As they extend into the insulating material towards the first surface, they create indentations and locally reduce the thickness of the soundproofing underlay, thereby improving its flexibility.

[0017] The result is that the closer the slit(s) extend to the first face, the greater the reduction in thickness at the slit(s), and therefore the more flexible the sound insulation underlay is.

[0018] In the application position, the sound insulation underlay is fully unrolled, has a generally flat configuration, and is in contact with the subfloor. In this application position, the first face is parallel to the subfloor, while the second face is in contact with said subfloor.

[0019] The patterns locally increase the thickness of the sound insulation underlay and are therefore the parts of the second face that come into contact with the supporting floor when the sound insulation underlay is laid in its application position.

[0020] In this application position, the patterns are configured to form sound insulation cavities between them. Thus, a sound insulation cavity is formed by two adjacent patterns. In other words, the patterns are separated by the sound insulation cavities. These cavities then correspond to empty spaces of insulating material, delimited by the patterns and the supporting floor.

[0021] Of course, depending on the load applied to the floating floor, and the pressure thus exerted, the shape and dimensions of the sound insulation cavities may change. However, it is noteworthy according to the invention that in an application position during the assembly of the floating floor, in the absence of loads or in the case of low pressures exerted on the floating floor which only slightly or not at all deform the sound insulation underlay from its configuration during the assembly of the floating floor, the sound insulation cavities are formed between the patterns.

[0022] Soundproofing cavities can be filled with a vacuum, gas, or a mixture of gases such as air. By being free of insulating material, these soundproofing cavities slow down and / or attenuate sound waves passing through them. Thus, when sound waves pass through the soundproofing underlay, they propagate through the insulating material, and then, when they reach the soundproofing cavities, they are significantly slowed down and / or attenuated, which limits their transmission to the subfloor. Similarly, sound waves passing through the subfloor are only weakly transmitted to the soundproofing underlay due to these soundproofing cavities formed by the patterns.

[0023] The slot(s) are positioned so as to open into the sound insulation cavities, which in particular increases the volume of empty space of insulating material contained in said sound insulation cavities.

[0024] In addition to increasing the volume of empty space of insulating material in the sound insulation cavities, and allowing, as mentioned above, simplified rolling of the insulation underlay to facilitate transport, the slot(s) allow sound insulation cavities to be maintained even when the sound insulation underlay is subjected to significant stress.

[0025] Indeed, in the application position, when the sound insulation underlay is subjected to high pressure in a vertical direction (perpendicular to the first surface), the patterns tend to flatten. For example, a pressure exceeding 500 kg / m² applied to the first surface can have this effect.

[0026] In this case, the slot(s) allow for the preservation of sound insulation cavities which are then formed solely by the empty space of insulating material contained in the slot(s), since the patterns are completely flattened.

[0027] It should therefore be noted that the volume of empty space in the sound insulation cavities, when the sound insulation underlayer is subjected to high stresses, depends in particular on the dimensions of the slots.

[0028] This volume can therefore depend on the local reduction in the thickness of the sound insulation underlay. Furthermore, it can depend on the width of the slots, which corresponds to slot dimensions in a transverse direction, this transverse direction being parallel to the first face when the sound insulation underlay is in the application position.

[0029] As non-limiting examples, the width can be between 2 and 50 mm, and preferably between 5 and 20 mm, in order to achieve this effect of preserving the sound insulation cavities under high stress.

[0030] In cases where the objective is simply to obtain a roll-up panel without acoustic benefit, the width of the slots can vary between 0.1 and 10 mm.

[0031] According to an optional feature of the invention, the patterns and at least one slot are defined in relation to a nominal thickness of the sound insulation underlay when the latter is in the application position, the patterns locally increasing the thickness of the sound insulation underlay relative to the nominal thickness while the at least one slot locally reducing the thickness of the sound insulation underlay relative to this nominal thickness.

[0032] As a result, the areas of the second face locally increasing the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer relative to its nominal thickness are considered as patterns within the meaning of the invention, and the areas of the second face locally reducing the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer relative to its nominal thickness are considered as slots.

[0033] It should be noted that the term "thickness" refers to a measurement of the insulating material of the underlay in the vertical direction, i.e. perpendicular to the first face when the sound insulation underlay is in the application position.

[0034] According to an optional feature of the invention, the sound insulation underlayer comprises a first slot and a second slot opening into the same sound insulation cavity.

[0035] In other words, between two adjacent patterns is a soundproofing cavity, into which two slots open: the first slot and the second slot. This effectively multiplies the total number of slots relative to the number of soundproofing cavities, and therefore the number of slots relative to the number of patterns. The soundproofing underlay is thus even more flexible and allows for better preservation of the soundproofing cavities under significant stress.

[0036] For example, when a pressure exceeding 500 kg / m² is applied vertically to the sound insulation underlay, the patterns are crushed, reducing the sound insulation cavities to the volume of empty space left by the slot(s). This volume is therefore greater when two slots open into a sound insulation cavity, compared to when only one slot opens into the same sound insulation cavity.

[0037] It should be noted that when two slots open into the same sound insulation cavity, the underlay may include a flat area between these slots. This flat area corresponds to a zone where the thickness of the sound insulation underlay is approximately equal to its nominal thickness.

[0038] As a result, under significant stress, the patterns flatten and the flat area comes into contact with the supporting floor, thus reinforcing the resistance of the sound insulation underlay to pressure by reinforcing the patterns.

[0039] According to an optional feature of the invention, the patterns have a triangular, rectangular, sinusoidal or trapezoidal shape.

[0040] When the patterns have a triangular shape, one apex of the triangular patterns is in contact with the supporting floor, while two faces of the pattern form inclined planes, extending from the apex to a portion of the base of the sound insulation underlay, positioned at its nominal thickness.

[0041] When the patterns are rectangular, a first flat face of the rectangular patterns is in contact with the subfloor and extends in the transverse direction, parallel to the first face when the sound insulation underlay is in the application position. A second and a third flat face, adjacent to the first, extend in the vertical direction, perpendicular to the first. These second and third flat faces extend from the first to a portion of the base of the sound insulation underlay, positioned at its nominal thickness.

[0042] When the patterns are trapezoidal, a first flat face of the trapezoidal patterns is in contact with the subfloor and extends in the transverse direction, therefore parallel to the first face when the sound insulation underlay is in the application position. A second inclined face and a third inclined face, which are adjacent to the first flat face, extend from the first flat face to a portion of the base of the sound insulation underlay, positioned at its nominal thickness.

[0043] The term "inclined" here refers to an inclination with respect to the vertical and transverse directions.

[0044] Triangular and trapezoidal patterns have increased compressive strength, while rectangular patterns have lower compressive strength. This is because triangular and trapezoidal patterns have faces inclined relative to the vertical direction, whereas rectangular patterns have flat faces extending in the vertical direction. Extending in the vertical direction, these flat faces are more susceptible to crushing than if they were inclined relative to the vertical direction.

[0045] It should be noted that the sound insulation underlay may include patterns of a single type, for example only triangular patterns, or an alternation between different patterns, for example a succession of rectangular and triangular patterns.

[0046] According to an optional feature of the invention, the first face is covered with a coating.

[0047] The material chosen for the underlayment can possess various qualities. For example, when aiming for a flexible soundproofing underlay, the material composing the underlayment must have adequate flexibility. This material may also possess other qualities, such as being airtight and watertight, to ensure the protection of the soundproofing underlayment's insulating material during transport, storage, and installation. As non-exhaustive examples, several materials can be considered for this application, including certain plastics, such as polypropylene, or other synthetic polymers.

[0048] According to an optional feature of the invention, at least one slot extends until it reaches the first face.

[0049] As a result, at the level of the gap, no insulating material remains from the soundproofing underlay, and the soundproofing underlay is then held together by the coating.

[0050] It is therefore understood that, in this case, the flexibility of the sound insulation underlay depends solely on the flexibility of the coating, which allows for better flexibility of the sound insulation underlay and thus facilitates the rolling of said thermal insulation underlay into its transport position.

[0051] According to one variant of the invention, at least one slot extends partially into the insulating material without reaching the first face.

[0052] As a result, at the level of the gap, the sound insulation underlayer includes a residual thickness of insulating material.

[0053] Therefore, in this case, the flexibility of the soundproofing underlay depends in particular on the residual thickness of insulating material at the gap. This residual thickness also helps to improve the strength of the thermal insulation underlay.

[0054] According to an optional feature of the invention, the insulating material of the sound insulation underlay comprises mineral fibers.

[0055] The combination of soundproofing cavities formed in the soundproofing underlayer and the mineral fiber composition of the insulating material offers an advantageous compromise between acoustic and thermal performance.

[0056] According to another aspect of the invention, a floating floor comprises a support floor, a sound insulation underlay as described in this document and a finishing layer, the second face of the sound insulation underlay being in contact with the support floor and the finishing layer being disposed in contact with the first face.

[0057] The subfloor can be made of various materials, such as wood, concrete, steel, or aluminum, and must be strong enough to support a structure like a floating floor. The sound insulation underlay is placed over the subfloor, with the second side, and more specifically, the patterned side of this second side, in contact with the subfloor.

[0058] The finishing layer is the visible layer of the floating floor. It can be made of various materials, such as screed, mortar, plasterboard, or parquet flooring. The finishing layer is placed over the sound insulation underlayment, in contact with its outer surface. This contact can be direct when the sound insulation underlayment has no facing, or indirect via the facing when it does.

[0059] According to an optional feature of the invention, the percentage of surface contact between the second face and the supporting floor is between 20% and 80% when a load of between 0 and 500 kg / m2 is supported by the finishing layer.

[0060] A load between 0 and 200 kg / m2 corresponds to a so-called standard load applied to the finishing layer, while a load of 200 to 500 kg / m2 corresponds to a high load applied to the finishing layer.

[0061] The percentage of surface contact corresponds to a measure of the surface area of ​​the second face that is in contact with the supporting floor, relative to a measure of the total surface area of ​​the second face.

[0062] It is important to note that the lower the percentage of surface contact, the more soundproofing cavities the underlayment contains, cavities that remain after the underlayment has deformed under load. Thus, the lower the percentage of surface contact, the more sound waves are attenuated and / or slowed down by the soundproofing underlayment. However, the lower the percentage of surface contact, the less resistant the soundproofing underlayment is to pressure applied in the vertical direction, and therefore it will be compressed when pressure is applied.

[0063] The range of 20 to 80% results from a compromise between the search for the acoustic effect of attenuating sound waves and the mechanical strength of the insulation underlayer under stresses exerted in the vertical direction.

[0064] According to an optional feature of the invention, the percentage of surface contact between the second face and the supporting floor is between 20% and 50% when a load of between 0 and 200 kg / m2 is supported by the finishing layer.

[0065] According to an optional feature of the invention, the percentage of surface contact between the second face and the supporting floor is between 40% and 80% when a load of between 200 and 500 kg / m2 is supported by the finishing layer.

[0066] The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a floating floor as described above, said method comprising the following steps: a step of laying the subfloor, a step of applying the second side of the sound insulation underlay to the subfloor, a step of applying the finishing layer to the first side of the sound insulation underlay.

[0067] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a soundproofing underlay as described in this document, in which the soundproofing underlay is obtained by cutting a plate of insulating material, said method comprising the following successive steps: Manufacturing stage of the insulating material plate whose thickness is greater than the nominal thickness of the desired sound insulation underlay, Cutting stage by a band saw, laser or hand saw of the insulating material plate in order to form at least the patterns.

[0068] By having a thickness of insulating material board greater than the nominal thickness of the soundproofing underlay, it is possible, during the cutting stage, to create the patterns by removing insulating material. The removed material then corresponds to the soundproofing cavities.

[0069] Preferably, the thickness of the sound insulation board is equal to a maximum thickness of the sound insulation underlay, which corresponds to the thickness of the underlay at the pattern points, and more precisely to the thickness at the part of the pattern that is in contact with the subfloor when installed in the application position. Specifically, for a triangular pattern, this corresponds to the previously described vertex, and for a rectangular or trapezoidal pattern, it corresponds to the first flat face previously described.

[0070] It should be noted that this process allows the manufacture of a sound insulation underlay on a single production line, where the insulating material board is manufactured and then cut using a band saw, laser or hand saw to form the patterns, thus obtaining a particularly efficient manufacturing process.

[0071] According to an optional feature, the cutting step using a band saw, laser or hand saw forms at least one slot in the sound insulation underlay.

[0072] This feature eliminates the need for an additional step where the slot(s) would be created manually or using another machine after the soundproofing underlay has been manufactured. Instead, the slot(s) are created directly on the production line.

[0073] According to an optional feature, the manufacturing step of an insulating material plate produces an insulating material plate of a thickness that allows two sound insulation sub-layers to be formed during the cutting step, the two sound insulation sub-layers formed being complementary.

[0074] The process according to the invention thus makes it possible to form two soundproofing underlayers from a single sheet of insulating material. During the slitting stage, the band saw, laser, or hand saw cuts the insulating material in such a way as to form complementary patterns in each of the resulting soundproofing underlayers. Thanks to this process, the manufacture of the soundproofing underlayers is even more efficient.

[0075] By "complementary," we mean that if the two soundproofing underlayers are superimposed, with the second face of one underlayer in contact with the second face of the other, the patterns of one underlayer will fill the soundproofing cavities of the other underlayer. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the patterns of the soundproofing underlayer can also be generated by a thermal forming process carried out in an oven.

[0076] Other features, details and advantages of the invention will become clearer upon reading the following description on the one hand, and the illustrative and non-limiting examples of embodiments given with reference to the accompanying drawings on the other hand, in which: [ Fig. 1 ] is a side view of a floating floor, comprising a sound insulation underlay according to a first embodiment of the invention and in an application position; [ Fig. 2 ] is a side view of the soundproofing underlayer insulated according to the first embodiment of the invention during folding to assume a transport position; [ Fig. 3 ] is a first side view of the floating floor comprising a sound insulation underlay according to a second embodiment of the invention and in an application position, which illustrates the floating floor 1 when subjected to a pressure between 0 and 200 kg / m²; [ Fig. 4 ] is a second side view of the floating floor including the sound insulation underlay according to the second embodiment of the invention and in an application position, which illustrates the floating floor 1 when it is subjected to a pressure greater than 500 kg / m 2< .

[0077] The features and variants of the invention can be combined in various ways, provided they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variants of the invention may include only a selection of features, described hereafter in isolation from the other described features, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage and / or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0078] In the figures, elements common to several figures retain the same reference.

[0079] There Figure 1 is a side view of a floating floor 1, comprising a sound insulation underlay 2 according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0080] The floating floor 1 consists of several layers, including the sound insulation underlay 2, a support floor 4 and a finishing layer 6.

[0081] In order to form the floating floor 1, the sound insulation underlay 2 is arranged between the supporting floor 4 and the finishing layer 6.

[0082] More specifically, the subfloor 4 forms the base of the floating floor 1, upon which the other layers rest. The sound insulation underlayment 2 is thus placed on the subfloor 4, while the finishing layer 6 is placed on top of the sound insulation underlayment 2. In other words, the sound insulation underlayment 2 is applied over the subfloor 4, and the finishing layer 6 is applied over the sound insulation underlayment 2.

[0083] The sound insulation underlay 2 is made from an insulating material. By way of non-limiting example, materials such as mineral fibers like glass wool or rock wool, synthetic fibers like polyester or polyurethane, plant fibers like hemp, wood or flax, or animal fibers like sheep's wool can be used.

[0084] In addition, elastomeric foams, such as polyurethane (PU), expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS), can also be used.

[0085] The sound insulation underlay 2 is shown here in an application position, which corresponds to a position where said sound insulation underlay 2 is unrolled in order to be applied to a flat surface, such as the support floor 4. It should be noted that the sound insulation underlay 2 is also configured to be able to take a transport position, in which the sound insulation underlay 2 is rolled up on itself.

[0086] This sound insulation underlay 2 comprises a first face 8 and a second face 10, opposite the first face 8. When the sound insulation underlay 2 is in application position and assembled within the floating floor 1, the first face 8 is in direct or indirect contact with the finishing layer 6, while the second face 10 is in contact with the supporting floor 4. In transport position, the sound insulation underlay 2 is rolled up so that the first face 8 is oriented towards the inside of the roll, and the second face 10 is oriented towards the outside of the roll.

[0087] In this embodiment, the first face 8 is covered with a coating 12 made of a material sufficiently flexible to allow the sound insulation underlayer 2 to be rolled up in the transport position.

[0088] The coating 12 can also be airtight and watertight to protect the insulating material of the soundproofing underlay 2 from moisture and other external elements during transport and storage. Various materials can be used for this purpose, such as certain plastics like polypropylene, or other types of synthetic polymers.

[0089] In this first embodiment, the coating 12 of the first face 8 is the part of the sound insulation underlayer 2 which is in contact with the finishing layer 6, the first face 8 thus being in indirect contact with the finishing layer 6, via this coating 12.

[0090] The finishing layer 6 is the part of the floating floor 1 on which loads can be placed, for example, furniture or equipment. This finishing layer 6 includes a visible surface 14, which is the surface perceived by a person in the room where the floating floor 1 is installed, and on which loads can be placed. The finishing layer 6 also has a contact surface 16, which is the face of the finishing layer 6 in contact with the sound insulation underlay 2, more specifically in this case, in contact with the covering 12 covering the first face 8 of the sound insulation underlay 2. Various materials can constitute the finishing layer 6, such as, by way of non-limiting example, wood, parquet, concrete, plaster, tiles, stone, cork, bamboo, steel, or aluminum.

[0091] The second face 10, in the application position, when no force is applied to the sound insulation underlay 2, presents a textured profile with a plurality of patterns 18 formed within said sound insulation underlay 2. These patterns 18 are defined relative to a nominal thickness E of the sound insulation underlay 2, represented by the dashed line E in the figures. It should be noted that the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2 corresponds to a measurement taken in a vertical direction V, the vertical direction V being perpendicular to the supporting floor 4 and the finishing layer 6.

[0092] The patterns 18 form a local increase in the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2 compared to its nominal thickness E. In addition, the patterns 18 are configured to form between them, in the application position of the sound insulation underlay 2, sound insulation cavities 19. In other words, two adjacent patterns 18 are separated from each other by a sound insulation cavity 19. These sound insulation cavities 19 are empty spaces not filled with insulating material, which may contain a vacuum, a gas or a mixture of gases, such as air.

[0093] It should be noted that the sound insulation cavities are formed in the application position of the sound insulation underlay, at least in a configuration where the pressure exerted on the floating floor causes little or no deformation of the sound insulation underlay relative to its configuration at the time of installation. The shape and size of these sound insulation cavities may change depending on the pressure applied to the floating floor, it being understood that the sound insulation underlay maintains a substantially flat shape, sandwiched between the subfloor 4 and the finishing layer 6.

[0094] The sound insulation underlayer 2 also includes at least one slot 20 opening into at least one of the sound insulation cavities 19 and extending into the insulating material towards the first face 8. In other words, at least one slot 20 opens into a sound insulation cavity 19 separating two adjacent patterns 18. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, a single slot 20 opens into each sound insulation cavity 19.

[0095] The slots 20 extend into the insulating material towards the first face 8, opening into the sound insulation cavities 19 and thus opening through the second face 10. These slots 20 may extend into the insulating material of the sound insulation underlay 2 as far as the first face 8 or extend partially into the insulating material of the sound insulation underlay 2 without reaching said first face 8. In this embodiment, the slots 20 extend as far as the first face 8.

[0096] It should be noted that when the slots 20 reach the first face 8, this face has a coating 12. Indeed, without this coating 12, when the slots 20 reach the first face 8, the sound insulation underlay 2 is cut into several independent parts. The coating 12 therefore also serves to ensure the unity of the sound insulation underlay 2.

[0097] The slots 20 are also defined in relation to the nominal thickness E of the sound insulation underlay 2, forming a local reduction in the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2 compared to its nominal thickness E. When the slots 20 extend into the sound insulation underlay 2 as far as the first face 8, they form a local reduction in the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2, such that at the slots 20, the thickness is substantially zero. When the slots 20 extend into the sound insulation underlay 2 without reaching the first face 8, they form a local reduction in the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2, such that at the slots 20, the sound insulation underlay 2 has a residual thickness, less than the nominal thickness E.

[0098] In this embodiment, the patterns 18 have a triangular shape and include a vertex 22, which is the part of the patterns 18 where the local increase in thickness is greatest in relation to the nominal thickness E of the sound insulation underlay 2. The vertex 22 therefore corresponds to the area of ​​the sound insulation underlay 2 where its thickness is maximum.

[0099] Here, the patterns 18 are regular, meaning that each pattern 18 creates a local increase in the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer 2 that is substantially similar from one pattern 18 to another. Thus, at each vertex 22, the local increase in thickness is equivalent for all patterns 18.

[0100] In other embodiments, the patterns 18 could be irregular, which would lead to variations in the local increase in the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer 2 by the different patterns 18. Thus, the sound insulation underlayer 2 could have different thicknesses from one peak 22 to another.

[0101] The patterns 18 have a first inclined face 28 and a second inclined face 30 forming inclined planes from the top 22 to a base portion of the insulation underlayer 2 which corresponds to the nominal thickness.

[0102] This pattern of the 18 therefore allows for a variation in the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer 2 according to a regular pattern, where the thickness reaches its maximum at the top 22 and returns to the nominal thickness E thanks to the first inclined face 28 and the second inclined face 30.

[0103] The slots 20 are made in the sound insulation underlayer 2 at the junction of the inclined faces 28, 30 of two adjacent patterns 18 in order to open through the second face 10 into the sound insulation cavities 19.

[0104] The vertices 22 of the patterns 18, which correspond to the parts of the sound insulation underlay 2 where the local increase in thickness is greatest, are therefore the first parts of the sound insulation underlay 2 to come into contact with a surface when the second face 10 is laid against that surface. For example, in the case of a floating floor 1, when the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlay 2 is laid against the subfloor 4, it is the vertices 22 of the patterns 18 that first come into contact with the subfloor 4.

[0105] It should be noted that, since in this embodiment the patterns 18 are regular, the vertices 22 of these patterns 18 are all in contact with the support floor 4 when the sound insulation underlay 2 is laid against this support floor 4.

[0106] The subfloor 4 is the load-bearing element of the entire floating floor structure 1. It must therefore be sufficiently strong to support the total weight of the floating floor 1, as well as any potential loads that may be applied to it. It can be made from materials such as wood, concrete, steel, or aluminum. As mentioned previously, the subfloor 4 is in contact with the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlayment 2, via the vertices 22 of the patterns 18. For this reason, the subfloor 4 therefore includes a contact face 32 in contact with the vertices 22 of the patterns 18.

[0107] By being in contact with the contact face 32 of the support floor 4, the sound insulation cavities 19 are then delimited by both the support floor 4 and the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlay 2. More precisely, the sound insulation cavities 19 are delimited by the contact face 32 of the support floor 4, by the first inclined face 28 of a pattern 18, and by the second inclined face 30 of an adjacent pattern 18.

[0108] Soundproof cavities 19, by not containing insulating material, slow down the propagation of waves, particularly sound waves. They achieve this by exploiting the effect of the gas or vacuum present within these cavities to reduce the speed of wave propagation. Indeed, sound waves travel more slowly in gas or a vacuum than in solid materials. Thus, soundproof cavities 19 act as dispersion zones, reducing the energy and speed of the waves, resulting in sound attenuation.

[0109] The presence of soundproofing cavities also increases the surface roughness of the soundproofing underlay, which reduces its equivalent compressive stiffness. This reduction in equivalent compressive stiffness also helps slow the propagation of sound waves through the soundproofing underlay.

[0110] For example, when an object falls onto the finishing layer 6, sound waves propagate through it and are then transmitted from the finishing layer 6 to the sound insulation underlayment 2, passing through the coating 12 and the first face 8. At this stage, the sound waves are only slightly or not attenuated. The sound wave then passes through the sound insulation underlayment 2, from the first face 8 to the second face 10, before being transmitted to the subfloor 4.

[0111] The material of the sound insulation underlay 2, whether it is for example glass wool or wood fiber, also contributes to the attenuation of sound waves due to its intrinsic sound insulation properties.

[0112] An intrinsic property of the sound insulation underlay is its dynamic stiffness, expressed in N / m³, which is determined by the Young's modulus of the material divided by the thickness of said sound insulation underlay.

[0113] Furthermore, when passing through the sound insulation underlayer 2 according to the invention, the sound wave must pass through the sound insulation cavities 19. When passing through these sound insulation cavities 19, the sound waves are strongly attenuated due to the absence of material.

[0114] Thus, the sound insulation underlay 2 reduces sound waves both by the effect of its insulating material and by the effect of its sound insulation cavities 19. As a result, when the sound waves reach the supporting floor 4, they are weak enough not to propagate, or only slightly, through it, so that a person on the other side of the supporting floor 4 will perceive a significant reduction in noise.

[0115] The slots 20, depending on certain parameters such as their shape and dimensions, can have different effects. To facilitate rolling the sound insulation underlay 2 into its transport position, one of the parameters to consider is the depth of the slots 20, i.e., the local reduction in the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2 at the slots 20. The more the slots 20 reduce this thickness, the more flexible the sound insulation underlay 2 is, thus allowing for proper rolling. To achieve maximum flexibility, the slots 20 can, in particular, extend to the first face 8, as illustrated in the first embodiment on the figure 1 , so that the flexibility is based solely on the coating 12, and not on the insulating material of the sound insulation underlayer 2.

[0116] Another parameter of the sound insulation underlay 2 is the width of the slots 20. This width corresponds to a measurement in the transverse direction T, this transverse direction T being perpendicular to the vertical direction V, and extending, in this embodiment, from a vertex 22 of a pattern 18 to a vertex 22 of an adjacent pattern 18. The width corresponds, in this embodiment, to the distance separating the first inclined face 28 of a pattern 18 from the second inclined face 30 of an adjacent pattern 18 at the level of the nominal thickness E of the sound insulation underlay 2.

[0117] The width of the slots 20 has little or no effect on the winding of the sound insulation underlay 2 in its transport position, but may have other effects which will be detailed in the description of the second embodiment. By way of non-limiting example, in this embodiment, the width of the slots 20 may, in particular, be between 2 and 50 mm, and preferably between 5 and 20 mm.

[0118] There Figure 2 is a side view of the sound insulation underlayer 2 insulated according to the first embodiment of the invention.

[0119] In this figure, the sound insulation underlay 2 is shown isolated from the floating floor 1 and is slightly bent to illustrate its behavior under bending stress and to show the influence of the slots 20 on the flexibility of the sound insulation underlay 2. The sound insulation underlay 2 is thus shown in an intermediate position between its application position and its transport position, where said underlay is being bent to adopt the transport position.

[0120] In the first embodiment, since the slots 20 extend to the first face 8 and the patterns 18 are not connected by the insulating material of the sound insulation underlay 2, but only by the coating 12, the flexing of the sound insulation underlay 2 is mainly due to the coating 12 applied to the first face 8. In other words, in this first embodiment, the flexibility is therefore essentially due to the deformation of the coating 12.

[0121] It should be noted that in other embodiments of the invention, and as previously mentioned, the slots 20 may extend into the insulating material of the soundproofing underlay 2 towards the first face 8 without reaching it. In this case, the soundproofing underlay 2 may or may not include a coating 12. Thus, the patterns 18 may be connected either by the coating 12 and the residual thickness of insulating material of the soundproofing underlay 2 at the slots 20, or solely by this residual thickness.

[0122] Therefore, when the slots 20 extend into the insulating material without reaching the first face 8 and the first face 8 includes a coating 12, the flexibility depends on both the coating 12 and the residual thickness of the insulating material.

[0123] When the first face 8 does not have a coating 12 and the slots 20 extend towards this face without reaching it, the flexibility of said sound insulation underlayer 2 depends solely on that of the residual thickness of insulating material.

[0124] There Figure 3 is a first side view of the floating floor 1 comprising a sound insulation underlay 2 according to a second embodiment of the invention, which illustrates the floating floor 1 when it is subjected to a pressure between 0 and 200 kg / m 2< .

[0125] The only difference between this floating floor 1 and what was previously described lies in the use of a sound-insulating underlay 2 according to a second embodiment. The floating floor 1 therefore also comprises a subfloor 4 and a finishing layer 6.

[0126] The sound insulation underlay 2 according to this second embodiment is composed of an insulating material and has a first face 8 on which a coating 12 is applied, and a second face 10 opposite the first face 8. The insulating material may be similar to that used in the sound insulation underlay 2 of the first embodiment, and may in particular include plant, mineral, synthetic or animal fibers.

[0127] The second face 10 also has patterns 18 increasing the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2 relative to its nominal thickness E, and slots 20 reducing the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2 relative to its nominal thickness E.

[0128] In this second embodiment, the motifs 18 are spaced apart from each other, unlike in the first embodiment where the motifs 18 are contiguous. By way of non-limiting example, the motifs 18 in this second embodiment are spaced between 15 and 150 mm apart.

[0129] In order to be spaced apart from each other, the patterns 18 are separated both by at least one slot 20, but also by a flat area 36 of the second face 10. The flat area 36 is an area of ​​the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlay 2 where the thickness of said sound insulation underlay 2 is substantially equal to the nominal thickness E of said sound insulation underlay 2. This flat area 36 extends in the transverse direction T, that is to say parallel to the first face 8.

[0130] It should also be noted that, in this second embodiment, the motifs 18 are rectangular in shape, whereas, in the first embodiment, the motifs 18 are triangular in shape.

[0131] The patterns 18, when rectangular in shape, comprise a first flat face 38 extending in the transverse direction T when the sound insulation underlay 2 is in the application position, a second flat face 40 extending in the vertical direction V when the sound insulation underlay 2 is in the application position, and a third flat face 42 extending in the vertical direction V when the sound insulation underlay 2 is in the application position.

[0132] It should be noted that the first flat face 38 is the pattern face 18 where the increase in the local thickness of the sound insulation underlayer 2 is the greatest in relation to the nominal thickness E.

[0133] The second flat face 40 and the third flat face 42 are, for their part, faces of the motifs 18 extending from the first flat face 38 to the nominal thickness E.

[0134] In this second embodiment, two slots 20 open into each sound insulation cavity 19. These slots 20 extend into the insulating material towards the first face 8, without however reaching it, thus leaving a residual thickness, denoted R on the figure 3 , of insulating material at the level of the 20 slots.

[0135] It should be noted that, since there is a residual thickness R of insulating material at the slots 20, the flexibility of the sound insulation underlay 2 does not depend solely on the flexibility of the coating 12 as in the first embodiment, but also depends on the flexibility of the residual thickness R of the insulating material.

[0136] The sound insulation underlayer 2 includes more particularly a first slot 20A made between the third flat face 42 of a pattern 18 and the flat area 36, ​​and a second slot 20B made between the second flat face 40 of an adjacent pattern 18 and said flat area 36.

[0137] In other words, we find successively a motif 18, a first slot 20A, a flat area 36, ​​a second slot 20B, then the adjacent motif 18. The second face 10 therefore presents a regular alternation of these elements: a motif 18, a first slot 20A, a flat area 36 and a second slot 20B.

[0138] When the sound insulation underlay 2 according to this second embodiment is in application position and its second face 10 is in contact with a surface, the first flat face 38 of each of the patterns 18 is therefore the part of the sound insulation underlay 2 in contact with said surface.

[0139] When a pressure between 0 and 200 kg / m² is applied to the floating floor 1, as is the case on this figure 3 The sound insulation underlay 2 undergoes little or no crushing. The first flat face 38 of the patterns 18 is then the part of the first face 8 in contact with the contact face 32 of the supporting floor 4.

[0140] The sound insulation cavities 19 of the sound insulation underlay 2 are then delimited by the contact face 32 of the support floor 4, by the second flat face 40 of a pattern 18, by the first slot 20A and the second slot 20B, by the flat area 36, ​​and by the third flat face 42 of an adjacent pattern 18.

[0141] In this embodiment, the slots 20 have a width between 2 and 50 mm, and preferably between 5 and 20 mm. These width values ​​allow for the preservation of sound insulation cavities 19 when significant pressure is applied to the floating floor 1, as will be described later. Significant pressure corresponds to a pressure on the floating floor 1 greater than 500 kg / m².

[0142] There Figure 4 is a second side view of the floating floor 1 including the sound insulation underlay 2 according to the second embodiment of the invention, which illustrates the floating floor 1 when it is subjected to a pressure greater than 500 kg / m².

[0143] In this situation, the sound insulation underlay 2 is compressed, and more specifically, the patterns 18 are compressed under pressure until the flat areas come into contact with the support floor 4. The percentage of surface contact of the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlay 2 with the support floor 4 then increases, which has the effect of improving the resistance of the floating floor 1 to significant pressures.

[0144] It should be noted, as illustrated on the figure 4 , that when the patterns 18 are compressed under pressure, the material of the patterns deforms and can spread onto the supporting floor 4.

[0145] In other words, when the floating floor 1 is subjected to a pressure greater than 500 kg / m², it is no longer only the first flat face 38 of the patterns 18 that is in contact with the contact face 32 of the supporting floor 4. Indeed, in this case, the contact face 32 of the supporting floor 4 comes into contact not only with the first flat face 38 of the patterns 18, but also with the flat area 36.

[0146] This increased contact between the flat area 36 and the supporting floor 4 reduces the sound insulation cavities 19 to the empty space formed solely by the slots 20. Under such pressure, the sound insulation cavities 19 are therefore no longer delimited by the patterns 18, but are formed solely by the slots 20.

[0147] As mentioned previously, the slots 20 in this embodiment preferably have a width between 5 and 20 mm. The minimum value of 5 mm allows the sound insulation cavities 19 to be preserved even when the pressure exceeds 500 kg / m², since if the width is less, the slots 20 risk being completely blocked due to the deformation and spreading of the patterns 18 on the supporting floor 4. The maximum value of 20 mm prevents excessive weakening of the sound insulation underlay 2, as too great a width could weaken it.

[0148] The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a soundproofing underlay 2, wherein said soundproofing underlay 2 is obtained by cutting a sheet of insulating material. The manufacture of the soundproofing underlays 1 according to the invention takes place in two consecutive steps.

[0149] The first step is to manufacture a plate of insulating material with a thickness greater than the nominal thickness required for the sound insulation underlay 2.

[0150] More specifically, the insulating material panel can have a thickness at least equal to the maximum thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2. This means that the thickness of the insulating material panel produced during this step can correspond to the thickness at the vertices 22 of the patterns 18 in the case of the sound insulation underlay 2 according to the first embodiment, or to the thickness at the first flat face 38 of the patterns 18 in the case of the sound insulation underlay 2 according to the second embodiment. The vertices 22 or the first flat faces 38 of the patterns 18 represent, in effect, the areas of the sound insulation underlay 2 where the thickness is greatest.

[0151] The second step involves cutting the insulating material plate using a band saw, laser or hand saw to form the patterns 18 on the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlay 2.

[0152] This cutting can be carried out by an automated machine that controls the cutting parameters, thus enabling the formation of different patterns. It should be noted that the first and second steps can be performed successively on the same production line, where the insulating material panel is first manufactured and then cut by the band saw, laser, or hand saw. This simplifies and optimizes the production of the sound insulation underlays according to the invention.

[0153] Optionally, band saw, laser or hand saw cutting can also form the 20 slots in addition to the 18 patterns, further simplifying the manufacturing process.

[0154] Alternatively, the 20 slots can be made in a separate third step, either manually or using a machine.

[0155] The manufacturing process can also allow the production of several sound insulation underlayers 2 simultaneously, for example two sound insulation underlayers 2. For this, in the first step, the insulating material board must be manufactured with sufficient thickness to form two sound insulation underlayers 2 during the cutting step.

[0156] During this cutting process, the band saw, laser, or hand saw creates complementary patterns 18 on each of the sound insulation underlayers 2. This means that when the second faces of the sound insulation underlayers come into contact, the patterns 18 of one interlock with the sound insulation cavities 19 of the other. At the end of this step, two sound insulation underlayers are produced from a single sheet of insulating material, in just two steps and in a single process.

[0157] The present invention thus proposes a soundproofing underlay that can assume two positions: an application position and a transport position. This soundproofing underlay comprises patterns and slots, the patterns forming soundproofing cavities when the underlay is placed on a surface in its application position. The slots facilitate rolling the soundproofing underlay into its transport position and / or maintain the soundproofing cavities even when significant pressure is applied to the underlay.

[0158] The present invention is not limited to the means and configurations described and illustrated herein, and also extends to any equivalent means and configuration, as well as any technically operative combination of such means.

Claims

1. Sound insulation underlay (2) made of insulating material configured to take a transport position in which the sound insulation underlay (2) is rolled up on itself and to take an application position in which the sound insulation underlay (2) is positioned on a supporting floor (4), said sound insulation underlay (2) comprising a first face (8) and a second face (10) opposite the first face (8) and intended to be in contact with the supporting floor (4), characterized in that said second face (10) includes patterns (18) configured to form between them, in the position of application of the sound insulation underlay (2), sound insulation cavities (19), the sound insulation underlay (2) comprising at least one slot (20) opening into at least one of the sound insulation cavities (19) and extending into the insulating material in the direction of the first face (8).

2. Sound insulation underlay (2) according to claim 1, wherein the patterns (18) and the at least one slot (20) are defined with respect to a nominal thickness (E) of the sound insulation underlay (2) when the latter is in the application position, the patterns (18) locally increasing the thickness of the sound insulation underlay (2) relative to the nominal thickness (E) while the at least one slot (20) locally reducing the thickness of the sound insulation underlay (2) relative to this nominal thickness (E).

3. Sound insulation underlayer (2) according to claim 2 comprising a first slot (20, 20A) and a second slot (20, 20B) opening into the same sound insulation cavity (19).

4. Sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the patterns (18) have a triangular, rectangular, sinusoidal or trapezoidal shape.

5. Sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first face (8) is covered with a coating (12).

6. Sound insulation underlayer (2) according to claim 5, wherein at least one slot (20) extends until it reaches the first face (8).

7. Sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one slot (20) extends partially into the insulating material without reaching the first face (8).

8. Sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the insulating material of said sound insulation underlay (2) comprises mineral fibers.

9. Floating floor (1) comprising a support floor (4), a sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and a finishing layer (6), the second face (10) of the sound insulation underlay (2) being in contact with the support floor (4) and the finishing layer (6) being disposed in contact with the first face (8).

10. Floating floor (1) according to claim 9, wherein the percentage of surface contact between the second face (10) and the supporting floor (4) is between 20% and 80% when a load of between 0 and 500 kg / m2 is supported by the finishing layer (6).

11. A method for manufacturing a sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sound insulation underlay (2) is obtained by cutting a plate of insulating material, said method comprising the following successive steps: - Step of manufacturing the plate of insulating material having a thickness greater than the nominal thickness (E) of the desired sound insulation underlay (2), - Step of cutting the plate of insulating material by a band saw, a laser or a hand saw to form at least the patterns (18).

12. Method of manufacturing a sound insulation underlay (2) according to claim 11, wherein the cutting step by a band saw, a laser or a hand saw forms at least one slot (20) in the sound insulation underlay (2).

13. Method of manufacturing a sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 11 or 12, wherein the manufacturing step of a plate of insulating material produces a plate of insulating material of a thickness enabling the formation of two sound insulation underlays (2) during the cutting step, the two sound insulation underlays (2) formed being complementary.

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