Soundproofing underlay.

Abstract

Title of the invention: Sound insulation underlay.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).(Figure 1).

Description

Title of the invention: Sound insulation underlay.

[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, may include elements intended for sound insulation. Floating floors, in particular, may include this type of element.

[0003] Floating floors are usually made up of a subfloor, an insulating underlayment, and a finishing layer. The subfloor forms the base of the floating floor and is therefore configured to support the other layers.

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

[0005] The finishing layer is applied over the insulation underlay and thus constitutes the visible upper surface of the floating floor. It is therefore understood that the insulation underlay is interposed between the subfloor and the finishing layer.

[0006] A known method for improving the sound insulation of a floating floor is to increase the thickness of the underlayment. Indeed, the thicker this underlayment, the longer it takes for sound to pass through it and the lower its intensity. However, it should be noted that, in this type of flooring, the underlayment is generally in complete contact with the finishing 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 therefore the flooring, 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 consists of reducing the rigidity of the insulation underlayer by using a low-rigidity insulating material. In this case, the sound waves are less Sound is transmitted effectively through the insulation underlayment, which attenuates sound waves and thus improves 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 / m3, 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 face of the insulating underlay that is in contact with the subfloor. By making this surface rougher, voids are formed between the subfloor and the insulating underlay. These voids then slow down the propagation of vibrations and therefore sound, thus improving the effectiveness of the sound insulation.

[0010] By way of 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, lies in the fact that, under high stresses applied to the floating floor, these reliefs can flatten to form a contact surface between the insulating underlay and the subfloor that is essentially flat, thereby increasing the contact with the substrate and reducing 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 main object of the present invention is a sound insulation underlay made of insulating material configured to assume a transport position in which the sound insulation underlay is rolled up and to assume 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 the first face and intended to be in contact with the supporting floor, characterized in that said second face comprises patterns configured to form, 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 towards the first face.

[0013] The insulating material can be made of different materials, and for example it can be made of mineral fibers such as glass wool and rock wool, or synthetic materials such as polystyrene and polyurethane. Materials such as plant fibers, such as wood fiber and cork, or animal fibers such as 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. By way of non-limiting examples, materials such as polyurethane (PU), expanded polystyrene (EPS), and extruded polystyrene (XPS) can be used.

[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 the bulk and thus simplifies handling.

[0016] The slot(s) in the sound insulation underlay facilitate this rolling. Indeed, by extending into the insulating material towards the first face, they form folding indentations and locally reduce the thickness of the sound insulation underlay, thereby improving its flexibility.

[0017] It follows that the closer the slot(s) extend to the first face, the greater the reduction in thickness at the level of these slots, and therefore the more flexible the sound insulation underlayer 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 installed 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. But it is notable 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 with respect to its configuration during the assembly of the floating floor, the sound insulation cavities are formed between the patterns.

[0022] The sound insulation cavities can be filled with a vacuum, a gas, or a mixture of gases such as air. By being free of insulating material, these sound insulation cavities slow down and / or attenuate sound waves passing through them. Thus, when sound waves pass through the sound insulation underlay, they propagate through the insulating material, and then, when they reach the sound insulation 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 sound insulation underlay due to these sound insulation cavities formed by the patterns.

[0023] The slot(s) are positioned so as to open into the sound insulation cavities, which in particular makes it possible to increase 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 underlayer to facilitate transport, the slot(s) allow sound insulation cavities to be maintained even when the sound insulation underlayer is subjected to significant stress.

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

[0026] In this case, the slot or slots allow sound insulation cavities to be maintained, which are then formed solely by the empty space of insulating material contained in the slot or slots, since the patterns are completely crushed.

[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 thus 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 a dimensioning of the slots in a transverse direction, this transverse direction being parallel to the first face when the sound insulation underlay is in the application position.

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

[0030] In the case 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 the at least one slot are defined with respect 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] It follows that the areas of the second face locally increasing the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer compared 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 compared to its nominal thickness are considered as slots.

[0033] It should be noted that the term "thickness" corresponds 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 sound insulation cavity, into which two slots open, namely the first slot and the second slot. This has the effect of multiplying the total number of slots relative to the number of sound insulation cavities, and therefore of multiplying the number of slots relative to the number of patterns. The sound insulation underlay is thus even more flexible and allows for better preservation of the sound insulation cavities in the event of significant stresses applied to the underlay.

[0036] By way of example, when a pressure greater than 500 kg / m2 is applied in the vertical direction to the sound insulation underlay, the patterns are crushed, reducing the soundproofing cavities to the volume of empty space left by the slot(s). This volume is therefore greater when two slots open into a soundproofing cavity, compared to when only one slot opens into the same soundproofing 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 an area where the thickness of the sound insulation underlay is substantially equal to its nominal thickness.

[0038] As a result, under significant stress, the patterns are crushed 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, i.e., parallel to the first face when the sound insulation underlay is in its application position. A second flat face and a third flat face, which are adjacent to the first flat face, extend in the vertical direction, i.e., perpendicular to the first flat face. This second and third flat faces extend from the first flat face to a portion of the base of the sound insulation underlay, positioned at its nominal thickness.

[0042] When the patterns have a trapezoidal shape, 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 direction and the transverse direction.

[0044] Triangular or trapezoidal motifs have increased compressive strength, while rectangular motifs have less compressive strength. Indeed, triangular and trapezoidal motifs have faces inclined relative to the vertical direction, while rectangular patterns have flat faces extending in the vertical direction. By extending in the vertical direction, the flat faces are more susceptible to crushing than if they were inclined relative to that vertical direction.

[0045] It should be noted that the sound insulation underlay may comprise 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 coating may possess various qualities. For example, when seeking a flexible sound insulation underlay, the coating material must have adequate flexibility. This material may also possess other qualities, such as being airtight and watertight, to ensure the protection of the sound insulation underlay's insulating material during transport, storage, and installation. By way of non-limiting example, 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 slot, no insulating material of the sound insulation underlayer remains, and the sound insulation underlayer 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 makes it possible to obtain better flexibility of the sound insulation underlay and thus facilitates the rolling of said thermal insulation underlay into its transport position.

[0051] According to a 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 slot, the sound insulation underlayer includes a residual thickness of insulating material.

[0053] Thus, in this case, the flexibility of the sound insulation underlay depends in particular on this residual thickness of insulating material at the gap. This residual thickness helps, among other things, to improve the strength of said thermal insulation underlay.

[0054] 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.

[0055] The subfloor can be made of various materials, such as wood, concrete, steel, or aluminum, and must be sufficiently strong to support a structure such as a floating floor. The sound insulation underlay is placed over the subfloor, with the second face, and more specifically, the pattern of this second face, in contact with the subfloor.

[0056] The finishing layer is the visible layer of the floating floor. It can be made of various materials, for example, screed, mortar, plasterboard, or parquet flooring. The finishing layer is placed over the sound insulation underlay, in contact with the first surface. This contact can be direct when the sound insulation underlay has no coating, or indirect via the coating when it does.

[0057] 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 between 0 and 500 kg / m2 is supported by the finishing layer.

[0058] 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.

[0059] The percentage of surface contact corresponds to a measure of the surface of the second face which is in contact with the supporting floor, relative to a measure of the total surface of the second face.

[0060] It should be noted that the lower the percentage of surface contact, the more the soundproofing underlay contains soundproofing cavities that remain formed after the underlay 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 underlay. However, the lower the percentage of surface contact, the less resistant the soundproofing underlay is to pressure exerted in the vertical direction, and therefore it will be compressed when pressure is applied.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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 between 0 and 200 kg / m2 is supported by the finishing layer.

[0063] 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.

[0064] The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a floating floor as described above, said method comprising the following steps: - a step involving the installation of the supporting floor, - a step involving the application of the second layer of the soundproofing underlay to the subfloor, - a step of applying the finishing layer to the first side of the sound insulation underlay.

[0065] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a sound insulation underlay as described in this document, in which the sound insulation underlay is obtained by cutting a plate of insulating material, said method comprising the following successive steps: - Manufacturing stage of the insulating material panel whose thickness is greater than the nominal thickness of the desired sound insulation underlay, - Cutting stage using a band saw, laser or hand saw of the insulating material plate to form at least the patterns.

[0066] By having a thickness of insulating material plate greater than the nominal thickness of the sound insulation underlay, it is possible, during the cutting stage, to form the patterns by removing insulating material. The removed material thus corresponds to the sound insulation cavities.

[0067] 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 sound insulation underlay at the pattern level, 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. More specifically, for a triangular pattern, this corresponds to the vertex described above, and for a rectangular or trapezoidal pattern, this corresponds respectively to the first flat face described above.

[0068] It should be noted that this process allows the manufacture of a sound insulation underlay on a single production line, where the material plate The insulation is manufactured and then cut using a band saw, laser, or hand saw to form the patterns, resulting in a particularly efficient manufacturing process.

[0069] According to an optional feature, the cutting step by a band saw, a laser or a hand saw forms at least one slot in the sound insulation underlayer.

[0070] This feature eliminates the need for an additional step where the slot(s) would be made manually or using another machine after the sound insulation underlay has been manufactured. Instead, the slot(s) are made directly on the production line.

[0071] According to an optional feature, the manufacturing step of an insulating material plate produces an insulating material plate of a thickness enabling the formation of two sound insulation sub-layers during the cutting step, the two sound insulation sub-layers formed being complementary.

[0072] The process according to the invention thus makes it possible to form two soundproofing underlayers from a single sheet of insulating material. It is understood that during the slitting step, the band saw, laser, or hand saw cuts into 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.

[0073] By complementary, it is meant that if the two sound insulation underlayers are superimposed, with the second face of one of the sound insulation underlayers in contact with the second face of the other of the sound insulation underlayers, the patterns of one of the sound insulation underlayers will fill the sound insulation cavities of the other of the sound insulation underlayers on which it is placed.

[0074] In an alternative of the invention, the patterns of the sound insulation underlayer can also be generated by a thermal forming process carried out in an oven.

[0075] 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:

[0076] [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;

[0077] [Fig.2] is a side view of the sound insulation underlay insulated according the first embodiment of the invention being folded to take a transport position;

[0078] [Fig.3] is a first side view of the floating floor comprising a sub- sound insulation layer according to a second embodiment of the invention and in an application position, which illustrates the floating floor 1 when it is subjected to a pressure between 0 and 200 kg / m2;

[0079] [Fig.4] is a second side view of the floating floor including the underlay sound insulation 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 / m2.

[0080] 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.

[0081] In the figures, the elements common to several figures retain the same reference.

[0082] Fig. 1 is a side view of a floating floor 1, comprising a sound insulation underlay 2 according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0083] The floating floor 1 consists of several layers, including the sound insulation underlay 2, a support floor 4 and a finishing layer 6. 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.

[0084] More specifically, the subfloor 4 forms the base of the floating floor 1, upon which the other layers rest. The sound insulation underlay 2 is thus placed on the subfloor 4, while the finishing layer 6 is placed on the sound insulation underlay 2. In other words, the sound insulation underlay 2 is applied over the subfloor 4, and the finishing layer 6 is applied over the sound insulation underlay 2.

[0085] 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 such as hemp, wood or flax, or even animal fibers such as sheep's wool can be used.

[0086] Furthermore, elastomeric foams, such as polyurethane (PU), expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS), can also be used.

[0087] 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 supporting 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] The coating 12 can also be airtight and watertight in order to protect the insulating material of the sound insulation underlay 2 from moisture and other external aggressions during transport and storage. Various materials can be considered for this purpose, such as certain plastics, like polypropylene, or other types of synthetic polymers.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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 comprises 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 comprises a contact surface 16, which is the face of the finishing layer 6 in contact with the sound insulation underlayment 2, more specifically here in contact with the flooring 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 examples, wood, parquet, concrete, plaster, tile, stone, cork, bamboo, steel or aluminum.

[0093] 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 in said sound insulation underlay 2. These patterns 18 are defined with respect 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 to the finishing layer 6.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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 pressure is exerted on the floating floor that deforms the sound insulation underlay only slightly or not at all from its configuration at the time of assembly of the floating floor. 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 retains a substantially flat shape, sandwiched between the subfloor 4 and the finishing layer 6.

[0096] 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 motifs 18. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, a single slot 20 opens into each sound insulation cavity 19.

[0097] The slots 20 extend into the insulating material towards the first face 8, opening into the sound insulation cavities 19 and thus through the second face 10. These slots 20 may extend into the insulating material of the sound insulation underlayer 2 all the way to the first face 8 or extend partially in the insulating material of the sound insulation underlay 2 without reaching said first face 8. In this embodiment, the slots 20 extend to the first face 8.

[0098] It should be noted that when the slots 20 reach the first face 8, the latter has a coating 12. Indeed, in the absence of a 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.

[0099] The slots 20 are also defined with respect to the nominal thickness E of the sound insulation underlay 2, forming a local reduction in the thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2 relative 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.

[0100] In this embodiment, the motifs 18 have a triangular shape and include a vertex 22, which is the part of the motifs 18 where the local increase in thickness is the greatest relative 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 at its maximum.

[0101] Here, the patterns 18 are regular, that is to say, each of the patterns 18 forms a local increase in the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer 2 which is substantially similar from one pattern 18 to another. Thus, at each vertex 22, the local increase in thickness is equivalent for all the patterns 18.

[0102] 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 vertex 22 to another.

[0103] The patterns 18 comprise 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.

[0104] This shape of the patterns 18 therefore makes it possible to ensure a variation in the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer 2 according to a regular pattern, where the thickness reaches its maximum at the level of the apex 22 and returns to the nominal thickness E thanks to the first inclined face 28 and the second inclined face 30.

[0105] 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.

[0106] 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 placed 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 placed against the supporting floor 4, it is the vertices 22 of the patterns 18 that first come into contact with the supporting floor 4.

[0107] 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.

[0108] The support floor 4 is the load-bearing element of the entire structure of the floating floor 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 support floor 4 is in contact with the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlay 2, via the vertices 22 of the patterns 18. For this reason, the support floor 4 therefore includes a contact face 32 in contact with the vertices 22 of the patterns 18.

[0109] By being in contact with the contact face 32 of the support floor 4, the sound insulation cavities 19 are then delimited both by the support floor 4 and by the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlay 2. More specifically, 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.

[0110] The soundproofing cavities 19, by not containing insulating material, slow down the propagation of waves, and in particular the propagation of sound waves. To achieve this, they exploit the effect of the gas or vacuum present in these soundproofing cavities 19 to reduce the speed of wave propagation. Indeed, sound waves travel more slowly in gas or vacuum than in solid materials. Thus, the soundproofing cavities 19 act as dispersion zones, reducing the energy and speed of the waves, which results in sound attenuation.

[0111] The presence of the soundproofing cavities also increases the surface roughness of the soundproofing underlay, which reduces the equivalent compressive stiffness of this underlay. This reduction in equivalent compressive stiffness also helps to slow the propagation of sound waves through the soundproofing underlay.

[0112] By way of example, when an object falls on the finishing layer 6, the 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.

[0113] The material of the sound insulation underlay 2, whether it be, for example, glass wool or wood fiber, also contributes to the attenuation of sound waves due to its intrinsic sound insulation properties.

[0114] An intrinsic property of the sound insulation underlay is in particular 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.

[0115] Furthermore, in passing through the sound insulation underlayer 2 according to the invention, the sound source must pass through the sound insulation cavities 19. In passing through these sound insulation cavities 19, the sound waves are strongly attenuated due to the absence of material.

[0116] 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 sufficiently weak 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.

[0117] 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 be considered 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 good rolling. To obtain maximum flexibility, the slots 20 can, in particular, extend to the first face 8, as illustrated in the first embodiment in [Fig. 1], so that the flexibility relies solely on the coating 12, and not on the insulating material of the sound insulation underlay 2.

[0118] 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.

[0119] 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.

[0120] The [Fig.2] is a side view of the sound insulation underlayer 2 insulated according to the first embodiment of the invention.

[0121] 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 the effect of a 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.

[0122] 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 bending 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.

[0123] It should be noted that in other embodiments of the invention, and as mentioned previously, 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.

[0124] Consequently, 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 remaining thickness of the insulating material. 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 underlay 2 depends solely on that of the remaining thickness of the insulating material.

[0125] Fig. 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 / m2.

[0126] The only difference between this floating floor 1 and what has been 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 supporting floor 4 and a finishing layer 6.

[0127] The sound insulation underlay 2 according to this second embodiment consists of an insulating material and comprises 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 consist of plant, mineral, synthetic or animal fibers.

[0128] The second face 10 also has patterns 18 increasing the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer 2 compared to its nominal thickness E, and slots 20 reducing the thickness of the sound insulation underlayer 2 compared to its nominal thickness E.

[0129] 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.

[0130] In order to be spaced apart from each other, the motifs 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 underlayer 2 where the thickness of said sound insulation underlayer 2 is substantially equal to the nominal thickness E of said sound insulation underlayer 2. This flat area 36 extends in the transverse direction T, i.e. parallel to the first face 8.

[0131] 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.

[0132] 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.

[0133] 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 most significant in relation to the nominal thickness E.

[0134] 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.

[0135] 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, noted R on the [Fig.3], of insulating material at the slots 20.

[0136] 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 underlayer 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.

[0137] The sound insulation underlayer 2 more particularly comprises 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.

[0138] 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.

[0139] 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.

[0140] When a pressure of between 0 and 200 kg / m2 is applied to the floating floor 1, as is the case in this [Fig.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 support floor 4.

[0141] 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.

[0142] In this embodiment, the slots 20 have a width of between 2 and 50 mm, and preferably between 5 and 20 mm. These width values ​​allow sound insulation cavities 19 to be maintained 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 exceeding 500 kg / m².

[0143] Fig. 4 is a second side view of the floating floor 1 comprising 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.

[0144] In this situation, the sound insulation underlay 2 is crushed, and more specifically, the patterns 18 are crushed 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.

[0145] It should be noted, as illustrated in [Fig.4], that when the patterns 18 are compressed under pressure, the pattern material deforms and can spread out onto the support floor 4.

[0146] 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.

[0147] 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.

[0148] As mentioned previously, the slots 20 in this embodiment preferably have a width between 5 and 20 mm. The minimum value of 5 mm makes it possible to preserve the sound insulation cavities 19 even when the pressure exceeds 500 kg / m², since if the width is less, the slots 20 risk being completely obstructed due to the deformation and spreading of the patterns 18 on the support floor 4. The maximum value of 20 mm helps to avoid excessive weakening of the sound insulation underlay 2, as too much width could weaken it.

[0149] 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.

[0150] The first step consists of manufacturing a plate of insulating material whose thickness is greater than the nominal thickness required for the sound insulation underlay 2.

[0151] More specifically, the insulating material panel may have a thickness at least equal to a maximum thickness of the sound insulation underlay 2, meaning that the thickness of the insulating material panel produced during this step may 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.

[0152] The second step consists of cutting the insulating material plate using a band saw, a laser or a hand saw in order to form the patterns 18 on the second face 10 of the sound insulation underlay 2.

[0153] 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 sheet 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.

[0154] 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.

[0155] Alternatively, the slots 20 can be made in a separate third step, either manually or using a machine.

[0156] The manufacturing process can also allow the simultaneous production of several sound insulation underlayers 2, for example two sound insulation underlayers 2. For this purpose, in the first step, the material plate insulation must be manufactured with sufficient thickness to form two sound insulation underlayers 2 during the cutting stage.

[0157] 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 the same process.

[0158] The present invention thus provides 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 underlay in its transport position and / or maintain the soundproofing cavities even when significant pressure is applied to the underlay.

[0159] The present invention is not limited to the means and configurations described and illustrated herein and extends also to any equivalent means and configuration as well as to any technically operative combination of such means.

Claims

Demands

1. Sound insulation underlay (2) 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).

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 underlay (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 underlay (2) according to claim 5, wherein at least one slot (20) extends to reach 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. Floating floor (1) comprising a support floor (4), a sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, 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).

9. Floating floor (1) according to claim 8, 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).

10. A method for manufacturing a sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, 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).

11. Method of manufacturing a sound insulation underlay (2) according to claim 10, 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).

12. Method of manufacturing a sound insulation underlay (2) according to any one of claims 10 or 11, 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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