Shock-absorption floor material

Abstract

To provide a shock-absorption floor material that prevents problems due to temperature increases and is excellent in temperature change resistance.SOLUTION: A floor material consists of at least three layers of an on-floor material 11, a subfloor material 12 formed of a soft material and provided below the on-floor material 11, and an intermediate material 13 provided between the on-floor material 11 and the subfloor material 12, and the intermediate material 13 has a linear expansion coefficient of 60 ppm / K or less, contains a resin material and an inorganic filler, and has a thickness of 2 mm or more and 8 mm or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an impact absorbing floor material. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, falls and fractures among the elderly have become a social problem, accounting for 10% of the reasons why elderly people become dependent on care. The location of fractures caused by falls varies greatly depending on age, with the risk of femoral fractures increasing sharply after the age of 60. Femoral fractures require hospitalization for treatment and can lead to a prolonged inability to walk, leading to many cases of people becoming bedridden or suffering from dementia and other conditions requiring care. For this reason, flooring materials using laminates including a hard layer and a soft layer have been proposed as flooring materials that reduce the risk of fractures by absorbing the impact of falls (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-71225 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2021-143504 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] These flooring materials are typically constructed by laying individual pieces of flooring material on an installation surface such as a concrete slab, but there is a concern that a rise in environmental temperature can cause the flooring material pieces to thermally expand, resulting in the pieces protruding from the installation surface, a problem known as push-up. The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide an impact-absorbing flooring material that suppresses defects caused by temperature rise and has excellent resistance to temperature changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The impact-absorbing floor material according to one embodiment of the present invention is a floor material consisting of at least three layers: a top-floor material, a sub-floor material formed of a soft material and placed below the top-floor material, and an intermediate material placed between the top-floor material and the sub-floor material, the intermediate material having a linear expansion coefficient of 60 ppm / K or less and containing a resin material and an inorganic filler. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an impact absorbing floor material that is less prone to problems caused by deformation when the environmental temperature rises and has excellent resistance to temperature changes. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an impact absorbing floor material according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2(a) and 2(b) are a plan view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing a sample used in evaluating the temperature change resistance of an impact absorbing floor material according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams, and the size and shape of each part are appropriately exaggerated to facilitate understanding. The embodiments shown below are merely examples of configurations for embodying the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited to the materials, shapes, structures, etc. of the components described below. The technical idea of ​​the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims.

[0009] Hereinafter, an impact absorbing floor material (hereinafter simply referred to as a floor material) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. [Shock-absorbing flooring] <Basic composition of flooring materials> The shock-absorbing floor material 1 comprises at least an upper floor material 11, an under-floor material 12 provided below the upper floor material 11, and an intermediate material 13 provided between the upper floor material 11 and the under-floor material 12, and the surface of the under-floor material 12 opposite the intermediate material 13 becomes the attachment surface that comes into contact with the part to be treated. The upper floor material 11 has a surface function of improving the scratch resistance and stain resistance of the floor material 1 and imparting design to the floor material 1. The underfloor material 12 has a function of absorbing pressure when a user falls and increasing the cushioning properties of the floor material 1. The intermediate material 13 serves as a support layer to distribute the load applied from the upper floor material 11 to the underfloor material 12, improving shock absorption and load resistance.

[0010] The total thickness of the flooring material 1 is preferably more than 7 mm and not more than 25 mm. If the total thickness of the flooring material 1 is more than 7 mm, it is easier to balance shock absorption, walking comfort, and durability. If the total thickness of the flooring material 1 is not more than 25 mm, the thickness of the flooring material 1 is not too large, so the difference in level between the non-installed portion of the flooring material 1 is not too large, and the flooring material 1 fits well during installation. The top floor material 11, underfloor material 12, and intermediate material 13 will be described in detail below.

[0011] <Floor materials> The over-floor material 11 is a layer that constitutes the surface of the floor material 1, and is made of a harder material than the under-floor material 12. The thickness of the over-floor material 11 is preferably 5 mm or less. By making the thickness of the over-floor material 11 5 mm or less, the weight of the floor material 1 does not become too heavy, and the burden during construction can be reduced. The floor covering material 11 can be made of common materials such as long polyvinyl chloride sheets or polyvinyl chloride tiles. The floor covering material 11 and the intermediate material 13 are laminated by bonding using adhesive tape or glue. The floor covering material 11 may be laminated to the intermediate material 13 by thermal lamination in a process subsequent to the manufacturing process of the intermediate material 13.

[0012] <Floor underlayment> The underfloor material 12 is provided below the overfloor material 11. The underfloor material 12 is made of a softer material than the overfloor material 11, and has the function of absorbing the impact on the floor material 1 by appropriately deforming when a person falls. The underfloor material 12 may have a foam structure such as closed or open foam formed by a method such as chemical foaming, physical foaming, or supercritical foaming. The floor underlayment 12 is preferably formed from a soft thermoplastic resin, for example, a polyolefin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polystyrene, polyurethane, or other resin.

[0013] The Asker C hardness of the underfloor material 12 is not less than 20 and not more than 60. "Asker C" is a measuring instrument for measuring hardness, and is one of the durometers (spring type hardness testers) specified in SRIS0101 (the standard of the Society of Rubber Industry of Japan), and "Asker C hardness" refers to a value measured with the above-mentioned Asker C hardness tester.

[0014] If the Asker C hardness of the underfloor material 12 is less than 20, the underfloor material 12 may be easily deformed, causing an uncomfortable feeling when walking, or reducing safety by causing pedestrians to lose their balance and fall. If the Asker C hardness exceeds 60, a sufficient shock absorbing effect may not be obtained when the floor material is subjected to an impact. The thickness of the underfloor material 12 is 4 mm or more and 15 mm or less. If the thickness of the underfloor material 12 is less than 4 mm, sufficient cushioning effect is not obtained in the event of a fall. If the thickness of the underfloor material 12 exceeds 15 mm, deformation of the floor material 1 due to load increases, not only reducing the load-bearing capacity but also causing greater sinking when walking, increasing the risk of falling.

[0015] <Intermediate material> The intermediate material 13 is placed between the upper floor material 11 and the under-floor material 12, and functions as a support layer to distribute the load applied from the upper floor material 11 to the under-floor material 12, thereby improving the shock absorption and load-bearing capacity of the floor material 1. The linear expansion coefficient of the intermediate material 13 is 60 ppm / K or less. If the linear expansion coefficient of the intermediate material 13 exceeds 60 ppm / K, a "push-up" may occur when the environmental temperature rises during use of the shock-absorbing floor material, and the floor material 1 may have appearance abnormalities such as blisters or lifting. "Push-up" is a phenomenon in which, when multiple shock-absorbing flooring materials are placed adjacent to each other on the installation surface of the shock-absorbing flooring material, adjacent intermediate materials 13 push against each other due to thermal expansion, causing the intermediate materials 13 (and the floor underlayment material 12) to lift up or peel off from the installation surface. To prevent this, it is effective to use a specific material for the intermediate materials 13.

[0016] The intermediate material 13 is made of a resin base material containing a resin material and an inorganic filler. The resin material may be any of various polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, ABS resin, and various polyamides, but polyolefins and polyvinyl chloride are preferred from the viewpoints of versatility, mechanical properties, and thermal expansion properties, and polyvinyl chloride is particularly preferred.

[0017] The inorganic filler is used to impart the mechanical properties and thermal expansion properties required for an impact absorbing floor material to the intermediate material 13. Examples of inorganic fillers that can be used include silica, talc, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, aluminum hydroxide, carbon fiber, and glass fiber, but calcium carbonate is preferred as a general-purpose material with excellent processability. The content of the inorganic filler is generally 30 wt % or more and 85 wt % or less, and more preferably 50 wt % or more and 85 wt % or less, based on the total mass of the intermediate material 13 .

[0018] The thickness of the intermediate material 13 is 2 mm or more and 8 mm or less. If the thickness of the intermediate material 13 is less than 2 mm, the intermediate material will bend excessively when it falls over, and sufficient cushioning effect will not be obtained, increasing the possibility of it breaking when it is subjected to an impact during use. Also, if the thickness of the intermediate material 13 exceeds 8 mm, the mass will be large, which may cause workability during construction to deteriorate, and the load will not be effectively distributed when an impact is applied to the floor material, resulting in insufficient cushioning effect of the entire floor material.

[0019] <Flooring manufacturing method> A manufacturing method for the flooring material 1 according to this embodiment will be briefly described below. The floor material 1 is formed by laminating an underfloor material 12, an intermediate material 13, and a top-floor material 11 in this order. First, the floor base material 12 and the intermediate material 13 are bonded with an adhesive to form the floor panel 14. Next, the floor covering 11 is bonded to the surface of the flooring panel 14 on the side of the intermediate material 13 via an adhesive. In this way, the flooring 1 is formed.

[0020] In practice, flooring panels 14 are formed by bonding underfloor materials 12 and intermediate materials 13 that are the same shape when viewed from above, and multiple flooring panels 14 are fixed to the work area without gaps using an adhesive or the like, and one flooring material 11 is bonded on top of the multiple flooring panels 14 to form the flooring material 1. The underfloor materials 12 and intermediate materials 13 are, for example, squares of 450 mm x 450 mm when viewed from above, and the flooring panels 14 also have a size of 450 mm x 450 mm when viewed from above. The flooring material 11 has a size of 1800 mm x 900 mm when viewed from above, and one flooring material 11 is bonded to eight flooring panels 14 arranged in two rows to form a single flooring material 1 having a size of 1800 mm x 900 mm when viewed from above. In other words, a floor material 1 consisting of eight floor material panels 14 and one over-floor material 11 is taken as a construction unit, and a plurality of floor materials 1 constituting a construction unit are placed on the workpiece.

[0021] [Effects of this embodiment] The linear expansion coefficient of the intermediate material 13 is 60 ppm / K or less. Therefore, even if the environmental temperature rises while the shock-absorbing flooring material is being used, the adjacent intermediate materials 13 can be prevented from pressing against each other due to thermal expansion, preventing "push-ups" and preventing the flooring material 1 from having abnormal appearance such as blisters or lifting.

[0022] Furthermore, since the intermediate material 13 contains a resin material and an inorganic filler, it is possible to impart the mechanical properties and thermal expansion properties required for an impact absorbing floor material. Furthermore, since the thickness of the intermediate material 13 is set to 2 mm or more and 8 mm or less, the deterioration of the load dispersion effect due to bending or an increase in mass when the vehicle falls over is suppressed, and a sufficient cushioning effect can be obtained. Furthermore, by including polyvinyl chloride as the resin material of the intermediate material 13, it is possible to obtain a floor material 1 that is effective in terms of versatility, mechanical properties, and thermal expansion properties.

[0023] Furthermore, by setting the content of the inorganic filler to 50 wt % or more and 85 wt % or less with respect to the entire intermediate material 13, a flooring material that is particularly resistant to temperature changes can be obtained. The underfloor material 12 has an Asker C hardness of 20 or more and 60 or less. This prevents deformation of the underfloor material 12 and prevents the feeling of discomfort when walking, and also provides a shock absorbing effect when an impact is applied to the floor material. In addition, since the thickness of the underfloor material 12 is set to 4 mm or more and 15 mm or less, a sufficient cushioning effect can be obtained in the event of a fall, and sinking during walking can be suppressed. EXAMPLES

[0024] The flooring material according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to examples. Note that the flooring material according to the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. <Example 1> A polyethylene foam (Asker C hardness 40, dimensions 450mm x 450mm x thickness 8mm) was prepared as the underfloor material, a hard polyvinyl chloride resin plate A (dimensions 450mm x 450mm x thickness 4mm, talc content 75wt%, linear expansion coefficient 35ppm / K) was prepared as the intermediate material, and a vinyl chloride resin sheet (dimensions 450mm x 450mm x thickness 2mm) was prepared as the overfloor material. These underfloor materials and intermediate materials were bonded with a two-liquid urethane adhesive to form a floor panel 14. Next, the overfloor material was bonded to the side on which the floor panel 14 was formed with an adhesive (manufactured by Toli Co., Ltd., US cement) to form the impact absorbing floor material of Example 1. The linear expansion coefficient is a measured value (average value from -20°C to 60°C) at a heating rate of 10°C / min using TMA (Thermomechanical Analysis).

[0025] <Example 2> The impact-absorbing floor material of Example 2 was formed in the same manner as Example 1, except that a rigid polyvinyl chloride resin plate B (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, calcium carbonate content 55 wt%, linear expansion coefficient 45 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0026] <Example 3> The impact-absorbing floor material of Example 3 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a rigid polyvinyl chloride resin plate C (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, calcium carbonate content 35 wt%, linear expansion coefficient 55 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0027] <Example 4> The impact absorbing floor material of Example 4 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that polypropylene plate A (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, calcium carbonate content 75 wt%, linear expansion coefficient 40 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0028] <Example 5> The impact absorbing floor material of Example 5 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that polypropylene plate B (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, calcium carbonate content 55 wt%, linear expansion coefficient 55 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0029] <Example 6> The impact-absorbing floor material of Example 6 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a rigid polyvinyl chloride resin plate D (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, calcium carbonate content 50 wt%, linear expansion coefficient 50 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0030] <Example 7> The impact-absorbing floor material of Example 7 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a rigid polyvinyl chloride resin plate E (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, calcium carbonate content 85 wt%, linear expansion coefficient 30 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0031] <Comparative Example 1> The impact-absorbing floor material of Comparative Example 1 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a rigid polyvinyl chloride resin board F (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, calcium carbonate content 15 wt%, linear expansion coefficient 65 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0032] <Comparative Example 2> The impact-absorbing floor material of Comparative Example 2 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a rigid polyvinyl chloride resin plate G (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, containing no inorganic filler, linear expansion coefficient 75 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0033] <Comparative Example 3> An impact absorbing floor material of Comparative Example 3 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that polypropylene plate C (dimensions 450 mm x 450 mm x thickness 4 mm, calcium carbonate content 35 wt%, linear expansion coefficient 70 ppm / K) was used as the intermediate material.

[0034] 〔evaluation〕 <Temperature change resistance> For each impact absorbing flooring material in each Example and Comparative Example, a flooring panel was formed as an evaluation sample in the manner described above, and for each Example and Comparative Example, eight flooring panels were laid out in two rows and adhered to the workpiece at 5°C in an environmental test room, as shown in Figure 2, and one overlay material was adhered to the top of these eight flooring panels, thereby producing an impact absorbing flooring material for a construction unit in which one overlay material was attached to eight flooring panels. Figure 2(a) is a top view of the impact absorbing flooring material for a construction unit as an evaluation sample, (Figure 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of Figure 2(a). The overlay material is not shown in Figure 2(a).

[0035] The following materials were used as floor covering materials, adhesives, and objects to be treated. Flooring: Polyvinyl chloride sheet, 1800 x 900 x t2mm Adhesive: US Cement (manufactured by Toli Co., Ltd.) Object to be treated: Five sheets of calcium silicate board (1820 x 910 x t12 mm) were bonded together with an adhesive (Bond MPX-1, manufactured by Konishi Co., Ltd.) and laminated to form the object to be treated 15.

[0036] The samples were stored as is at 5°C for 48 hours (initial state), then stored at 35°C (temperature difference +30°C) to 45°C (temperature difference +40°C) to 55°C (temperature difference +50°C) for 48 hours, and then stored at 25°C for a further 24 hours. After that, any change in the appearance of the samples from the initial state was visually evaluated. Temperature difference +30℃: Installation of shock-absorbing flooring at normal temperatures, assuming high temperatures in summer Temperature difference +50℃: Shock absorbing flooring material for cold weather installation, high temperatures in summer

[0037] <Evaluation criteria> ○: Almost no change in appearance was observed △: Irregularities across the entire sample, and slight swelling at the positions corresponding to the panel edges. ×: Conspicuous unevenness in the entire sample and swelling at the positions corresponding to the panel edges are observed.

[0038] <Judgment criteria> The evaluation criteria were as follows: Temperature difference +30℃ evaluation result: × Fail, △ Fail, ○ Pass Table 1 below shows the evaluation results of each of the examples and comparative examples.

[0039] [Table 1]

[0040] As shown in Table 1, the linear expansion coefficient of the intermediate material was 60 ppm / K or less, and the impact absorbing floor materials of each embodiment containing a resin material and an inorganic filler had good resistance to temperature changes (temperature difference of +30°C). In addition, impact-absorbing flooring that uses polyvinyl chloride resin as the resin material for the intermediate material and has an inorganic filler content of 50 wt% or more and 85 wt% or less in the intermediate material also had good resistance to temperature changes (temperature difference of +40°C).

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the above embodiments are merely examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and the technical ideas of the present disclosure do not specify the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components. The technical ideas of the present disclosure can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Flooring 11 Flooring material 12 Floor underlayment 13 Intermediate materials 14 Flooring Panels 15. Objects used in temperature change resistance evaluation

Claims

1. A flooring material consisting of at least three layers: a floor covering material, a floor underlay material made of a soft material provided below the floor covering material, and an intermediate material provided between the floor covering material and the floor underlay material; The intermediate material has a linear expansion coefficient of 60 ppm / K or less, and contains a resin material and an inorganic filler.

2. 2. The impact absorbing floor material according to claim 1, wherein the resin material contains polyvinyl chloride.

3. 3. The impact absorbing floor material according to claim 2, wherein the content of the inorganic filler is 50 wt % or more and 85 wt % or less based on the entire intermediate material.

4. The floor underlayment material and the intermediate material that is provided on the floor underlayment material and has the same shape as the floor underlayment material in a top view are used as a flooring panel, An impact absorbing flooring material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a laminate in which one of the floor covering materials is laminated on the intermediate material side of a plurality of adjacently arranged flooring panels constitutes a construction unit.

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