Seal material

Abstract

To reduce load of sealing work and improve sealability for a gap or step.SOLUTION: A seal material 1 for sealing a gap or step is a string-like member of which longitudinal end surface has a circular or elliptical shape, deformable in a radial direction of the end surface, and configured mainly of a non-hardening rubber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing material for sealing a gap. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a small gap between the toilet bowl and the floor. Urine or other substances seeping into this gap can cause an unpleasant odor. Conventionally, measures have been taken to prevent urine or other substances from seeping into the gap, such as placing a floor mat or applying a waterproof sealant to the gap (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Many users find floor mats to be a hassle because they need to be washed every time they get dirty, but sealants are relatively popular because they can be simply discarded and replaced with new ones when they get dirty. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-025614 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, conventionally known sealing materials have the following problems. Most of these sealing materials have a thin, flat shape. The boundary between the toilet bowl body and the floor is usually a closed line, such as a circle, ellipse, or rectangle. Therefore, it is difficult to apply a thin, flat sealing material along this line. In particular, when applying a sealing material along a circular or elliptical line, multiple sheets of the sealing material must be applied along the line. Furthermore, when removing the sealing material, it may not come off cleanly, leaving the adhesive or the sealing material itself on the floor or the toilet bowl body. This results in a significant laborious application of the sealing material. Furthermore, using multiple sheets of sealing material or forcibly applying a single sheet of sealing material along the gap can easily allow urine and other contaminants to seep through the gap, resulting in poor hygiene. These problems with conventionally known sealing materials are common not only to sealing the gap between the toilet bowl and the floor, but also to sealing materials used in places where non-linear gaps are required. Furthermore, these problems are common not only to gaps but also to sealing materials used for steps.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and aims to reduce the burden of sealing gaps or steps and to improve the sealing performance of gaps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) A sealing material according to an embodiment for achieving the above object is a sealing material for sealing a gap or a step, the sealing material is a string-like member having a circular or elliptical end face in the longitudinal direction, The end surface is deformable in the radial direction and is mainly made of unhardened rubber. (2) In the sealing material according to another embodiment, the non-curable rubber may preferably be non-curable silicone rubber. (3) In another embodiment of the sealing material, the non-curable silicone rubber may preferably be primarily composed of an organopolysiloxane having at least two alkenyl groups or hydroxyl groups in the molecule, and may be free of a curing catalyst. (4) The sealing material according to another embodiment may preferably further contain a silicone adhesive. (5) In the sealing material according to another embodiment, preferably, the silicone adhesive contains an M unit (R 1 3SiO 1 / 2 :R 1 is a monovalent organic group) and Q units (SiO 4 / 2 ) may contain MQ resin. (6) The sealing material according to another embodiment may preferably further contain silica. (7) In another embodiment, the sealing material may preferably have a rebound resilience measured in accordance with JIS K 6255 of 7% or more and 12% or less. (8) The sealing material according to another embodiment may preferably have a plasticity of 300 or more and 500 or less as measured in accordance with ISO 7323. (9) In order to achieve the above object, the sealing material according to the embodiment has an M unit (R 1 3SiO 1 / 2 :R 1 is a monovalent organic group), D unit (R 1 2SiO 2 / 2 :R 1 is a monovalent organic group), T unit (R 1 SiO 3 / 2 :R 1 is a monovalent organic group) and Q units (SiO 4 / 2 and 50 to 200 parts by mass of silica, and does not contain a curing catalyst or a crosslinking agent. (10) The sealing material according to another embodiment may further contain an antibacterial agent. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the burden of sealing a gap or a step can be reduced and the sealing performance of the gap can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a situation in which a sealing material according to one embodiment is used to seal the gap between a toilet bowl body and a floor. [Figure 2] 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views showing the state before and after the sealing material of FIG. 1 is pressed in the vicinity of the gap of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not limit the inventions according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the elements and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0011] 1. Sealing material and its manufacturing method Figure 1 shows a situation in which a sealing material according to one embodiment is used to seal a gap between a toilet bowl body and a floor. Figure 2 shows cross-sectional views of the vicinity of the gap shown in Figure 1 before and after the sealing material of Figure 1 is pressed against the gap. In this application, "mainly" means more than 50% by mass of the total. Similarly, "main material" means a material that accounts for more than 50% by mass of the total constituent materials.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the sealing material 1 according to this embodiment is a sealing material for sealing a gap 3 between a toilet bowl body 2 and a floor 4 in a toilet (mainly a Western-style toilet). The sealing material 1 can be used not only for gaps but also for steps. The sealing material 1 is a string-like member having circular or elliptical longitudinal end faces. The diameter of the end face of the string-like sealing material 1 (the diameter when converted into a circle with the same area: equivalent circular diameter) is preferably 2 mm to 10 mm, more preferably 3 mm to 8 mm, and even more preferably 5 mm to 7 mm. The sealing material 1 is deformable in the radial direction of the end face and is primarily composed of non-hardening rubber. The non-hardening rubber is preferably non-hardening silicone rubber. Here, "non-hardening" refers to the property that the sealing material 1 does not further harden after use. Using a sealing material 1 made of non-hardening rubber makes it easy to re-attach the sealing material 1 to the gap 3 and also easy to remove the sealing material 1 after a predetermined period of time has passed since its attachment. The sealing material 1 is a string-like member whose longitudinal end faces are circular or elliptical. When the sealing material 1 has such a shape, it can be easily bent along the line of the gap 3, as shown in Fig. 1, and the sealing material 1 can be easily brought into close contact along the line. Furthermore, because the sealing material 1 is made of rubber that is easily deformed, the sealing material 1 can be easily crushed in the radial direction of its cross section to form a deformable body 1a, as shown in Fig. 2, and can be easily brought into close contact along the gap 3.

[0013] The non-curable silicone rubber (hereinafter simply referred to as "silicone rubber") is a silicone rubber that mainly contains organopolysiloxane and does not cure any further. The silicone rubber preferably contains an organopolysiloxane having at least two alkenyl groups or hydroxyl groups in the molecule as a main component, and does not contain a curing catalyst. The sealing material 1 may further contain a silicone adhesive in addition to the silicone rubber. The sealing material 1 may also contain silica as a filler for the silicone rubber.

[0014] 1.1 Sealing material constituent materials Preferred constituent materials of the sealing material 1 will be described below. (A) Organopolysiloxane The silicone rubber constituting the sealing material 1 according to this embodiment is not limited by the molecular structure of the organopolysiloxane constituting it, and may have any molecular structure, such as a linear, branched, or cyclic structure. The silicone rubber preferably has a repeating structure of diorganosiloxane units represented by the following formula (1) as the siloxane units in its molecular structure. The organopolysiloxane more preferably has a linear structure in which the main chain is composed of repeating diorganosiloxane units and both molecular chain terminals are blocked with triorganosiloxy groups. The organopolysiloxane may be of one type alone or a combination of two or more types.

[0015] -(R2SiO) a - (1)

[0016] R in formula (1) is an alkyl group such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, or butyl; an aryl group such as phenyl or tolyl; an alkenyl group such as vinyl or allyl; an aralkyl group such as β-phenylethyl or β-phenylpropyl; a chloromethyl group in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms in these hydrocarbon groups have been substituted with halogen atoms such as chlorine, fluorine, or bromine; or one or more monovalent organic groups having 1 to 20 carbon atoms (particularly 1 to 12 carbon atoms) selected from reactive group-containing organic groups such as epoxy, amino, mercapto, acryloxy, and methacryloxy. The siloxane unit in formula (1) may contain a hydroxyl group or hydrogen at its terminal or in R. a is 3 or greater, preferably 3 to 5,000, more preferably 15 to 2,000, and even more preferably 50 to 1,000.

[0017] The diorganosiloxane units are preferably dimethylsiloxane units. The uncurable silicone rubber may contain triorganosiloxy units and silicate units in addition to the diorganosiloxane units. In order for the uncurable silicone rubber to have suitable rubber elasticity, the silicon atoms in the molecular structure preferably comprise diorganosiloxane units in an amount of 50 mol% to 99.9 mol%, more preferably 70 mol% to 99.8 mol%.

[0018] The organopolysiloxane preferably contains an average of two or more alkenyl groups per molecule. Examples of alkenyl groups include vinyl, allyl, butenyl, pentenyl, hexenyl, and heptenyl. Of these, vinyl is preferred. In addition, examples of organic groups bonded to silicon atoms other than alkenyl groups in this component include alkyl groups (methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, etc.), aryl groups (phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, etc.), and halogenated alkyl groups (3-chloropropyl, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl, etc.). Of these, methyl is preferred. Examples of the molecular structure of this component include linear, partially branched linear, branched, network, and dendritic. The organopolysiloxane comprises M units (R 1 3SiO 1 / 2 :R 1 is a monovalent organic group), D unit (R 1 2SiO 2 / 2 :R 1 is a monovalent organic group), T unit (R 1 SiO 3 / 2 :R 1 is a monovalent organic group) and Q units (SiO 4 / 2 ) and more preferably contains all four of the above units.

[0019] (B) Silicone adhesive The silicone adhesive is an optional agent that provides adhesiveness to the sealing material 1. The silicone adhesive is a material that is used in the M unit (R 1 3SiO1 / 2 unit) and Q unit (SiO 4 / 2 The silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive contains an MQ resin having M units and Q units. The molar ratio of M units to Q units (M / Q) is preferably 0.5 to 2.5, more preferably 0.6 to 2.0, and even more preferably 0.7 to 1.5. The silicone resin contained in the silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive preferably contains M units and Q units as major components, and the total number of M units and Q units is preferably 60 to 100%, more preferably 70 to 100%, of the total number of siloxane units. The viscosity of the silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive is preferably 10 to 500 Pa·S.

[0020] The silicone adhesive is preferably contained in an amount of 0 to less than 40 parts by mass, more preferably 20 to less than 40 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of the organopolysiloxane (A).

[0021] R 1 are each independently an unsubstituted or substituted monovalent hydrocarbon group (monovalent organic group) that does not contain an aliphatic unsaturated bond, and preferably has 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and particularly preferably has 1 to 6 carbon atoms. 1 Examples of R include alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, neopentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, and dodecyl; cycloalkyl groups such as cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, and cycloheptyl; aryl groups such as phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, naphthyl, and biphenylyl; aralkyl groups such as benzyl, phenylethyl, phenylpropyl, and methylbenzyl; and groups in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms of these groups have been substituted with halogen atoms such as fluorine, chlorine, and bromine, or with cyano groups. 1 is preferably a monovalent organic group such as a methyl group or a phenyl group.

[0022] Silicone adhesives are made of D units (R 2 SiO 2 / 2units) and T units (R 3 SiO 3 / 2 In this case, the total of D units and T units is preferably 1 to 30% of the total number of all siloxane units. The silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive is more preferably an MQ resin consisting only of M units and Q units. That is, the silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive preferably contains M units (R 1 3SiO 1 / 2 :R 1 is a monovalent organic group such as a methyl group or a phenyl group) and a Q unit (SiO 4 / 2 ) and contains MQ resin.

[0023] (C) Silica The sealing material 1 according to this embodiment may be a sealing material containing silica in silicone rubber. Examples of silica include fine particle silica such as dry silica and wet silica. The silica may be used as is, or may be surface-treated with a silylating agent in advance. Alternatively, the silica may be surface-treated by adding a silylating agent when kneading with silicone oil. Any known silylating agent may be used, such as alkylalkoxysilane, alkylchlorosilane, alkylsilazane, silane coupling agent, titanate-based treatment agent, or fatty acid ester.

[0024] The silica is preferably contained in an amount of 20 parts by mass or more and 200 parts by mass or less, more preferably 21 parts by mass or more and 100 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of the organopolysiloxane (A).

[0025] (D) Other The constituent materials of the sealing material 1 may include antibacterial agents, fillers other than silica, plasticizers, etc. However, the constituent materials of the sealing material 1 do not include curing catalysts such as platinum catalysts. This is because it is necessary to prevent the progression of hardening over time after molding of the sealing material 1.

[0026] A more preferable sealing material 1 contains 100 parts by mass of organopolysiloxane and 50 to 200 parts by mass of silica, and may contain no curing catalyst or crosslinking agent.

[0027] 1.2 Desirable properties of sealing materials The impact resilience of the sealing material 1, measured in accordance with JIS K 6255, is preferably 7% or more and 12% or less. Within this impact resilience range, the sealing material 1 can exhibit the unique effect of being easily peeled off while maintaining its shape. Furthermore, the plasticity of the sealing material 1, measured in accordance with ISO 7323, is preferably 300 or more and 500 or less. Within this plasticity range, the sealing material 1 can exhibit the unique effect of being able to maintain its shape for a long period of time.

[0028] 1.3 Manufacturing method of sealing material The sealing material 1 according to this embodiment can be manufactured, for example, by the following method.

[0029] Organopolysiloxane (100 parts by mass), silicone adhesive (more than 0 parts by mass but less than 40 parts by mass), and silica (50 parts by mass or more and 200 parts by mass or less) are kneaded together. Next, the kneaded mixture is placed into the large opening of a funnel that opens vertically. At least the small opening of the large opening and smaller openings is approximately circular. The kneaded mixture is extruded and shaped into a string from the small opening of the funnel. Once extruded and shaped to an appropriate length, the kneaded mixture is cut. The cut string-shaped molded product remains shaped. The molded product does not harden further over time. In this way, a sealing material 1 made of non-hardening silicone rubber is completed.

[0030] Alternatively, the sealing material 1 may be manufactured using the following other method. The kneaded material described above is placed in a mold having an elongated columnar space and molded (shaped). The mold is then opened to obtain a elongated, string-like sealing material 1 having a substantially circular end face. The sealing material 1 does not undergo any further crosslinking over time.

[0031] 2. Manufacturing and evaluation of various sealing materials Next, the characteristics of the sealing materials produced under various conditions will be described.

[0032] (Experimental Examples 1 to 8) The base material was made by adding silica powder (average particle size: 7-50nm) to non-curing silicone rubber, and 100 parts by mass of the base material were mixed with 0, 10, and 20 parts by mass of silicone adhesive to prepare a total of eight types of kneaded materials.Each kneaded material was extruded and press-molded into a long, thin string with a roughly circular cross section to produce sealing materials (approximately 5mm in diameter x 283mm in length) composed primarily of non-curing silicone rubber.The various base materials were selected to have the following hardness (durometer hardness type A) after cross-linking. Experimental Examples 1 and 2: 80° Experimental Examples 3-5: 70° Experimental Example 6: 60° Experimental Example 7: 50° Experimental Example 8: 40°

[0033] Various evaluations were carried out by the following methods. (1) Plasticity: The value measured when a 2g±0.04g spherical piece of uncured rubber is sandwiched between two pieces of Hatron paper and crushed for 3 minutes using a plasticity meter (based on the plasticity specified in JIS K 6249). (2) Rebound resilience: Measured using an ASKER RT-90 in accordance with JIS K 6255. N=5, and the average value was calculated. (3) Peelability: The peelability of the samples was confirmed for each material listed in Table 1. Evaluation was performed using a test similar to a simple adhesion test (based on the method described in the Construction Sealant Handbook published by the Japan Sealant Industry Association). The materials used were acrylic resin, ceramic, aluminum, vinyl cloth (mainly PVC), polypropylene, FRP, mortar, and tile. In the table below, "◯" means that the film can be peeled off cleanly without any stains. "△" means that some residue, which is thought to be part of the sealant, is present when the film is peeled off. "X" means that a larger amount of the sealant remains than "△". (4) Surface adhesive strength: A 4mm thick, 25mm square rubber was placed on a plate, a 3mm spacer was inserted, and a 1kg weight was placed on it for 3 minutes. Finally, the surface adhesive strength was measured using a Tensilon. N=3 and the average value was calculated. (5) Pressure resistance: The time that the specified pressure can be maintained (pressure resistance time) was confirmed. A φ5 hole was pre-drilled in the pipe, and the sample was filled into it to conduct the pressure resistance test. The specified pressure was 0.1 MPa. The sample weight was 0.5 g. The average value was calculated with N=5. (6) Watertightness (sealing property): The test was carried out as follows. Place a polypropylene flooring material on top of the paper and make a 3mm wide x 50mm long cut in the flooring material. An acrylic pipe (inner diameter 90 mm) is placed on the floor material so as to surround the cut, and the outer periphery of the pipe is sealed with moisture-curing adhesive. Next, the above cuts are sealed with the sealing materials produced in Experimental Examples 1 to 8. After the moisture-curing adhesive has hardened, water is poured into the acrylic pipe to a height of 30 mm and left for 24 hours. Finally, after leaving it for 24 hours, check whether the paper is wet or not. If the paper was not wet, it was judged as good (◯). If the paper was wet, it was judged as bad (×). (7) Handling: This is a comprehensive evaluation that takes into account the ease of application and removal of the product (sensory evaluation), as well as the degree of product residue on the material to which it is applied.

[0034] Table 1 summarizes the properties of the various sealing materials of Experimental Examples 1 to 8. In the table, "-" means that measurement was not possible.

[0035] [Table 1]

[0036] The observations based on Table 1 are as follows. The sealing materials manufactured under the conditions of Experimental Examples 1 to 4 were easier to attach and remove, and left less product residue on the applied material than the sealing materials manufactured under other conditions, and were rated the most favorable overall. [Industrial Applicability]

[0037] The present invention can be used as a sealing material for sealing gaps or steps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1. Sealing material, 2. Toilet body, 3. Gap, 4. Floor.

Claims

1. A sealing material for sealing gaps or steps, A string-like member having a circular or elliptical end face in the longitudinal direction, A sealing material that is deformable in the radial direction of the end surface and is mainly made of unhardened rubber.

2. 2. The sealing material according to claim 1, wherein the non-hardening rubber is a non-hardening silicone rubber.

3. 3. The sealing material according to claim 2, wherein the non-curable silicone rubber is primarily composed of an organopolysiloxane having at least two alkenyl groups or hydroxyl groups in the molecule, and does not contain a curing catalyst.

4. The sealing material according to claim 3 , further comprising a silicone adhesive.

5. The silicone adhesive comprises an M unit (R １ ３ SiO １／２ :R １ is a monovalent organic group) and Q units (SiO ４／２ 5. The sealing material according to claim 4, characterized in that it contains an MQ resin consisting of:

6. The sealing material according to claim 3 , further comprising silica.

7. 7. The sealing material according to claim 1, wherein the impact resilience measured in accordance with JIS K 6255 is 7% or more and 12% or less.

8. 7. The sealing material according to claim 1, wherein the plasticity measured in accordance with ISO 7323 is 300 or more and 500 or less.

9. M unit (R １ ３ SiO １／２ :R １ is a monovalent organic group), D unit (R １ ２ SiO ２／２ :R １ is a monovalent organic group), T unit (R １ SiO ３／２ :R １ is a monovalent organic group) and Q units (SiO ４／２ and 50 parts by mass or more and 200 parts by mass or less of silica, and the sealing material does not contain a curing catalyst or a crosslinking agent.

10. The sealant of claim 9 further comprising an antimicrobial agent.

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