Acrylic vibration damping additive for filled thermoplastics

Abstract

The sound dampening composition includes an acrylic vibration dampening polymer disposed on a surface of a filler. The acrylic vibration dampening polymer has a glass transition temperature, T, in the range of -60°C to less than 10°C, as calculated by the Fox equation. g and T below -10°C g The resin composition has a non-crosslinked component having a weight ratio of acrylic vibration damping polymer to filler of less than 1:1. The thermoplastic resin composition includes a sound damping composition and a thermoplastic resin, the sound damping composition being present in an amount of at least 10 weight percent based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition. Articles made from the resin composition are also disclosed.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to acrylic additives, and more particularly to acrylic vibration damping additives for filled thermoplastics and filled thermoplastics containing acrylic vibration damping additives. [Background technology]

[0002] Filled rigid thermoplastics are widely used across many markets in a variety of applications where noise, vibration and harshness (collectively referred to as NVH) are important performance metrics. These rigid thermoplastics are typically highly filled with 10-50% by weight of inorganic fillers such as calcium carbonate, talc, or mica.

[0003] For example, calcium carbonate or wollastonite filled vinyl flooring is a rapidly growing market and includes luxury vinyl tile (LVT), stone polymer composite (SPC), solid polymer composite, rigid floors, waterproof polymer composites, or multi-layer resilient vinyl flooring such as wood polymer composite (WPC) that has the appearance of hardwood or ceramic tile.

[0004] One of the main drawbacks of vinyl flooring, including resilient flooring, is that the sound of vinyl flooring does not match its appearance. Vinyl resilient flooring has a distinctive sound during use. During use, vinyl resilient flooring creates noise either from movement within the room (clicking heels) or to the floor below (footsteps, dragging furniture). In either case, the typical acoustic properties of vinyl flooring are undesirable. Wood is known to create a distinctive sound within a room when walked on. Even though vinyl flooring has the appearance of wood, the sound it creates is different from wood and ruins the illusion. In addition, there is a need to limit the amount of vibration that is transmitted from the floor to the room below. Certain applications, such as medical facilities, schools, and libraries, require low sound transmission.

[0005] Several strategies have been used to improve the NVH performance of vinyl flooring, including adding thick elastomeric padding to the underside and using special acoustic fillers. Some manufacturers design flooring to include a viscoelastic layer embedded in the structure, a restraining layer that reduces vibration, but this is an expensive solution that lacks the desired performance. Other strategies used require the use of underlayment, such as rubber or cork sheets. The use of underlayment requires additional installation steps that are laborious, and the underlayment may still not achieve the goal of noise reduction.

[0006] For example, U.S. Patent No. 8,640,824 discloses a vinyl tile having a constrained acoustic portion that includes a crumb rubber component, polyurethane foam, and a resin binder. The crumb rubber can be made from recycled tires or sneaker rubber.

[0007] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0302294 discloses a constraining layer in an acoustical vinyl tile that includes individual layers selected from any of a variety of rubbers, cork, and polyurethane foam.

[0008] No. 8,146,310 discloses a noise control system including a system for controlling noise, the system being constructed of multiple layers including a net layer having a plurality of polymer filaments and air to create voids.

[0009] These attempts to reduce noise require complex modifications to existing production lines as well as multiple components to mitigate the noise.

[0010] Other attempts have been made to attenuate sound by using additives. For example, WO 2016 / 130639 discloses the use of styrene-isobutylene-styrene block copolymers (BCPs) as additives in blends of thermoplastic elastomers. Similarly, WO 2019 / 230872 discloses the use of styrene / isobutene BCPs as additives to improve vibration damping performance.

[0011] JP 2017-186390 discloses dry acrylic core-shell particles for use alone as a vibration damping coating in combination with a curable material.

[0012] There is a great need for sound-damping additives that can be easily incorporated into existing manufacturing processes, provide sound attenuation at low loading levels, have minimal effect on other physical properties, and / or are cost-effective. Summary of the Invention

[0013] The present invention provides a sound dampening composition comprising an acrylic vibration dampening polymer disposed on a surface of a filler. The acrylic vibration dampening polymer has a calculated glass transition temperature, T, in the range of -60°C to less than 10°C. g and T below -10°C g The weight ratio of the acrylic vibration damping polymer to the filler is less than 1:1.

[0014] The present invention also provides a thermoplastic resin composition comprising a sound-damping composition and a thermoplastic resin, the sound-damping composition being present in an amount of at least 10 wt%, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition.

[0015] The present invention also provides articles made from the thermoplastic resin compositions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an apparatus for performing midpoint shaker testing. [Diagram 2]1 shows a comparison of damping performance at 25° C. between examples according to an embodiment of the present invention and comparative examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The present invention provides a sound damping composition. The sound damping composition includes an acrylic vibration damping polymer and a filler. As used herein, "acrylic vibration damping polymer" refers to an acrylic polymer or copolymer that can reduce vibration or sound, especially when used in a thermoplastic composition. The acrylic vibration damping polymer can reduce a single frequency of vibration, all frequencies or vibrations, or one or more bands of vibration frequencies. For example, the acrylic vibration damping polymer can reduce the vibration frequency caused by footsteps when a person walks on a vinyl floor.

[0018] As used herein, the term "glass transition temperature" or "Tg" refers to the temperature at or above which a glassy polymer undergoes segmental motion of the polymer chain. The glass transition temperature of a copolymer can be estimated using the Fox equation (Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 1(3) Page 123 (1956)) as follows: 1 / Tg=w1 / Tg(1)+w2 / Tg(2)

[0019] For copolymers, w1 and w2 refer to the weight fractions of the two comonomers, and Tg(1) and Tg(2) refer to the glass transition temperatures in degrees Kelvin of the two corresponding homopolymers made from the monomers. For polymers containing three or more monomers, additional terms are added (wn / Tg(n)). The glass transition temperatures of homopolymers can be found, for example, in "Polymer Handbook", J. Brandrup and EH Immergut (eds.), Interscience Publishers. The Tg of a polymer can also be measured by various techniques, including, for example, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As used herein, the phrase "calculated Tg" is intended to mean the glass transition temperature as calculated by the Fox equation. When the Tg of a multi-stage polymer is measured, more than one Tg may be observed. The Tg observed for a stage of a multi-stage polymer may be the same as the Tg characteristic of the polymer forming that stage (i.e., the Tg observed when the polymer forming that stage is formed and measured separately from the other stages). When a monomer is said to have a certain Tg, it is meant that a homopolymer made from that monomer will have that Tg.

[0020] The acrylic vibration damping polymer has a calculated glass transition temperature, T, in the range of -60°C to 20°C, calculated by the Fox formula. g The acrylic vibration damping polymer has a glass transition temperature, as measured by DSC, of ​​at least -60°C, preferably at least -50°C, more preferably at least -40°C, even more preferably at least -35°C, and even more preferably at least -30°C. The acrylic vibration damping polymer has a calculated glass transition temperature of 20°C or less, preferably 10°C or less, more preferably 0°C or less, even more preferably -°C or less, and even more preferably -10°C or less.

[0021] The acrylic vibration damping polymer has a non-crosslinked component. The non-crosslinked component may be linear or branched, but is substantially free of crosslinks (i.e., less than 2 mol % of the monomer units in the non-crosslinked component are crosslinked). Preferably, the non-crosslinked component is linear. Preferably, the non-crosslinked component has a calculated glass transition temperature of less than -10°C. Preferably, the non-crosslinked component comprises at least 50% by weight of the total weight of the acrylic vibration damping polymer, and more preferably, the non-crosslinked component comprises at least 70% by weight of the total weight of the acrylic vibration damping polymer.

[0022] The acrylic vibration damping polymer may be a homopolymer or a copolymer, such as a block copolymer. The acrylic vibration damping polymer may be 100% by weight acrylic or may contain non-acrylic components (i.e., non-acrylic structural units). When non-acrylic components are used, the acrylic components are preferably at least 50% by weight of the total weight of the acrylic vibration damping polymer, more preferably at least 60% by weight, even more preferably at least 70% by weight, and even more preferably at least 80% by weight of the total weight of the acrylic vibration damping polymer.

[0023] The acrylic vibration damping polymer may comprise one or more structural units (i.e., monomer residues after polymerization) selected from α,β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers and ethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomers. Examples of suitable α,β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers include monobasic acid monomers such as (meth)acrylic acid, crotonic acid, and acyloxypropionic acid, dibasic acid monomers such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, and itaconic acid, or mixtures thereof. Preferred α,β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, or mixtures thereof. Examples of ethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomers include alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid, including, for example, C1-C18, preferably C1-C12 alkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid, such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, decyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, isodecyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, and hydroxy-functional alkyl (meth)acrylic esters, such as hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate and hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate. Preferred ethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomers are butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, decyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, isodecyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, and mixtures thereof.

[0024] The acrylic vibration damping polymer may also include one or more structural units derived from a functionalized monomer. For example, the acrylic vibration damping polymer may include structural units derived from at least one organophosphorus monomer. The organophosphorus monomer may be in the acid form or in the salt of a phosphoric acid group. Examples of organophosphorus monomers include: [ka] wherein R is an organic group containing an acryloxy, methacryloxy, or vinyl group, and R' and R'' are independently selected from H and a second organic group. The second organic group can be saturated or unsaturated. Suitable organophosphorus monomers include dihydrogen phosphate functional monomers, such as dihydrogen phosphate esters of alcohols which also contain polymerizable vinyl or olefinic groups, such as allyl phosphate, mono- or diphosphates of bis(hydroxy-methyl)fumarates or itaconates, derivatives of (meth)acrylic acid esters, such as phosphates of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates, including 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, 3-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, and the like.

[0025] Other suitable organophosphorus monomers include CH2=C(R)-C(O)-O-(R'O) such as, for example, the methacrylates SIPOMER™ PAM-100, SIPOMER™ PAM-200, SIPOMER™ PAM-400, SIPOMER™ PAM-600 and the acrylate, SIPOMER™ PAM-300, available from Solvay. n -P(O)(OH)2, where R=H or -CH3, R'=alkyl, and n=1-5.

[0026] Other suitable organophosphorus monomers are the phosphonate functional monomers disclosed in WO 99 / 25780 A1, including vinyl phosphonic acid, allyl phosphonic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane phosphonic acid, α-phosphonostyrene, 2-methylacrylamido-2-methylpropane phosphonic acid. Further suitable organophosphorus monomers are the 1,2-ethylenically unsaturated (hydroxy)phosphinyl alkyl (meth)acrylate monomers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,005, including (hydroxy)phosphinyl methyl methacrylate.

[0027] Preferably, the organophosphorus monomer has the formula CH2=C(R)-C(O)-O-(R'O) nMore preferably, R is -CH3, R' is an alkyl group containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and n=1.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the acrylic vibration damping polymer comprises a phosphate-functionalized linear acrylic copolymer that includes structural units derived from phosphoethyl methacrylate (PEM).

[0029] The acrylic vibration damping polymer may comprise one or more structural units selected from compounds of formula R'SiOR3, where R is hydrogen or a group containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and R' is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group containing from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

[0030] The acrylic vibration damping polymer may contain other structural units, such as amines (e.g., R 3-n NH n wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms and n is an integer from 0 to 3), or a functionalized (meth)acrylate (e.g., glycidyl methacrylate).

[0031] Other non-acrylic components that may be present in the acrylic vibration damping polymer include structural units selected from styrene and substituted styrenes, butadiene, α-olefins such as ethylene, propylene, 1-decene, vinyl monomers such as vinyl acetate, vinyl butyrate, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinyl versatate, other vinyl esters, or combinations thereof.

[0032] Examples of acrylic vibration damping polymers that contain non-acrylic components include, but are not limited to, styrene / acrylic copolymers and polyvinyl acetate / acrylic copolymers.

[0033] The sound dampening composition further comprises a filler. The acrylic vibration dampening polymer is disposed on a surface of the filler. As used herein, the term "disposed on a surface" means that the acrylic vibration dampening polymer is formed or deposited on the surface of the filler. The acrylic vibration dampening polymer may be bonded, adhered or fused to the surface of the filler. Without wishing to be limited by theory, it is believed that the low T g would be difficult to provide in a flowable solid form such as a powder. Thus, the acrylic vibration damping polymer is disposed on the surface of the filler. The filler particles may be coated with the acrylic vibration damping polymer or may include the acrylic vibration damping polymer fused to the surface of the filler.

[0034] The filler may be a single filler or a combination of two or more fillers that differ in at least one property, such as filler type, preparation method, treatment or surface chemistry, filler composition, filler shape, filler surface area, average particle size, and / or particle size distribution.

[0035] The shape and size of the filler are also not particularly limited. For example, the filler may be spherical, rectangular, oval, irregular, and may be in the form of, for example, powder, powder, fiber, flake, chip, shavings, strand, scrim, wafer, wool, straw, particles, and combinations thereof. The size and shape are typically selected based on the type of filler utilized, the selection of other ingredients included in the composition, and the end use application of the polymer composite article formed therewith.

[0036] Non-limiting examples of fillers include quartz and / or crushed quartz, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silica (e.g., fumed silica, ground silica, precipitated silica), hydrated magnesium silicate, magnesium carbonate, dolomite, silicone resins, wollastonite, soapstone, kaolinite, kaolin, mica, muscovite, phlogopite, halloysite (hydrated alumina silicate), aluminum silicate, sodium aluminosilicate, glass (e.g., fibers, beads or particles, including recycled glass from wind turbines or other sources), clay, magnetite, hematite, calcium carbonate, e.g., precipitated calcium carbonate, fumed calcium carbonate, and / or ground calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, calcium metasilicate, zinc oxide, talc, diatomaceous earth, iron oxide, clay, mica, chalk, titanium dioxide (titania), zirconia, sand, carbon black, graphite, anthracite, coal, lignite, charcoal, activated carbon, non-functionalized silica, ... Ricon resins, alumina, silver, metal powders, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium oxysulfate fiber, aluminum trihydrate, oxyhydrate, coated fillers, carbon fibers (including, for example, recycled carbon fibers from the aircraft and / or automotive industries), polyaramids such as chopped KEVLAR™ or Twaron™, nylon fibers, inorganic fillers or pigments (e.g., titanium dioxide, non-hydrated, partially hydrated, or hydrated fluorides, chlorides, bromides, iodides, chromates, carbonates, hydroxides, phosphates, hydrogen phosphates, nitrates, oxides, and sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and barium; zinc oxide, antimony pentoxide, antimony trioxide, beryllium oxide, chromium oxide, lithopone, boric acid or borates such as zinc borate, barium metaborate, or aluminum borate, mixed metal oxides such as vermiculite, bentonite, pumice, perlite, fly ash, clay, and silica gel;rice husk ash, ceramics and zeolites, metals such as aluminum flakes or powders, bronze powders, copper, gold, molybdenum, nickel, silver powders or flakes, stainless steel powders, tungsten, barium titanate, silica-carbon black composites, functionalized carbon nanotubes, cement, slate powders, pyrophyllite, sepiolite, zinc stannate, zinc sulfide), and combinations thereof. Preferably, the filler is selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, glass fiber, carbon fiber, mica, graphite, talc, kaolin, aluminum trihydrate, and combinations thereof. More preferably, the filler comprises calcium carbonate;

[0037] The weight ratio of the acrylic vibration damping polymer to the filler in the sound damping composition, based on the total weight of the acrylic damping polymer and the filler in the sound damping composition, is less than 1:1. Preferably, the weight ratio of the acrylic vibration damping polymer to the filler in the sound damping composition, based on the total weight of the acrylic damping polymer and the filler in the sound damping composition, is less than 1:2, more preferably less than 1:3, and even more preferably less than 1:4.

[0038] Preferably, the sound attenuating composition is in the form of a powder.

[0039] A further aspect of the invention relates to a thermoplastic resin comprising a sound dampening composition and a thermoplastic resin. The thermoplastic resin may be selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, acrylic, polyester, polycarbonate, polyethylene, and polyphenylene oxide. Preferably, the thermoplastic resin is selected from polyvinyl chloride and acrylic. More preferably, the thermoplastic resin comprises polyvinyl chloride.

[0040] The sound dampening composition is present in an amount of at least 10 wt%, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition. More preferably, the sound dampening composition is present in an amount of at least 15 wt%, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition. For example, the sound dampening composition may be present in an amount of at least 20 wt% or 25 wt%, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition.

[0041] Preferably, the acrylic vibration damping polymer is present in an amount in the range of 0.5 to 15 wt%, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition. Preferably, the acrylic vibration damping polymer is present in an amount less than 10 wt%, more preferably less than 7 wt%, even more preferably less than 6 wt%, and even more preferably less than 5 wt%, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition.

[0042] Preferably, the filler is present in an amount ranging from 10% to 60% by weight, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition. Preferably, the filler is present in an amount of at least 15% by weight, more preferably at least 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition.

[0043] The thermoplastic resin composition can be used to manufacture articles such as floor tiles. Floor tiles often contain a thermoplastic resin such as polyvinyl chloride in at least one layer. The sound damping composition of the present invention can be incorporated into the thermoplastic resin using existing manufacturing processes. The sound damping composition can be added in powder form as an additive during compounding of filled thermoplastics. By incorporating the sound damping composition of the present invention into polyvinyl chloride floor tiles, the sound damping performance can be significantly improved, even in the presence of substantially small amounts of acrylic vibration damping polymers. EXAMPLES

[0044] Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composites with CaCO3 filler were prepared with six different polymer additives and a control without additives. The additives are listed in Table 1 below.

[0045] [Table 1]

[0046] The samples were prepared by making a slurry of approximately 50% by volume calcium carbonate (Durcal 10) in water, adding a water-based acrylic vibration damping polymer, and drying the slurry to form a homogenous powder, which was then compounded into the PVC masterbatch.

[0047] Composites were prepared at two levels of CaCO3 loading, 95 parts by weight per 100 parts of resin (phr) and 133 phr. The formulations were prepared as follows:

[0048] [Table 2]

[0049] An exemplary polyvinyl chloride masterbatch powder formulation was prepared by sequentially adding the materials in Table 2. The masterbatch was prepared in approximately 20 minutes by adding the PVC to a Gunther Papenmeier / Welex blender at room temperature, increasing the power to 15A, adding the TM181 at 125° F., adding the lubricant package at 150° F., adding the acrylic processing aid at 190° F., and adding the sound dampening composition at 195° F. The compounded PVC masterbatch was ground on a powered Collin roll mill with a 0.3 mm gap for 3 minutes at 190° C., and then the ground sheet was compression molded into 3.2 mm thick plaques at 190° C.

[0050] Decay Test - DMA The plaques were tested on a TA Instruments Q-800 Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) using a single cantilever clamp fixture. The plaques were cut to the exact dimensions required for this geometry and the width and thickness were measured for each sample and entered into the program. The length was fixed at 17.5 mm for the geometry of the clamp. The sample was placed at the rear of the clamp closest to the thermocouple and clamped in the following order: center clamp first, then end clamps. A calibrated torque wrench was used with 10 lbs of force. The plaques were tested using the Temp Ramp / Freq Sweep Test in the DMA Multi-Frequency-Strain Mode, ranging from 0°C to 180°C, with a heating rate of 2°C / min. The applied frequency was 1 Hz. The procedure parameters were as follows: Applied strain = 0.002%, 5 min soak time was used before the start of data acquisition. The dynamic storage and loss moduli (E' and E"), respectively, and tan δ were recorded as a function of temperature. Since two plaques were provided, each sample was tested in duplicate. For initial screening, the samples were tested by dynamic mechanical analysis. DMA testing showed that the damping performance of the inventive examples was significantly increased compared to the control (Comparative Example 1).

[0051] Damping test - center point excitation To investigate the complete mechanical damping response of the composites, PVC specimens were tested using the central impedance method, which is commonly used to evaluate damping. Tests were performed with a centrally supported steady vibration method in accordance with JIS G 0602-1993. However, instead of coated bars, homogeneous damping bars with slightly modified dimensions were used. The specimen plaques were cut into 10 x 1 inch bars and a metal mounting quill was glued to the center of the bar with a superglue. The quill was then screwed into an impedance head attached to a mechanical vibration excitation unit as shown in Figure 1. The vibration device with the bar attached was placed in an environmental chamber and tested at 25°C. The bars were excited using white noise and the frequency response functions were captured from 0 to 5000 Hz. For these specimens, the composite loss factor (i.e. CLF) for modes 1 to 5 was measured, allowing the measurement of the CLF. The CLF was calculated using the 3 dB down method for each mode.

[0052] To demonstrate the importance of the glass transition temperature of the acrylic vibration damping polymer, midpoint damping tests were performed on samples with a range of glass transition temperatures. Samples with glass transition temperatures ranging from -37°C to 10°C were tested against a control (Comparative Example 1) that did not contain an acrylic vibration damping polymer. As shown in Figure 2 and Table 3, the damped samples using acrylic vibration damping polymers with glass transition temperatures below 0°C performed significantly better at a test temperature of 25°C than the damped sample with a glass transition temperature of 10°C (Comparative Example 2), which performed nearly identically to the undamped control sample (Comparative Example 1).

[0053] [Table 3]

[0054] To demonstrate the importance of crosslinking of the acrylic vibration damping polymer, a highly crosslinked acrylic polymer (Comparative Example 3) with a Tg of -32°C was tested as a comparison to a non-crosslinked acrylic polymer. Despite having a lower Tg, the highly crosslinked sample performed similarly to the control, indicating that both glass transition temperature and polymer structure are important to performance.

[0055] Finally, to demonstrate the effect of polymer addition, samples based on Examples 1-3 were prepared containing half the amount of damping polymer and compared to Comparative Example 1. As shown in Table 4, the results indicate that decreasing the amount of damping polymer reduces damping performance, although some advantage is still observed compared to the control.

[0056] [Table 4]

[0057] In addition to improved properties, examples according to embodiments of the present invention also demonstrated improved processability by providing less adhesion to equipment and uniform mixing / dispersion of the filler.

[0058] Definitions and Use of Terms Unless otherwise indicated by the context of the specification, all amounts, ratios, and percentages are by weight and all test methods are as of the filing date of this disclosure. The articles "a," "an," and "the" each refer to one or more. It is understood that the appended claims are not limited to the specific compounds, compositions, or methods described therein for the purposes of expressing the "details of the invention," and may vary between specific embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. With respect to any Markush group relied upon in this specification to describe specific features or aspects of various embodiments, different, special, and / or unexpected results may be obtained from each element of the respective Markush group independent of all other Markush elements. Each element of the Markush group may be relied upon individually and / or in combination to provide appropriate support for specific embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.

[0059] Moreover, any ranges and subranges relied upon in describing various embodiments of the present invention are understood to be within the scope of the appended claims, both individually and inclusively, and to describe and contemplate the entire range including all and / or any values ​​therein, even if such values ​​are not expressly set forth herein. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the recited ranges and subranges fully describe and enable various embodiments of the present invention, and that such ranges and subranges may be further delineated into relevant halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, etc. As merely an example, a range "from 0.1 to 0.9" may be further delineated into a lower third, i.e., 0.1 to 0.3, a middle third, i.e., 0.4 to 0.6, and an upper third, i.e., 0.7 to 0.9, which are individually and inclusively within the scope of the appended claims, and within which specific embodiments may be relied upon, individually and / or inclusively, to provide sufficient support. In addition, with respect to words defining or modifying a range, such as "at least," "greater than," "less than," "less than," etc., such words should be understood to include subranges and / or upper or lower limits. As another example, the range "at least 10" essentially includes subranges of at least 10 to 35, at least 10 to 25, 25 to 35, etc., each of which may be relied upon individually and / or collectively to provide sufficient support for specific embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. Finally, individual numbers within the disclosed ranges may be relied upon to provide sufficient support for specific embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the range "from 1 to 9" includes various individual integers, such as 3, as well as individual numbers including decimal points (or fractions), such as 4.1, which may be relied upon to provide sufficient support for specific embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.

[0060] As used herein, the term "composition" includes the materials that comprise the composition, as well as reactants and decomposition products formed from the materials of the composition.

[0061] The term "comprising" and its derivatives are not intended to exclude the presence of any additional components, steps, or procedures, whether or not they are disclosed herein. For the avoidance of any doubt, all compositions claimed herein through the use of the term "comprising" may include any additional additives, adjuvants, or compounds, whether polymeric or otherwise, unless stated to the contrary. In contrast, the term "consisting essentially of" excludes any other components, steps, or procedures from the scope of any succeeding description, except those that are not essential to operability. The term "consisting of" excludes any components, steps, or procedures not specifically delineated or listed.

[0062] As used herein, the term "polymer" refers to a polymeric compound prepared by polymerizing monomers, whether of the same or different types. Thus, the generic term polymer encompasses the term homopolymer (used to refer to a polymer prepared from only one type of monomer, with the understanding that trace amounts of impurities may be incorporated into the polymer structure), and the term copolymer (used to refer to a polymer prepared from more than one type of monomer). Trace amounts of impurities may be incorporated into and / or within the polymer.

[0063] "Blend," "polymer blend," and like terms refer to a composition of two or more polymers. Such blends may or may not be miscible. Such blends may or may not be phase separated. Such blends may or may not contain one or more domain configurations as determined from transmission electron spectroscopy, light scattering, x-ray scattering, and any other method known in the art. Blends are not laminates, although one or more layers of a laminate may contain a blend.

Claims

1. 1. A sound-damping composition comprising: An acrylic vibration damping polymer, wherein the acrylic vibration damping polymer has a calculated glass transition temperature, T, in the range of −60° C. to less than 10° C. as calculated by the Fox equation. ｇ and a non-crosslinked component, wherein the non-crosslinked component has a calculated T ｇ an acrylic vibration damping polymer having a filler; the acrylic vibration damping polymer is disposed on a surface of the filler; A composition wherein the weight ratio of said acrylic vibration damping polymer to said filler is less than 1:

1.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is in the form of a powder.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the acrylic vibration damping polymer comprises a styrene / acrylic copolymer or a polyvinyl acetate / acrylic copolymer.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the acrylic vibration damping polymer comprises a phosphate-functionalized linear acrylic copolymer.

5. 10. The composition of claim 1, wherein the filler is selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, glass fiber, carbon fiber, mica, graphite, talc, kaolin, aluminum trihydrate, and combinations thereof.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the filler comprises calcium carbonate.

7. 10. The composition of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of the acrylic vibration damping polymer to the filler is less than 1:

2.

8. 10. The composition of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of the acrylic vibration damping polymer to the filler is less than 1:

4.

9. The acrylic vibration damping polymer has a calculated glass transition temperature, T ｇ 10. The composition of claim 1, wherein

10. The acrylic vibration damping polymer has a calculated glass transition temperature, T ｇ 10. The composition of claim 1, wherein

11. A thermoplastic resin composition, A sound-damping composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a thermoplastic resin, A thermoplastic resin composition wherein the sound dampening composition is present in an amount of at least 10 wt %, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition.

12. 12. The thermoplastic resin composition of claim 11, wherein the thermoplastic resin is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, acrylic, polyester, polycarbonate, polyethylene, and polyphenylene oxide.

13. 12. The thermoplastic resin composition of claim 11, wherein the sound dampening composition is present in an amount of at least 15 wt%, based on the total weight of the thermoplastic resin composition.

14. An article manufactured from the thermoplastic resin composition of claim 11.

15. 15. The article of claim 14, wherein the article is a floor tile.

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