Shock-absorbing flooring
The flooring material with a resin-based foamed structure and magnesium oxide board intermediate layer addresses the brittleness and weight issues of conventional materials, enhancing shock absorption and load-bearing capacity.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOPPAN HOLDINGS INC
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
AI Technical Summary
Conventional floor materials for reducing fracture risk use a large amount of inorganic filler to suppress thermal expansion, leading to increased mass and brittleness, resulting in insufficient load-bearing capacity.
A flooring material comprising a flooring base made of a resin material with a foamed structure and an intermediate layer of magnesium oxide board, which is lightweight and provides superior load-bearing capacity.
The flooring material achieves improved shock absorption and load-bearing capacity while maintaining a lightweight design, reducing the risk of fractures.
Smart Images
Figure 2026110076000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
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[0001] The present disclosure relates to impact-absorbing floor materials.
Background Art
[0002] Approximately 10% of the causes of the elderly requiring care are hip fractures. Hip fractures, whose risk increases with aging, require long-term hospitalization and are likely to lead to the care-requiring state of the elderly, such as being bedridden or having dementia. For this reason, floor materials that reduce the fracture risk by absorbing the impact on the femur when a pedestrian falls have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Patent Document 2
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] These floor materials (conventional floor materials for reducing fracture risk) use a hard layer of a thermoplastic resin filled with an inorganic filler. However, since the inorganic filler is used in a relatively large amount to suppress the thermal expansion of the hard layer, there is a problem that not only does the mass increase, but the hard layer becomes brittle, resulting in insufficient load-bearing capacity of the floor material. The present disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an impact-absorbing floor material that is lightweight and has excellent load-bearing capacity as compared with conventional floor materials for reducing fracture risk.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0005] The flooring material for solving the above-mentioned problems comprises a flooring material, a flooring base material provided below the flooring material, and an intermediate material provided between the flooring material and the flooring base material, wherein the flooring base material is made of a resin material and has a foamed structure, and the intermediate material is made of MGO board (magnesium oxide board), making it an impact-absorbing flooring material. [Effects of the Invention]
[0006] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a shock-absorbing flooring material that is lightweight and has superior load-bearing capacity compared to conventional flooring materials that reduce the risk of fractures. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0007] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the composition of the flooring material relating to this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a device for measuring the impact absorption properties of flooring materials related to this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments shown below are illustrative of devices and methods for realizing the technical concept of this technology. Furthermore, the technical concept of this technology can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.
[0009] <Basic composition of flooring materials> The impact-absorbing flooring material (hereinafter referred to as "flooring material") 1 related to this disclosure will be described below with reference to Figure 1. The flooring material 1 comprises a flooring material 11, a flooring base material 12 provided below the flooring material 11 (the surface to which the flooring material 1 is attached), and an intermediate material 13 provided between the flooring material 11 and the flooring base material 12. The floor covering 11 has surface functions such as improving the scratch resistance and stain resistance of the floor covering 1, and adding aesthetic appeal to the floor covering 1. The underfloor material 12 has the function of absorbing the pressure when a user falls and enhancing the cushioning properties of the floor material 1. The intermediate material 13 acts as a support layer, distributing the load applied from the floor top material 11 to the floor subfloor material 12, thereby improving shock absorption and load-bearing capacity.
[0010] The total thickness of flooring material 1 is preferably more than 7 mm but 25 mm or less. If the total thickness of flooring material 1 is more than 7 mm, it becomes easier to balance shock absorption, walking comfort, and durability. Also, if the total thickness of flooring material 1 is 25 mm or less, the thickness of flooring material 1 does not become too large, so the height difference between flooring material 1 and the uninstalled area does not become too large, and flooring material 1 fits well during installation.
[0011] The flooring materials 11, subfloor materials 12, and intermediate materials 13 will be described in detail below. <Floor materials> The floor covering 11 is a layer that makes up the surface of the floor covering 1 and is made of a harder material than the floor base material 12. The thickness of the floor covering 11 is preferably 5 mm or less. By having a floor covering 11 with a thickness of 5 mm or less, the weight of the floor covering 1 does not become too heavy compared to conventional floor coverings that reduce the risk of fracture, and the burden during installation can be reduced. The flooring material 11 can be made of common materials such as long vinyl chloride sheets or vinyl chloride tiles. Methods for laminating the flooring material 11 and the intermediate material 13 include bonding using adhesive tape or adhesive. The flooring material 11 may also be laminated to the intermediate material 13 by heat lamination in a process that is continuous with the manufacturing process of the intermediate material 13.
[0012] <Underfloor materials> The subfloor material 12 is installed below the flooring material 11 (on the opposite side from the surface of the flooring material 11). The subfloor material 12 is made of a softer material than the flooring material 11 and has the function of absorbing the impact on the flooring material 1 by deforming appropriately when falling. The subfloor material 12 has a foamed structure formed by chemical foaming, physical foaming, or supercritical foaming. The foamed structure may be a foamed structure formed of a resin material (i.e., a resin foamed structure), and the resin foamed structure may be any foamed structure such as closed-cell foaming or continuous foaming. The foamed underlayment material 12 is formed from a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, polystyrene, polyurethane, etc.
[0013] The Asker C hardness of the subfloor material 12 is preferably between 25 and 60. Here, "Asker C" is a measuring instrument for measuring hardness, and is one of the durometers (spring-type hardness testers) specified in SRIS0101 (Japan Rubber Association Standard). In other words, "Asker C hardness" refers to the value measured with the Asker C hardness tester described above. When the Asker C hardness of the subfloor material 12 is between 25 and 60, it becomes easier to ensure the shock absorption of the flooring material 1, and discomfort when walking is less likely to occur. Furthermore, the thickness of the subfloor material 12 is preferably between 4 mm and 15 mm. A thickness of 4 mm to 15 mm makes it easier to ensure shock absorption and load-bearing capacity, and also reduces discomfort when walking.
[0014] <Intermediate material> The intermediate material 13 is a layer that deforms little under normal use, but deforms appropriately when subjected to a large impact such as a fall, dispersing the impact received by the human body from the floor surface, and thus has the function of improving the impact absorption and load-bearing capacity of the floor material 1. Magnesium oxide board is suitable as the intermediate material 13 having such mechanical properties. Magnesium oxide board (commonly known as MGO board) is a material made from magnesium oxide, magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate, wood powder, glass fiber, etc. It has many advantages such as fire resistance, water resistance, sound insulation, and mechanical strength, and is widely used in building material applications.
[0015] The thickness of the intermediate material 13 is preferably between 2 mm and 6 mm. By setting the thickness to between 2 mm and 6 mm, the necessary shock absorption and load-bearing capacity can be obtained, and compared to conventional flooring materials that reduce the risk of fracture, it does not become too heavy and does not cause problems with workability during installation.
[0016] The density of the intermediate material 13 is preferably 2.0 g / cc or less, and more preferably 1.5 g / cc or less. By setting the density of the intermediate material 13 to 2.0 g / cc or less, the required shock absorption and load resistance can be obtained, and compared with the floor material that reduces the conventional fracture risk, it does not become too heavy and the workability during construction is less likely to cause problems. In addition, the density of the intermediate material 13 is preferably 0.9 g / cc or more, and more preferably 1.1 g / cc or more. By setting the density of the intermediate material 13 to 0.9 g / cc or more, the required shock absorption and load resistance can be obtained, and sufficient mechanical strength can be obtained.
[0017] <Evaluation method of shock absorption of floor material> The evaluation method of the shock absorption of the floor material 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The shock absorption of the floor material is evaluated by the "impact load F" obtained by simulating the measurement of the impact load applied to the femur when falling on the floor material. The impact load F is measured by the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-76764. The impact load is measured using the impact load measuring device 100 shown in FIG. 2. The impact load measuring device 100 includes a measurement table 110, an impact imparting body 120, a buffer material 130, and a load measuring means 140. Note that the floor material 1 shown in FIG. 2 is the measurement object of the impact load using the impact load measuring device 100, and is not a part of the impact load measuring device 100.
[0018] The impact imparting body 120 has a weight 121 and a striking part 122. The weight 121 has a mass based on the pressure distribution applied to the trochanter of the femur by the simulated fall. The striking part 122 is formed in a shape simulating the trochanter of the femur. The buffer material 130 is formed of a material simulating human soft tissue. The load measuring means 140 is a device that measures the force applied to the buffer material 130 when the impact imparting body 120 is dropped onto the buffer material 130, and for example, a load cell is used.
[0019] When measuring the shock absorption of the floor material 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the floor material 1 to be measured is arranged between the buffer material 130 and the load measuring means 140. The load measuring means 140 measures the change in force over time applied to the cushioning material 130 when the impact-applying body 120 is dropped onto the cushioning material 130 from a predetermined height corresponding to the height of the simulated fall, with the floor material 1 placed between the load measuring means (load cell) 140 positioned on the measuring stand 110 and the cushioning material 130. At this time, the load measuring means 140 measures the change in force over time applied by the impact-applying body 120 to the cushioning material 130 from the time the impact-applying body 120 contacts the cushioning material 130 until it stops, and the maximum value of the measured load is defined as the impact load F.
[0020] At this time, the drop height of the impact-applying body 120 is set so that the impact load (standard impact load Fs) when impact is applied only to the cushioning material 130 is 5600N, in order to simulate the impact on the femur during an actual fall. The impact load F on flooring material 1 is preferably 5000N or less, and more preferably 3440N or less, under the conditions described above. If the impact load exceeds 5000N, the risk of femoral fracture in elderly people becomes significantly higher.
[0021] <Effects of the flooring material related to this disclosure> The flooring material described above has the following effects. The flooring material according to this disclosure comprises a flooring material, a flooring base material provided below the flooring material, and an intermediate material provided between the flooring material and the flooring base material. The flooring base material is made of a resin material and has a foamed structure, and magnesium oxide board is used for the intermediate material. As a result, the flooring material is lighter and its load-bearing capacity is improved compared to conventional flooring materials that reduce the risk of fractures.
[0022] [Examples] The flooring materials relating to this disclosure will be described below with reference to examples. However, the flooring materials relating to this disclosure are not limited to these examples. <Example 1> Polyethylene foam (Asker C hardness 45, dimensions 600mm x 600mm x thickness 7mm) was prepared as the subfloor material, magnesium oxide board (manufactured by Anshin Kenzai Co., Ltd., dimensions 600mm x 600mm x thickness 3mm, density 1.2g / cc) as the intermediate material, and a long polyvinyl chloride resin sheet (dimensions 600mm x 600mm x thickness 2mm) as the top floor material. These subfloor materials, intermediate material, and top floor material were bonded together in this order using adhesive and laminated to form the impact-absorbing floor material of Example 1.
[0023] <Comparative Example 1> The impact-absorbing flooring material of Comparative Example 1 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a rigid polyvinyl chloride board (containing 65 wt% calcium carbonate, density 2.1 g / cc, dimensions 600 mm x 600 mm x thickness 3 mm) was used as an intermediate material.
[0024] <Comparative Example 2> The impact-absorbing flooring material of Comparative Example 2 was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that polyethylene foam (Asker C hardness 45, dimensions 600mm x 600mm x thickness 6mm) was used as the subfloor material and rigid polyvinyl chloride board (containing 65 wt% calcium carbonate, density 2.1 g / cc, dimensions 600mm x 600mm x thickness 4mm) was used as the intermediate material.
[0025] [evaluation] (Load-bearing capacity) The impact-absorbing flooring materials of the examples and comparative examples were cut in half to 600 mm x approximately 300 mm, and these were laid out and bonded onto a slate board (600 mm x 600 mm, 10 mm thick) to create test specimens. Load-bearing capacity was evaluated by the appearance of the flooring and intermediate materials after the caster test of each test specimen. Caster test conditions In the caster resistance test A-2 method, compliant with JISA 1454:2016, a load of 100 kg was used, and the test duration was set to 3 hours. The 100 kg load is assumed to be the load per wheel of a serving cart. • Evaluation criteria Minor to no change in appearance of flooring and intermediate materials: ○ Moderate changes in appearance are observed in the flooring or intermediate material: △ Significant changes in appearance are observed in the flooring or intermediate material: × ·Judgment criteria ○ or △: Pass ×: Fail
[0026] (Shock absorption) The impact-absorbing flooring materials of each example and comparative example were cut into 100 mm squares to form test specimens, and the impact load F (unit: N) was measured using the impact load measuring device 100 shown in Figure 2, according to the method described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-076764. The measuring device had the following specifications. • Equipment specifications Load cell: "TCLU-5A" manufactured by Tokyo Measuring Instruments Laboratory Co., Ltd. Accelerometer: Digital shock and vibration accelerometer "1340B" manufactured by Showa Sokki Co., Ltd. Measuring stand: Surface plate size 750mm x 1000mm x 125mm, weight 185kg Weight body: Material: Stainless steel Weight striking section: Material: Stainless steel, machined, radius of curvature R: 100mm Impact-generating element: Weight Sw 5.85kg (including accelerometer) Cushioning material: "Human Skin Gel" (product name) manufactured by Exceel Co., Ltd., 20mm thick, Asker C hardness 7, Young's modulus 0.22MPa • Evaluation criteria Less than 3500N (low fracture risk for the elderly): ○ 3500N to less than 5000N (medium fracture risk for the elderly): △ 5000N or more (high fracture risk for the elderly): × ·Judgment criteria ○ or △: Pass ×: Fail
[0027] (Lightweighting) The impact-absorbing flooring materials of each example and comparative example were cut into 100mm squares to form test specimens, and the mass of each test specimen was measured. • Evaluation criteria Lighter than the flooring material in Comparative Example 1, which corresponds to conventional flooring materials that reduce the risk of fractures: ○ Compared to the flooring material of Comparative Example 1, which is equivalent to conventional flooring materials that reduce fracture risk: △ Heavier than the flooring material in Comparative Example 1, which is equivalent to conventional flooring materials that reduce the risk of fractures: × ·Judgment criteria ○: Pass △ or ×: Fail Note that the "mass of flooring material in Comparative Example 1," which was used as the reference value, is indicated as "-" in Table 1.
[0028] Table 1 below shows the evaluation results for each example and comparative example. Furthermore, if all evaluations for "load-bearing capacity," "shock absorption," and "lightweight design" were "passed," the overall judgment was considered "pass." Furthermore, if even one of the evaluations for "load-bearing capacity," "shock absorption," or "lightweight design" resulted in a "fail" rating, the overall judgment was set to "fail (disappointed)."
[0029] [Table 1]
[0030] As shown in Table 1, the flooring material of Example 1 comprises a flooring material, a subfloor material provided below the flooring material, and an intermediate material provided between the flooring material and the subfloor material. The subfloor material is made of a resin material and has a foamed structure, and the intermediate material is a magnesium oxide board. Compared to the flooring materials of Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, the flooring material of Example 1 was lighter and had better load-bearing capacity and shock absorption.
[0031] While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative examples of devices and methods for realizing the technical concept of the present disclosure, and the technical concept of the present disclosure does not specify the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc., of the components. The technical concept of the present disclosure can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims described in the patent claims.
[0032] Furthermore, for example, the present invention can take the following configuration. (1) It comprises a flooring material, a subfloor material provided below the flooring material, and an intermediate material provided between the flooring material and the subfloor material, The aforementioned subfloor material is formed from a resin material and has a foamed structure. An impact-absorbing flooring material characterized by using magnesium oxide board as the intermediate material. (2) The impact-absorbing flooring material according to (1) above, characterized in that the flooring material is made of polyethylene and has a foamed structure. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0033] 1. Flooring 11 Flooring material 12. Subflooring materials 13 Intermediate material 100 Impact load measuring device 110 Measuring stand 120 Impact-generating element 121 Weight 122 Hitting Department 130 Cushioning material 140 Load measurement means
Claims
1. It comprises a flooring material, a subfloor material provided below the flooring material, and an intermediate material provided between the flooring material and the subfloor material, The aforementioned subfloor material is formed from a resin material and has a foamed structure. An impact-absorbing flooring material characterized by using magnesium oxide board as the intermediate material.
2. The impact-absorbing flooring material according to claim 1, characterized in that the flooring material is made of polyethylene and has a foamed structure.