Floor tiles and methods for manufacturing floor tiles

Abstract

This technology facilitates the separation of floor tiles from adhesive materials. [Solution] The floor tile 10 comprises a fired tile body 11 and an unfired insulating layer 13 containing inorganic compound particles, which is provided on the adhesive side of the tile body 11.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to floor tiles and a method for manufacturing floor tiles.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a floor tile adhesive mortar. This mortar is described as having a high adhesion rate of the mortar to the tile even when the time from applying the mortar to the base to attaching the tile is long.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when the adhesion rate of the adhesive material to the floor tile is high, there are problems such as difficulty in recycling the floor tile as a recycled raw material. When removing a used floor tile, a technique for easily separating the floor tile from the adhesive material such as mortar is required.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above conventional situation, and aims to solve the problem of providing a technique for easily separating a floor tile from an adhesive material.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The floor tile of the present disclosure has a fired tile body and a non-fired insulating layer containing inorganic compound particles provided on the attachment surface side of the tile body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1] It is a plan view of the floor tile seen from the attachment surface side. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the tile itself. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of a floor tile. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to lay floor tiles. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing the floor tiles after they have been laid. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing how to remove floor tiles. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view of a modified floor tile. [Figure 8] This is a photograph showing the removal of floor tiles that do not have an insulating layer. [Figure 9] This photograph shows floor tiles with an insulating layer covering the entire surface being removed. [Figure 10] This photograph shows a floor tile with an insulating layer only in the recessed areas, after it has been removed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, descriptions using "greater than or equal to" and "less than or equal to" for numerical ranges include both the lower limit and the upper limit. For example, the description "10 or more and 20 or less" includes both the lower limit "10" and the upper limit "20". Furthermore, in this specification, the upper and lower limits of each numerical range can be combined in any way.

[0009] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the floor tile 10 of this embodiment has a tile body 11 and an insulating layer 13. In this disclosure, the "insulating layer" is a layer interposed between the tile body 11 and the adhesive material 21, as shown in Figure 5, to suppress the adhesion of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11 when the floor tile 10 is peeled off. Note that in each figure, the insulating layer 13 is represented schematically, and the thickness and other characteristics may not be accurate.

[0010] The tile body 11 is fired. The tile body 11 is, for example, a porcelain tile. The raw materials for the tile body 11 are not particularly limited as long as they are raw materials that can be used to manufacture the tile body 11 by firing. The tile raw materials are generally made mainly from clay and feldspar. The tile body 11 is usually formed to a predetermined size by press molding or the like, then dried in a drying oven or the like, and then fired in a roller hearth kiln or the like.

[0011] From the viewpoint of resistance to peeling, the tile body 11 preferably has a plurality of protrusions 15 on the adhesive surface side. The plurality of protrusions 15 are also called back feet. The shape of the protrusions 15 is not particularly limited. The protrusions 15 are preferably ridged. It is also preferable that the protrusions 15 have a trapezoidal cross-section with a wider side on the adhesive surface side. It is preferable that the plurality of protrusions 15 are arranged in parallel.

[0012] The insulating layer 13 contains inorganic compound particles. The inorganic compound particles are not particularly limited as long as they reduce the adhesion of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11. Preferably, the inorganic compound particles are one or more selected from the group consisting of inorganic oxide particles, clay particles, inorganic carbonates, and inorganic nitride particles. Specific examples of inorganic oxides include aluminum oxide (alumina), aluminum oxide hydrate (boehmite (AlOOH), gibbsite (Al(OH)3)), silicon oxide, magnesium oxide (magnesia), calcium oxide, titanium oxide (titania), barium titanate (BaTiO3), ZrO, and alumina-silica composite oxides. In this specification, particles such as aluminum oxide (alumina), aluminum oxide hydrate (boehmite (AlOOH), gibbsite (Al(OH)3)) are also referred to as alumina-based particles. Specific examples of clay include talc and montmorillonite. Specific examples of inorganic carbonates include calcium carbonate. Specific examples of inorganic nitrides include aluminum nitride and boron nitride. Inorganic compound particles may be of one type only, or two or more types may be used in combination.

[0013] The inorganic compound particles preferably contain at least alumina-based particles, and more preferably contain alumina-based particles and clay particles having an average particle diameter smaller than that of the alumina-based particles. The average particle diameter of the clay particles is usually 5 μm or less.

[0014] The average particle diameter of the alumina-based particles is not particularly limited. The average particle diameter of the alumina-based particles is preferably 10 μm or more and 250 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and still more preferably 10 μm or more and 150 μm or less. The average particle diameter of the alumina-based particles can be specified by observation with a scanning electron microscope. For example, the particle diameter of each alumina-based particle can be measured as the maximum diameter of the obtained SEM image by observing the surface with a scanning electron microscope; SEM. The average particle diameter of the alumina-based particles may be calculated as the average value by measuring the particle diameters of 10 inorganic compound particles.

[0015] The mixing ratio of the alumina-based particles and the clay particles is not particularly limited. The mass ratio of the alumina-based particles: clay particles is preferably 10:90 to 100:0, more preferably 30:70 to 98:2, still more preferably 50:50 to 95:5, and particularly preferably 90:10 to 70:30.

[0016] From the viewpoint of maintaining the adhesion of the inorganic compound particles to the tile body 11, the insulating layer 13 preferably contains a synthetic resin polymer. The type of the synthetic resin polymer is not particularly limited. As the synthetic resin polymer, for example, emulsions and water-soluble powder resins such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) - based emulsion, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) - based powder resin, styrene - butadiene - rubber (SBR) - based emulsion, styrene - butadiene - rubber (SBR) - based powder resin, acrylic - based emulsion, and acrylic - based powder resin can be used. The synthetic resin polymer may be only one kind, or two or more kinds may be used in combination.

[0017] From the viewpoint of ensuring the insulating properties of the insulating layer 13, the amount of synthetic resin polymer blended is preferably 0.1 parts by mass or more and 4.5 parts by mass or less, more preferably 0.5 parts by mass or more and 3.5 parts by mass or less, and even more preferably 1 part by mass or more and 3 parts by mass or less, when the total amount of inorganic compound particles is 100 parts by mass.

[0018] It is preferable that the insulating layer 13 is provided over the entire surface of the adhesive surface. For example, if the tile body 11 has a plurality of protrusions 15 on the adhesive surface side, it is preferable that the insulating layer 13 also be provided in the recesses between the protrusions 15. In this disclosure, "over the entire surface of the adhesive surface" means that the insulating layer 13 is provided over 95% or more of the surface area of ​​the adhesive surface, taking into consideration the recyclability of raw materials, etc. However, as in the modified floor tile 10 in Figure 7, the insulating layer 113 may be provided only in the recesses between the protrusions 15.

[0019] From the viewpoint of ensuring tile adhesion, the thickness of the insulating layer 13 is preferably 5 μm to 500 μm, more preferably 10 μm to 100 μm, and even more preferably 10 μm to 50 μm.

[0020] The uses of the floor tile 10 are not particularly limited. The floor tile 10 is suitable as a floor tile for mortar application. The floor tile 10 can be used, for example, as an interior floor tile or an exterior floor tile. The floor tile 10 can be used in commercial facilities, buildings, stations, public facilities, residences, etc. Among these, the floor tile 10 is particularly suitable for commercial facilities where renovations are frequent.

[0021] The manufacturing method for the floor tile 10 of this embodiment involves preparing a fired tile body 11, applying a slurry containing inorganic compound particles to the adhesive side of the tile body 11, and drying it to form a non-fired insulating layer 13.

[0022] A slurry containing inorganic compound particles can be prepared, for example, by mixing the above-mentioned alumina-based particles, clay particles, synthetic resin polymer, and water. Since most of the water evaporates during the drying and curing process described later, the insulating layer 13 is composed of alumina-based particles, clay particles, and synthetic resin polymer.

[0023] The slurry containing inorganic compound particles may be applied using an applicator such as a roller, or it may be applied by spraying. The amount of slurry applied is, for example, 10 g / m² of the dry mass of the insulating layer 13. 2 More than 40g / m 2 You can set it as follows: 20g / m 2 More than 30g / m 2 The following settings may also be used. The dry mass of the insulating layer 13 can be controlled by adjusting the viscosity of the slurry.

[0024] The non-fired insulating layer 13 is formed by applying a slurry and drying it. The drying of the slurry creates a layer that is harder than the slurry before drying. Drying is preferably performed with the adhesive side of the tile body 11 facing vertically upward. The drying temperature is preferably between 20°C and 100°C. The drying time should be set to between 1 hour and 24 hours, depending on the temperature.

[0025] The installation method for the floor tiles 10 in this embodiment is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the installation method involves applying an adhesive material 21 to the surface of a substrate 20 and pressing the floor tiles 10 onto the adhesive material 21 before it hardens. The substrate 20 is not particularly limited and can be, for example, a cement-hardened material such as concrete or mortar. The adhesive material 21 is not particularly limited and can be, for example, adhesive mortar or an organic adhesive. Methods for pressing the floor tiles 10 onto the adhesive material 21 before it hardens include striking the surface of the floor tiles 10 with a rubber hammer or vibrating the floor tiles 10 with a vibrator. When the floor tiles 10 are installed, they have sufficient peel resistance required for floor tiles.

[0026] The method for removing the floor tile 10 in this embodiment is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the method for removing the floor tile 10 involves using a scraping tool to break the gap between the tile body 11 and the adhesive material 21. Compared to tiles without an insulating layer 13, the floor tile 10 in this embodiment is easier to break between the tile body 11 and the adhesive material 21. The ease of breaking between the tile body 11 and the adhesive material 21 is presumed to be due to, for example, the interface between the insulating layer 13 and the tile body 11 being easily broken, the non-fired insulating layer 13 itself being more easily broken than the fired tile body 11, and the non-fired insulating layer 13 itself being more easily broken than the hardened adhesive material 21. This disclosure is not to be limited by these presumed reasons. In the state where the floor tile 10 has been removed, the insulating layer 13 may be present on the adhesive material 21 side, on the tile body 11 side, or on both the adhesive material 21 and the tile body 11.

[0027] The floor tile 10 preferably has the following properties from the viewpoint of resistance to peeling and ease of separation.

[0028] Floor tile 10, from the perspective of peel resistance, has an adhesive strength of 0.4 N / mm² during standard curing, measured in accordance with the tensile adhesion test described in Section 1, Item 7 (3) of Chapter 11, Tile Work, Standard Specifications for Public Building Construction, 2022 edition. 2 The above is preferable. Note that there are currently no official standards regarding the adhesive strength of installed floor tiles, so the above is cited for reference only. Furthermore, the upper limit of the above adhesive strength is not particularly limited, but is typically 3.0 N / mm². 2 The following applies:

[0029] From the viewpoint of ease of separation, it is preferable that the adhesion rate (mass ratio) of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11 is 1.0% or less in test specimens in which the adhesion strength during standard curing was measured in accordance with the tensile adhesion test in Section 1, Item 7(3) of Chapter 11, Tile Work, Standard Specifications for Public Building Construction, 2022 edition. Since the mass of the insulating layer 13 is negligible, the adhesion rate of the adhesive material 21 can be calculated as the increase in the mass of the floor tile 10 after removal compared to the mass of the floor tile 10 before installation.

[0030] As described above, the floor tile 10 of this embodiment comprises a fired tile body 11 and an unfired insulating layer 13 containing inorganic compound particles, provided on the adhesive surface side of the tile body 11. The floor tile 10 of this embodiment has a low adhesion rate of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11, and each component can be easily separated. When the adhesion rate of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11 is high, it was common to dispose of the tile body 11 as waste material by landfill or the like. On the other hand, if the tile body 11 and the adhesive material 21 can be separated, the removed tile body 11 can be recycled into recycled raw materials, contributing to the realization of a circular economy. Furthermore, the floor tile 10 of this embodiment ensures the necessary peel resistance in use, and can be easily removed after use, thus shortening the construction period for removing the floor tile 10.

[0031] When the insulating layer 13 is provided over the entire surface of the adhesive surface, the adhesion rate of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11 can be reduced even further. This will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Figure 8 is an example of a floor tile without an insulating layer. Figure 9 is an example of a floor tile with an insulating layer provided over the entire surface. Figure 10 is an example of a floor tile with an insulating layer provided only in the recessed areas. Each floor tile is divided as shown in each figure, and the three divided parts are peeled off from the adhesive mortar. The peeled parts of the floor tile are placed on the right side of each figure, and the adhesive mortar is exposed to the left of those parts. In Figures 9 and 10, the insulating layer is visible as white. In the floor tile without an insulating layer in Figure 8, the adhesive mortar is attached to almost the entire surface of the adhesive surface. In the floor tile with an insulating layer provided over the entire surface in Figure 9, the adhesive mortar is hardly attached to the adhesive surface. In the floor tile with an insulating layer provided only in the recessed areas in Figure 10, the adhesive mortar is slightly attached to the adhesive surface. These results show that when the insulating layer 13 is provided over the entire surface, the adhesion rate of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11 can be reduced compared to when it is provided only in the recesses. Furthermore, when the insulating layer 13 is provided over the entire surface of the adhesive surface, it is easier to break the bond between the tile body 11 and the adhesive material 21, making it even easier to remove the floor tile 10.

[0032] When the tile body 11 has multiple protrusions 15 on the adhesive surface side, the tensile strength and shear strength of the floor tile 10 in the attached state can be suitably secured, and the peel resistance of the floor tile 10 can be improved.

[0033] When the insulating layer 13 contains a synthetic resin polymer, the adhesion of inorganic compound particles to the tile body 11 can be maintained over a long period of time, resulting in easier separation and a suitable reduction in the adhesion rate of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11.

[0034] The manufacturing method for the floor tile 10 in this embodiment involves preparing a fired tile body 11, applying a slurry containing inorganic compound particles to the adhesive side of the tile body 11, and drying it to form a non-fired insulating layer 13. This manufacturing method for the floor tile 10 allows for the suitable production of a floor tile 10 with a low adhesion rate of the adhesive material 21 to the tile body 11. [Examples]

[0035] The following will provide a more detailed explanation using examples. Experimental Examples 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are examples, while Experimental Example 1 is a comparative example.

[0036] 1. Making floor tiles For the tiles themselves, we prepared porcelain tiles, product number: IPF-300 / VAM-11, manufactured by LIXIL. The dimensions of the tiles are 295mm x 295mm x 9.5mm. The tiles have feet on the back. The feet have a maximum width of 6mm, a height of 1.5mm, and a pitch of 13mm. For the adhesive, we used Inament HF mortar, product number HF-MT25, manufactured by LIXIL, which is an adhesive for floor tiles with feet on the back.

[0037] Experimental Example 2 involved preparing a slurry by mixing alumina-based particles, clay particles, and water. The average particle size of the alumina-based particles was 55 μm. No synthetic resin polymer was added to the slurry in Experimental Example 2. The alumina-based particles and clay particles correspond to "inorganic compound particles."

[0038] In Experimental Examples 3 to 5, a slurry was prepared by mixing alumina-based particles, clay particles, synthetic resin polymer, and water. In Example 3, the amount of synthetic resin polymer was 1 part by mass when the total amount of alumina-based particles and clay particles was 100 parts by mass. In Example 4, the amount of synthetic resin polymer was 3 parts by mass when the total amount of alumina-based particles and clay particles was 100 parts by mass. In Example 5, the amount of synthetic resin polymer was 5 parts by mass when the total amount of alumina-based particles and clay particles was 100 parts by mass. The synthetic resin polymer used was ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) emulsion, product number: HF-1000, manufactured by Nippon Kasei Co., Ltd.

[0039] Experimental Example 6 was prepared in the same manner as in Experimental Example 2, except that calcium carbonate particles were used instead of the alumina-based particles and clay particles. The calcium carbonate particles correspond to "inorganic compound particles."

[0040] The slurry described above was applied to the adhesive side of the tile body in Experimental Examples 2 to 6, and dried to form a non-fired insulating layer. The amount of slurry applied was such that the dry mass of the insulating layer was 20 g / m². 2 The settings were adjusted to achieve the desired result. Drying was carried out in a drying apparatus at 80°C for 1 hour. Based on the above, floor tiles for Experimental Examples 2 to 5 were fabricated. In Experimental Example 1, the tile itself was used as a floor tile without forming an insulating layer and was subjected to the following tests.

[0041] 2. Adhesion strength test and evaluation of adhesion rate For the floor tiles in Experimental Examples 1 to 6, the adhesion strength was measured under standard curing conditions and under repeated heat and cold curing conditions, in accordance with the tensile adhesion test described in Section 1, Item 7(3) of Chapter 11, Tile Work, Standard Specifications for Public Building Construction, 2022 edition. For repeated heat and cold curing, the test specimen was heated to 70°C for 105 minutes using lamp irradiation, then immediately cooled for 15 minutes with a shower of room temperature water. This procedure was repeated 300 times. High adhesion strength under standard curing conditions and repeated heat and cold curing conditions indicates high peel resistance of the floor tiles. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0042] For the floor tiles in Experimental Examples 1 to 6, the adhesion rate of the adhesive material to the tile body was calculated for the test specimens in which the adhesion strength was measured under the standard curing period and under repeated hot and cold curing conditions described above. The adhesion rate of the adhesive material was calculated as the increase in the mass of the floor tile after removal compared to the mass of the floor tile before application. A low adhesion rate under the standard curing period and under repeated hot and cold curing conditions means that the floor tile and the adhesive material are easily separated. The results are shown in Table 1. In the "Adhesion Rate" column of Table 1, "<0.1%" indicates that the adhesion rate is less than 0.1%.

[0043] [Table 1]

[0044] 3.Results Experimental Examples 2 through 6 satisfy the following requirements (a) and (b). Experimental Example 1 does not satisfy requirement (b). Requirement (a): Having a fired tile body. Requirement (b): The tile has an unfired insulating layer containing inorganic compound particles, which is provided on the adhesive side of the tile body.

[0045] Experimental Examples 2 through 6 showed lower adhesion rates of the adhesive material than Experimental Example 1. Experimental Examples 2 through 6 had sufficient adhesion strength to be used as floor tiles. It was found that by satisfying requirements (a) and (b), peel resistance can be ensured while making it easy to separate the floor tiles from the adhesive material.

[0046] Of Experimental Examples 2 through 6, Experimental Examples 3 and 4 satisfy requirement (c). Requirement (c): The amount of synthetic resin polymer blended shall be 0.1 parts by mass or more and 4.5 parts by mass or less, based on a total of 100 parts by mass of inorganic compound particles.

[0047] Experimental Examples 3 and 4 showed lower adhesion rates of the adhesive material than Experimental Examples 2, 5, and 6, which did not meet requirement (c). This suggests that meeting requirement (c) makes it even easier to separate the floor tiles from the adhesive material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10...Floor tile, 11...Tile body, 13, 113...Insulating layer, 15...Protrusion, 20...Substrate, 21...Adhesive material

Claims

1. The fired tile body, A floor tile comprising inorganic compound particles and a non-fired insulating layer provided on the adhesive surface side of the tile body.

2. The floor tile according to claim 1, wherein the insulating layer is provided over the entire surface of the adhesive surface.

3. The floor tile according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the tile body has a plurality of protrusions on the adhesive surface side.

4. The floor tile according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the insulating layer comprises a synthetic resin polymer.

5. Prepare the fired tile body, A method for manufacturing floor tiles, comprising applying a slurry containing inorganic compound particles to the adhesive surface of the tile body and drying it to form a non-fired insulating layer.

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