Composite flooring

Abstract

To provide a composite floor material having a high degree of freedom of a design pattern and an excellent wind resistance.SOLUTION: A composite floor material A comprises a plurality of floor base materials 10, and a plurality of finishing floor materials 20 disposed side by side thereon. A plurality of engaging holes are formed so as to be distributed in an in-plane direction each other at the floor base material 10. An engaging projection 23 which can engage with one engaging hole selected from the plurality of engaging holes on a bottom surface of each finishing floor material 20. An open area rate of the engaging hole at the floor base material 10 is equal to or greater than 20%. The floor base material 10 is divided into four longitudinal and transverse substrate parts 11 and these substrate parts 11 are connected integrally via a connection part 12 in a cross shape in plan view, and a plurality of slits 12c in an open hole shape are arranged side by side in an extension direction of the connection part 12 at the connection part 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a composite floor material that combines a floor substrate and a finishing floor material, and particularly to a composite floor material that is suitable for outdoor floors installed in outdoor spaces such as balconies, verandas, terraces, and external corridors. [Background technology]

[0002] It has long been known that flooring materials are installed on balconies and other outdoor floors in buildings such as high-rise apartment buildings to improve the durability of floor waterproofing materials and improve drainage. In recent years, in addition to the above performance, there has been a demand for wind resistance (resistance to peeling, floating, and scattering due to strong winds such as typhoons) and further design features. Patent Document 1 discloses a composite floor material in which, for example, four finishing floor materials are arranged lengthwise and widthwise on top of a single large floor substrate. Each finishing floor material is engaged with the floor substrate via an engaging member.

[0003] In the composite flooring material of Patent Document 2, the floor base material is in the form of a mat that is wider and longer than the finish flooring material, and has many small holes formed in a regular pattern. The floor base material is cut to an appropriate length to match the size of the balcony and laid. If the floor base material is not wide enough, two or more pieces are arranged parallel to each other. A number of tiles of different sizes and shapes are prepared as the finish flooring material. These tiles are laid on the floor base material in an appropriate arrangement pattern, such as through joints, horse-tread joints, or mesh joints. Each tile has four protruding pins on its underside. Each pin fits into a corresponding small hole in the floor base material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-199897 A (Fig. 1) [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-135147 (Figs. 1 to 11) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The composite flooring material of Patent Document 1 has a specific number of finishing flooring materials arranged in specific positions on one floor base material, which limits the degree of freedom in design patterns. The composite flooring material of Patent Document 2 allows for selection of the size, position, number, etc. of the finishing flooring material, and therefore offers greater freedom in design patterns than Patent Document 1. However, there is a risk that the material may be turned up or blown away when exposed to strong winds such as typhoons, and there is an issue of insufficient wind resistance. In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a composite flooring material that has a high degree of freedom in design patterns and is excellent in wind resistance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] After careful consideration, the inventors discovered that by adjusting the proportion of the floor base material occupied by engagement holes with the finishing floor material, i.e., the aperture ratio, it is possible to improve both the freedom of design patterns and wind resistance. The present invention was made based on this finding, and provides a flooring system comprising one or more floor substrates and a plurality of finishing floor materials arranged on the floor substrates, The floor base material has a plurality of engagement holes that penetrate the floor base material in the thickness direction and are distributed in an in-plane direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, and an engagement protrusion that can engage with a selected one of the plurality of engagement holes is formed on the bottom surface of each finishing floor material. The floor substrate is characterized in that the opening rate of the engaging holes is 20% or more. For example, the aperture ratio can be increased to 20% or more by increasing the number of engagement holes or narrowing their spacing. The size, shape, and number of finishing flooring materials can then be selected as desired and laid on the floor substrate in an appropriate arrangement pattern. This allows each engagement protrusion on each finishing flooring material to face and engage with one of the engagement holes on the floor substrate. This allows for a high degree of freedom in design patterns. The materials of each finishing flooring material can be selected as desired, allowing for the creation of designs ranging from luxurious to unique. Furthermore, the floor base material can be prevented from floating or scattering in strong winds of, for example, 30 m / s or more caused by typhoons (see Examples below), thereby improving the wind resistance of the composite floor material. It is believed that flooring materials are blown away by strong winds when wind blows onto a balcony or other surface and passes over the floor, creating a pressure difference between the front and back of the floor. In contrast, in the present invention, by setting the open area ratio of the floor substrate within a specific range, wind flowing upward from the floor surface can pass through the floor substrate, preventing the composite flooring from being blown away. This prevents the composite flooring from being blown away by strong winds without increasing its weight or fixing it to the floor surface. The composite floor material of the present invention comprises one or more floor substrates and a plurality of finishing floor materials arranged on the floor substrates, The floor base material has a plurality of engagement holes that penetrate the floor base material in the thickness direction and are distributed in an in-plane direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, and an engagement protrusion that can engage with a selected one of the plurality of engagement holes is formed on the bottom surface of each finishing floor material. The opening rate of the engagement holes in the floor base material is 20% or more, A further feature of this flooring base material is that it is divided into four base sections, one vertically and one horizontally, and these base sections are connected together via connecting sections that form a cross shape in a plan view, and that the connecting sections have multiple through-hole-like slits formed in a line in the extension direction of the connecting sections.

[0007] The aperture ratio of the through holes including the engagement holes in the floor base material is preferably 60% or less, and more preferably 50% or less. This helps maintain the mechanical strength of the flooring substrate, for example, preventing it from cracking when stepped on. The shape of the finishing floor material is preferably rectangular (square or oblong). Preferably, the engaging protrusions are provided near each of the four corners of the rectangular finishing floor material. Preferably, the floor base material has support legs formed to protrude downward. This allows the floor base material body (the portion of the floor base material excluding the support legs) to be raised above the floor surface, improving drainage. The support legs may be offset from the engagement holes in a plan view, or may be located in the same place as the engagement holes in a plan view. Preferably, the support legs in the same place are formed in a cylindrical shape, with the internal space serving as the engagement holes. In the above-mentioned further feature, it is preferable that the through-holes including the engagement holes and the slits in the floor base material have an opening ratio of 60% or less. It is preferable that the through hole includes a drain hole, a decorative hole, or a lightening hole in addition to the engagement hole and the slit.

[0008] It is preferable that the multiple floor substrates are arranged in the in-plane direction, one of the multiple finishing floor materials spans an adjacent floor substrate, the engaging protrusions are provided at multiple locations on the one finishing floor material, and each engaging protrusion is engaged with a corresponding engaging hole. As a result, the adjacent floor substrates are connected to each other via the first finishing floor material. Furthermore, the adjacent floor substrates are connected to each other via a connecting means separate from the finishing floor material. Preferably, the connecting means includes a female fitting portion integrally formed on one of the adjacent floor substrates and a male fitting portion integrally formed on the other floor substrate.

[0009] It is preferable that different finishing floor materials are placed over the floor base material at multiple locations, and that the engaging protrusions of each finishing floor material are engaged with the engaging holes at corresponding locations. This allows the different finishing floor materials to be connected to each other via the floor base material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a composite flooring material can be provided that has a high degree of freedom in design patterns and is excellent in wind resistance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] Fig. 1(a) is a plan view showing an example of a design pattern of a composite flooring material according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1(b) is a plan view showing another example of a design pattern of the composite flooring material. [Figure 2] Figure 2(a) is a front view of the composite flooring material taken along line IIa-IIa in Figure 1(a), and Figure 2(b) is a front view of the composite flooring material taken along line IIb-IIb in Figure 1(b). [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the floor substrate in the composite floor material. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the engaging protrusion of the finishing floor material in the composite floor material is about to be fitted into the engaging hole of the floor base material. Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IVb-IVb in Figure 1(a) showing the state in which the engaging protrusion has been fitted into the engaging hole. [Figure 5] Figure 5(a) is a cross-sectional view showing adjacent floor substrates being connected to each other, and Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Vb-Vb in Figure 1(a) showing the adjacent floor substrates being connected to each other. [Figure 6] 1 is a graph showing the results of Example 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a composite flooring material A installed on an outdoor floor, such as a balcony, veranda, terrace, or external corridor of a building such as a high-rise apartment building. The composite flooring material A comprises a floor substrate 1 (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1) and a finishing floor 2 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, the floor substrate 1 is installed on the floor surface F of the outdoor floor, and the finishing floor 2 is installed on the floor substrate 1. The installation area of ​​the floor substrate 1 and thus the composite flooring material A can be adjusted as needed, and may cover the entire outdoor floor or only a portion of the outdoor floor. As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the design pattern of the finishing floor 2 and thus the composite flooring material A can be freely selected. This is described in detail below.

[0013] The floor substrate laying body 1 includes multiple floor substrates 10. These floor substrates 10 are laid side by side in the in-plane direction along the floor surface. The material of the floor substrates 10 is a resin such as PVC, PP, or PE, but rubber may also be used.

[0014] As shown in Figure 3, each floor substrate 10 includes a floor substrate main body 19 and multiple support legs 14. The floor substrate main body 19 is formed in the shape of a square (rectangular) perforated plate and is divided into four base sections 11 in the vertical and horizontal directions. These base sections 11 are connected together via connecting sections 12 that are cross-shaped in plan view. Multiple through-hole-like slits 12c are formed in the connecting sections 12 and aligned in the extension direction of the connecting sections 12. By cutting the connecting portions 12, the four base plate portions 11 can be separated from each other. This allows the floor substrate 10 to be divided and used separately. For example, the right end portion of the floor substrate installation body 1 in Figures 1(b) and 2(b) uses a floor substrate 10h divided in half.

[0015] As shown in Figure 3, a large number (plurality) of engagement holes 13 are formed in each base plate portion 11, and therefore in the floor base material main body 19. The engagement holes 13 penetrate the floor base material main body 19 in the thickness direction. The shape of the engagement holes 13 is rectangular, but is not limited to this and may be circular or a polygon other than a rectangle, such as a hexagon. As shown in Figure 4(a), a chamfered guide slope 13e is formed on the periphery of the upper end of the engagement hole 13. A locking step 13d is formed in the middle of the engagement hole 13. As shown in Figure 3, a plurality of engagement holes 13 are distributed in a regular pattern in the in-plane direction (the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction) of the floor substrate 10. In Figure 3, they are distributed in a regular lattice pattern.

[0016] The opening rate of the engagement holes 13 in the floor base material 10 is 20% or more. The opening rate of the engagement holes 13 refers to the ratio of the total area of ​​all engagement holes 13 (the opening area of ​​each engagement hole 13 x the number of engagement holes 13) to the apparent area of ​​the floor base material 10 in a plan view (the product of the external dimensions of the length and width of the floor base material 10). The aperture ratio of the through holes, including the engagement holes 13 and the slits 12c, in the floor base material 10 is preferably 60% or less, and more preferably 50% or less. The aperture ratio of the through holes refers to the ratio of the total area of ​​all the through holes to the apparent area of ​​the floor base material 10 in a plan view. Examples of through holes other than the engagement hole 13 and the slit 12c include drainage holes, decorative holes, and lightening holes.

[0017] As shown in Figures 3 and 4(a), the floor base material 10 has multiple support legs 14 formed on it. The support legs 14 protrude downward from the floor base material main body 19. Each support leg 14 is positioned offset from the engagement holes 13 in the floor base material main body 19. Preferably, the support legs 14 are positioned between four engagement holes 13 arranged vertically and horizontally. The multiple support legs 14 are arranged dispersedly in the in-plane direction of the floor base material main body 19. The spacing between the support legs 14 is greater than the spacing between the engagement holes 13.

[0018] As shown in Figure 5, adjacent flooring substrates 10 in the flooring substrate installation body 1 are connected via connecting means 30. As shown in Figure 5(a), the connecting means 30 includes a female fitting portion 31 and a male fitting portion 32. These female and male fitting portions 31, 32 are integrally formed with each flooring substrate 10. As shown in Figure 3, the female fitting portion 31 is formed in a roughly ring shape and protrudes horizontally and outward from two perpendicular sides of each flooring substrate 10. Multiple female fitting portions 31 are arranged spaced apart from each other along the two sides. Male fitting portions 32 protrude downward from the remaining two sides of the flooring substrate 10 and also serve as support legs. Multiple male fitting portions 32 are arranged spaced apart from each other along the remaining two sides. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the female fitting portion 31 of one of the adjacent floor substrates 10 is fitted into the corresponding male fitting portion 32 of the other floor substrate 10.

[0019] 1, the finished floor installation body 2 includes a plurality of finishing floor materials 20. These finishing floor materials 20 are arranged in the in-plane direction on the floor substrate 10. The material of the finishing floor material 20 may be tile, resin, or metal.

[0020] A variety of finishing flooring materials 20A, 20B, and 20C of different sizes and shapes are used as the finishing flooring material 20. For example, small square finishing flooring material 20A, large square finishing flooring material 20B, and rectangular finishing flooring material 20C are used. Even the largest finishing flooring material 20B is smaller than the floor substrate 10 and even smaller than one of the base members 11.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 4(a), engaging protrusions 23 are formed at multiple locations on the bottom surface (lower surface) of each finishing floor material 20 so as to protrude downward. Preferably, the engaging protrusions 23 are provided in the vicinity of each of the four corners of the finishing floor material 20. The planar cross section is circular, but may be rectangular to match the engagement hole 13. 4(a), the engaging projection 23 includes a cylindrical projection base 23b and a large-diameter locking portion 23d at its tip (lower end). A tapered surface 23e is formed at the tip (lower) portion of the locking portion 23d.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), multiple finishing flooring materials 20 (20A-20C) are arranged in an appropriate arrangement pattern on the floor substrate laying body 1. Preferably, adjacent finishing flooring materials 20 are almost in contact with each other. For convenience, adjacent finishing flooring materials 20 are shown with a small gap between them in Figure 1. Different finishing flooring materials 20 cover multiple locations on each floor substrate 10. Alternatively, one finishing flooring material 20 spans multiple floor substrates 10. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(b), the engaging protrusions 23 of each finishing flooring material 20 engage with the engaging holes 13 at corresponding locations on the corresponding floor substrate 10.

[0023] In other words, the shape of each finishing floor material 20, the arrangement of the engaging protrusions 23 on the finishing floor material 20, and the arrangement of the engaging holes 13 on the floor base material 10 are set so that when the finishing floor materials 20 (20A to 20C) are arranged in any arrangement pattern, each engaging protrusion 23 can engage with one selected engaging hole 13.

[0024] When fitting the engagement protrusion 23 into the engagement hole 13, the tapered surface 23e comes into contact with and is guided by the guide slope 13e, so that the engagement protrusion 23 is pushed downward while being aligned with the engagement hole 13. At this time, the surrounding portion of the engagement hole 13 in the floor base material 10 and the engagement protrusion 23 are elastically deformed. As shown in Figure 4(b), the locking portion 23d eventually moves downward from the locking step 13d, causing the peripheral portion of the locking hole 13 in the floor substrate 10 and the locking protrusion 23 to elastically return to their original position. Furthermore, the locking portion 23d becomes caught in the locking step 13d, thereby fixing the finishing floor material 20 to the floor substrate 10.

[0025] Composite flooring A allows for the placement of finishing flooring materials 20 (20A-20C) of various sizes and shapes on the floor substrate 10 in an appropriate arrangement pattern by setting the number and spacing of the engaging holes 13 so that the open area ratio of the engaging holes 13 in the floor substrate 10 is 20% or more. Each engaging protrusion 23 of each finishing flooring material 20 can be positioned to engage with one of the engaging holes 13 in the floor substrate 10. The placement patterns shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b) are not limited to those shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), and a wide variety of other arrangement patterns are possible, allowing for the creation of a finishing flooring structure 2 with a wide variety of design patterns. This allows for a high degree of freedom in the design of the finishing flooring structure 2 and, ultimately, the composite flooring A. The materials of each finishing flooring material 20 can be selected appropriately, allowing for the creation of a variety of designs, from luxurious to unique. Furthermore, by setting the above-mentioned opening rate, the floor substrate 10 can be prevented from floating or scattering in strong winds of, for example, 30 m / s or more caused by typhoons, etc. (see the examples below), thereby improving the wind resistance of the floor substrate installation body 1 and ultimately the composite floor material A. As a result, both the freedom of design pattern and wind resistance can be improved. Furthermore, by setting the aperture ratio of the through holes, including the engagement holes 13 and the slits 12c in the floor substrate 10, to preferably 60% or less, more preferably 50% or less, the mechanical strength of the floor substrate 10 can be ensured and it will not easily break even if stepped on.

[0026] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the shape, number, arrangement, etc. of the engagement holes 13 in the floor substrate 10 can be set as appropriate. The floor base material 10 may have through holes other than the engagement holes 13 and the slits 12c, such as drainage holes, decorative holes, and holes for removing weight. The support leg 14 may be disposed at the same location as the engagement hole 13 in a plan view. The support leg 14 in the embodiment may be formed in a cylindrical shape, and the internal space thereof may be provided as the engagement hole 13. The number of floor substrates 10 in the floor substrate laying body 1 may be only one. The size and shape of the finishing flooring 20 are not limited to those in the embodiment, and may include, for example, rectangular finishing flooring of different sizes, and may also include finishing flooring of shapes other than rectangular (triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, circular, etc.). [Example]

[0027] Examples will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples. The wind resistance of the floor substrate alone was investigated. A flooring substrate having a shape similar to that of the flooring substrate 10 shown in FIG. 3 was prepared. The length and width of the floor substrate was 300 mm x 300 mm. The overall height of the floor substrate was 15.6 mm. The height (thickness) of the floor base material body 19 was 7 mm. The height of the support leg 14 (the distance from the bottom surface of the floor base material main body 19 to the bottom surface of the support leg 14) was 8.6 mm. The floor substrate weighed 320 g. Each engagement hole 13 had a rectangular shape in plan view, and its length and width were 8 mm x 8 mm. The arrangement of the engagement holes 13 in each base plate portion 11 was 12×12 in length and width. The total number of engagement holes 13 in the entire floor base material was 576. The total area of ​​the engagement holes 13c in the floor base material is 35864 mm2 It was. By selectively blocking some of the 576 engaging holes 13 with adhesive tape, the opening rate of the engaging holes in the floor base material was adjusted in the following seven ways (1) to (7). Note that (1) is the case where no adhesive tape was applied. (1) 40.96% (2) 10.24% (3) 20.48% (4) 27.31% (5) 30.72% (6) 28.44% (7) 34.42%

[0028] For each of (1) to (7), the floor substrate was placed on the floor surface, and a strong wind was blown horizontally along the floor surface using a strong air blower, and the wind speed was measured when the floor substrate was lifted or scattered. The results are shown in Figure 6. The black circles in the figure indicate the wind speed at which the floor substrate floated or scattered, while the white circles indicate that the floor substrate did not float even at a wind speed of 40 m / s, which is the maximum output of the strong air blower. It was confirmed that by setting the open area ratio of the engaging holes in the floor base material to 20% or more, it can withstand wind speeds of 30 m / s or more. It is believed that wind flowing upward from the floor surface can pass through the floor base material, improving shatter prevention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0029] The present invention can be applied, for example, as a composite flooring material for balconies and verandas in apartment buildings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] A. Composite flooring F Floor 1 Floor base material laying body 10 Floor base material 12c Break (through hole) 13 Engagement hole (through hole) 14 Support legs 19 Floor base material body 2 Finishing floor installation 20 Finishing Floor Materials 20A, 20B, 20C Finishing floor materials 23 Engagement protrusion 30 Connection means

Claims

1. One or more floor substrates; and a plurality of finish floor materials arranged on the floor substrates, The floor base material has a plurality of engaging holes that penetrate the floor base material in the thickness direction and are distributed in an in-plane direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, and an engaging protrusion that can engage with a selected one of the plurality of engaging holes is formed on the bottom surface of each finishing floor material. The opening rate of the engagement holes in the floor base material is 20% or more, A composite flooring material characterized in that the floor base material is divided into four base sections vertically and horizontally, these base sections are connected together via connecting sections that form a cross shape in a planar view, and the connecting sections have multiple through-hole-like slits formed in a row in the extension direction of the connecting sections, and the length of each slit along the extension direction in parts other than the intersections of the cross of the connecting sections is greater than the length between adjacent slits.

2. 2. The composite flooring material according to claim 1, wherein the through-holes, including the engaging holes and the slits, in the flooring base material have an opening rate of 60% or less.

3. The composite floor material according to claim 2, wherein the through holes include drainage holes, decorative holes, or lightening holes in addition to the engagement holes and the cuts.

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