Floor Panel Thin Thermoplastic Layer Wear Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor panels for floating floor coverings face issues such as moisture sensitivity, ticking noises, excessive wear, and a plastic-like appearance due to thick thermoplastic layers, which also lead to reduced transparency and increased deformability, causing unevenness and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A floor panel design featuring a substrate with a thin transparent thermoplastic layer (≤0.5 mm) and a deep chamfer extending below the print level, combined with a harder substrate and optional back layer, to minimize wear and maintain transparency while reducing the risk of unevenness and safety hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thick thermoplastic layer is used to provide wear resistance and form relief, then wear resistance is improved, but transparency is reduced and a plastic-like appearance is created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the transparent thermoplastic layer from conventional thick (1mm or more) to thin (0.5mm or less), which maintains wear resistance while improving transparency and eliminating the plastic-like appearance. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between wear resistance and transparency.
2Reliability
If a thick thermoplastic layer is used to withstand wear, then wear resistance is improved, but the layer can be pushed upward at edges during use, leading to accelerated wear and safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a preliminary anti-action by providing a chamfer at the edges of the floor panel that counteracts the upward pushing force before it can cause damage. The chamfer creates a mechanical barrier that prevents the thin thermoplastic layer from being pushed upward during use, eliminating the safety hazard and accelerated wear at edges while maintaining overall wear resistance.
3Reliability
If vinyl-based floor panels with high material density are used, then wear resistance is improved, but bending stiffness is limited and deformability is high, causing unevenness to migrate to the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure combining a rigid substrate (MDF or HDF) with a thin transparent thermoplastic layer. The substrate provides the necessary bending stiffness and dimensional stability to prevent unevenness migration, while the thin thermoplastic layer provides wear resistance. This composite approach resolves the contradiction between wear resistance and dimensional stability.
4Strength
If laminate floor panels with MDF or HDF substrate are used, then hardness and wear resistance are improved, but moisture sensitivity increases and ticking noises occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameter of the transparent thermoplastic layer to 0.5mm or less, which reduces the overall moisture sensitivity of the floor panel while maintaining adequate wear resistance. The thinner layer reduces the material's susceptibility to moisture-related expansion and contraction that causes ticking noises, while still providing sufficient protective function.
Data Source
AI summary
A floor panel has a rectangular and oblong shape, and includes a substrate and a top layer provided on the substrate and forming a decorative side of the floor panel. The top layer is composed of a print provided on a carrier sheet and a transparent thermoplastic layer situated above the print. The substrate has a thickness from 2 to 10 millimeter and forms at least half of the thickness of the floor panel. The substrate is a polyurethane-based substrate and the transparent thermoplastic layer is polyurethane-based. The floor panel has a length of more than 1.1 meters and has a plurality of reinforcing layers situated outside the center line of the substrate. A reinforcing layer may be provided in combination with the substrate and the top layer.