Interlocking Floor Plank Composite for Adhesive-Free Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor coverings, such as vinyl and laminate flooring, face issues with adhesive installation processes that are time-consuming, costly, and hazardous, and mechanical locking systems often result in weak joint strength, moisture sensitivity, and weight issues.
Innovation Solution
A surface covering plank with a resilient composite sheet featuring interlocking tongue and groove profiles, including a tongue length to thickness ratio of at least 1.5, groove and tongue thickness within ±24% of each other, and a locking angle of 55° to 65°, allowing for easy installation and enhanced joint strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive installation process is used for vinyl floor coverings, then the floor covering can be securely attached to the subfloor, but the installation process becomes time-consuming, costly, and hazardous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical adhesive system with a mechanical interlocking system. The tongue and groove profiles create a mechanical connection between planks and the subfloor, eliminating the need for adhesive while maintaining secure attachment. This mechanical substitution resolves the contradiction by providing reliable attachment without the time-consuming and hazardous adhesive application process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the adhesive component from the floor covering installation system. By designing planks with integrated tongue and groove profiles that mechanically interlock, the patent eliminates the separate adhesive material and application process, thereby reducing installation time and eliminating associated hazards while maintaining secure attachment.
2Ease of operation
If mechanical locking system is used for laminate flooring, then installation is easier and faster, but joint strength becomes weak and the system is sensitive to moisture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite material construction with a resin-bound aggregate layer providing structural strength and a separate wear layer. This composite structure enables the mechanical locking system to achieve both ease of installation and high joint strength, as the resin-bound aggregate provides rigidity and bonding strength while the tongue and groove profiles enable simple mechanical interlocking.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters by using resin-bound aggregate instead of traditional wood-based composites. This material parameter change increases moisture resistance and joint strength while maintaining the mechanical locking system's ease of installation, resolving the contradiction between installation ease and joint strength.
3Stability of the object's composition
If wood-based core material is used for laminate flooring, then the flooring has good structural properties, but it is not water resistant and sensitive to humidity changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition parameter by using resin-bound aggregate (stone, glass, ceramic particles bound with resin) instead of wood-based materials. This parameter change maintains structural stability while eliminating moisture sensitivity and humidity-related problems, as the inorganic aggregate materials are inherently water-resistant.
4Reliability
If full-spread adhesive is applied for installation, then the floor covering is securely attached and level, but the process becomes messy and requires extensive floor preparation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the adhesive material and application equipment from the installation system. The mechanical tongue and groove interlocking system provides secure attachment without requiring adhesive spreaders, trowels, or extensive floor preparation, thereby reducing installation complexity while maintaining attachment security.
Data Source
AI summary
Surface coverings, such as floor coverings, with an interlocking design are described. Methods of making the surface coverings are further described. A plank including a resilient composite sheet having four sides, an upper surface, a lower surface, and an overall thickness, and said composite sheet including at least one base layer, wherein said at least one base layer including at least one polymeric material and at least one filler, wherein opposite sides of the composite sheet include a first tongue on a first side and a first groove on the opposite second side, wherein the first tongue and first groove have complementary shape to each other to be interlockingly engageable with a corresponding groove or tongue on an adjacent floor plank.