Interlocking Composite Floor Planks for Adhesive-Free Strong Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surface 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, water resistance, and humidity sensitivity.
Innovation Solution
The development of resilient composite planks with interlocking tongue and groove edge profiles, featuring balanced cross-sectional areas and angled designs, allowing for easy installation and enhanced joint strength without adhesives, suitable for flexible materials like LVT and VCT.
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 sub-floor, 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 physical interlocks between planks that provide attachment strength without requiring adhesive chemicals, thereby eliminating the time-consuming adhesive application process and associated hazards while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the adhesive component from the floor covering installation system. By removing the need for adhesive entirely and replacing it with mechanical interlocking through tongue and groove profiles, the patent resolves the contradiction by achieving attachment strength through pure mechanical means, thereby reducing installation time and eliminating adhesive-related hazards.
2Ease of operation
If mechanical locking system is used in laminate flooring, then the installation process is simplified, but the joint strength becomes weak and the system is sensitive to water and humidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction with a water-resistant core material that complements the mechanical locking system. This composite approach enhances joint strength and provides water and humidity resistance while maintaining the installation ease of mechanical locking, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and strength/water resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different material properties to different parts of the plank structure. The core material is specifically selected for water and humidity resistance, while the edge profiles are designed for mechanical interlocking. This localized optimization of material properties enhances joint strength and water resistance in critical areas without compromising overall installation ease.
3Stability of the object's composition
If full-spread adhesive is applied for resilient floor covering installation, then the surface covering can be kept in place and made level, but the installation process becomes messy and requires extensive sub-floor preparation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes adhesive from the installation process entirely, replacing it with mechanical interlocking through tongue and groove profiles. This extraction of the adhesive component eliminates the mess and extensive sub-floor preparation requirements while maintaining floor levelness through the precision-engineered interlocking profiles that guide and level planks during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The tongue and groove profiles are pre-formed during manufacturing, incorporating the leveling function that would otherwise require adhesive and extensive sub-floor preparation. This preliminary action of pre-shaping the interlocking profiles ensures proper alignment and levelness during installation without requiring messy adhesive application or extensive现场 preparation.
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.