Reinforced PVC Core Floor Panel for Impact Noise Damping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional laminated floor panels with high wood content struggle to reduce impact noise, and plastic floor coverings require time-consuming gluing processes that can lead to contamination and vapor-related issues.

Innovation Solution

A multilayer rectangular laminate floor panel with a soft PVC core, a decor film, a transparent finishing layer, and a counteracting layer, featuring a lockable tongue and groove profile, which can be laid without gluing and provides enhanced impact noise damping.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If conventional laminated floor panels with high wood content are used, then optical appeal and light weight are achieved, but impact noise cannot be substantially reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpact noiseVSAvoidnoise dampening performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a composite structure combining a soft PVC core layer with a rigid counteracting layer containing mineral fillers (sand, chalk, or limestone). This composite material approach allows the floor panel to achieve superior impact noise dampening while maintaining structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between wood content limitations and noise reduction requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies different material properties to different layers: the soft PVC core provides flexibility and noise absorption, while the counteracting layer with mineral fillers provides rigidity and additional dampening. This local differentiation of material qualities enables the panel to address impact noise effectively without compromising overall performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Object-affected harmful factors

If plastic floor coverings are glued to substrate, then impact noise transfer is reduced, but laying process becomes time-consuming and labor intensive with contamination risks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpact noise transferVSAvoidlaying speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the adhesive layer entirely from the flooring system. The lockable tongue and groove connection enables direct mechanical joining of panels without glue, eliminating contamination risks, vapor diffusion issues, and drying time requirements while maintaining noise reduction performance through the specialized core and counteracting layer structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The floor panels are designed with self-locking tongue and groove profiles that enable workers to install panels directly onto each other without requiring adhesive application. This self-service mechanism dramatically increases laying speed and eliminates the harmful effects associated with glue-based installation methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Strength

If dispersion adhesives are used for gluing floor panels, then panels are secured to substrate, but bubbles form due to vapor diffusion through adhesive layer or moisture from substrate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesive bonding strengthVSAvoidbubbles and contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention completely eliminates the adhesive layer from the flooring system. The lockable tongue and groove connection provides mechanical bonding strength without requiring any adhesive, thereby preventing bubble formation from vapor diffusion or moisture migration that plagues glue-based installation methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Stability of the object's composition

If floor panels are laid with gluing process, then panels are fixed to substrate, but drying time is required and evaporation is perceived as unpleasant

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepanel fixation stabilityVSAvoiddrying time
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The lockable tongue and groove connection enables panels to be mechanically fixed to each other and to the substrate without requiring adhesive drying time. The self-locking mechanism provides immediate stability upon installation, eliminating the waiting period and evaporation issues associated with dispersion adhesives.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution allows for rapid and easy installation, reduces downtime, and is water-resistant, with improved noise damping and flexibility to compensate for material shrinkage, while eliminating the need for adhesives and associated drawbacks.

Implementation Method 1

Because of its relatively soft core of plastic, especially of PVC or polyurethane, the material has a high degree of impact noise dampening

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectImpact noise dampening: Damping

Implementation Method 2

the tongue and groove can be locked to one another so that adjacent plates can be prevented from drifting apart in the plane in which they are laid

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical interlocking: Mechanical Fastener

Implementation Method 3

The individual layers are connected to one another by a hot laminating process

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHot laminating: Heating

Implementation Method 4

Only the UV-cured lacquer layer is applied subsequently in a separate step

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectUV-curing: Photopolymerisation

Data Source

PatentEP3312362B1Multi-layer elastic floor panel having a reinforced PVC core
Publication Date: 2022.10.05 I4F LICENSING NV
  • EP3312362B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3312362B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2e
  • EP3312362B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A floor panel in the form of a multilayer, rectangular laminate with a soft core (10) of plastic, a decor film (12) on the upper side of the core (10), a transparent finishing layer (14) and a transparent lacquer layer (16) applied on the finishing layer (16), as well as a back-pull layer (18) on the back of the core (10), with a lockable tongue and groove connection at least at two mutually opposite edges of the panel (20, 22).