Reclaimed Polymeric Composite Flooring Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
The flooring market faces challenges in replacing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) due to environmental and regulatory pressures, as alternatives lack PVC's cost-effectiveness, durability, moisture resistance, and flame retardancy, especially in laminate flooring applications requiring thick, stiff, and moisture-resistant substrates.
Innovation Solution
The development of panels using thermally compressed polymeric composites derived from reclaimed polymeric materials, combined with high aspect ratio and lightweight fillers, desiccants, and other additives, which are processed into durable and moisture-resistant substrates suitable for flooring applications, utilizing a continuous double belt press process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If PVC is used as base substrate material, then cost-effectiveness, durability, moisture resistance and flame retardancy are improved, but environmental hazards, health risks and regulatory restrictions worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing PVC with a composite system consisting of polymeric material, high aspect ratio filler (minimum 2:1 aspect ratio), and coupling agent. This parameter change maintains durability and moisture resistance while eliminating harmful PVC components and their migrating plasticizers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system combining polymeric material with high aspect ratio filler and coupling agent. This composite approach achieves the desired performance characteristics (durability, moisture resistance, dimensional stability) without using harmful PVC, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and environmental safety.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If non-PVC alternative materials are used to replace PVC, then environmental and health hazards are reduced, but cost-effectiveness, durability and moisture resistance worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a composite material comprising polymeric material, high aspect ratio filler with minimum 2:1 aspect ratio, and coupling agent. This composite structure provides enhanced durability, moisture resistance, and dimensional stability while maintaining environmental safety, thus improving reliability without sacrificing environmental benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes material parameters by selecting specific filler aspect ratios (minimum 2:1), incorporating coupling agents for proper bonding, and controlling moisture content through desiccants during processing. These parameter changes enable non-PVC alternatives to achieve comparable or superior durability and moisture resistance to PVC.
3Ease of manufacture
If reclaimed polymeric material with varying components and high moisture content is used, then cost and sustainability are improved, but processability and manufacturing consistency worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent controls the moisture content parameter of reclaimed polymeric material by incorporating desiccants during processing. This parameter control enables consistent thermal compression bonding despite variations in reclaimed material composition, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality control by adding specific functional components (coupling agents, desiccants) to address local issues in the reclaimed material. The coupling agent ensures consistent bonding at the material interface, while desiccants locally control moisture content during processing, enabling reliable manufacturing despite overall composition variations.
4Strength
If high aspect ratio filler is added to polymeric composite, then mechanical strength and dimensional stability are improved, but manufacturing complexity and processing difficulty worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coupling agent as an intermediary substance between the polymeric material and high aspect ratio filler. This coupling agent facilitates proper bonding and distribution of the filler particles during thermal compression bonding, thereby simplifying processing while maintaining the mechanical strength and dimensional stability benefits of high aspect ratio filler.
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 resulting panels exhibit excellent physical characteristics, including low thermal expansion, high flexural modulus, and negligible moisture uptake, making them durable and long-lasting, especially in humid environments, while addressing the need for PVC-free alternatives.
Implementation Method 1
a desiccant may enable the melt processing of the material
Implementation Method 2
Panels comprising a substrate derived from thermal compression bonding particulates or pellets of a polymeric material
Implementation Method 3
combining it with other additives and fillers. For example, a desiccant may enable the melt processing of the material
Data Source
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AI summary
A polymeric composite derived from a reclaimed polymeric material. The polymeric composite in particulate form can be thermally compressed into panels and other embodiments that require a component that possesses sufficient mechanical strength and moisture resistance. In certain embodiments, the panel may be utilized as one layer in a multilayered article.