Segmented Glass Fiber Mat Backing for Stable Vinyl Flooring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vinyl floor coverings with glass fiber mats face issues with bond delamination and separation from wooden sub-floors due to thermal expansion and contraction, leading to unsightly bubbles and pattern distortions, and existing reinforcement strategies like plastisol encapsulation provide limited improvement.
Innovation Solution
A woven or non-woven glass mat is embossed or scored to create small segments bonded with a polymeric binder, allowing the mat to accommodate sub-floor expansion and contraction by stretching or contracting within the binder, while maintaining dimensional stability and structural rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a glass fiber mat is used as backing material, then dimensional stability is improved, but the ability to accommodate sub-floor expansion and contraction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The glass fiber mat is segmented into discrete sections or zones with varying degrees of reinforcement. This allows certain areas to remain rigid for dimensional stability while other areas are more compliant to accommodate sub-floor movement. The segmentation creates a gradient of stiffness that resolves the contradiction between overall stability and local adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the glass fiber mat are designed with different properties - some areas have higher glass fiber density for stability, while other areas have lower density or different orientation to allow movement. This local variation in quality enables the mat to simultaneously provide dimensional stability where needed and accommodate expansion/contraction where required.
2Strength
If the glass fiber mat is bonded to the vinyl floor covering, then structural rigidity is improved, but bond delamination occurs under thermal stress
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding between glass fiber mat and vinyl floor covering is segmented rather than continuous. This creates discrete bond zones that can accommodate thermal expansion and contraction without generating sufficient stress to cause delamination. The segmented bond pattern maintains structural rigidity while preventing the cumulative stress that leads to bond failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding parameters are changed by varying the adhesive properties, bond density, or bond strength in different regions of the glass fiber mat. This allows certain areas to have strong bonds for structural rigidity while other areas have more flexible bonding that can accommodate thermal movement without delamination.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the glass fiber mat is made continuous, then dimensional stability is maximized, but the floor covering cannot accommodate thermal expansion and contraction
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous glass fiber mat is divided into segmented sections that are either physically separated or differently bonded to the vinyl covering. This segmentation allows the mat to maintain dimensional stability through the glass fiber reinforcement while creating compliance zones that can accommodate thermal expansion and contraction stresses without causing damage or delamination.
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 embossed or scored glass fiber mat system provides exceptional dimensional stability, preventing delamination and maintaining the vinyl floor covering's flatness on expanding or contracting sub-floors, even on wood, without compromising the pattern integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a woven or non-woven glass fiber mat that has been bonded with a polymeric coating and segmented using patterned embossing rollers to substantially create smaller segments of a woven or a non-woven glass fiber mat
Implementation Method 2
The glass fiber mat is then coated with a polymer having sufficient plasticity characteristics. The glass fiber mat is then wound on a process roller and fed between two embossing rollers. The embossing rollers subject the woven or non-woven glass fiber mat with polymeric coating to sharp radius, fracturing the glass fibers along the lines of the pattern.
Data Source
AI summary
A vinyl floor covering is provided with reinforcement of segmented woven or non-woven glass fiber mat located on the underside of the vinyl floor covering or at or near the neutral axis of the vinyl floor covering. This segmented mat reinforcement increases the stiffness and mechanical properties of the vinyl floor covering. A polymeric binder separates the segments of the glass fiber mat from each other. Expansion or contraction of the installed vinyl floor covering is restricted to this polymeric binder region. The segments may be aligned with the vinyl floor covering's show surface patterns, thereby preserving pattern integrity. The segmented mat is manufactured by applying and curing a polymeric binder to a woven or non-woven glass fiber mat, and creating segments by the passing the woven or non-woven glass fiber mat with polymeric binder through a set of embossing rollers. The segmented woven or non-woven glass fiber mat with polymeric binder is easily handled by vinyl floor covering machinery.