Carpet tile and method of preparing same

• US 5,030,497 A
• Filed: 09/28/1989
• Issued: 07/09/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Heuga Holding BV Postbus 16 3925 ZG Scherpenzeel The Netherlands
• Original Assignee: Heuga Holding BV
• Inventors: Claessen, Johannes A. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lesmes, George F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WITHERS, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US07/413,832
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 428/95, 428/198
• US Class Current: 428/95
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/0253 Polyolefin fibres vinyl or acrylic copolymers B32B2262/0223 or B32B2262/0246
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/101 Glass fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2471/02 Carpets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/08 Impregnating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/022 Non-woven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2201/0254 Polyolefin fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2201/082 Glass fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2203/042 Polyolefin (co)polymers
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2203/08 Bituminous material, e.g. asphalt, tar, bitumen
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2209/1628 Dimensional stability
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 2213/063 Porous back coating or pre-coat
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0078 the back coating or pre-coat being applied as a hot melt
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0081 with at least one extra fibrous layer at the backing, e.g. stabilizing fibrous layer, fibrous secondary backing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23979 Particular backing structure or composition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23986 With coating, impregnation, or bond
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23993 Composition of pile or adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31815 Of bituminous or tarry residue

Abstract

A carpet tile of improved dimensional stability having a hot melt composition backing layer and which has a secondary backing of a glass fiber tissue sheet material directly adjacent to a non-woven fibrous sheet material, such as a polypropylene sheet material. The backing layer penetrates the glass fiber tissue sheet material and partially penetrates and bonds the fibrous sheet material which forms the exterior surface of the secondary backing. The method of producing the carpet tile includes forcing the liquid, hot melt composition into the secondary backing sheet employing a roll-over-roll applicator.

Claims

1. A carpet tile which comprises:

(a) a carpet material having an upper wear surface and a lower under surface;

(b) a backing layer bonded to the lower under surface of the carpet material and which backing layer comprises a solid, hot melt composition having an application temperature of over about 140°

C.;

(c) a secondary backing layer bonded to the hot melt composition backing layer which comprises;

(i) a layer of non-woven, porous, temperature-sensitive, fibrous sheet material which material tends to melt or distort at temperatures greater than about 140°

C., the fibrous sheet material forming the exterior secondary backing surface of the carpet tile;

(ii) an adjacent layer of a porous, non-woven, non-stretchable, heat resistant, glass fiber tissue sheet material, the tissue sheet material having sufficient fibrous body to protect the underlying temperature-sensitive sheet material from the hot melt composition on application and to prevent shrinkage of the fibrous sheet material and a porosity of 2.0 to 8.0 to permit the hot melt composition on application to be forced through the tissue sheet material at the hot melt application temperature, the glass fiber tissue sheet material saturated with and bonded to the hot melt composition backing layer, and the adjacent layer of the fibrous sheet material partially saturated with the hot melt composition and bonded thereto with the exterior backing surface of the fibrous sheet material essentially free of hot melt composition.

2. The carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the fibrous sheet material has a weight of about 20 to 100 g/m².

3. The carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the hot melt composition comprises bitumen or atactic polypropylene.

4. The carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the hot melt composition has an application temperature of about 145°

C. to 180°

C.

5. The carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the hot melt composition comprises a modified bitumen composition which comprises bitumen, limestone particulate filler material and a modifying amount of a thermoplastic block copolymer of styrene-butadiene-styrene.

6. The carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the glass fiber tissue sheet material comprises a non-woven, resin-bonded, glass fiber, porous tissue sheet material having a porosity of about 2.0 to 8.0.

7. The carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the non-woven, glass fiber tissue sheet material has a thickness of about 20 to 80 mils and a weight of 25 to 80 g/m².

8. The carpet tile of claim 1 which includes generally intermediate and within the hot melt composition backing layer a stabilizing layer of a glass fiber sheet material.

9. The carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the fibrous sheet material comprises a spun-bonded polypropylene fibrous sheet material.

10. The carpet tile of claim 9 wherein the polypropylene, non-woven, fibrous sheet material has a thickness of about 15 to 65 mils.

11. The carpet tile of claim 1 wherein the hot melt composition partially saturates the fibrous sheet material in an amount of about 20% to 50% of the fibrous sheet material.

12. The carpet tile of claim 2 wherein the fibrous sheet material comprises a non-woven polyester sheet material having a weight of about 40 to 60 g/m².

13. A carpet tile of improved dimensional stability, which carpet tile comprises:

(a) a carpet material having an upper fibrous wear surface and a lower under surface;

(b) a backing layer secured to the under surface of the carpet and comprising a solid, hot melt composition of bitumen, the composition having an application temperature of greater than about 140°

C.; and

(c) a secondary backing layer bonded to the back surface of the hot melt composition backing layer which comprises;

(i) a layer of non-woven, porous, temperature-sensitive, fibrous sheet material as the exterior backing surface of the secondary backing layer, the fibrous sheet material having a melt temperature of about 140°

C. to 150°

C.;

(ii) a layer of a porous, non-woven, non-stretchable glass fiber tissue sheet material having a porosity of about 3.5 to 4.5 and a weight of about 25 to 80 g/m² adjacent the layer of the non-woven, fibrous sheet material with a fibrous body sufficient to protect the temperature-sensitive, fibrous sheet material from the hot melt composition on application and to prevent shrinkage of the fibrous sheet material and sufficient porosity to permit the hot melt composition on application to be forced through the tissue sheet material at the hot melt application temperature;

(iii) the hot composition saturating the glass fiber tissue sheet material and partially saturating the non-woven fibrous sheet material to a controlled thickness, the exterior backing surface of the fibrous sheet material essentially free of the hot melt composition.

14. A method of preparing a carpet tile from a carpet material having an upper wear surface and a lower under surface, which method comprises:

(a) placing a layer of porous, non-stretchable, heat resistant, glass fiber tissue sheet material directly adjacent and on a layer of flexible, porous, non-woven, temperature-sensitive, fibrous sheet material to form a carrier sheet for the tissue sheet material, which fibrous sheet material tends to melt or distort at temperatures greater than about 140°

C., the tissue sheet material having sufficient fibrous body to protect the underlying, temperature-sensitive sheet material from the hot melt composition on application and to prevent shrinkage of the fibrous sheet material and a porosity of 2.0 to 8.0 to permit the hot melt composition on application to be forced through the tissue sheet material at the hot melt application temperature;

(b) applying to the surface of the glass fiber tissue sheet material a first backing layer of a viscous liquid, hot melt composition, the hot melt composition having an application temperature of over about 140°

C.;

(c) forcing the viscous liquid, hot melt composition of the backing layer by a driven roll-over-roll applicator to penetrate the porous glass fiber tissue sheet material and partially to penetrate the fibrous sheet material, but not through to the exterior backing surface of the fibrous sheet material;

(d) contacting the hot melt composition of the first backing layer with the under surface of the carpet material;

(e) cooling the hot melt composition in contact with the under surface of the carpet material to form a solid hot melt composition backing layer bonded to the under surface of the carpet material; and

(f) optionally cutting the cooled backing layer carpet material into carpet tiles.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the viscous, hot melt composition has an application temperature of about 140°

C. to 180°

C.

16. The method of claim 14 which includes applying a second backing layer of hot melt composition over the first backing layer and applying a glass fiber sheet material to the surface of the first backing layer and prior to applying the second backing layer.

17. The method of claim 14 which includes precoating the under surface of the carpet material prior to contacting the under surface of the carpet material with the first or second backing layers.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the hot melt composition comprises bitumen, limestone particulate filler material and a modifying amount of a thermoplastic block copolymer of styrene-butadiene-styrene.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the glass fiber tissue sheet material comprises a resin-bonded tissue sheet material having a weight of about 25 to 80 g/m².

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the fibrous sheet material comprises a lightweight polyester or polypropylene sheet material having a weight of from about 30 to 60 g/m².

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the fibrous sheet material comprises a spun-bonded polypropylene sheet material having weight of about 20 to 100 g/m².

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the fibrous sheet material comprises a polypropylene sheet material and has a melt temperature of about 140°

C. to 150°

C. and which includes applying the hot melt composition at a temperature of about 145°

C. to 160°

C.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein the glass fiber tissue sheet material has a porosity of 2.0 to 8.0, and a thickness of about 20 to 80 mils.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein the fibrous sheet material has a thickness of about 15 to 65 mils.

25. The method of claim 14 wherein the viscous liquid hot melt composition has a viscosity of about 60,000 to 100,000 cps, and the glass fiber tissue sheet material has a porosity of about 2.0 to 8.0.

26. The method of claim 14 which includes a driven roll-over-roll applicator wherein the upper roll has a smaller diameter than the lower roll, and which lower roll is in contact with the temperature-sensitive fibrous sheet material.

27. The method of claim 14 which includes retaining the fibers of the temperature-sensitive fibrous sheet material in a substantially non-shrink position when the fibers become soft on the application of the hot melt composition by the contacting adjacent glass fiber tissue sheet material.

28. The carpet tile produced by the method of claim 21.

29. The carpet tile produced by the method of claim 14.