Rubber Compositions, Methods of Making Rubber Compositions Rubber and Rubber-Containing Articles
First Claim
1. A method of making a curable rubber compound in which particulate cured rubber (crumb rubber) is mixed with curable base rubber and a corresponding curing system, characterized by inclusion of a curable base rubber low-viscosity component sufficient to wet the crumb rubber whereby a curable compound which can be roll-processed is formed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The application discloses coherent, processable rubber compositions containing cured rubber particles, especially recycled crumb rubber, dispersed in a curable base rubber. A processable composition, particularly one which can be roll-processed into a self-sustaining web is achieved by including in the curable rubber a low-viscosity curable rubber component such as a liquid rubber. This component wets the crumb rubber enabling it to disperse fully during mixing and connect intimately into the structure upon curing. This technique enables larger quantities and/or smaller particle sizes of the crumb rubber to be successfully incorporated while maintaining processability. Inert fillers can be used or omitted, reducing density. The novel rubber compounds are particularly suitable for making into layer products such as mats and flooring materials. Desirably these are laminated with fabric such as tufted textiles. This can be done in a compression moulding process.
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30 Claims
- 1. A method of making a curable rubber compound in which particulate cured rubber (crumb rubber) is mixed with curable base rubber and a corresponding curing system, characterized by inclusion of a curable base rubber low-viscosity component sufficient to wet the crumb rubber whereby a curable compound which can be roll-processed is formed.
- 23. A mat or flooring material comprising a textile layer bonded to a rubber backing layer, the rubber backing layer comprising a uniform dispersion of cured rubber particles in a matrix of a cured second rubber, the cured rubber particles constituting at least 20 wt % of the rubber backing layer.
Specification