DE20107577U1 - Flooring element - Google Patents

Description

WEICKMANN & WEICKMANN

Patent attorneys
European Patent Attorneys ■ European Trademark Attorneys

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25109G DE/BRba

Dipl. ing. H. WEICKMANN

DiPL-ING. FA WEICKMANN

DIPL.-CHEM. B. HUBER

DR.-iNG. H. LISKA

DIPL.-PHYS. DR. J. PRECHTEL

DIPL.-CHEM. DR. B. BÖHM

DIPL.-CHEM. DR. W. WEISS

DIPL.-PHYS. DR. J. TIESMEYER

DIPL.-PHYS. DR. M. HERZOG

DiPL.PHYs. B. RUTTENSPERGER

DIPL.-PHYS. DR.-ING. V.JORDAN

DIPL.-CHEM. DR. M. DEY

Applicant:

Gummiwerk Kraiburg Relastec GmbH Fuchsberger Straße

29410 Salzwedel

Floor covering element

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by Qin

TpI /ORQ^

&Oacgr;89) 45563 999, emailOweickmann.de

Floor covering element

Description

The present invention relates to a floor covering element comprising a substantially rigid upper material layer and a lower material layer made of elastically deformable material intended for supporting the floor covering element on a substrate.

Such floor covering elements are preferably used as floor covering material in outdoor areas, for example on terraces. They are simply laid on the prepared surface, but are not firmly glued to it like conventional ceramic tiles or the like. Due to the provision of the elastically deformable base material layer, it is not necessary to provide the surface with such high requirements for smoothness or cleanliness as is the case when applying ceramic tiles to be glued. Furthermore, the process of laying a floor covering made of such floor covering elements is significantly easier to carry out than if ceramic tiles are to be firmly glued to the surface.

Floor covering elements are commercially available which have a rigid upper material layer of ceramic material, such as ceramic tiles, to which a block of vulcanised rubber material is then glued as a lower material layer. In addition to the disadvantage of a comparatively complex manufacturing process, such floor covering elements have poor impact sound insulation due to the great hardness of the lower material layer formed by vulcanisation. Another design form of known sandwich-like floor covering elements comprises an upper material layer formed by ceramic material and a lower material layer made of foamed polyurethane. This floor covering also

lagselement has the disadvantage of being comparatively complex and costly to manufacture as well as the disadvantage of only a low impact sound insulation capacity due to its high hardness.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a floor covering element which can better meet the requirements arising in use while being simple and cost-effective to produce.

According to the present invention, this problem is solved by a floor covering element comprising a substantially rigid upper material layer and a lower material layer made of elastically deformable material provided for supporting the floor covering element on the substrate.

According to the invention, it is further provided that the elastically deformable material of the base material layer comprises rubber granulate.

The use of rubber granulate material for the elastically deformable base material layer results in a floor covering element that is very cost-effective to produce, as the rubber granulate material can be obtained by recycling old tires or other used plastic elements or, for example, defectively produced rejects. Furthermore, such a base material layer, which is obtained by binding together grain-like, already vulcanized material, has significantly better impact sound insulation properties due to its comparatively high elasticity. The higher elasticity of the base material layer also makes it possible to lay it on relatively coarse sub-surface layers, for example a bed of gravel or the like.

In the floor covering element according to the invention, it can be provided that the rubber granulate is bound by polyurethane. As already stated, the rubber granulate can comprise recycled material and can preferably have a grain size in the range of up to 3 mm. The

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The base material layer can be produced in a cold or hot pressing process.

Since such floor covering elements are preferably used outdoors, they are also exposed to relatively large temperature fluctuations, for example in the range of -2O ⁰ C to +30 ⁰ C. Due to the use of different materials for the upper material layer and the lower material layer, such changing temperatures due to the different thermal expansion coefficients mean that stresses can arise in the area where these two material layers come into contact. In order to avoid the occurrence of such stresses as far as possible, it is proposed that the lower material layer be connected to the upper material layer using a permanently elastic adhesive. The use of a permanently elastic adhesive also has the advantage that the lower material layer made of elastic material can be easily connected to an upper material layer with a structured underside.

In order to enable the drainage of rainwater or other liquids from the area of a floor covering which has a floor covering element according to the invention, it is proposed that a channel-like depression arrangement is provided on an underside of the base material layer intended to rest on the subsurface.

If a peripheral edge of the base material layer is set back in relation to a peripheral edge of the top material layer in at least one peripheral edge area, then it is ensured that no mutual contact between adjacent floor covering elements can occur via the base material layers, even under heavy loads. Impairment of the relative positioning of different floor covering elements by the base material layers can thus be prevented. With such an arrangement, an offset between the peripheral edge of the

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Upper material layer and the peripheral edge of the lower material layer in the range of 2 mm to 4 mm is advantageous.

In order to be able to provide the required overall stability of the floor covering element according to the invention with sufficient elasticity even for the essentially rigid upper material layer, it is proposed that the lower material layer has a thickness in the range of 10 mm to 30 mm, preferably approximately 20 mm.

&iacgr;&ogr; The upper material layer can, for example, comprise ceramic material, e.g. in the form of conventional frost-resistant ceramic tiles.

Regardless of the material used for the base material layer, according to a further advantageous aspect of the present invention, it can be provided in a generic floor covering element that at least one spacer is provided on at least one peripheral edge region of the floor covering element and that the at least one spacer is carried essentially in the base material layer on the floor covering element. In this way, it is ensured that floor covering elements positioned adjacent to one another have a defined distance from one another. This avoids damage in the area of the upper material layer and at the same time also ensures an attractive appearance of a floor covering constructed from floor covering elements according to the invention. For example, it can be provided that the at least one spacer has a shaft region inserted into a recess in the base material layer and preferably held on the base material layer by a barb arrangement. It can also be provided that a spacer region is carried on the shaft region, projecting laterally from it.

In order to ensure a defined mutual positioning of several floor covering elements in such an arrangement,

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However, in order to also be able to provide a lifting protection for the floor covering elements, it is proposed that the at least one spacer has a receiving opening for a pin-like floor element connecting element.

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings using preferred embodiments. It shows.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a floor according to the invention

covering element from above;

Fig. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 1

Floor covering element cut along a line Il - Il in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a base material layer of the

Fig. 1 shown floor covering element, which

Connection with the upper material layer provided upper side

shows;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the base material layer, which

the underside intended for placement on the ground

of the same.

In Fig. 1, a floor covering element according to the invention is generally designated 10. The floor covering element 10 comprises an upper material layer 12, for example in the form of a conventional frost-resistant ceramic tile, and a lower material layer 16 made of elastically deformable material, connected to the underside 14 of the same. According to a very advantageous aspect of the present invention, the material of the lower material layer 16 comprises rubber granulate, which is bound by polyurethane. The rubber granulate, i.e. granular, already vulcanized material, can be obtained, for example, by recycling old material, such as vehicle tires, but can also be obtained by recycling

not yet used materials, such as production waste. The base material layer 14 can initially be produced separately from the top material layer 12 in a cold or hot pressing process and then firmly connected to the top material layer 12, i.e. for example the underside 14 of a ceramic tile, using a permanently elastic adhesive. The use of a permanently elastic adhesive ensures the elasticity required in the event of temperature fluctuations in the transition area between the top material layer 12 and the base material layer 16 and also enables the base material layer 16 to be firmly and securely connected to an underside 14 of the top material layer 12, for example structured in the manner of conventional tiles.

In the example shown, the upper material layer 12 is designed with a rectangular, for example square, shape. The lower material layer is also designed with a corresponding shape, but is slightly smaller than the upper material layer 12. It can be seen in Fig. 2 that at least on one of the four peripheral sides 18, 20, 22, 24, the peripheral edge 26, i.e. essentially a lateral end face of the lower material layer 16, is set back with respect to the corresponding peripheral edge 28 of the upper material layer 12 and has, for example, an offset a in the range of 2 mm to 4 mm. The provision of such an offset ensures that when several such floor covering elements 10 are positioned adjacent to one another, any material areas of the lower material layer 16 that protrude laterally due to manufacturing inaccuracies do not impair the relative positioning of the floor covering elements.

On the underside 30 intended for support on a prepared substrate, for example a concrete substrate, a gravel bed, a sealing foil or the like, a channel-like depression arrangement 32 is provided in the base material layer 16. In the example shown, this has two channels 34, 36 extending essentially in a straight line between the peripheral sides 18 and 22 and two channels 36 extending between the

Circumferential sides 20 and 24 have channels 38, 40 which extend essentially in a straight line and intersect the channels 34, 36. This channel-like depression arrangement ensures that liquid which has entered the joint area, such as rainwater, can run off onto the substrate, which is particularly advantageous in the case of a bound substrate, as the accumulation of water in the area of a floor covering can then be avoided. This depression arrangement 32 can be formed during the manufacturing process of the base material layer 16, but can also be introduced subsequently by material-removing machining.

Preferably, two spacers 42 arranged one after the other in the longitudinal direction of a respective circumferential side 18, 20, 22, 24 are provided on all four circumferential sides 18, 20, 22, 24. It should be noted that in Fig. 1 these two spacers 42 can only be seen on the circumferential sides 18, 24. Of course, such spacers can also be provided in a corresponding arrangement on the other circumferential sides 20, 22.

In the illustration of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 it can be seen that in the base material layer 16 in those areas in which the spacers 42 are to be provided, recesses 44 are provided which are open towards the respective peripheral edge 26. Due to the ease of manufacture, the recesses 44 are also open towards the upper side 46 of the base material layer 16 which adjoins the upper material layer 12. The dowel-like spacers 42 with a respective shaft region 48 thereof are then inserted into the openings provided by the recesses 44 and closed at the top by the upper material layer 12. This shaft region 48 is held in the associated opening by a clamp fit, which can be further reinforced by providing a barb arrangement 50 on the outer peripheral region of the shaft section 48. Various wedge- or rib-like surface structures which project radially outwards can be provided in the shaft sections.

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which, in particular in conjunction with the elastically deformable material of the base material layer 16, ensure a firm mounting of the spacers 42 on a respective floor covering element 10 without the need to use adhesive.

On its outwardly projecting region, the shaft section 18 has an annular disk-like spacer section 52. Due to the positioning of the recesses 44 in the region adjacent to the upper side 46 of the lower material layer 16, a peripheral section 54 of the spacer section 52 of each spacer 42 will overlap the associated peripheral edge 28 of the upper material layer 12. In the region of the spacer section 52 further down, a distance corresponding to the offset a from the associated peripheral edge 26 of the lower material layer 16 can then be seen.

When two floor covering elements 10 according to the invention are positioned adjacent to one another, they come into contact with the end faces 56 of the spacer sections 52. The distance between the two floor covering elements 10 in the area of the peripheral edges 28 of the upper material layers 12 positioned facing one another corresponds to twice the thickness of a spacer section 52, which thickness can be in the range of approximately 2 mm. Due to the fact that several such spacers 42 are preferably provided on the peripheral sides 18, 20, 22 and 24, a constant distance between two floor covering elements 10 is specified over the entire length of the peripheral edges or peripheral sides positioned facing one another. This ensures a uniform joint pattern and thus an attractive appearance of the entire floor covering.

It can be seen in Fig. 2 that the spacers 42 have a central opening 58 that is open towards the front side 56. Connecting pins 60 are inserted into at least some of the spacers 42. These ensure

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on the one hand, for a defined positional retention of floor covering elements 10 positioned adjacent to one another, so that mutual slipping of adjacent floor covering elements cannot occur when walking on or possibly even when driving over them. The locking pins 60 also provide protection against vertical lifting, for example in the case of uneven loading or in the case of an attempt to steal such floor covering elements without authorization, without a fixed connection to the subsurface supporting the floor covering elements 10 being provided.

The present invention provides a floor covering element which, in particular due to the use of granulate material that can be obtained by recycling, has a base material layer that can be produced inexpensively. Due to the use of rubber material grains and the connection of these by means of a polyurethane matrix, the base material layer has a comparatively high elasticity. This allows better adaptation to the structure of the prepared substrate and at the same time has excellent impact sound insulation characteristics. Furthermore, due to its flexibility, it gives a pleasant feeling when walking on it. By providing the spacers provided on the peripheral sides, a visually appealing joint pattern is obtained due to its high uniformity, whereby drainage can also take place via these joints. The water that has entered the joints can drain off via the channels provided on the underside if it is not possible for it to pass through the prepared substrate.

It should be noted that in the sense of the present invention, the term "rubber material" includes any material that has, in particular, the elastic properties of rubber or rubber-like material and can be provided in a granular structure, which has preferably also been produced by a vulcanization process.

Claims (14)

1. Floor covering element, comprising a substantially rigid upper material layer ( 12 ) and a lower material layer ( 16 ) made of elastically deformable material provided for supporting the floor covering element ( 10 ) on a substrate, characterized in that the elastically deformable material of the lower material layer ( 16 ) comprises rubber granulate. 2. Floor covering element according to claim 1, characterized in that the rubber granulate is bound by polyurethane. 3. Floor covering element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rubber granulate comprises recycled material and preferably has a grain size of up to 3 mm. 4. Floor covering element according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the base material layer ( 16 ) is formed by cold or hot pressing. 5. Floor covering element according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the base material layer ( 16 ) is connected to the top material layer ( 12 ) by permanently elastic adhesive. 6. Floor covering element according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a channel-like depression arrangement ( 32 ) is provided on an underside ( 30 ) of the base material layer ( 16 ) intended to rest on the substrate. 7. Floor covering element according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one peripheral edge region ( 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 ) a peripheral edge ( 26 ) of the lower material layer ( 16 ) is set back with respect to a peripheral edge ( 28 ) of the upper material layer ( 12 ). 8. Floor covering element according to claim 7, characterized in that the offset (a) is in the range of 2 mm to 4 mm. 9. Floor covering element according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the base material layer ( 16 ) has a thickness in the range of 10 mm to 30 mm, preferably about 20 mm. 10. Floor covering element according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the upper material layer ( 12 ) comprises ceramic material. 11. Floor covering element according to the preamble of claim 1 or the characterizing part of at least one of claims 1 to 10 in conjunction with the preamble of claim 1, characterized in that at least one spacer ( 42 ) is provided on at least one peripheral edge region ( 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 ) of the floor covering element ( 10 ) and that the at least one spacer ( 42 ) is carried essentially in the base material layer ( 16 ) on the floor covering element ( 10 ). 12. Floor covering element according to claim 11, characterized in that the at least one spacer ( 42 ) has a shaft region ( 48 ) inserted into a recess ( 44 ) of the base material layer ( 16 ) and preferably held on the base material layer ( 16 ) by a barb arrangement ( 50 ). 13. Floor covering element according to claim 12, characterized in that a spacer region ( 52 ) is carried on the shaft region ( 48 ) and projects laterally therefrom. 14. Floor covering element according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the at least one spacer ( 42 ) has a receiving opening ( 58 ) for a pin-like floor element connecting element ( 60 ).