Method for coating articles with a composition comprising particulate rubber and articles coated with such composition

Abstract

A method for coating an article, including the steps of: (a) coating a surface of the article with an unsolidified resin composition that, upon solidification, forms a polymeric matrix on the surface of the article; (b) applying particles of rubber to the coated surface prior to solidification of the resin composition; and (c) causing or permitting the resin composition to solidify on the surface to form the polymer matrix with the rubber particles embedded therein. Also, an article coated by the method. In a preferred embodiment, the article is a hockey stick.

1 . A method for coating an article, comprising: 
 (d) coating a surface of the article with an unsolidified resin composition that, upon solidification, forms a polymeric matrix on the surface of the article;    (e) applying particles of rubber to the coated surface prior to solidification of the resin composition; and    (f) causing or permitting the resin composition to solidify on the surface to form the polymer matrix with the rubber particles embedded therein.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the article is a hockey stick comprising a handle portion and a blade portion.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the surface comprises part of the blade portion of the hockey stick.  
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the resin composition comprises a curable resin and a curing agent.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the curable resin comprises at least one resin selected from the group consisting of a urea resin, a phenol resin, an imide resin, an epoxy resin and a vinyl ester resin.  
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the curable resin comprises an epoxy resin.  
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the curing agent comprises a polyamine.  
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the curable resin comprises a polyol resin.  
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the curing agent comprises an isocyanate.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the curable resin cures at a curing temperature, said step (a) comprising coating the surface of the article with the resin composition with the resin composition at a temperature above said curing temperature and cooling the resin composition or allowing the resin composition to cool to below said curing temperature only after the rubber particles have been applied to the coated surface.  
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 4 , comprising mixing said curable resin and said curing agent together prior to said coating step (a).  
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , comprising pressing the rubber particles onto said surface after said step (b) and prior to said step (c).  
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , comprising forming a design or alphanumeric characters in the rubber particles applied to the surface in step (b) prior to said pressing.  
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 12 , comprising forming ridges on the surface prior to said pressing.  
     
     
         15 . An article having a surface coated by the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         16 . A hockey stick coated by the method according to  claim 4 .  
     
     
         17 . A hockey stick comprising a handle portion and a blade portion, the blade portion having a surface comprising a particulate rubber coating embedded in a cured polymer matrix, the particulate rubber comprising rubber particles a majority of which can pass through a 10 mesh minus screen.  
     
     
         18 . The hockey stick according to  claim 17 , wherein the particulate rubber particles cover an area of the surface of between 15-35 square inches.  
     
     
         19 . The hockey stick according to  claim 18 , wherein the majority of the rubber particles can pass through a 20 mesh minus screen.  
     
     
         20 . The hockey stick according to  claim 19 , wherein the particulate rubber particles abut one another without gaps therebetween.