Rubber Flooring and Methods of Production Thereof

Abstract

In various aspects the present application provides flooring materials and methods of making the same wherein the flooring material comprises an adhesion surface for attaching the flooring material to a substrate and an opposing bearing surface, wherein a cross-section of the flooring material has substantially the same composition along an axis from the bearing surface to the adhesion surface.

1 . A flooring material comprising an adhesion surface for attaching the flooring material to a substrate and an opposing bearing surface, wherein a cross-section of the flooring material has substantially the same composition along an axis from the bearing surface to the adhesion surface.  
     
     
         2 . The flooring material of  claim 1 , wherein the flooring material comprises: 
 between about 30 to about 40 weight percent of a rubber;    between about 35 to about 50 weight percent of a clay;    between about 1 to about 5 weight percent of a plasticizer; and    one or more vulcanization agents.    
     
     
         3 . The flooring material of  claim 2 , wherein the flooring material comprises between about 1 to about 10 weight percent of a fire retardant.  
     
     
         4 . The flooring material of  claim 2 , wherein the rubber is a nitrile butadiene rubber.  
     
     
         5 . The flooring material of  claim 2 , wherein the clay is a reinforcing clay comprising aluminum silicate.  
     
     
         6 . The flooring material of  claim 2 , wherein the plasticizer comprises one or more of a phosphate ester plasticizer and a phthalate plasticizer.  
     
     
         7 . The flooring material of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more vulcanizing agents comprise one or more of sulfur and dithiodimorpholine  
     
     
         8 . The flooring material of  claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of the flooring material has substantially the same composition and substantially the same color along an axis from the bearing surface to the adhesion surface.  
     
     
         9 . A method of producing a flooring material, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a reservoir of uncured polymer particles having a size in the range between about 6 mesh and about 24 mesh;    disposing the uncured polymer particles from the reservoir between a first backing material and a second backing material to form a laminate;    compressing and heating the particles in the laminate to form a sheet of cured polymer, wherein the material from the heated particles flows to substantially fill spaces between the particles and bind substantially all of the particles together; and    separating the sheet of cured polymer from the first backing material and the second backing material.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein providing a reservoir comprises: 
 providing a sheet of uncured polymer material;    feeding the sheet through a granulator comprising: 
 at least one non-stationary blade for cutting the sheet;  
 at least one stationary blade for cutting the sheet; and  
 a screen through which particles having a dimension less than a predetermined size can pass into a hopper, wherein the non-stationary blade is spaced at a predetermined distance from the screen and the stationary blade when the non-stationary blade is adjacent to the screen and the stationary blade; and  
   drawing the chopped particles through the screen.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the screen has a first side adjacent to the non-stationary blade and a second opposing side, and wherein drawing the chopped particles through the screen comprises drawing a partial vacuum in a space adjacent to the second opposing side of the screen.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein providing a sheet of uncured polymer material comprises: 
 combining an uncured rubber material with one or more of a plasticizer, reinforcing clay particles, fire retardant clay particles, colorants, fire retardants, anti-oxidants, and vulcanization agents; and    elevating the temperature of the uncured rubber above a glass transition temperature of the uncured rubber.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the plasticizer comprises one or more of a phosphate ester plasticizer and a phthalate plasticizer  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the vulcanization agent is selected from sulfur and dithiodimorpholine.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the step of sanding one or more sides of the cured rubber sheet until the cured rubber sheet has a substantially uniform thickness to within about ±0.001 inches.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the uncured polymer particles comprise: 
 between about 30 to about 40 weight percent of a rubber;    between about 35 to about 50 weight percent of a clay;    between about 1 to about 5 weight percent of a plasticizer; and    one or more vulcanization agents.    
     
     
         17 . The flooring material of  claim 16 , wherein the flooring material comprises between about 1 to about 10 weight percent of a fire retardant.  
     
     
         18 . The flooring material of  claim 16 , wherein the rubber is a nitrile butadiene rubber.  
     
     
         19 . The flooring material of  claim 16 , wherein the clay is a reinforcing clay comprising aluminum silicate.  
     
     
         20 . The flooring material of  claim 16 , wherein the plasticizer comprises one or more of a phosphate ester plasticizer and a phthalate plasticizer.  
     
     
         21 . The flooring material of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more vulcanizing agents comprise one or more of sulfur and dithiodimorpholine