Composite brush

Abstract

A brush suitable for use with floor maintenance equipment and having both abrasive nonabsorbent bristles and nonabrasive absorbent bristles. The bristles are fairly evenly intermingled in each tuft, and the brush includes a plurality of tufts such that the brush face presents a substantially intermingled mix of both bristles. To enhance the cleaning qualities of the brush, the percentage of abrasive nonabsorbent bristles may be increased. To enhance the finish applying and buffing qualities of the brush, the percentage of nonabrasive absorbent bristles may be increased.

I claim: 
     
       1. A floor maintenance brush having a circularly shaped base plate with a centrally located hole disposed axially therethrough to facilitate attachment of the brush to a floor maintenance machine, said brush having tuft units that form a substantially homogenous brush face over at least 75% of one side of said brush, said tuft units each being formed of a bundle of bristles that are bent such that both ends of each said bristle are oriented in substantially the same direction, and wherein said tuft units are each comprised of: (a) first bristles formed of nylon and having abrasive particles impregnated therein such that the first bristles are substantially nonabsorbent and substantially abrasive; and   (b) second bristles formed of tampico such that the second bristles are substantially absorbent and substantially nonabrasive, wherein said first and second bristles are fairly evenly intermingled in each said tuft unit. .Iadd.2. A floor maintenance brush having a circularly-shaped base plate with a centrally located hole disposed axially therethrough to facilitate attachment of the brush to a floor maintenance machine, said brush having tuft units disposed in tuft-receiving cavities in one side of the base plate and forming a substantially homogeneous brush face over at least 75% of one side of said brush, said tuft units each comprising:   (a) first bristles formed of nylon and having abrasive particles impregnated therein such that the first bristles are substantially nonabsorbent and substantially abrasive; and   (b) second bristles formed of tampico such that the second bristles are substantially absorbent and substantially nonabrasive; said first and second bristles being fairly evenly intermingled in each tuft unit.   
     
     
        .Iaddend. .Iadd.3.  A floor maintenance brush for cleaning and buffing a floor, the brush having a circularly-shaped base plate with a centrally located hole for attachment to a rotary floor maintenance machine, the baseplate having a plurality of tuft-receiving cavities formed in one side thereof, and a plurality of tuft units attached respectively in said cavities and forming a flat, substantially homogeneous brush face across the base plate, each tuft unit comprising a fairly uniformly intermingled mixture of substantially absorbent, substantially nonabrasive tampico bristles and substantially nonabsorbent, substantially abrasive nylon bristles having abrasive particles impregnated therein. .Iaddend. .Iadd.4. The floor maintenance brush of claim 3 wherein the tuft units include about 30% of tampico bristles and about 70% of abrasive nylon bristles. .Iaddend.