Foam cushion and method of making and using the same

A foam cushion formed from:

• (a) at least one of natural rubber and an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer;
• (b) azodicarbonamide (AC);
• (c) FUSABOND;
• (d) dicumyl peroxide;
• and
• (e) a combination of zinc oxide and stearic acid.

A foam cushion formed from:

• (a) natural rubber employed in about 5 wt. % to about 12 wt. % of the foam cushion;
• (b) an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer employed in about 79 wt. % to about 83 wt. % of the foam cushion;
• (c) azodicarbonamide (AC) employed in about 3 wt. % to about 4.2 wt. % of the foam cushion;
• (d) FUSABOND employed in about 2.8 wt. % to about 3.9 wt. % of the foam cushion;
• (e) dicumyl peroxide employed in about 0.5 wt. % to about 0.9 wt. % of the foam cushion;
• and
• (f) a combination of zinc oxide and stearic acid, wherein the zinc oxide is employed in about 1.0 wt. % to about 2.2 wt. % of the foam cushion and stearic acid is employed in about 0.5 wt. % to about 1.25 wt. % of the foam cushion.

A method for manufacturing a foam cushion, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) contacting rubber, a resin, a blowing agent, a polymeric adhesion modifier, and
• decomposition accelerating agent to form a first mixture;
• (b) contacting the first mixture with a cross-linking agent to form a second mixture;
• (c) spreading the second mixture to form one or more sheets;
• and
• (d) pressing the one or more sheets at an elevated temperature and an elevated pressure to form a foam cushion.

A method for manufacturing a foam cushion, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) contacting rubber, a resin, a blowing agent, a polymeric adhesion modifier, and a decomposition accelerating agent to form a first mixture;
• (b) contacting the first mixture with a cross-linking agent to form a second mixture;
• (c) heating the second mixture;
• (d) spreading the second mixture to form a sheet;
• (e) cooling the sheet;
• (f) stacking a plurality of the sheets;
• (g) pressing the plurality of the sheets to form a cooked stack;
• and
• (h) slicing the cooked stack into sliced pieces to provide the foam cushion.

A method for manufacturing a foam cushion, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) contacting rubber, a resin, a blowing agent, a polymeric adhesion modifier, and a decomposition accelerating agent for about 8 minutes to about 20 minutes at about 110° C. to about 130° C. to form a first mixture;
• (b) contacting the first mixture with a cross-linking agent for about 1 minute to about 5 minutes at about 110° C. to about 130° C. to form a second mixture;
• (c) heating the second mixture at about 100° C. to about 120° C. until the second mixture becomes concentrated to about 20 mm thickness;
• (d) spreading the second mixture to form a sheet;
• (e) cooling the sheet to below about 80° C.;
• (f) stacking a plurality of the sheets;
• (g) contacting the plurality of sheets with a solution comprising a silicone-containing compound;
• (h) pressing the plurality of the sheets for about 28 minutes to about 35 minutes at about 160° C. to about 175° C. to form a cooked stack;
• (i) cutting, horizontally, a portion of the top of the cooked stack and removing that portion;
• (j) cutting, horizontally, a portion of the bottom of the cooked stack and removing that portion;
• (k) slicing the cooked stack into sliced pieces having a thickness of about 1 mm to about 20 mm;
• (l) attaching two or more of the sliced pieces on an end-to-end basis;
• and
• (m) rinsing, scrub washing, and drying the attached sliced pieces to provide the foam cushion.