Wood flooring with reinforced thermoplastic underlayer
AssigneeRockland Flooring LLC
InventorsZiqiang Lu, Marc Chorney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An example reinforced wood flooring for use in forming a truck trailer or container floor may include a wood member. The wood member may include a plurality of wood strips that are attached together. The wood member may also have a top surface and a bottom surface. An essentially water impermeable fiber-reinforced thermoplastic underlay may be adhered to the bottom surface of the wood member.
Claims20
A reinforced wood flooring for use in a vehicle or container, the reinforced wood flooring comprising:
- a floor board having a bottom surface and a length of at least 16 feet;
- a water impermeable underlay attached to substantially an entirety of the bottom surface of the floor board, the underlay comprising a plurality of fibers disposed within a thermoplastic resin;
- wherein the underlay has a first flexural strength substantially along the length of the floor board and a second flexural strength substantially along the width of the floor board, the first flexural strength being substantially different from the second flexural strength;
- wherein the first flexural strength and the second flexural strength of the underlay are designed to strengthen the floor board while simultaneously having a flexibility that allows the underlay to flex with the floor board substantially without separating from the floor board.
A wood floor for use in a vehicle or container, the wood floor comprising:
- a plurality of floor boards, wherein each of the floor boards comprises:
- a bottom surface,
- a longitudinal axis, and
- a water impermeable underlay, the underlay being designed to flex with each of the floor boards substantially without separating from the floor boards;
- wherein the underlay includes a plurality of fibers disposed within a thermoplastic resin;
- wherein a first section of the underlay comprises a first plurality of fibers substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis;
- wherein a second section of the underlay comprises a second plurality of fibers oriented substantially normal to the longitudinal axis;
- and
- wherein the underlay has a first flexural strength substantially along the length of each of the floor boards and a second flexural strength substantially along the width of each of the floor boards, the first flexural strength being substantially different from the second flexural strength.
A reinforced wood flooring for use in a vehicle or container, the reinforced wood flooring comprising:
- a floor board having a bottom surface and a longitudinal axis;
- a water impermeable underlay attached to the bottom surface of the floor board;
- wherein the underlay includes a plurality of non-woven fibers disposed within a thermoplastic resin;
- wherein the underlay has a flexural strength that is designed to strengthen the floor board while simultaneously having a flexibility that allows the underlay to flex with the floor board substantially without separating from the floor board.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.