Process for forming cushion backed carpet
AssigneeMilliken Research Corporation
InventorKenneth B. Higgins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved cushioned carpet fabric is provided. The cushioned carpet comprises a primary carpet having a primary base and a plurality of pile-forming yarns projecting outwardly from one side. A layer of reinforcement material is bonded to the primary base on the side opposite the pile forming yarns. The reinforcement layer is adjacent to and embedded in, a cushion layer of a polymer such as a polyurethane. There is preferably no additional adhesive between the cushion layer and the layer of reinforcement material since the primary carpet fabric is mated in-situ to the polyurethane-forming composition without preheating the polyurethane-forming composition. An apparatus and process for forming the cushioned carpet fabric of the present invention are also provided.
Claims12
A process for the formation of a floor carpet tile including in situ formation of a cushioned composite within such floor carpet tile whereby the tile produced is suitable for disposition as discret modular units across a flooring surface, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) adhesively bonding a layer of glass reinforcement material to the base of a primary carpet fabric to form a laminate composite;
- (b) placing a layer of wet polyurethane-forming composition into direct contacting relation with a layer of nonwoven backing material;
- (c) placing the laminate composite formed in step "a" into direct contacting relation with said layer of wet polyurethane-forming composition on the side of said layer of wet polyurethane-forming composition not contacted by said nonwoven backing;
- (d) heat curing said wet polyurethane-forming composition subsequent to performance of steps "a", "b", and "c" such that a layer of polyurethane foam is bonded between said laminate composite and said nonwoven backing to form a stable carpet construction;
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- (e) cutting carpet tiles from the carpet construction formed in step "d".
A process for the formation of a floor carpet tile including in situ formation of a cushioned composite within such floor carpet tile whereby the tile produced is suitable for disposition as discreet modular units across a flooring surface, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) adhesively bonding a layer of glass reinforcement material to the base of a primary carpet fabric by application of a hot melt adhesive to form a laminate composite;
- (b) applying a puddle of wet polyurethane-forming composition at a controlled thickness across a layer of nonwoven backing material such that said polyurethane-forming composition and said nonwoven backing material are in direct contacting relation without any intermediate layer;
- (c) laying said laminate composite formed in step "a" into said polyurethane-forming composition applied in step "b" such that said glass reinforcement material with applied hot melt adhesive is disposed in contacting relation with said polyurethane-forming composition;
- (d) heat curing said polyurethane-forming composition subsequent to the performance of steps "a", "b", and "c" such that a layer of polyurethane foam having a cured density of between about 12 pounds per cubic foot and 18 pounds per cubic foot is bonded between said laminate composite and said nonwoven backing to form a stable carpet construction;
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- (e) cutting carpet tiles from the carpet construction formed in step "d".
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.