Filler comprising fly ash for use in polymer composites

Carpet backing formed of a filled polymer comprising:

• a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, bitumen, styrene-butadiene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer and blends thereof;
• and
• filler, said filler comprising fly ash and having a particle size distribution having at least three modes.

A method for producing carpet backing, comprising the steps of:

• combining a polymer with a filler blend to produce a filled polymer, the filler blend comprising fly ash and at least one additional filler and having a particle size distribution having at least three modes;
• and
• producing carpet backing with the resulting filled polymer.

A method for producing a backing for a carpet material, comprising the steps of:

• combining a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, bitumen, styrene-butadiene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer and blends thereof with a filler to produce a filled polymer, the filler comprising fly ash and having a particle size distribution with at least three modes, and
• applying the filled polymer as a melt to a surface of a carpet material at an elevated temperature to form a backing on the carpet material.

A method for producing carpet backing, comprising the steps of:

• selecting a fly ash filler for use in the carpet backing or modifying a fly ash filler for use in the carpet backing to have a particle size distribution with at least three modes to increase the packing factor of the fly ash filler and to improve the mechanical properties of the carpet backing;
• and
• combining the fly ash filler with a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, bitumen, styrene-butadiene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer and blends thereof to produce the carpet backing.