JP4642781B2 - Cover and locking system for floor and apparatus for producing floorboard, for example - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates generally to the technical field of locking systems for floorboards. The present invention relates on the one hand to a locking system for floorboards that can be mechanically joined, on the other hand, a floorboard and floor assembly provided with such a locking system, and to produce such a floorboard. It relates to a manufacturing method. More specifically, the present invention provides, among other things, a rocking system that allows for the placement of floating floors that have a predominantly wide continuous surface, and for the placement of floorboards that exhibit substantial changes in shape after installation. About.

Field of Application The present invention is particularly applicable to wooden floating floors and laminates, such as heavy wooden floors, parquet floors, floors with thin surfaces, laminated floors with surface layers made of high pressure laminates or direct laminates, etc. Suitable for use on the floor.

  The following description of the prior art, known system problems, and objects and features of the present invention is thus primarily directed to this field of application as a non-limiting example. However, it should be emphasized that the present invention can be used on any floorboard intended to be joined in a different pattern by a mechanical locking system. Therefore, the present invention is a floor that is attached to the base floor with an adhesive or is attached with a nail or a hook, or a floor having a core material, and is a surface made of plastic, linoleum, cork, or varnished. The present invention can also be applied to a floor having a surface made of fiberboard.

Definitions of Several Terms In the following text, the visible surface of the installed floorboard is called the “front surface”, whereas the opposite surface of the floorboard facing the foundation floor is called the “rear surface”. "Floor surface" means the main outer flat portion of the floorboard that is opposite the rear surface and positioned in a single plane. Inclined surfaces, grooves and similar decorative features form part of the front, but they do not form part of the floor. "Laminate floor" means a floor having a surface made of melamine impregnated paper that is compressed under pressure and heat. "Horizontal plane" refers to a plane that extends parallel to the outer portion of the floor surface. "Vertical plane" refers to a plane that is perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

  The outer part of the floorboard, at the edge of the floorboard between the front and rear faces, is called the “joint edge”. The “joint edge portion” means a part of the joint edge of the floor board. "Joint" or "locking system" means cooperating connecting means that connect the floorboards to each other vertically and / or horizontally. “Mechanical locking system” means that bonding can be performed without adhesive. Mechanical locking systems can often also be joined by an adhesive. “Vertical lock” means locking parallel to the vertical plane. In principle, the vertical lock consists of a tongue that cooperates with the tongue groove. “Horizontal lock” means locking parallel to a horizontal plane. “Joint opening” means a groove defined by two joint edges of two joined floorboards and opened to the front surface. “Joint gap” means the minimum distance between the joint edge portions of two joined floorboards in the area defined by the front surface and the top of the tongue adjacent to the front surface. The “open joint gap” means a joint gap opened toward the front surface. “Visible joint gap” is a joint gap that can be seen with the naked eye from the front by a person walking on the floor, or a joint requirement established in the industry for various types of floors. Also means a large joint gap. "Continuous floating floor surface" means a floor surface that is installed as a single unit without using an expansion joint.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional laminate floors and parquet floors are usually installed in a floating state on an existing foundation floor. The joint edges of the floor boards are joined to form a floor surface, but the entire floor surface can move relative to the ground floor. As the floorboard contracts and expands relative to the relative humidity RH, which varies throughout the year, the entire floor surface changes shape.

  This type of floating floor is usually joined by an adhesively attached tongue and groove joint (a tongue-and-groove joint). During placement, the plates are joined together in the horizontal direction, with the tongues protruding along the joint edge of one plate extending along the joint edge of the adjacent plate. Inserted into the groove. The tongue-and-groove joint positions and locks the floorboard in the vertical direction and the adhesive locks the board in the horizontal direction. A similar method is used on both the long and short sides, and the plates are usually arranged in parallel rows with the long side abutting the long side and the short side abutting the short side. Is done.

  In addition to such traditional floating floors joined by glued tongue and groove joints, in recent years it does not require the use of adhesives and instead is mechanically joined by so-called mechanical locking systems. Floor boards have been developed. These systems include locking means that mechanically lock the plate in the horizontal and vertical directions without adhesive. The vertical locking means is generally formed as a tongue that cooperates with the tongue groove. The horizontal locking means consists of a locking element that cooperates with the locking groove. The locking element can be formed on a strip extending from the lower part of the tongue groove or can be formed on the tongue. A mechanical locking system can be formed by machining the core of the plate. Alternatively, parts of the locking system, such as tongues and / or strips, are made from another material that is integrated into the floorboard (ie pre-joined to the floorboard in connection with its manufacture in the factory). It is also possible.

  The floorboards can be mechanically joined by various combinations of bending insertion, snap insertion, vertical position change such as so-called vertical folding, and insertion along the joint edge. All of these installation methods, except vertical folding, require that one side (long side or short side) of the floorboard can be moved to the locked position. Many locking systems that are commercially available are manufactured with a small play between the locking element and the locking groove to facilitate movement. The intent is to produce floorboards that are movable and at the same time are connected to one another with as tight a fit as possible. Very small movement play, for example 0.01-0.05 mm, is often sufficient to reduce the friction between the wood fibers to a considerable extent. According to European standard EN 13329, in laminated floors, the joint openings between floorboards should average 0.15 mm or less and the maximum level at the floor should be 0.20 mm or less. The goal of all manufacturers of floating floors is to reduce joint openings as much as possible. Manufactured in a pre-tensioned state so that the strip with the locking element in the locked position is bent backwards towards the ground floor and the locking element and the locking groove press the panel firmly against each other There are even floors. Such a floor is difficult to install.

  The wooden floor and the laminated floor are also bonded to the base floor by attaching them with an adhesive or attaching them with nails, scissors or the like. Such a method of attaching with an adhesive or a method of attaching with a nail or a hook suppresses movement due to moisture and keeps the floor plates joined. The movement of the floorboard occurs around the center of each floorboard. Expansion and contraction can only occur on the respective floorboard and therefore do not change the shape of the entire floor.

  Floorboards that are joined to the underlying floor by adhesive or by attaching them with nails, rivets or the like do not require any locking system. However, they can have conventional tongue and groove joints to facilitate vertical positioning. They can also have a mechanical locking system that locks and positions the floorboard vertically and / or horizontally relative to its placement.

The advantage of the prior art and its problems floating floors is that shape changes due to various degrees of relative humidity RH can occur in the concealed state of the baseboard, and the floorboards expand and contract Nevertheless, it can be joined without a visible joint gap. Installation can be done quickly and easily, especially by using a mechanical locking system, and the floor can be removed and repositioned at a different position. The disadvantage is when the floor consists of relatively dimensionally stable floorboards, such as a laminated floor with a fiberboard core or a wooden floor with several layers with different fiber orientations. Even in such cases, the continuous floor surface is restricted in principle. The reason for this is that such a dimensionally stable floor, in principle, is about 0.1% (to about 1 mm per meter) when the RH varies between 25% (winter) and 85% (summer). This is because there is a dimensional change such that Such a floor would shrink and expand by about 10 mm, for example at a distance of 10 m. The wide floor surface must be divided into smaller surfaces with expansion strips, for example every 10 m or 15 m. Without such a division, the floor shape may change during contraction to the extent that it can no longer be covered by the baseboard. Also, the load on the locking system will be large because a large load is transmitted when a large continuous surface moves. The load will be particularly large in the path between different rooms.

  According to the practice standards established by the European Laminate Floor Manufacturers Association (EPLF), the expansion joint profile has a surface greater than 12 m in the length direction of the individual floor plank and more than 8 m in the width direction. Should be installed on a large surface. Such a profile should also be installed at the doorway between rooms. Similar installation guidelines are used by manufacturers of floating floors with wooden surfaces. An expansion joint profile is generally a piece of aluminum or plastic that is secured to the floor between two separate floor units. They collect mud, give an undesired appearance, and are quite expensive. Due to these limitations on the maximum floor surface, laminate flooring has only reached a small market share in commercial applications such as hotels, airports and large shopping areas.

  Unstable floors such as homogeneous wooden floors will exhibit even greater shape changes. In particular, the factors that influence the change in the shape of the homogeneous wooden floor are the direction of the fibers and the type of wood. The homogeneous oak floor is very stable along the fiber direction, ie the longitudinal direction of the floorboard. In the lateral direction, there can be 3% (corresponding to about 30 mm per meter) or more as RH changes throughout the year. Other types of trees exhibit even greater shape changes. As a rule, floorboards that exhibit large changes in shape cannot be installed in a floating state. Even if such an installation is possible, the continuous floor will be quite limited.

  The advantage of being glued or glued to the underlying floor is that a wide continuous floor surface can be provided without an expansion joint profile and the floor is heavily loaded Can undertake. A further advantage is that the floorboards do not require any vertical and horizontal locking systems, and they can be installed in a developed pattern, for example the long sides are joined to the short sides. . Such installation methods, including mounting to the ground floor, however, have some significant drawbacks. The main drawback is that when the floorboard contracts, a visible joint gap appears between the boards. The joint gap can be relatively large, especially when the floorboard is made of moisture sensitive wood material. A homogeneous wooden floor attached to the underlying floor with nails, scissors or the like can have a joint gap of 3-5 mm. The distances between the plates can be irregularly distributed as some small and some large gaps, and these gaps are not always parallel. Therefore, the joint gap can vary over the length of the floorboard. The large joint gap is intended to accommodate a large amount of mud (one that falls down into the tongue and keeps the floorboards from taking their original position when inflated). This installation method takes a lot of time, and in many cases, the foundation floor must be adjusted so that it can be attached to the foundation floor with an adhesive or with a nail or a hook. Don't be.

For this reason, the floating floor without the above-mentioned drawbacks, in particular,
(A) a floating floor consisting of a wide continuous surface without an expansion joint profile;
(B) a floating floor made of moisture-sensitive floorboard that exhibits significant dimensional changes as RH changes throughout the year;
Would be a great advantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a locking system that allows for the installation of a floating floor with a floor plate that forms a wide continuous surface and exhibits large dimensional changes as the relative humidity (RH) changes. It relates to floor boards and floors. The present invention also relates to a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing such a floor.

  A first object of the present invention is a floating floor made of a rectangular floor board provided with a mechanical locking system, wherein the floor board dimensions, arrangement pattern and locking system cooperate to allow movement between floor boards. It is to provide. According to the invention, the individual floorboards can change shape after installation, i.e. shrink and expand, due to changes in relative humidity. This may occur in such a way that the floorboards remain locked to each other without a wide visible joint gap, while at the same time the change in shape of the entire floor is reduced or preferably eliminated.

  A second object is to provide a locking system that allows considerable movement between floorboards in the absence of joint gaps for wide and deep mud collection and / or in the absence of open joint gaps. is there. Such a locking system is particularly suitable for moisture sensitive materials such as wood, but not only that, a wide floating floor is installed using floorboards that are wide and / or not long. It is also suitable when used.

  The terms long side and short side are used in this specification to facilitate understanding. According to the present invention, the plate may also be square, or alternating squares and rectangles, and optionally exhibiting various patterns and angles between opposing sides. Good.

  The combination of floorboard, locking system and arrangement pattern appearing in this document is only an example in a suitable embodiment. A great many alternatives are possible. All embodiments suitable for the first object of the present invention can be combined with embodiments embodying the second object of the present invention. All locking systems can be used individually on the long side and / or short side, and can be used in various combinations on the long side and short side as well. Locking systems with horizontal and vertical locking means can be joined by bending and / or snapping. The geometry of the locking system and the active horizontal and vertical locking means is formed by machining the edge of the floorboard or formed before or after being joined to the joint edge portion of the floorboard Alternatively, it may alternatively be formed from a separate machined material.

  These objects are achieved in whole or in part by the dependent claims.

  According to a first aspect, the present invention includes a floating floor composed of rectangular floor boards joined by a mechanical locking system. The joined floorboard has a horizontal plane parallel to the floor and a vertical plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The locking system has mechanically cooperating locking means consisting of first and second joint edges for a vertical joint parallel to the vertical plane and a horizontal joint parallel to the horizontal plane. The vertical locking means consists of a tongue that cooperates with the groove, and the horizontal locking means consists of a locking element with a locking surface that cooperates with the locking groove. The floor has a floor plan of 1x1m and a shape change of at least 1mm in at least one direction when the floorboard type, installation pattern and locking system are pressed and pulled apart so that the floorboards come together Is designed to be possible. This shape change can occur in the absence of a visible joint gap.

  According to a second aspect, the present invention is a locking system for mechanically joining floorboards, in which the joined floorboards are parallel to the floor surface and perpendicular to the horizontal plane. And having a vertical surface. The locking system has mechanically cooperating locking means consisting of first and second joint edges for a vertical joint parallel to the vertical plane and a horizontal joint parallel to the horizontal plane. The vertical locking means consists of a tongue that cooperates with the groove, and the horizontal locking means consists of a locking element with a locking surface that cooperates with the locking groove. The first joint edge and the second joint edge have an upper joint edge portion and a lower joint edge portion located between the tongue piece and the floor surface. The upper joint edge portion is closer to the floor than the lower joint edge portion. The locking system is such that when the floorboards are joined and pressed together, the two upper joint edge portions are separated from each other, and one of the upper joint edge portions at the first joint edge is the lower joint edge portion of the second joint edge. It is characterized by overlapping.

  According to some preferred embodiments of the invention, it is advantageous if the floor consists of a fairly small floorboard and a large number of joints, which can compensate for expansion and contraction. Since well-defined play and joint openings are generally required to produce high quality floors according to the present invention, manufacturing tolerances should be fairly small.

  Small floorboards, however, tend to rotate in an uncontrolled manner during machining and are difficult to manufacture with the required tolerances. The main reason why small floorboards are more difficult to manufacture than large floorboards is that they have a fairly large area that contacts the chain and belt when machining the edges of the floorboard. Such a large contact area keeps the floorboard secured to the chain by a belt so that no movement or rotation in the direction of the floorboard supply (which may be a problem if the contact area is small) cannot occur. .

  The manufacture of the floorboard is essentially performed in such a way that the set of tools and the raw material of the floorboard move relative to each other. The set of tools preferably consists of one or multiple milling tools arranged and dimensioned to machine the locking system in a manner known to those skilled in the art.

  The most commonly used devices are double or single end tenors where chains and belts are used to move the floorboard with high precision along a well-defined feed direction. In many applications, pressure shoes and support units are used with chains and belts primarily to prevent vertical displacement. The horizontal displacement of the floorboard is prevented only by the chain and belt.

  The problem is that this is not sufficient for many applications, especially when the panels are small.

  A third object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a manufacturing method that makes it possible to manufacture floorboards and mechanical locking systems with an end tenor, but with better accuracy than can be achieved with known techniques. There is. The present invention therefore also comprises an apparatus for producing building panels, in particular floorboards. The device consists of a chain, a belt, a pressure shoe and a tool set. The chain and the belt are arranged to move the floorboard in the supply direction with respect to the tool set and the pressure shoe. The pressure shoe is arranged to press the rear surface of the floor board. The tool set is arranged to form an edge portion of the floor board when the floor board is moved relative to the tool set. One of the tools in the tool set forms a guide surface on the floorboard. The pressure shoe is a guide device that cooperates with the guide surface, and has a guide device that prevents displacement in a direction perpendicular to the supply direction and parallel to the rear surface of the floor board.

  A groove can be formed in the rear surface of the floorboard, and a ruler can be inserted into the groove to guide the floorboard when the floorboard is moved by a belt that moves the board on the table It is known that It is not known that special guide surfaces and guide devices can be used in end tenors where the pressure shoe cooperates with the chain.

  A fourth object of the present invention is a wide semi-floating floor consisting of a rectangular floorboard with a mechanical locking system, the floorboard type, installation pattern and locking system having a length or width exceeding 12 m. A wide continuous semi-floating surface is to provide a semi-floating floor that is designed to be installed without the use of expansion joints.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

  FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b are floor boards comprising a first mold A and a second mold B according to the present invention, and the long sides 4a and 4b in this embodiment are three times the length of the short sides 5a and 5b. The floor board which has the length of is illustrated. The long sides 4a and 4b of the floor board have connecting means in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and the short sides 5a and 5b of the floor board have connecting means in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the two molds are identical except that the position of the locking means is mirror-inverted. The locking means enables at least the inner side to be joined to the long side 4b by bending inward, and allows the long side 4a to be joined to the short side 5a by bending inward, and similarly. The vertical operation allows the short side 5b to be joined to the long side 4b. In this embodiment, the joining of both the long sides 4a, 4b and the short sides 5a, 5b in a herringbone pattern or parallel rows is performed simply by an angular movement along the long sides 4a, 4b. In this embodiment, the long sides 4a and 4b of the floor board have connecting means including a strip 6, a tongue piece groove 9, and a tongue piece 10. The short side 5 a also has a strip 6 and a tongue piece groove 9, whereas the short side 5 b does not have a tongue piece 10. There may be multiple variations. The two types of floorboard need not be of the same type, and the locking means may have different shapes as long as they can be joined with their long sides abutting the short sides as described above. It is also possible. The connecting means may be made of the same material, or made of different materials, or made of the same material with different material properties. For example, the connecting means may be made from plastic or metal. They are also made from the same material as the floorboard, but may be subjected to treatments such as impregnation, which modify their properties. The short side 5b may have tongues and the floorboards may then be joined in a diamond pattern in a conventional manner by different combinations of angular and snapping. The short side may also have a separate flexible tongue that can move horizontally during locking.

  FIG. 2a shows the connecting means of the two floor plates 1, 1 'joined together. In this embodiment, the floor board includes a surface layer 31 made of a laminated board, a core material 30 made of, for example, HDF that is softer and compressible than the surface layer 31, and a balance layer 32. The vertical lock D1 consists of a tongue groove 9 that cooperates with the tongue 10. The horizontal lock D2 consists of a strip 6 with a locking element 8 which cooperates with a locking groove 12. This locking system can be joined by inward bending along the upper joint edge. It is also possible to modify it so that it is locked by a horizontal snap. The locking element 8 and the locking groove 12 have cooperating locking surfaces 15, 14. The floorboards can assume a position where there is play 20 between the locking surfaces 14, 15 when they are joined and pressed together in the horizontal direction D2. FIG. 2b shows that the joint gap 21 appears between the upper joint edges of the front surface when the floorboard is pulled away in the opposite direction and the locking surfaces 14, 15 are fully contacted and pressed together. Yes. The play between the lock surfaces 14, 15 is defined according to the invention as being equal to the displacement of the upper joint edge when the upper joint edge is pressed together and pulled apart as described above. Is done. Such play in the locking system is the maximum floor movement that occurs when the floorboards are pressed together and pulled apart under pressure and tension forces that match the strength of the edge portion and the locking system. . Floor boards with hard surface layers or edges that are compressed only slightly when pressed together are, according to this definition, play that is essentially equal to or slightly greater than the joint gap. have. A floorboard with softer edges will have a much greater play than the joint gap. According to this definition, the play is always greater than or equal to the joint gap. The play and the joint gap may be, for example, 0.05 to 0.10 mm. A joint gap of about 0.1 mm is considered acceptable. They are difficult to see and normal mud particles are too large to enter the locking system through such a small joint gap. In some applications, particularly if play and joint clearance are measured when significant pressures and tensile forces are used, joint clearances up to 0.20 mm, for example under 0.25 mm play, are possible. Is acceptable. This maximum joint clearance will only occur in extreme conditions where the humidity is very low (eg 20% or less) and the load on the floor is very high. Under normal conditions and applications, the joint gap on such floors can be 0.10 mm or less.

  FIG. 2b shows a typical laminate floor with floor plates measuring 1.2 × 0.2 m installed in parallel rows. Such a laminate floor shrinks and expands by about 1 mm per meter. If the locking system has a play of about 0.1 mm, then there are five joints in the transverse direction D2B, allowing expansion and contraction per meter (5 × 0.1 = 0.5 mm) Will. This compensates only for half of the maximum expansion or contraction of 1 mm. Regarding the longitudinal direction D2A, there is only one joint per 1.2 m, and a movement of 0.1 mm is allowed. The play 20 and the joint gap 21 in the locking system therefore only contribute slightly to reducing the contraction and expansion of the floor with respect to the direction D2 parallel to the long side. In order to reduce the movement of the floor to half of the movement normally occurring on a floor without play 20 and joint gap 21, it is necessary to increase play 20 to 0.6 mm, which means that the short side joint gap 21 Will be quite large.

  FIG. 2c shows a floorboard comprising a core 30 made of fiberboard, such as HDF, and a surface layer made of laminate or thin, having a maximum dimensional change of about 0.1% (ie 1 mm per meter). Is shown. The floorboards are installed in parallel rows. In this embodiment, the floorboard is narrow and short, for example with dimensions of 0.5 × 0.08 m. If play is 0.1 mm, twelve floorboards with twelve joints over a 1 m floor length will move 1.2 mm greater than the maximum floor dimensional change in the transverse direction D2B. Would allow. Thus, the entire movement can be caused by floorboards that move relative to each other and the outer dimensions of the floor can be unchanged. For the longitudinal direction D2A, it is only possible to compensate for a movement of 0.2 mm per meter by means of two short side joints. For example, in a room with a width of 10 m and a length of 40 m, the long side of the floorboard is parallel to the width direction of the room and perpendicular to the length direction of the room, contrary to the currently recommended installation principle. Installation can be done properly. According to this preferred embodiment, a large continuous floating floor without large visible joint gaps thus has a locking system with play and in parallel rows perpendicular to the length of the floor. It is preferable that a floor board having a narrow width is provided. The locking system, floorboard and mounting pattern according to the present invention thus allows a 1 × 1 m floor to extend or be joined together by at least about 1 mm in at least one direction without damaging the locking system or floorboard. It should be adjusted so that it can be pressed. A floating floor mechanical locking system installed in a home setting has a mechanical locking system that can withstand tensile loads and compressive forces corresponding to at least 200 kg / (floor length of 1 m). More specifically, as described above, when the floor surface described above is subjected to a compressive or tensile load of 200 kg in either direction and when the floorboard is brought to a normal relative humidity of about 45%. It would be desirable to be able to achieve dimensional changes without visible joint gaps.

The strength of the mechanical locking system is very important with a wide continuous floating floor. Such a wide continuous floating floor is defined as a floor having a length and / or width exceeding 12 m. A very wide continuous floating floor is defined as a floor with a length and / or width exceeding 20 m. If the mechanical locking system has a large floating floor and does not have sufficient strength, there is a risk of unacceptable joint gaps or slipping of the floorboard. Dimensionally stable floorboards, such as laminate floors, that exhibit an average joint clearance of greater than 0.2 mm when a 200 kg / m tensile load is applied are generally suitable for use in a wide, high quality floating floor. Not suitable. The present invention can be used to install a continuous floating floor having a length and / or width exceeding 20 m or even 40 m. In principle, there are no restrictions. A continuous floating floor with a surface of 10,000 m ² or more can be installed according to the present invention.

  Such a new type of floating floor, in which the main part of the movement in the floating state in at least one direction occurs between the floorboards and in the mechanical locking system, will hereinafter be referred to as a semi-floating floor.

  FIG. 5d is for ensuring that the floorboard is sufficiently movable in the joined state and that the locking system is strong enough to be used on a wide continuous floating surface (the floor is a semi-floating floor). A suitable test method is illustrated. In this example, 9 samples with 10 joints and a length L of 100 mm (10% of 1 m) correspond to a floor length TL of about 1 m on each long side. Are joined together. The total number of joints (10 joints in this example) is referred to as Nj. The plate receives a compressive load and a tensile load with a force F corresponding to 20 kg (200 N), which is 10% of 200 kg. The change in length of the floor length TL (hereinafter referred to as ΔTL) should be measured. Average play (hereinafter referred to as AP, or floor movement per joint) is defined as AP = ΔTL / Nj. For example, if ΔTL = 1.5 mm, the average play is AP = 1.5 / 10 = 0.15 mm. This test method will also measure the dimensional change of the floorboard. Such dimensional changes are extremely small compared to play in the majority of floorboards. As previously mentioned, due to the compression of the leading edge and eventually some very small dimensional changes of the floorboard itself, the average joint clearance will always be less than the average play AP. Let's go. This means that because ΔTL / Nj is always greater than or equal to the average joint gap 21, the floor movement is sufficient (ΔTL) and that the average joint gap 21 does not exceed the specified maximum level. To ensure, this means that only ΔTL needs to be measured and controlled. However, the dimension of the actual average joint gap 21 of the floor when the tensile force F is applied can be measured directly, for example with a set of clearance gauges or a microscope, and the actual average joint gap (= AAJG) ) Can be calculated. The difference between AP and AAJG is defined as the flexibility of the floorboard (= FF (FF = AP-AAJG)). In a laminated floor, ΔTL should preferably exceed 1 mm. Lower or higher forces F can be used to design floorboards, installation patterns and rocking systems used as semi-floating floors. For example, in some applications in a home environment with normal humidity conditions, a force F of 100 kg (1000 N) per meter may be sufficient. In very wide floating floors, a force F of 250-300 kg or greater can be used. The mechanical locking system can be designed to have a locking force of 1000 kg or greater. The joint gap in such a locking system can be limited to 0.2 mm even when a force F of 400-500 kg is applied. The pushback effect caused by the locking element 8, the locking surfaces 15, 14 and the locking strip 6 can be measured, for example, by increasing or decreasing the force F in steps of 100 kg. If F increases from 0 to 100 kg (= ΔTL1) and F increases from 0 to 200 kg and then decreases back to 100 kg (= ΔTL2), ΔTL should be essentially the same. In this case, the pushback effect is high. A mechanical locking system with a high pushback effect is advantageous in semi-floating floors. Preferably, ΔTL1 should be at least 75% of ΔTL2. In some applications, 50% may be sufficient.

  FIG. 2d shows the floorboard according to FIG. 2c installed in a diamond pattern. This installation method results in 7 joints per running meter for both floor directions D2A and D2B. A play of 0.14 mm can thus completely counteract the 0.1% expansion and contraction since the seven joints provide a total mobility of 7 × 0.14 = 1.0 mm.

FIG. 2e shows a 1 m ² floor consisting of the floorboards described above, installed in a herringbone pattern with the long side butted against the short side, and when they have expanded to their maximum dimensions, for example in summer The position of the floor board is shown. FIG. 2f shows the position of the floorboards when they contract, for example in winter. The locking system with inherent play then provides a joint gap 21 between all joint edges of the floorboard. Since the floorboard is installed in a herringbone pattern, long edge play will help reduce floor dimensional changes in all directions. FIG. 2f also shows that the critical direction is the floor diagonal direction D2C and D2D, where the seven joint gaps must be adjusted to withstand contraction over a distance of 1.4 m. ing. This can be used to determine the optimal direction of placement on a large floor. In this example, a 0.2 mm joint gap would completely cancel the floor movement in all directions. This allows the outer part of the floating floor to be attached to the underlying floor, for example by attaching with an adhesive, thereby preventing the floor from moving to the outside of the skirting board during contraction. The present invention also allows the partition wall to be attached to an installed floating floor, thereby reducing installation time.

  According to field experiments, a floor with a surface made of thin or laminated boards and a core made of fiberboard based panels (eg high quality HDF with dimensional stability) is highly dimensional stable. And can be manufactured with a maximum dimensional change of about 0.5 to 1.0 mm per meter in a home setting. Such a semifloating floor can be installed in a space of unlimited dimensions, and the maximum play can also be limited to about 0.1 mm if the floorboard is preferably about 120 mm wide. It is. Even smaller floorboards, such as 0.4 × 0.06 m, are even more preferred, and such floorboards also have a wider surface when they are made from less formally stable materials. It goes without saying that you can cope well. According to a first embodiment, the present invention therefore proposes a new type of semi-floating floor in which individual floorboards can be moved and the outside dimensions of the floor do not have to change. This can be achieved by optimal utilization of the dimensions of the board, the mobility of the locking system using small play and small joint gaps, and the floorboard installation pattern. According to the present invention, a suitable combination of play, joint gap, floorboard dimensions, installation pattern and floorboard orientation can therefore be used to completely or partially cancel the movement in the floating floor. Is possible. It is possible to install a much larger continuous floating floor than what is possible today, and the maximum movement of the floor can be reduced to about 10 mm, which applies to current technology, or can be eliminated altogether. is there. All of these are joint gaps that are not actually visible and are joined in parallel rows by pretensioning or very small displacement play that does not give sufficient mobility with respect to moisture and mud penetration. It can occur under a joint gap that is not different from a conventional 0.2 m wide floating floor. As a non-limiting example, it can be said that the dimensionally stable floor play 20 and joint gap 21 should preferably be about 0.1-0.2 mm.

  A particularly preferred embodiment according to the present invention is a semi-floating floor having the following characteristics. That is, the length of the floor when the surface layer is a laminated board or a thin wooden board, the core of the floor board is a board based on wood such as MDF or HDF, and a force F of 100 kg / m is used. Average when the change in thickness ΔTL is at least 1.0 mm and the change in floor length ΔTL is at least 1.5 mm when a force F of 200 kg / m is used and the force F is 100 kg / m The joint gap does not exceed 0.15 mm, and the average joint gap does not exceed 0.20 mm when the force F is 200 kg / m.

  The function and joint quality of such a semi-floating board will be similar to a traditional floating board when the humidity conditions are normal and the floor dimensions are within the generally recommended limits. I will. Such semi-floating floorboards will be superior to conventional floorboards under extreme climatic conditions or when installed on a wider continuous floor. Other combinations of force F, floor length change ΔTL and joint gap 21 can be used to design a semi-floating floor for various applications.

  FIG. 3a shows a second embodiment that can be used to reduce problems caused by movement due to moisture in the floating floor. In this embodiment, the floor board has the surface 31 which consists of a direct laminated board, and the core material which consists of HDF. Below the surface of the laminate is a layer 33 made of wood fibers impregnated with melamine. This layer is formed when the surface layer is laminated on the HDF and when the melamine enters the core material and joins the surface layer to the HDF core material. The HDF core material 30 is softer and more compressive than the laminate surface 31 and the melamine layer 33. According to the present invention, the surface layer 31 made of a laminate and / or a part or all of the melamine layer 33 below the surface layer (if appropriate) form the shape of the joint opening JO1 where the decorative groove 133 is shallow. It should be removed as you do. This joint opening is similar to a wide joint gap in a homogeneous wooden floor. The groove 133 may be made on only one joint edge and may be colored, coated or impregnated so that the joint gap is less visible. Such a decorative groove or joint opening can have, for example, a width JO1 of 1 to 3 mm and a depth of 0.2 to 0.5 mm. In some applications, the width of JO1 can be quite small, preferably about 0.5-1.0 mm. When the floorboards 1, 1 ′ are pressed towards each other, the upper joint edges 16, 17 can be compressed. Such compression would be 0.1 mm in HDF. Such a possibility of compression can replace the play described above and allows it to move without a joint gap. Chemical processes such as those described above can also help to change the properties of the joint edge and improve the compression potential. Of course, the first and second embodiments may be combined. Under the possibility of 0.1 mm play and 0.1 mm compression, an overall movement of 0.2 mm can be given a visible joint gap of only 0.1 mm. Compression is also used between the active locking surfaces 15, 14 of the locking element 8 and the locking groove 12. Under normal climatic conditions, floor separation is avoided when the locking surfaces 14, 15 contact each other and no substantial compression occurs. For example, when subjected to additional tensile loads under extreme climatic conditions where RH drops below 25%, the locking surface will be compressed. Such compression is promoted when the contact surface CS of the lock surfaces 14 and 15 is small. In a typical floor thickness of 8-15 mm, it is advantageous if this contact surface C is about 1 mm or less. In this technique, the floorboard can be manufactured with a play and joint gap of about 0.1 mm. In extreme climatic conditions where the RH falls below 25% or exceeds 80%, compression of the upper joint edge and the locking surface may allow movement of eg 0.3 mm. The techniques described above can be applied to many different types of floors, such as floors with surfaces made of high pressure laminate, wood, sheet, plastic and similar materials. This technique is particularly suitable for floorboards that can increase compression of the upper joint edge by removing a portion of the upper joint edge 16 and / or 17.

  FIG. 3b illustrates a third embodiment. 3c and 3d are enlarged views of the joint edge of FIG. 3b. The floor plate 1 ′ has an upper joint edge portion 18 and a lower joint edge portion 17 in the joint edge region defined by the upper portion of the tongue piece 10 and the groove 9 and the floor surface 31. Has an upper joint edge portion 19 and a lower joint edge portion 16 in corresponding areas. When the floorboards 1, 1 'are pressed together, the lower joint edge portions 16, 17 will contact each other. This is shown in FIG. 3d. The upper joint edge portions 18 and 19 are separated from each other, and one upper joint edge portion 18 of one floor board 1 ′ overlaps with the lower joint edge part 16 of the other floor board 1. In this pressed together position, the locking system has a play 20 of, for example, 0.2 mm between the locking surfaces 14,15. If the overlap at this pressed together position is 0.2 mm, the plates will only be 0.2 mm from each other with no visible joint gap visible from the surface when they are pulled apart. It is possible to leave. This embodiment will not have an open joint gap because the joint gap will be covered by overlapping joint edge portions 18. This is shown in FIG. 3c. Advantageously, the locking element 8 and the locking groove 12 are such that the possible separation or play is slightly less than the overlap. Preferably, even when the floorboard is pulled apart and a tensile force F is applied to the joint, there should be a small overlap of 0.05 mm, for example, on the joint. This overlap will prevent moisture from entering the joint. Since the lower edge portion 16 will support the upper edge portion 18, the joint edge will be stronger. The decorative groove 133 can be made very shallow and all mud collected in the groove can be easily removed by a vacuum cleaner associated with normal cleaning. Neither mud nor moisture can enter the locking system and fall to the tongue 12. This technique with overlapping joint edge portions can of course be combined with the other two embodiments on the same side or on the long and short sides. For example, the long side can have the locking system according to the first embodiment, and the short side can be according to the second embodiment. For example, the visually visible open joint gap is 0.1 mm, the compression is 0.1 mm, and the overlap is 0.1 mm. The possibility of movement in the floorboard is now 0.3 mm in total, and such considerable movement does not have to cause a small visible open joint gap and weakening of the joint edge. , Which is compatible with the limited horizontal extent of the overlapping joint edge portions 18. This is due to the fact that the overlapping joint edge portions 18 are very small and are made on the strongest part of the laminate board and the floorboard made of melamine impregnated wood fibres. Such a locking system, which provides a considerable degree of movement possibility in the absence of a visible joint gap, can therefore be used in all the applications mentioned above. In addition, this locking system requires a large amount of mobility within the locking system, especially when the floorboard is used in parallel rows, etc., in the short side of a wide floorboard, i.e. to counteract floor dimensional changes. It is suitable for use in all applications. It can also be used at the short side of the floorboard which constitutes a frame FR, ie a freeze around the floor installed in the herringbone pattern according to FIG. 5c. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3b to 3d, the vertical extent of overlapping joint edge portions, ie the joint opening depth GD, is less than 0.1 times the floor thickness T. A particularly preferred embodiment according to the present invention is a semi-floating floor having the following characteristics. That is, the surface layer is a laminated board or a thin wooden board, the core of the floor board is a board based on wood such as MDF or HDF, the floor thickness T is 6 to 9 mm, and the overlapping OL is smaller than the average play AP when a force F of 100 kg / m is used. As an example, it can be said that the depth GD of the joint opening may be 0.2 to 0.5 mm (= 0.02 × T to 0.08 × T). The overlap OL is preferably 0.1 to 0.3 mm (= 0.01 × T to 0.05 × T) on the long side. The overlap OL on the short side may be equal to or greater than the overlap on the long side.

  FIG. 3e shows an embodiment in which the joint opening JO1 is very small or absent when the floorboards are pressed together. When the floorboard is pulled apart, a joint opening JO1 will occur. This joint opening will be substantially the same size as the average play AP. The decorative groove may for example be colored with any suitable design that matches the floor and play will not result in an open joint gap. A very small overlap of only about 0.1 mm (0.01 × T to 0.02 × T) and a slightly smaller average play AP can provide sufficient floor movement, and this Is compatible with high-quality joints that are resistant to moisture. Play also promotes locking, unlocking and movement in the locked position. Such overlapping edge portions can be used in all known mechanical locking systems to improve the function of the mechanical locking system.

  Figures 4a and 4b show how the locking system can be designed to allow the floorboard of a moisture sensitive material to be installed in a floating state. In this embodiment, the floorboard is made from homogeneous wood.

  FIG. 4a shows the locking system under a tensile load and FIG. 4b shows the locking system in a compressed state. For floors with an attractive appearance, the relative dimensions of the joint openings should not be very different from each other. In order to ensure that the visible joint opening is not very different while the floor is moving, the smallest joint opening JO2 should be larger than half of the largest joint opening JO1. Further, the depth GD should preferably be less than 0.5 × TT (where TT is the distance between the floor and the top of the tongue / groove). In the absence of tongues, GD should be less than 0.2 times the floor thickness T. This facilitates cleaning of the joint opening. It is also advantageous if JO1 is about 1-5 mm, corresponding to the normal gap of a homogeneous wooden floor. According to the invention, the overlapping joint edge portions are preferably located close to the floor surface. This allows a shallow joint gap, while at the same time the vertical lock is positioned essentially in the middle part of the floorboard between the front and back (where the core 30 has good stability). It is possible to produce using the piece 10 and the groove 9. An alternative way of providing a shallow joint gap that allows movement is illustrated in FIG. 4c. The upper part of the tongue piece 10 moves upward toward the floor surface. The disadvantage of this solution is that the upper joint edge 18 above the tongue 10 is too weak. The joint edge portion 18 can easily crack or deform.

  5a and 5b illustrate the joints of the long sides of three floorboards 1, 1 ′, 1 ″ having a width W. FIG. 5a shows the floorboard when RH is low, and FIG. In order to resemble a homogeneous floor, a wide floorboard should preferably have a wider joint gap than a narrow one. It should be at least about 1% of the floor width W. A 100 mm wide floorboard will then have a minimum joint opening of at least 1 mm, for example a corresponding joint opening in a 200 mm wide plank Other combinations can of course also be used in particular with different types of wood and wooden floors where special demands are made due to different climatic conditions.

  FIG. 6a shows a wooden floor consisting of several wood layers. The floor board may be composed of an upper layer made of high-grade wood such as oak, which constitutes the decorative surface layer 31, for example. The core material 30 may be made of, for example, plywood made from other types of wood or corresponding types of wood having different qualities. Alternatively, the core material may be made of a thin wood plate. The upper layer 31 has, in principle, various fiber directions compared to the lower layer. In this embodiment, overlapping joint edges 18 and 19 are made in the upper layer. The advantage is that the visible joint opening JO1 consists of the same kind of wood and fiber direction as the surface layer 31, and the appearance is the same as that of a homogeneous wooden floor.

  6b and 6c illustrate an embodiment where there is a small play 22 between the overlapping joint edge portions 16, 18 that facilitates horizontal movement in the locking system. FIG. 6 c shows the state of joining by angular movement and the manner in which the upper joint edge portions 18, 19 are in contact with each other. The play 20 between the locking surface 15 of the locking element 8 and the locking groove 12 significantly facilitates the joining by inward bending, especially in a wooden floor that is not necessarily straight.

  In the preferred embodiment described above, the overlapping joint portions 18 are made on the tongue side, i.e. on the joint edge with the tongue 10. This overlapping joint part may also be made on the groove side, ie on the joint edge with the groove 9. Figures 6d and 6e illustrate such an embodiment. In FIG. 6d, the plates are pressed together at their inner positions, and in FIG. 6e, the plates are pulled towards their outer positions.

  7a and 7b illustrate that it is advantageous if the upper joint edge 18 that overlaps the lower part 16 is positioned on the tongue side 4a. The groove side 4b can then be joined to the non-tongue side 4a according to FIG. Such a locking system is particularly suitable for the short side. FIG. 7c shows such a locking system in the joined state and pressed together. 7d and 7e show how the horizontal locking means, for example in the form of the strip 6 and the locking element 8 and also the upper and lower joint parts 19,16, is simply one tool TO (tool that operates horizontally). It is illustrated how it can be made with a shaft HT, which can thereby form the entire joint edge. Such a tool can be mounted on a circular saw, for example, and a high quality joint system can be made with a guide bar. The tool also makes it possible to pull the floorboard 1 with a saw. In a preferred embodiment, only a partial (incomplete) division of the floorboard 1 takes place at the outer part 24 of the strip 6. The final division is performed by breaking the floorboard. This reduces the risk that the tool TO will be damaged, for example by contact with a concrete floor. This technique can be used, for example, to produce a floor frame or freeze FR installed in a herringbone pattern according to FIG. 5c. The tool can also be used to produce a conventional type of locking system without overlapping joint edges.

  8a-8f illustrate various embodiments. 8a-8c show that the horizontal locking means cooperates with a locking groove 12 made in the groove 9 defined by the upper lip 23 (where the locking groove 12 is positioned on the upper lip 23). It illustrates how the present invention can be used in a locking system consisting of a tongue 10 with a locking element 8 that performs the following. The groove also has a lower lip 24 that can be removed to allow joining by vertical motion. FIG. 8d shows a locking system with a separate strip 6 made, for example, from an aluminum sheet. FIG. 8e illustrates a locking system having a separate strip 6 that can be made of fiberboard based material or plastic, metal and similar materials.

  FIG. 8f shows a locking system that can be joined by a horizontal snapping action. The tongue 10 has a groove that allows its upper and lower parts with locking elements 8, 8 'to be bent towards each other in relation to the horizontal displacement of the joint edges 4a and 4b towards each other. 9 '. In this embodiment, the upper and lower lips 23, 24 of the groove 9 need not be elastic. Of course, the present invention can also be used with conventional snap systems where the lips 23, 24 can be resilient.

  Figures 9a-9d illustrate an alternative embodiment of the present invention. When the plates are pulled apart, separation of the cooperating locking surfaces 14 and 15 is avoided. When the plates are pressed together, several alternative parts of the locking system can be used to define the inner position. In FIG. 9 a, the inner position is determined by the outer part of the locking element 8 and the locking groove 10. According to FIG. 9b, the outer part of the tongue 10 and the groove 9 cooperate. According to FIG. 9 c, the front lower part of the tongue 10 cooperates with the groove 9. According to FIG. 9 d, the locking element 10 ′ at the bottom of the tongue 10 cooperates with the locking element 9 ′ on the strip 6. Obviously, several other parts of the locking system can be used according to these principles to define the inner position of the floorboard.

  FIG. 10a shows a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method according to the present invention. The end tenor ET has a chain 40 for moving the floor board 1 in the supply direction FD with respect to the tool set (in this embodiment, having five tools 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 and a pressure shoe 42) and A belt 41 is provided. The end tenor may also have two chains and two belts. FIG. 10b is an enlarged view of the first tool station. The first tool 51 of the tool set forms a guide surface 12 (in this embodiment a groove, which is mainly formed as the locking groove 12 of the locking system). Of course, other grooves may preferably be formed in the part of the floorboard where the mechanical locking system will be formed. The pressure shoe 42 'has a guide device 43' that cooperates with the groove 12 to prevent deviation from a plane in the supply direction FD and parallel to the horizontal plane. FIG. 10 c shows the end tenor as viewed from the supply direction when the floorboard passes through the first tool 51. In this embodiment, the lock groove 12 is used as a guide surface for the guide device 43 attached to the pressure shoe 42. FIG. 10d shows the same groove 12 that can be used as a guide surface in all tool stations. FIG. 10 d shows how the tongue can be formed by the tool 54. The machining of a specific part of the floorboard 1 can be performed when this part is simultaneously guided by the guide device 43. FIG. 11a shows another embodiment in which the guide device is mounted inside the pressure shoe. The disadvantage is that the rear face of the board is grooved. FIG. 11 b shows another embodiment in which one or both outer edges of the floorboard are used as guide surfaces for the guide devices 43, 43 ′. The end tenor in this embodiment has a support unit 44, 44 ′ that cooperates with the pressure shoes 42, 42 ′. Alternatively, the guide device may be attached to these support units 44, 44 '. Figures 11c and 11d show how the floorboard can be manufactured in two steps. The tongue side 10 is formed in the first step. The same guide groove 12 is used in the second step when the groove side 9 is formed (FIG. 11d). Such an end tenor would be very flexible. The advantage is that it is possible to produce floorboards with various widths that are smaller or larger than the width of the chain.

  12a-12c show a preferred embodiment that ensures that the semi-floating floor is installed in a normal position (preferably a position where the actual joint gap is about 50% of the maximum joint gap). For example, if all floorboards are installed with the edges 16, 17 in contact, problems may arise near the walls when the floorboards expand to their maximum dimensions. According to the invention, the locking element and the locking groove can be formed such that the floorboard is automatically guided to the optimum position during installation. FIG. 12 c shows that the locking element 8 of this embodiment has a locking surface with a large locking angle LA, close to 90 ° with respect to the horizontal plane. This lock angle LA is larger than the angle of the tangent TL of the circle C having the center at the upper joint edge. FIG. 12b shows that such a joint geometry pushes the floor plate 4a towards the floor plate 4b during bending, and that it plays between the locking element 8 and the locking groove 12 and the leading edge. It shows that the joint gap between 16 and 17 is taken to the preferred position described above.

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Claims (4)

A floating floor composed of rectangular floor boards (1, 1 ') joined by a mechanical locking system, wherein the joined floor boards are parallel to a floor surface (31) and a horizontal plane (HP) First and second joint edges for a vertical joint that is perpendicular to the horizontal plane and the locking system is parallel to the vertical plane and a horizontal joint that is parallel to the horizontal plane (4a and 4b, respectively) having mechanically cooperating locking means, wherein in said locking system the vertical locking means consists of a tongue (10) cooperating with the tongue groove (9), And the horizontal locking means is in a floating floor comprising a locking element (8) with a locking surface (15) cooperating with the locking groove (12),
The locking element (8) and the locking groove (12) have cooperating locking surfaces (14, 15);
Upper joint edge portions (18, 19) are formed in the region of the joint edge defined by the upper portion of the tongue piece (10) and the tongue groove (9) and the floor surface (31),
When the floor plates (1, 1 ') are joined and pressed together in the horizontal direction (D2), one of the upper joint edge portions (18, 19) of the first joint edge (4a) is the second joint edge ( 4b) overlaps with one of the lower joint edge portions (16, 17) and a play (20) is formed between the locking surfaces (14, 15),
When the floor plate (1, 1 ') is pulled apart in the opposite horizontal direction, a joint gap (21) appears between the upper joint edge portions (18, 19),
When these upper joint edge portions (18, 19) are pressed together and pulled apart, the play (20) is larger than the joint gap (21) or with the joint gap (21). Equal,
The floorboard type, installation pattern and locking system is such that when the floorboard is subjected to a compressive or tensile load in the horizontal plane (HP), the 1 × 1 m floor surface changes in length by at least 1 mm in at least one direction (ΔTL The length change (ΔTL) is calculated by multiplying the average play (AP) by the total number of joints (Nj) per 1 m floor length (TL). Calculated,
This change in length (ΔTL) can occur in the absence of a visible joint gap (21), and
The surface layer is a laminated board or a thin wooden board, and the core of the floor board is a board based on wood such as MDF (medium density fiber board) or HDF (high density fiber board ), and 100 kg in the horizontal plane (HP) The change in floor length (ΔTL) when a force (F) of f / m is used at the joint edge is at least 1.0 mm, and a force (F) of 200 kg f / m at the horizontal plane (HP) change in floor length when used in joint edge (.DELTA.TL) of at least 1.5 mm, the average joint gap when the force in the horizontal plane (HP) (F) is 100 kg f / m a joint edge characterized in that but not more than 0.15 mm, the average joint gap when the force (F) in the horizontal plane (HP) is 200 kg f / m at the joint edge does not exceed 0.20mm Floor. The floor board type, installation pattern and locking system are designed and combined so that a wide continuous floating floor surface with a length or width exceeding 12 m can be installed without using an expansion joint. The floating floor according to claim 1 , wherein: The floating floor according to claim 2 , characterized in that the floor surface is a continuous floor surface having a length or width exceeding 20 m. The floating floor according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the floor board has a width not exceeding 100 mm.

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