US1876289A - Floor tile - Google Patents

Description

Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES PAT oFFicE JAMES E. GRAHAM, or NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNQR To'nrnn & SON, 1 c., oF EAS WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or MASSACHUSETTS noon TILE No Drawing.

- This invention relates to a floor tile, and particularly to a resilient floor tile having advantages and properties not found in floor tiles heretofore.

The invention provides a resilient floor tile that is extremelytough' and durable, relatively nonsaponifying andnon-water absorbent, remarkably resilient to fats, oils, grease and other materials that floors are likely to be subjected to. a In addition to these properties, this floor tile has wear resistance not found in other resilient floor tiles, which is further enhanced by the fact that the composition or size of tile does not change onaging. Other resilient tiles, rubberand linoxyn base tiles, are readily subject to aging which, renders them hard and. ,brittle,.1acki-ng in resilience and toughness as time goes on." This tile 'is .so constituted that When properly made and cured, it willnever change until it has worn out; the ingredients of this tile are so chosen and combined. that oxidation and moisture have practically no action on the tile. This .tile has great utility in that it is not expensive to make or install, may be made in the most attractive colorsand patterns, and in any size or design wanted. I g All tilesmay be differentiatedas belonging 'to one of two classes; resilient and nonresilientj In, the formerclass are included rubber tile, cork tile with an oxidized oilbinder, and the so-called linoleum tile which is similar to the cork tile but contains in addi- ;tion to cork and linoxyn, mineral and other rfield may beclassed ceramic tile, marblean asphalt tile. a e A V I do notemploy any backing or carrying agent'for the tile and I confine'my invention to aflat tile, and not to arollable sheet mate- :rial (with or without a backing) for, by so' doing, I am able-to make a floor tile that is stronger, tougher and more permanent than a material made up, in roll form. The tile is homogeneous incomposition, that is, made up of the same compositionthroughout, which provides a uniform appearancethoughfthe- I tile is worn thin. I

In the manufacture of'fioor tile in accordp anccv With this invention, I employ finely difillers. In the relatively non-resilient tile yh nonrresiliellli- Application filed September 3, 1931. Serial No. 560,999.

vided materials or fillers of definite degrees of fineness combined with a binder, including as an essential constituent of the binder a cellulose ester, nitrocellulose being preferred for this purpose because of its ability to produce a tough, elastic binder with good .ce- M menting or bonding properties and when properlyco-mpounded with other materials to be relatively non-saponifying, and "resistant to oils, fats, grease, etc. 'I have found,

that nitrocellulose must contain a definite" amount of true plasticizing agent to make a suitable blnder for a t le. I refer to'a true plasticlzing agent as one in which nitrocellulose is re adilysoluble, such-as .tri-cresyl phosphate or'dibutyl "phthallat-e, as 'difiera tile composition and its very presencemakes,

entiated from a'softening, agent, such" as castor 011. I have found thatcaster oil orEsimi a tile that is easily dirtied on account of the tackiness of the surface produced when softening agents are used.

-I employ nitrocellulose of relatively high viscosity E2O2OO sec. typesKprefeTably from 50 to 200 seconds), with a nitrogen content" -of 11-43%. One hundred parts of dry nitrocellulose requires '80 tollO parts, andpreferably to parts, of tri-cresyl phosphate to makea suitable binder. for a tile.) If more than this amount is used, the tile is too soft for practical application and will indent badly under load, If less than the designated amount of plasticizer is used, the tile is too I These limits have been carefully worked out and cannot be dito be produced. I have found tricresyl phosphate to be the most satisfactory plasticizer for tile as it has greater plasticizing action.

' softeningor renderingth'e resulting tile too tacky.. I use 20 to 30 parts ester gum to 100 parts of dry nitrocellulose; other resins that are fairly alkali. resistant, may be usedin;

- gressed from if a wholly satisfactory tile is i place of ester gum. The resin greatly increases the internal bond and assists in making the fillers resistant to moisture and other agents destructive to floor coverings.

The nitrocellulose, plasticizer and resin are brought to the consistency of a thick paste in a mixer of the Werner-Phfleiderer type by the use of an active solvent such as butyl acetate.

I then add to this binder the cork and fillers.

Per cent Passing 40 mesh and retained on 48 mesh screen 10 Passing 48 mesh and retained on 60 mesh screen 15 Passing 60 mesh and retained on 80 mesh screen 15 50% Passing 80 mesh and retained on 100 mesh screen 10 Passing 100 mesh screen 50 This table of graded cork has been found to give the right percentage of roughs and fines and makes a tile which is free from blisters, and is smooth and glossy. If more than 50% of the cork passes a 100 mesh screen, the surface of the tile will show blisters and the tile becomes unsightly and unsalable; if less than 50% passes a 100 mesh screen, the tile will have a rough surface that dirties readily.

This composition is passed through a sheeting calender and is cut up into tiles of the required sizes and shapes. These tiles must be thoroughly cured and all the volatile solvent got rid of before they are ready for use. This mixture can not be sheeted on a backing of any type; it would cause a flexible backing to curl badly and, in the case of a rigid backing, the composition would show hair line cracks throughout. 7

A typical and preferred composition tile is as follows 150 parts asbestine (fibrous mineral filler) 100 parts Titanox C(titanium dioxide precipitated on a base) coloring pigment.

Additional coloring or pigment as required.

This composition will produce a smooth, uniform tile, resistant to indentation, relatively non-saponifiable, unafiected by mild acids, oils, grease, fat, etc. The mineral fillers may be varied as to color, and type of finish wanted, but the proportions of nitrocellulose, plasticizer and type of cork used cannot be varied to any appreciable degree and produce a salable tile. By salable tile, I mean a tile free from apparent defects such as roughness, blisters, etc.

This application is a continuation in part, insofar as concerns common subject-matter, of my application Ser. No. 386,483, filed August 16, 1929.

What I claim is 2-- 1. A floor tile ofhomogeneous composition of substantial thickness, said composition including graded cork substantially all passing a 410 mesh screen and a substantial portion of which passes a 100 mesh screen and finely divided mineral materials bonded together by 'a resin, a cellulose ester having a viscosity of from 50 to 200 seconds, and a plasticizer.

2. A floor tile of homogeneous composition of substantial thickness, said composition including graded cork filler substantially all passing a 10 mesh screen and a substantial portion of which passes a 100 mesh screen, and finely divided mineral materialsf a nitro-cellulose bonding agent having a nitrogen content of from 11% to 13% and a viscosity of from 50 to 200 seconds, and a plasticizer.

3. A floor tile of homogeneous compositionf said composition including a nitrocellulose bonding agent'having a nitrogen content of from 11% to 13% and a viscosity of more than 20 seconds, a plasticizer in an amount equal to at least 80% by weight of said nitro-" cellulose bonding agent, a resin,a graded cork filler substantially all passing a 40 mesh screen and substantially half passing a mesh screen, amorphous {and fibrous finely divided mineral fillers, and pigment.

4. A floor tile of homogeneous composition, said composition including a nitrocellulose bonding agent having a nitrogen content of from 11% to 13% and a viscosity of more than 20 seconds, a plasticizer in an amount" equal to at least 80% by weight of said nitrocellulose bonding agent, a resin, a graded cork filler all passing a A0 mesh screen and substantially half passing a 100-mesh screen finely divided mineral filler, and pigment.

5A floor tile of liomogeneouscomposition, said composition including a nitrocellulose bonding agent having a nitrogen content of from 11% to13% and a viscosity of morev than 40 seconds, tri-cresyl phosphate in an amount equal to between 90% and 100% by weight of said nitrocellulose bonding agent, a resin, a graded cork filler all passing a 4:0 mesh screen and substantially half passing a 100 mesh screen, finely filler, and coloring matter.

6. A floor tile of homogeneous composition including a nitrocellulose bonding agent having a nitrogen content of from 11% to, 13% and a viscosity of more than 20 seconds,

divided mineral tri-cresyl phosphate in an amount equal to between and 110% by weight of said nitrocellulose bonding agent, a resin, a graded cork filler all passing a 40 mesh screen and substantially half passing a" 100 mesh screen, finely divided mineral filler, and

coloring matter.

7. A floor tile of homogeneous composition including a nitrocellulose bonding agent having a nitrogen content of from 11% to 13% and a viscosity of more than 20 seconds, tri-cresyl phosphate in an amount equal to between and by weight of said nitrocellulose bonding agent, a resin, a graded cork filler all passing a 40 meshscreen and substantially half passing a 100 mesh screen, finely divided mineral filler, and

coloring matter.

JAMES E. GRAHAM.