WO2016081995A1

WO2016081995A1 - Floor underlay with acoustic properties and use thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2016081995A1
Application number: PCT/AU2015/050739
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philippe Pierre Marie Joseph Doneux
Original assignee: Acoustic Space Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2014-11-24
Filing date: 2015-11-24
Publication date: 2016-06-02

Abstract

A composite underlay for use in flooring assemblies wherein the composite underlay includes a first layer of material and a second layer of material wherein the first layer of material has a lesser density than the second layer of material.

Description

FLOOR UNDERLAY WITH ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES AND USE THEREOF

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a layered floor underlay, and use thereof, and in particular a layered floor underlay including two layers of material with differing densities.

[0002] Due to increases in housing density resulting from increased population combined with urbanisation, there is a desire to use building materials that provide significant sound attenuation to provide a better quality of life for residents.

[0003] The present invention seeks to provide a layered floor underlay, and use thereof that is inexpensive and which includes significant sound attenuation properties when used as part of a flooring assembly.

Summary of the Disclosure

[0004] According to a first aspect, embodiments are disclosed of a composite underlay for use in flooring assemblies wherein the composite underlay includes a first layer of material and a second layer of material wherein the first layer of material has a lesser density than the second layer of material.

[0005] In certain embodiments, the first layer of material is a cellular foam. In certain embodiments the second layered material is composed of polyester fibres.

[0006] In certain embodiments the first layered material and the second layered material are both composed of polyester fibres.

[0007] In one form the cellular foam is composed of pores or cells in a polymer matrix. In one form the pores or cells of the cellular foam range from about 0.1 to about 1000 micrometers.

[0008] In one form the second layer of material is composed of needle punched or woven polyester.

[0009] In one form the first layer of material is composed of needle punched or woven polyester.

[0010] In one form the thickness of the first layer of material of the composite underlay is about 1 mm to about 8 mm. In one form the thickness of the first layer of material of the composite underlay is about 3 mm to about 5 mm.

[0011] In one form the thickness of the second layer of material of the composite underlay is about 1 mm to about 8 mm. In one form the thickness of the second layer of material of the composite underlay is about 3 mm to about 5 mm.

[0012] In one form the density of the first layer of material is between about 100 to about 450 gsm. In another form the density of the first layer of material is between about 150 to about 400 gsm. In a further form the density of the first layer of material is between about 150 to about 250 gsm.

[0013] In one form the density of the second layer of material is between about 500 to about 900 gsm. In another form the density of the second layer of material is between about 550 to about 850 gsm. In a further form the density of the second layer of material is between about 600 to about 800 gsm.

[0014] In one form the first layer of material is thermally bonded to the second layer. In an alternative form, the first layer of material is bonded to the second layer of material by use of an adhesive.

[0015] In one form the composite underlay includes an additional layer composed of a metalised film, or foil that is bonded to an outside surface of either the first layer of material or the second layer of material. In one form the additional layer composed of a metalised film is bonded to an outside surface of the first layer of material.

[0016] In one form the thickness of the underlay measured from one outer planar surface to another outer planar surface is about 2 mm to about 16 mm. In one form the thickness of the underlay measured from one outer planar surface to another outer planar surface is about 6 mm to about 10 mm.

[0017] In one form the underlay is located between a substrate surface and a floor covering.

[0018] In one form the substrate surface is selected from any one or a combination of the following: a concrete slab, a screed, fibre cement sheeting, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting and/or wooden sheeting.

[0019] In one form the floor covering is selected from any one or a combination of the following: wooden floor boards, engineered composite floor boards, bamboo floor boards, floating floor boards, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting, fibre cement sheeting, carpet, carpet tiles, ceramic tiles and stone tiles.

[0020] In one form, the first layer of material of the underlay is located above the second layer of material where the floor covering includes a substantial degree of resilience such as for example where the floor covering is selected from any one of the following: wooden floor boards, engineered composite floor boards, bamboo floor boards, floating floor boards, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting, carpet and carpet tiles.

[0021] In another form the second layer of material of the underlay is located above the first layer of material where the floor covering is composed of a rigid material such as for example when the floor covering is selected from any one of the following: ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, glass tiles and stone tiles. [0022] According to a second aspect there is provided the use of a composite underlay as herein described as an intermediary layer in a layered flooring assembly.

[0023] Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of inventions disclosed.

Detailed Description

[0024] In the foregoing description of preferred embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as "front" and "rear", "inner" and "outer", "above", "below", "upper" and "lower" and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

[0025] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

[0026] In this specification, the word "comprising" is to be understood in its "open" sense, that is, in the sense of "including", and thus not limited to its "closed" sense, that is the sense of "consisting only of. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and "comprises" where they appear.

[0027] In addition, the foregoing describes only some embodiments of the invention(s), and alterations, modifications, additions and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.

[0028] It was surprisingly found that a composite underlay that included a first layer of material composed of cellular foam and a second layer of material composed of polyester fibres had significantly increased sound absorption properties when located between a substrate surface and a floor covering.

[0029] It was also surprisingly found that a composite underlay that included a first a first layer of material and a second layer of material wherein the first layer of material has a lesser density than the second layer of material had significantly increased sound absorption properties when located between a substrate surface and a floor covering.

[0030] In addition, it was also found that a layered flooring assembly including the composite underlay as herein described included increased water repellence properties; increased thermal insulation, increased impact absorption and also provided a vapour barrier to a layered flooring assembly when used as part of the layered flooring assembly.

[0031] It was also surprisingly found that when the underlay as herein described was located on a substrate surface with the second layer of material located under the first layer of material and the second layer of material has a higher density than the first layer of material, the orientation of the composite underlay provided increased cushioning properties to a flooring assembly. This made the underlay of this configuration desirable for use in conjunction with a floor covering that included a substantial degree of flex or resilience such as for example wooden floor boards, engineered composite floor boards, bamboo floor boards, floating floor boards, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting, carpet and carpet tiles or the like.

[0032] It was also surprisingly found that when the composite underlay was located on a substrate surface in the opposite orientation, that is with the second layer of material located above the first layer of material, the orientation of the composite underlay provided a more rigid surface that made the underlay as herein described suitable for use in conjunction with a floor covering that was less resilient and which may be prone to cracking, such as for example, floor tiles, ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles or stone tiles.

[0033] In certain embodiments the first layer of material is a cellular foam composed of pores or cells in a polymer matrix and the pores or cells of the cellular foam range from about 0.1 to about 1000 micrometres. The cellular foam provides the composite underlay with good resilience and elasticity. The cellular foam may be composed of a polymer matrix including cross linking which provides good memory properties as well as strength. These two attributes provide the composite underlay with beneficial properties for handling heavy loads that may be encountered as part of a flooring assembly. Examples of heavy loads include supporting a fridge, furniture, or a piano. The memory and strength properties of the cellular foam provide that the composite underlay will not collapse and will remain dimensionally stable over the life span of the flooring assembly.

[0034] In certain embodiments, the thickness of the cellular foam of the composite underlay is about 1 mm to about 8 mm and preferably about 3 mm to about 5 mm. If the cellular foam is too thick it may loose its resilience and elasticity over a relative short period of time.

[0035] In certain embodiments, the density of the cellular foam is between about

3 3 3 3

30 kg/m to about 65 kg/m and is preferably about 40 kg/m to about 60 kg/m .

[0036] The cellular foam layer also provides the composite underlay with very fast vibration decay (vibrations generated by walking or foot fall on a hard floor surface), a water & water vapour barrier as well as increased thermal insulation.

[0037] In certain embodiments, the first and/or second layer of material may be composed of polyester fibres such as needle punched or woven polyester. The thickness of the polyester fibres may range in thickness from between 1 mm up to about 8 mm and preferably about 3 mm to about 5 mm.

[0038] The density of the polyester fibre layer suitable for the first layer of material is desired to be quite low such as in the range of about 50 kg/m 3 to about lOOkg/m 3. It is preferred that the density of the polyester fibre layer is in the range of about 85 kg/m . The density of the polyester fibre layer suitable for the second layered material is desired to be greater than for the first layer of material. In certain embodiments the density of the second layer of material when composed of polyester fibre is about 120 kg/m 3 to about 250 kg/m 3 and preferably about 170 kg/m³ .

[0039] In an alternative embodiment and using gsm to characterise the density of the layers of the composite underlay, the first layer of material when composed of a needle punched polyester material has a low density of between about 100 to about 450 gsm and preferably about 150 to 350 gsm. The second layer of material when composed of a needle punched polyester has a higher density than the first layer of material, wherein the second layer of material has a density of between about 500 to about 900 gsm and preferably about 600 to about 800 gsm.

[0040] Providing the first and/or second layer of material to be composed of polyester fibres provides the composite underlay with several advantageous properties including airborne sound absorption, water repellence, thermal insulation as well as providing that loads are distributed evenly across the surface of the composite underlay avoiding so called "pin" loading. In addition, providing the second layer of material is composed of the polyester fibres gives the composite underlay the "stiffness" and dimensional stability required to support many types of floor coverings and particularly those that are rigid and prone to cracking such as ceramic, porcelain or stone tiles.

[0041] In certain embodiments, the composite underlay includes a further layer composed of a metalised polymer film that may be bonded to either the outside surface of the first layer of material or the outside surface of the second layer of material, or both. A metalised polymer film (or metallised films) are polymer films coated with a thin layer of metal, usually aluminium. They offer the glossy metallic appearance of an aluminium foil at a reduced weight.

[0042] The composite underlay as herein described is typically designed to be placed on to a substrate surface which may form part of an existing building structure and which may be a new base for a floor assembly in a building. The substrate surface may be composed of any typical composition which can be used as a solid foundation for a flooring assembly and may be composed of concrete such as a concrete slab or screed, fibre cement sheeting, or other hard setting composition. Alternatively, the substrate surface may be composed of wood, or the like, and be in the form of for example, wooden floor boards, engineered composite floor boards, bamboo floor boards, particle board sheeting or plywood sheeting.

[0043] According to certain embodiments, the composite underlay as herein described may be part of a layered flooring assembly including a floor covering as an upper layer with the composite underlay acting as an intermediary layer positioned on top of a substrate surface and located between the floor covering and the substrate surface.

[0044] The floor covering may be composed of any type of surface that is used as a flooring surface and can include for example one of, or a combination of: wooden floor boards, engineered composite floor boards, bamboo floor boards, floating floor boards, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting, fibre cement sheeting, carpet, carpet tiles, ceramic tiles and/or stone tiles.

[0045] In certain embodiments it was surprisingly found that when the first layer of material of the underlay is located above the second layer of material this provided significant material properties that suited a floor covering which has a substantial degree of resilience such as when the floor covering is selected from any one of the following: wooden floor boards, engineered composite floor boards, bamboo floor boards, floating floor boards, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting, carpet and carpet tiles. [0046] In certain embodiments it was also surprisingly found that when the second layer of material of the underlay is located above the first layer of material this provided significant material properties that suited a floor covering that is composed of a rigid material, such as when the floor covering is selected from any one of the following: ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, glass tiles and stone tiles.

[0047] When selecting a floor covering that is composed of a rigid material it is also optional to include a further layer in the floor assembly that may be located above the composite underlay as herein described to provide a rigid surface layer for locating the floor covering. The rigid surface layer may be selected from and suitable rigid layer used in construction such as for example, fibre cement sheeting, or a light weight concrete screed with metal reinforcement.

[0048] The present invention will become better understood from the following examples of preferred but non-limiting embodiments thereof:

Examples

[0049] A sample of a composite underlay for use with a flooring assembly was the subject of various tests. The first test involved the Static Deflection Method.

Sample description:

[0050] The composite underlay sample consisted of three bonded layers: a first layer of material comprising dark grey foam, a second layer of material bonded to the first layer comprising a white polyester fibre and a further layer consisting of a metalised gold polymer film that was bonded to the surface of the first layer of material (and not bonded or in contact with the second layer of material). The sample had a total thickness of 10 mm. Each of the three layers had different material properties. Test pieces of 60mm x 60mm where cut from the sample for testing. Measurements:

[0051] The measurement conducted on the sample was a static load/compression test. This test provides preliminary vibration isolation characterisation for the acoustic underlay. Results from this test yield Young's Modulus (also called Modulus of Elasticity) and Stiffness, which are sufficient for prediction of isolation performance under various loads.

Results:

Figure 1 : Load v Displacement test Results

[0052] For homogeneous materials, a simple static load and deflection measurement is sufficient to describe the elasticity characteristics of the material, as deflection is typically linearly proportional to load. Figure 1 shows the results of the load displacement measurement. The test results show that the load v displacement of the sample provided is non linear. This is due to the layered composition of the material. The sample provided comprises several layers of different types of materials. Each layer has different material properties including, stiffness and damping. This combination of layers creates a complex, nonlinear system. [0053] The material was found to exhibit a nonlinear response to load. This is likely due to its layered composition. Provided a material is reasonably linear over its design load range, static load data provides sufficient information to calculate vibration isolation performance values. Also, due to the difference in surface stiffness between the first and second layers, the results of shock transmission were likely to be different depending on which way up (or which orientation the first and second layer of materials were disposed) the composite underlay is used in a floor assembly.

[0054] The second test conducted related to the acoustic attenuation properties of the composite underlay used in the first test. The second test was carried out on a substrate surface consisting of a bare 170mm concrete slab without a cavity ceiling below. A sample of the composite underlay as described above was tested when (1) orientated with the metalised polymer film layer against the concrete slab and a layer of fibre cement sheeting resting upon the polyester fibre layer; (2) orientated with the polyester fibre layer resting against the concrete slab and a layer of 15 mm ply wood resting upon the metalised polymer film; and, (3) orientated with the polyester fibre layer resting against the concrete slab and a layer of 15 mm laminated timber resting upon the metalised polymer film.

[0055] The results of the second test were found to show in all test cases (1), (2) & (3) achieved an LnTw rating < 40 where LnTw is a site measure of the impact sound level wherein the lower figure is an indicator of better sound acoustic performance. This also equates to a greater than 6 star impact insulation class rating as classified by the AAAC (Acoustic Association).

[0056] In a further example embodiment an alternative composite underlay was prepared including a first layered material composed of a needle punched polyester material with a low density of 200-250 gsm with a thickness of 3mm and a second layered material composed of a needle punched polyester adhered to the first layered material by means of an adhesive. The second layered material being composed of a needle punched polyester with a higher density than the first layered material of 630-750 gsm again with the same thickness of 3mm as the first layered material. A third layer of a metalised polymer film was adhered to the first layered material. The further example embodiment was tested in the same fashion as the same tested above and was found to have the same advantageous qualities.

[0057] In a further example embodiment an alternative composite underlay was prepared including a first layer of material composed of a needle punched polyester material with a low density of 340 gsm (85 kg/m ) with a thickness of 4mm and a second layer of material composed of a needle punched polyester adhered to the first layer of material by means of an adhesive. The second layer of material being composed of a needle punched polyester with a higher density than the first layer of material of 630 gsm (157 kg/m ) again with the same thickness of 4mm as the first layer of material. A third layer of a metalised polymer film was adhered to the first layered material. The underlay was used as part of a flooring assembly constructed on a 220 mm concrete slab with the underlay orientated with the denser second layer on top of the first layer with an engineered timber floor as the floor covering or a tile a fibre cement layer located on top of the second layer of the floor underlay. The acoustic properties of the flooring assembly were tested and the following results obtained.

Field Floor Impact Insulation Test Results

[0058] Furthermore, invention(s) have been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention(s). Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional embodiment.

Claims

The claims:

2. A composite underlay according to claim 1 wherein the first layer of material is a cellular foam composed of pores or cells in a polymer matrix.

3. A composite underlay according to claim 2 wherein the pores or cells of the cellular foam range from about 0.1 to about 1000 micrometers.

4. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second layer of material is composed of needle punched or woven polyester.

5. A composite underlay material according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first layer of material is composed of needle punched or woven polyester.

A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the thickness of the first layer of material of the composite underlay is about 1 mm to about 8 mm.

A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the thickness of the first layer of material of the composite underlay is about 3 mm to about 5 mm.

8. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the thickness of the second layer of material of the composite underlay is about 1 mm to about 8 mm.

9. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the thickness of the second layer of material of the composite underlay is about 3 mm to about 5 mm.

10. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the density of the first layer of material is between about 100 to about 450 gsm.

11. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the density of the second layer of material is between about 500 to about 900 gsm.

12. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first layer of material is thermally bonded to the second layer.

13. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first layer of material is bonded to the second layer of material by use of an adhesive.

14. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the composite underlay includes an additional layer composed of a metalised film, or foil that is bonded to an outside surface of either the first layer of material or the second layer of material.

15. A composite underlay according to claim 14 wherein the additional layer composed of a metalised film is bonded to an outside surface of the first layer of material.

16. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the thickness of the underlay measured from one outer planar surface to another outer planar surface is about 2 mm to about 16 mm.

17. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the thickness of the underlay measured from one outer planar surface to another outer planar surface is about 6 mm to about 10 mm.

18. A composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the underlay is located between a substrate surface and a floor covering.

19. A composite underlay according to claim 18 wherein the substrate surface is selected from any one or a combination of the following: a concrete slab, a screed, fibre cement sheeting, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting and/or wooden sheeting.

20. A composite underlay according claim 18 or claim 19 wherein the floor covering is selected from any one or a combination of the following: wooden floor boards, engineered composite floor boards, bamboo floor boards, floating floor boards, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting, fibre cement sheeting, carpet, carpet tiles, ceramic tiles and stone tiles.

21. A composite underlay according to any one of claims 18 to 20 wherein first layer of material of the underlay is located above the second layer of material where the floor covering includes a substantial degree of resilience.

22. A composite underlay according to claim 21 wherein the floor covering is selected from any one of the following: wooden floor boards, engineered composite floor boards, bamboo floor boards, floating floor boards, particle board sheeting, plywood sheeting, carpet and carpet tiles.

23. A composite underlay according to any one of claims 18 to 20 wherein the second layer of material of the underlay is located above the first layer of material where the floor covering is composed of a rigid material.

24. A composite underlay according to claim 23 wherein the floor covering is selected from any one of the following: ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, glass tiles and stone tiles.

25. Use of a composite underlay according to any one of the preceding claims as an intermediary layer in a layered flooring assembly.