Floor covering

Abstract

A floor covering is provided having a high slip resistance and including a base material which is substantially in sheet or tile form and is made of an elastomeric material and which has a slip-resistant surface containing granular particles. In order to provide ease of manufacture and processing of the floor covering, the granular particles are composed of a polymeric material having a hardness significantly greater than that of the elastomeric material.

1 . A floor covering having a high slip resistance comprising: 
 a base material which is substantially in sheet or tile form and is made of an elastomeric material and which has a slip-resistant surface containing granular particles; and    wherein the granular particles are composed of a polymeric material having a hardness significantly greater than that of the elastomeric material.    
   
   
       2 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 1  wherein the polymeric material includes one or both of thermoplastic and thermosetting material which is sprinkled on the surface of the base material and/or mixed into the base material.  
   
   
       3 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 2  wherein the thermoplastic material is a semicrystalline thermoplastic material.  
   
   
       4 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 3  wherein the thermoplastic, semicrystalline material includes thermoplastic polymers having a melting point below or in the range of the vulcanization temperature of the elastomeric base material.  
   
   
       5 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 4  wherein the semicrystalline thermoplastic polymeric material includes thermoplastic polymers which exhibit an exothermic melting peak in a temperature range of 100° C. to 250° C. in a thermogram obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis according to DIN 53765.  
   
   
       6 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the thermoplastic polymers are selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, modified polyolefins, semicrystalline polyamides, polyesters, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       7 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 1 , in which the particles are sprinkled on the surface, wherein the average size of the particles, as measured by sieve analysis according to DIN 66165, is between 100 μm and 800 μm.  
   
   
       8 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 7 , in which the particles are sprinkled on the surface, wherein the average size of the particles, as measured by sieve analysis according to DIN 66165, is preferably about 300 μm.  
   
   
       9 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 1 , in which the particles are sprinkled on the surface, wherein a quantity of sprinkled-on particles, as expressed by the total volume of sprinkled-on particles, is between 30 cm 3 /m 2  and 360 cm 3 /m 2 .  
   
   
       10 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 9 , in which the particles are sprinkled on the surface, wherein a quantity of sprinkled-on particles, as expressed by the total volume of sprinkled-on particles, is between 100 cm 3 /m 2  and 250 cm 3 /m 2 .  
   
   
       11 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 1 , in which the particles are mixed into the base material, wherein the average size of the particles, as measured by sieve analysis according to DIN 66165, is between 100 μm and 2000 μm.  
   
   
       12 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 11 , in which the particles are mixed into the base material, wherein the average size of the particles, as measured by sieve analysis according to DIN 66165, is about 500 μm.  
   
   
       13 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 1 , in which the particles are mixed into the base material, wherein the proportion of admixed particles is between 10 and 40 vol. percent of the base material.  
   
   
       14 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 13 , in which the particles are mixed into the base material, wherein the proportion of admixed particles is between 14 and 25 vol. percent of the base material.  
   
   
       15 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the base material includes one or more of the following elastomers: SBR (polystyrene-butadiene rubber), NBR (nitrile-butadiene rubber), EPM (ethylene-propylene rubber), EPDM (ethylene-propylene diene rubber), EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), CSM (chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber), VSi (silicon rubber), and AEM (ethylene-acrylic rubber); 
 said elastomers being either sulfur-crosslinked, peroxide-crosslinked, or addition-crosslinked.    
   
   
       16 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 1  wherein mineral fillers are included in the base material.  
   
   
       17 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 16  wherein the filler is selected from the group consisting of clay, chalk, silicic acids and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       18 . The floor covering as recited in  claim 17  wherein the chalk is siliceous chalk.