Pebble-based surfacing materials

Abstract

Pebble or granular based elastomeric surfacing materials that include an aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane based pebble or granule bonded together with a two-part aliphatic polyurethane binder are provided. In one embodiment, an A side of the two-part binder has at least one polyol, and a B side of the two-part binder has multiple isocyanates. The multiple isocyanates can include for example hydrogenated methylene diphenyldisocyanate and hexamethylene diisocyanate. The A side and the B side of the binder are utilized to bond the pebbles together to form a surface that can be either porous or non-porous. In another embodiment, an A side of a two-part binder includes multiple polyols. The multiple polyols can include for example esterified ricinoleic acid polyols and caprolactone polyols. The A side of the two-part binder can be combined with a B side of the two-part binder and pebbles to form a non-porous surface. In yet another embodiment, a pebble-based surface is utilized as a wear layer in a multi-layer safety surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A safety surface comprising a wear layer, wherein the wear layer comprises:
 a plurality of granular particulates within a binder, wherein the binder is comprised of at least an isocyanate and a polyol; and   wherein the wear layer is a non-porous layer applied to a substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The safety surface of  claim 1 , and further wherein the granular particulates comprise pebbles. 
     
     
         3 . The safety surface of  claim 2 , and further wherein the pebbles comprise at least two discrete size ranges of pebbles, wherein the two discrete size ranges comprise a plurality of small pebbles and a plurality of large pebbles. 
     
     
         4 . The safety surface of  claim 3 , wherein the small pebbles are configured to fit within the gaps of the large pebbles. 
     
     
         5 . The safety surface of  claim 1 , wherein the wear layer is applied directly to the substrate. 
     
     
         6 . The safety surface of  claim 1 , wherein the wear layer is applied to an intermediate layer, and wherein the intermediate layer is applied directly to the substrate. 
     
     
         7 . The safety surface of  claim 6 , wherein the intermediate layer is a cushion layer. 
     
     
         8 . The safety surface of  claim 6 , wherein the intermediate layer is a buffer layer. 
     
     
         9 . The safety surface of  claim 6 , wherein the intermediate layer comprises a first intermediate layer and a second intermediate layer, wherein the first intermediate layer comprises a cushion layer, and the second intermediate layer comprises a buffer layer. 
     
     
         10 . The safety surface of  claim 1 , wherein the surface is configured to provide slip resistance. 
     
     
         11 . A method for creating a wear layer for a multi-layer surface, the method comprising:
 combining an isocyanate and a polyol to form a binder;   combining the binder with a plurality of granular particulates to form a wear layer; and   applying the wear layer to a surface.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , and further comprising:
 applying the wear layer to the surface such that a buffer layer is provided between the wear layer and the surface.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , and further comprising:
 Applying the wear layer and the buffer layer to the surface such that a cushion layer is provided between the buffer layer and the surface.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the granular particulates are aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane particulates. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the binder comprises at least 10%, but not more than 25% of the wear layer. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , and further wherein the granular particulates comprise a range of sized granular particulates. 
     
     
         17 . A wear layer configured for use in an outdoor environment, the wear layer comprising:
 a plurality of pebbles suspended within a polymer binder; and   wherein the wear layer is configured to be directly applied to a substrate.   
     
     
         18 . The wear layer of  claim 17 , wherein the wear layer is non-porous. 
     
     
         19 . The wear layer of  claim 17 , wherein the substrate is concrete. 
     
     
         20 . The wear layer of  claim 17 , wherein the wear layer is configured to provide traction.