The present invention relates to an improved slip-resistant floor-covering material having hard particles or grits to provide slip resistance and a decorative layer.

There is now a demand for slip-resistant floor-covering material to be high design flooring, containing a design layer which may be printed or laminated which is covered by a transparent wear layer. Slip- resistant floor-covering materials typically use one or more of the following mechanisms to achieve slip resistance: a) Non-slip particles (e.g. silicon carbide, aluminium oxide) embedded in the wear layer; b) A texture which is embossed into the wear layer; and/or c) A surface coating on the wear layer, containing particles (e.g. glass, aluminium oxide, polymeric) which provide slip resistance

When slip resistance mechanisms (a) and (b) are used in combination, a problem arises in that when the slip-resistant floor covering containing non-slip particles in the wear layer is embossed, the non slip particles are moved during the embossing process into or through the printed layer. This is because the thickness of the printed design layer is typically about 10 pm whereas the non-slip particles typically have a principal (or maximum) dimension of more than 100 pm. As a result, the printed design is destroyed such that the pigmented (typically white) substrate layer below the design layer becomes visible, destroying the decorative effect of the design layer.

A way of ameliorating these problems has been sought.

According to the invention there is provided an embossed synthetic slip-resistant floor-covering material comprising a decorative layer which is covered by a substantially transparent wear coat which comprises two or more wear layers of a transparent synthetic material which comprise at least one upper wear layer of a transparent synthetic material comprising one or more embedded non-slip particles and at least one lower wear layer of a transparent synthetic material which contains at least part of the one or more non-slip particles.

According to the invention there is further provided a method of preparing a synthetic floor-covering material which method comprises the steps of:

Providing a decorative layer;

Applying at least one lower layer of transparent synthetic material which is substantially free from non-slip particles to the decorative layer;

Applying at least one upper layer of transparent synthetic material to the at least one lower layer of transparent synthetic material wherein the at least one upper layer of transparent synthetic material comprises one or more non-slip particles; and Embossing the floor covering to provide a non-slip texture to the floor covering to ensure that the one or more biodegradable polymeric particles are incorporated into the layer of synthetic material.

Advantages of the invention include that when the floor-covering material is embossed, the appearance of the decorative layer is not damaged by the one or more embedded non-slip particles.

In some embodiments, the surface emboss may have a maximum depth of from 5pm, e.g. from 10pm to 200pm, e.g. to 150pm, e.g. to 100pm. In some embodiments, the decorative layer may be substantially free from damage from the embedded non-slip particles.

In some embodiments, the at least one upper wear layer may have a thickness is greater than a maximum principal dimension of the one or more embedded non-slip particles. This is in order that the at least one upper wear layer has a thickness which is sufficient to accommodate the one or more embedded non-slip particles. In some embodiments, the at least one upper wear layer may have a thickness which is the same as or greater than a principal dimension of an embedded non-slip particle. In some embodiments, the at least one lower wear layer may have a thickness sufficient to protect the decorative layer without adding substantially to the cost or weight per square metre of the floor covering material. A skilled person would be able to determine a suitable thickness on the basis of factors which include the size of the one or more embedded non-slip particles, the viscosity of the lower wear layer, the depth of the emboss, and/or the pressure used to emboss the floor-covering material. In some embodiments, a ratio of a thickness of the at least one upper wear layer to a thickness of the at least one lower wear layer may be from about 10:1, for example from about 8:1, for example from about 6:1 to about 1:10, for example to about 1:8, for example to about 1:6, for example to about 1:4, e.g. to about 1:2, for example to about 1:1.

In some embodiments, the floor-covering material may comprise a protective coating layer on the layer of synthetic material to form an upper layer of the floor-covering material. In some embodiments, the protective coating layer may comprise a non-slip layer. In some embodiments, the non-slip layer may comprise one or more exposed non-slip particles suitable for providing a non-slip surface wherein such exposed non-slip particles are at least partially embedded in the protective coating layer.

In some embodiments, an embedded or exposed non-slip particle may be an inorganic non-slip particle (such as aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, quartz and/or glass) or an organic non-slip particle (such as nylon, acrylic, and/or polyurea). In some embodiments, a non-slip particle may have a maximum or principal dimension (such as a diameter) of from 3, e.g. from 5, e.g. from 10 to 150pm, e.g. to 130pm, e.g. to 110pm, e.g. to 90pm. The initial slip resistance is provided by the surface emboss and optionally by a non-slip surface, if present. These can be designed to provide slip resistance and ease of maintenance without detracting from the appearance of the product. In some embodiments, an exposed or embedded non-slip particle may be a hard degradable polymeric particle. In some embodiments, the hard degradable polymeric particle may be biodegradable (for example by micro organisms such as bacteria and/or fungi), oxidatively degradable, UV-degradable, and/or thermally degradable. In some embodiments, a biodegradable polymeric particle may be biodegradable in a bioreactor landfill (as determined by ASTM D5511-12 standard test method), an accelerated landfill (as determined by ASTM D5526-12 standard test method), controlled composting conditions (as determined by ASTM D5338-98el standard test method), and/or aerobic composting conditions (as determined by ASTM D6400-12 and/or EN13432 (09-2000)). It should be understood herein that a biodegradable polymeric particle that satisfies ASTM D5511 - 12 is suitable for anaerobic biodegradation under high-solids anaerobic-digestion conditions; a biodegradable polymeric particle that satisfies ASTM D5526 - 12 is suitable for anaerobic biodegradation under an accelerated landfill environment where leachate is recirculated back into the landfill; a biodegradable polymeric particle that satisfies ASTM D5338 - 98el is suitable for aerobic biodegradation in an aerobic environment at 60°C; a biodegradable polymeric particle that satisfies ASTM D6400 - 12 is suitable for aerobic composting in municipal or industrial facilities within 180 days at a temperature between 55.5°C and 57°C. In some embodiments, the hard degradable polymeric particle may be formed from a nylon and/or a polyester (such as polyglycolic acid, a terephthalate copolymer (such as polyethylene terephthalate and/or polybutylene terephthalate), polycarbonate or polycarbonate copolymer, and/or polylactic acid).

In some embodiments, the protective coating layer may comprise a cured polymer layer; suitable polymers for use in the protective coating layer include polyurethane, polyacrylate, urethane acrylate and/or a PVDF based composition. In some embodiments, the protective coating layer may have a thickness of from 5 to 50pm. In some embodiments, a suitable coating composition for forming a protective coating layer may be a UV curable mixture containing an oligomeric acrylic (which acts as a binder), one or more monomeric acrylics (which acts as a solvent) and a photoinitiator, where each component is cross-linked.

In some embodiments, the layer of synthetic material may be formed from a plasticised PVC, polyolefin, polyurethane, an ionomer (such as Dupont Surlyn), EVA, and/or any other flexible polymer. In some embodiments, the layer of synthetic material may be pigmented or may be substantially transparent.

In some embodiments, the floor-covering material may be a sheet material or a luxury vinyl tile. In some embodiments, floor-covering sheet material may be provided in the form of a roll. In some embodiments, the floor-covering material may comprise a lower foamed layer. In some embodiments, the lower foam layer may include a plurality of layers of synthetic material of which one or more may be foamed to provide comfort to a user.

In some embodiments, the floor-covering material may be formed from one or more synthetic materials such as a plastics material such as a polymeric material. Suitable plastics materials include PVC, polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polylactic acid (PLA), polyester, a polyolefin, a thermoplastic elastomer and/or polyacrylate.

In some embodiments, the floor-covering material may include one or more of the following layers: a foamed layer, a support layer, an upper protective coating layer forming an upper surface of the floor covering material, and/or a lower fabric layer forming a lower surface of the floor covering material. In some embodiments, the lower fabric layer may be formed from a fleece material having a nap wherein the fabric layer improves the sound and/or heat insulation properties of the floor-covering material. In some embodiments, the lower fabric layer may be floor-facing.

In some embodiments, the floor-covering material may have an optionally foamed lower layer which is formed from a synthetic or plastic material. In some embodiments, the optionally foamed lower layer may be embossed to form a plurality of studs. Advantages of providing studs on a lower surface of the floor-covering material include that the floor-covering material may be loose lay and may improve the ventilation of the sub-surface. In some embodiments, narrow ventilation channels are formed between the plurality of studs wherein the narrow ventilation channels have a width which is less than a principal or maximum dimension of the studs. In some embodiments, the plurality of studs may have a square or rectangular cross-sectional shape. In some embodiments, the plurality of studs may have a length to width ratio of from 3:1, e.g. from 2:1, e.g. 1.8:1, e.g. from 1.6:1, e.g. from 1.4:1, e.g. from 1.2:1 to 1:1.

In some embodiments, the floor-covering material may include a support layer. In some embodiments, the support layer may be provided on a lower surface of the decorative layer. In some embodiments, the support layer may be an optionally woven layer. In some embodiments, the support layer may be formed from fibres (such as glass fibres, synthetic fibres, or a mix). In some embodiments, the support layer may be a scrim complex. In some embodiments, the support layer may have an impregnated layer of plastics material.

In some embodiments, the decorative layer may be laminated to the floor-covering material. In some embodiments, the decorative layer may comprise a printing layer and a printed design layer. In some embodiments, the printing layer may be suitable for receiving a printed design or having a printed design applied to it by a digital or gravure printer. In some embodiments, the printing layer may have a pigment which is suitable for providing a background to a printed design where such a pigment may have a similar or contrasting colour to one or more colours in the printed design, e.g. a white pigment. In some embodiments, the printing layer may be formed from a plastics material which may comprise, for example, one or more of the following polymers: PVC, polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polylactic acid (PLA), polyester, a polyolefin, a thermoplastic elastomer and/or polyacrylate.

In some embodiments, the floor-covering material may be chemically embossed. In some embodiments, the printing layer may be a foamed printing layer formed from a plasticised polymer composition which comprises a foaming and/or expanding additive and the printed design layer may be printed with one or more inks which selectively inhibit the foaming and/or expanding additive.

In some embodiments, the printed design layer may comprise a decoration applied by a printing process, for example offset lithography, flexography, digital printing, gravure, or screen printing. In some embodiments, the printed design layer may comprise a latex-based ink.

In some embodiments, the foamed layer may comprise a foamed plastics material capable of imparting a sound attenuation effect, for example an acoustic impact sound absorption of more than lOdB. In some embodiments, the acoustic impact sound absorption may be from 4dB, e.g. from 6dB, e.g. from 8dB, lOdB, e.g. from 12dB to 22dB, e.g. to 20dB, e.g. to 18dB, e.g. to 16dB. In some embodiments, the acoustic impact sound absorption may be 12dB, 14dB, 16dB, or 18dB. In some embodiments, the foamed plastics material may be mechanically foamed by incorporating one or more types of compressible plastic spheres. In some embodiments, the foamed plastics material may be chemically foamed by an exothermic or endothermic blowing agent. In some embodiments, the blowing agent may be an azodicarbonamide, modified azodicarbonamide, oxy-bisfbenzene- suldonylhydrazide), 5-phenyltetrazole, p-Toluylensulfonyl-semicarbazid or p-Toluylensulfonyl- hycarbazide; for example, the blowing agent may be Hydrocerol ^® (Clariant) or Toamazol™ (Bergen International). In some embodiments, the foamed layer may comprise one or more of the following polymers: PVC, polyvinyl butyral (PVB), polylactic acid (PLA), polyester and/or polyacrylate.

In some embodiments, the method of the invention may include a step of gelling an upper surface of the lower wear layer before the step of applying at least one upper layer of transparent synthetic material to the at least one lower layer . Advantages of such a gelling step include that the penetration of the one or more embedded non-slip particles from the upper wear layer into the lower wear layer may be reduced, to further reduce the risk of damage to the decorative layer.

The invention will now be described with reference to the following Figures of the accompanying drawings which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-section of a first embodiment of a floor-covering material according to the invention after embossing;

Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-section of a second embodiment of a floor-covering material according to the invention after embossing;

Figure 3 shows a schematic cross-section of a third embodiment of a floor-covering material according to the invention after embossing;

Figure 4 shows a schematic cross-section of a comparative floor covering before embossing; and

Figure 5 shows a schematic cross-section of a comparative floor covering after embossing.

The first embodiment of a floor-covering material according to the invention is indicated generally at 30 on Figure 1. Floor-covering material 30 comprises a lower foamed layer 32 in the form of a foam forming plastics material comprising a plasticised PVC composition and an azodicarbonamide, a support layer 34 in the form of a non-woven glass fibre layer arranged on an upper surface of the lower foamed layer 32, an impregnation layer 36 formed of plastics material arranged on an upper surface of the support layer 34, a decorative layer 37 on an upper surface of the impregnation layer 36, a clear coat 41 which comprises a lower clear wear layer 42A on an upper surface of the decorative layer 37 and an upper clear wear layer 42B on an upper surface of the lower clear wear layer 42A, and a polyacrylate protective coating layer 44 on an upper surface of the upper clear wear layer 42B. The upper clear wear layer 42B includes a transparent embedded non-slip particle layer 50 formed from one or more transparent embedded non-slip particles 52. The lower clear wear layer 42A contains at least a part of the one or more transparent embedded non-slip particles 52 after embossing such that the floor-covering material 30 meets the requirements of EN13845.

The decorative layer 37 comprises a pigmented printing layer 38 (formed from a pigmented plasticised PVC composition having a white pigment) and a printed design layer 40 on an upper surface of the pigmented printing layer 38. In an alternative embodiment, the decorative layer 37 may be provided by a laminated decorative sheet.

The one or more transparent non-slip particles 52 may comprise one or more inorganic particles (such as aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, quartz and/or glass) and/or one or more organic particles (such as nylon, acrylic, and/or polyurea). The one or more transparent non-slip particles 52 may have a principal dimension (such as a diameter) of from 5 to llOpm.

The wear coat 41 which comprises the upper and lower clear wear layers 42A,42B may be formed from plasticised PVC, polyolefin, polyurethane, ionomers (such as Dupont Surlyn), EVA, or any other flexible polymer that is substantially transparent. The wear coat may have a thickness of from 0.3mm to 1mm. The one or more non-slip particles 52 may be formed from an organic (e.g. polymeric) or inorganic material.

The floor-covering material 30 is embossed with a surface emboss (not shown) to provide the floor covering material 30 with a non-slip surface. The surface emboss has a maximum depth of from 10 to 500 pm. The floor-covering material 30 is suitable for use as a covering material for a floor as the non slip surface is intended to reduce the risk of a person slipping when walking on the floor-covering material. The protective coating layer 44 comprises a cured polymer layer and has a thickness of from 5 to 50pm.

In situations where high product wear is experienced, the one or more non-slip particles 52 will be exposed due to the difference in wear resistance between the non-slip particles 52 and the wear layers 42A,42B. Exposure of the one or more non-slip particles 52 will create surface roughness which produces slip resistance.

The printed decorative layer 40 may be applied by any known suitable printing technique such as inkjet printing or gravure printing on the pigmented printing layer 38. The pigmented printing layer 38 is formulated to be suitable for receiving the printed decorative layer 40. In an alternative embodiment, the pigmented printing layer 38 may be pigmented with a pigment having a colour other than white such as a colour which contrasts or complements the printed decorative layer 40.

Suitable polymers for use in the protective coating layer 38 include polyurethane, polyacrylate, urethane acrylate or a PVDF based composition. A suitable coating composition for forming protective coating layer 38 is a UV curable mixture containing an oligomeric acrylic (the binder), monomeric acrylics (the solvent) and a photoinitiator, where each component is cross-linked.

In an alternative embodiment, the lower layer 32 may be formed from an un-foamed plasticised PVC composition such that lower layer 32 is a compact lower layer 32.

In a further alternative embodiment, the transparent non-slip particle layer 50 may include one or more transparent non-slip particles 52 may be partially embedded in the upper wear layer 42B such that they are exposed at the surface of the floor-covering material 30 to increase the non-slip properties.

The second embodiment of a floor-covering material according to the invention is indicated generally at 130 on Figure 2. Like features of the second embodiment to the first embodiment of the floor covering material are identified by like reference numerals. Floor-covering material 130 comprises the layers of a floor-covering material 30 according to the first embodiment which are the lower layer 32 in the form of a foamed PVC layer, a support layer 34, an impregnation layer 36, decorative layer 37, a transparent wear coat 41 comprising lower and upper transparent wear layers 42A,42B of synthetic material incorporating the embedded non-slip particle layer 50, and a protective coating layer 44. In addition, the protective coating layer 38 comprises an exposed non-slip layer 60.

Exposed non-slip layer 60 comprises one or more non-slip particles 62 suitable for providing a non slip surface wherein such non-slip particles 62 are at least partially embedded in the protective coating layer 44 and the upper clear wear layer 42B. The non-slip particles 42 may comprise one or more inorganic particles (such as aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, quartz and/or glass) and/or one or more organic particles (such as nylon, acrylic, and/or polyurea). The non-slip particles 62 may have a principal dimension (such as a diameter) of from 5 to llOpm. The floor-covering material 130 is suitable for use as a covering material for a floor as the non-slip surface is intended to reduce the risk of a person slipping when walking on the floor-covering material.

In an alternative embodiment, the non-slip particles 62 may be partially embedded only in the protective coating layer 44.

The third embodiment of a floor-covering material according to the invention is indicated generally at 230 on Figure 3. Like features of the third embodiment to the second embodiment of the floor covering material are identified by like reference numerals. Floor-covering material 230 comprises the layers of a floor-covering material 130 according to the second embodiment which are which are the lower layer 32 in the form of a foamed PVC layer, a support layer 34, an impregnation layer 36, a decorative layer 37, a transparent wear coat 41 comprising lower and upper clear wear layers 42A,42B of synthetic material incorporating the embedded non-slip particle layer 50, a protective coating layer 44, and a non-slip layer 60. In addition, a fabric backing layer 31 is provided on the lower surface of the lower layer 32. Fabric backing layer 31 is in the form of a fleece layer having an exposed nap suitable for providing additional sound and/or heat insulation to the floor-covering material 230. The floor-covering material 230 is suitable for use as a covering material for a floor.

In an alternative embodiment, the pigmented printing layer 38 of floor-covering material 30,130,230 may be a foamed pigment printing layer 38 such that the pigment printing layer 38 is formed from a plasticised polymer composition which comprises a foaming or expanding additive and the printed decorative layer 40 may be printed with one or more inks which selectively inhibit the foaming or expanding additive such that the floor-covering material 30,130,230 may be chemically embossed.

A first comparative embodiment of a non-embossed floor-covering material is indicated generally at A30 on Figure 4. Like features of the first comparative embodiment to the first embodiment of the floor-covering material are identified by like reference numerals. Comparative floor-covering material A30 comprises the following layers: lower layer 32 in the form of a foamed PVC layer, a support layer 34, an impregnation layer 36, a pigmented printing layer 38, a printed decorative layer 40, a single layer wear coat comprising one clear wear layer 42 of synthetic material incorporating a particle layer 50, and a protective coating layer 44. The single clear wear layer 42 includes a transparent non-slip particle layer 50 formed from one or more transparent non-slip particles 52.

A second comparative embodiment of an embossed floor-covering material is indicated generally at B30 on Figure 5. Like features of the second comparative embodiment to the first embodiment of the floor-covering material are identified by like reference numerals. Comparative floor-covering material B30 comprises the following layers: lower layer 32 in the form of a foamed PVC layer, a support layer 34, an impregnation layer 36, a pigmented printing layer 38, a damaged printed decorative layer 40A comprising part of the particle layer 50, a single layer wear coat comprising one clear wear layer 42 of synthetic material incorporating part of the particle layer 50, and a protective coating layer 44. Embossed comparative floor-covering material B30 illustrates that the embossing process moves the particle layer 50 from the single layer wear coat 40 into the printed decorative layer 40, damaging the printed decorative layer 40 in the process. This exposes the underlying pigmented printing layer 38 and such that pigmented marks are formed which spoil the visual appeal of the embossed floor covering material B30.

The floor-covering material 30,130,230 may be provided as a roll of floor-covering material or may optionally be cut up into tiles.

The invention will now be illustrated with reference to the following Examples which are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention.

EXAMPLE 1

The method of the invention was performed to prepare a floor-covering material 30,130,230 according to the invention by carrying out the following steps: a. coating a non-woven glass fibre with an impregnation layer of plastics material and gelling the coating at a temperature higher than 120°C, particularly on a heated drum; b. Applying a printing layer formed from a pigmented plasticised PVC composition which may optionally comprise one or more foaming or expanding additives; c. gelling the pigmented printing layer on a heated drum; d. Printing onto the surface of the pigmented printing layer using gravure printing one or more pigmented inks to form a decorative layer, where the pigmented ink could be transparent or opaque and wherein one or more of the pigmented inks may include an inhibitor for the foaming or expanding additive for preparing a chemically embossed floor covering material; e. Drying the printed ink with heat; f. Inverting the product; g. Applying a backing layer comprising either a foam-forming plastics material comprising a plasticised PVC composition, or a compact-forming plastics material comprising a plasticised PVC composition to form an alternative embodiment to the floor-covering material 30,130,230 where the lower layer is a compact lower layer; h. Optionally applying a fleece layer to the backing layer (where the method forms a floor covering material 230 according to a third embodiment of the invention); i. Gelling the backing layer on a heated drum; j. Inverting the product; k. Applying a lower wear layer comprising a clear plastics material having a plasticised PVC composition which is substantially free from non-slip particles;

L. optionally gelling the upper surface of the lower wear layer and to reduce penetration of the one or more embedded non-slip particles from the upper wear layer; m. Applying an upper wear layer comprising a clear plastics material comprising a plasticised PVC composition and one or more embedded non-slip particles; n. Scattering the polymeric material into the surface of the plasticised PVC composition of the upper wear layer; o. Gelling the two layers of the wear coat either on a heated drum or in an oven; p. Cooling the floor-covering material according to the first embodiment of the invention; q. Applying a protective coating layer (optionally containing slip resistant particles to form a surface covering 130 according to the second embodiment of the invention) and curing it to form a floor-covering material according to the first embodiment of the invention; r. Winding the product into a roll of the required length; and optionally s. Cutting the product into tiles.