Technical Field

The invention relates to floorings produced for children to play, especially used outdoors, in areas such as parks, gardens and walking paths.

The invention particularly relates to flooring materials used in all flooring areas requiring high absorption and ergonomic factors.

Present State of the Art

One of the places where children spend most of their time is playgrounds and parks. Not only children but also adults want to spend time outdoors; therefore, they benefit from areas such as parks, gardens, walking paths. These areas are built on concrete-compacted floors, but since they are open to public use, the flooring material absorbs the impacts that will occur in physical activities; therefore, there is a need for a safe sports and playground area.

Currently, rubber flooring is frequently used on these concrete-compacted floorings. Rubber flooring absorbs the impacts of physical activities and provides a safe sports and playground area. Rubber flooring contributes positively to visuality, safety and comfort.

Patent application numbered GB2347450A relates to a method for manufacturing a flexible safety flooring suitable for use in playgrounds where decorative inserts are incorporated. The mentioned method comprises the process steps of; manufacturing an insert comprising a substrate of flexible material and a top layer of wear-resistant material, obtaining a solid base such as concrete, placing the attachment on the base, covering the hard layer with a substrate made of shredded or granulated rubber compressed with a urethane material and a top layer made of polyurethane granules.

Patent application numbered CN1 1 1073084 A discloses a spherical surface material and a method of preparing a spherical surface thereof. The material comprises the following components in parts by weight: 30-40 parts of SBR I EVA mixture, 40-60 parts of reinforcing filler, 0.2-0.8 parts of vulcanizing agent, 0.5-1 .0 part of accelerator and 2-4 parts of foaming agent. The SBR/EVA mixture is prepared from butadiene styrene rubber and an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; wherein the weight ratio of butadiene styrene rubber to ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer is 1 :0.2-1 . The invention provides a material that is difficult to break or crack, has high weather resistance and abrasion resistance, and is difficult to deform.

Today, millions of tires are produced and changed annually due to the increasing demand for tires of automotive, construction equipment and similar products. SBR cast rubbers are used for flooring in order to make these tires, which have been turned into waste, to be beneficial in the ecosystem again. It is also possible to produce a new product such as EPDM by this method. SBR/EPDM rubber and its derivatives are produced in different sizes and shapes, and in practice, and they are turned into products in both in-situ and hot press molds. However, since the surface area is high due to the material form, it occupies more volume in the same thickness in the area where it is poured or in the mold in which it is pressed, and its density per unit area increases. This causes the material to receive less absorption.

In conclusion, due to the abovementioned negativities and the inadequacy of the existing solutions regarding the subject of the invention, it has been deemed necessary to make a development on the flooring materials used on all floors requiring absorption and ergonomic features.

Object of the Invention

The present invention relates to the flooring of the coating material, which meets the above-mentioned requirements, eliminates all the disadvantages, and brings some additional advantages, on a hard floor by pouring-in-place method and/or manufacturing tiles using the hot press molding method.

The primary object of the invention is to be in a form suitable for flexing, and to obtain a surface covered with a flexible coating material, which uses less material and occupies more volume when poured due to the voids in the hollow three- dimensional geometric form of flexibility-enhancing material.

Another object of the invention is to develop a floor covering covered with a low-cost covering material since less material is needed. Another object of the invention is to develop a material with high absorption performance.

In order to fulfill the abovementioned objects, the invention is a flooring for playgrounds; wherein it comprises a first layer obtained by mixing at least one flexibility-enhancing material in a hollow three-dimensional geometric form and/or at least one filling material in various forms with at least one adhesive material and/or, the second layer obtained by mixing at least one flexibility-enhancing material in hollow three-dimensional geometric form and/or at least one filling material in various forms and at least one coating material with at least one adhesive material Hollow three-dimensional geometric forms mentioned here are single or in combinations selected from three-dimensional structures with regular irregular surfaces such as triangle, quadrilateral, polygon, prismatic, elliptical, cylindrical, spherical.

The structural and characteristic features of the invention and all its advantages will be understood more clearly with the figures given below and the detailed description with reference to these figures, and therefore the evaluation should be made by taking these figures and detailed explanation into consideration.

Figures for a Better Understanding of the Invention

Figure 1 is a view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2a is a view of alternative flexibility-enhancing material in hollow cylindrical form.

Figure 2b is a view of alternative flexibility-enhancing material in the form of a hollow square prism.

Figure 2c is a view of alternative flexibility-enhancing material in the form of a hollow rectangular prism.

Figure 2d is a view of alternative flexibility-enhancing material in the form of a hollow triangular prism.

Figure 2e is a view of alternative flexibility-enhancing material in the form of a hollow pentagon prism. Figure 2f is a view of alternative flexibility-enhancing material in the form of a hollow hexagon prism.

Figure 2g is a view of alternative flexibility-enhancing material in hollow elliptical form.

Figure 2h is a view of alternative flexibility-enhancing material in hollow, irregular polyhedral elliptical form.

The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and details which are not necessary for the understanding of the present invention may be omitted. In addition, elements that are substantially identical or have substantially identical functions are denoted by the same reference signs.

List of the References

A flexibility-enhancing material

B flooring

1 first layer

2 second layer

3 floor

Detailed Description of the Invention

In this detailed description, a flooring (B) according to the invention for the playgrounds and its preferred embodiments are explained only for a better understanding of the subject of the invention, and without any limiting effect.

The invention is a flooring (B) for playgrounds; wherein it comprises a first layer (1 ) obtained by mixing at least one flexibility-enhancing (A) material in a hollow three- dimensional geometric form and/or at least one filling material in various forms with at least one adhesive material and/or, the second layer (2) obtained by mixing at least one flexibility-enhancing material (A) in hollow three-dimensional geometric form and/or at least one filling material in various forms and at least one coating material with at least one adhesive material. Hollow three-dimensional geometric forms mentioned herein are single or in combinations selected from regular or irregular prismatic, elliptical, cylindrical, spherical forms. According to an embodiment of the invention, the flooring (B) consists of the mentioned first layer (1 ) positioned on the hard floor (3).

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flooring (B) consists of the mentioned first layer (1 ) and mentioned second layer (2) positioned thereon.

Alternative embodiments of the invention may include different configurations, while preferred embodiments comprise the following in their most basic form: a. two layers (1 ,2) and in each layer at least one flexibility enhancing material (A) in hollow three-dimensional geometric form and/or at least one filling material in various forms b. two layers (1 ,2) and in one layer at least one flexibility enhancing material (A) in hollow three-dimensional geometric form and/or at least one filling material in various forms, and not comprising the above-mentioned in the other layer c. Single layer (1 or 2), in which at least one resilience enhancing material (A) in hollow three-dimensional geometric form and/or at least one filling material in various forms.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1 comprises a floor (3) (preferably concrete-compacted soil), a first layer (1 ) located on this ground, and a second layer (2) located above the first layer (1 ), respectively. The first layer (1 ) comprises a mixture of flexibility enhancing material (A) and at least one adhesive material, which is in the most basic form in a hollow three-dimensional geometric form, and the second layer (2) comprises at least one coating material and adhesive material mixture. In preferred embodiments, flexibility increasing material (A) and filling materials in various forms are mixed and added to the first layer (1 ) or the second layer (2). The flexibility-enhancing material (A) can be used alone in the first layers (1 ) and in the second layers (2), or it can be mixed with various forms of filling material by using the aforementioned adhesive. After the first layer (1 ) is poured onto the preferably concrete-compacted ground (3) to be covered, the second layer (2) is poured over the first layer containing the flexibility-enhancing material (A) in a hollow three-dimensional geometric form and the floor covering process is performed thereof. A product that occupies less volume is produced with the flexibility-enhancing material (A) in hollow three-dimensional geometric form, which can be used in alternative embodiments in Figure 2(a-h), poured through the gaps in the geometric design created in forms suitable for structural flexibility. Since less material is used, the product is obtained with less cost. In addition, this hollow and flexible structure of the material increases the absorption rate and the overall benefit.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the hollow three-dimensional geometric form flexibility-increasing material (A) in the first layer (1 ) and the coating material in the second layer (2) are obtained by hot press molding method. The flexibility-enhancing material being in a hollow three-dimensional geometric form and being obtained by hot press molding method ensures that it does not occupy much volume in the same thickness in the mold it is pressed due to its large surface area and does not increase the density per unit area. In this case, the material exhibits superior absorption performance. An exemplary view of the flooring consisting of the first layer (1 ) and the second layer (2) formed by the hot press molding method is given in Figure 1 .