Patent Application
20240165928
This invention relates generally to a tile backer board particularly suited for wet environments like bath or shower enclosures.
Structural panels are used in showers and baths and similar wet environments to provide waterproofing and a surface for tile adhesion. Traditional panels comprise water resistant drywall or cementitious panels which are heavy, brittle and require an additional waterproofing coating or membrane. Therefore, there exists a need for a structural panel board that is lightweight, easy to transport, handle and install and provides the benefits of waterproofing and tile adhesion necessary for such wet environments.
One existing flexible tile membrane is taught in US2014/0377519, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention is directed to a structural panel that includes a strong waterproof film layer as well as a central polystyrene foam core to provide a high barrier to liquid and gaseous water penetration with good nail and screw pull through resistance as compared to the prior art.
The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:
The above-described drawings are schematic and therefore not to scale.
The foam core 30 preferably provides a central structure to the backing board 10 while reducing weight. Given the desired application, generally along damp environment vertical walls and floors, the sheer strength is less important than the weight and adherence characteristics of the polystyrene core 30. The foam core 30 preferably comprises an expanded polystyrene (“EPS”) or extruded polystyrene (“XPS”).
A composite face structure 20, also called a “facer,” is preferably laminated to each face of the foam core 30. The composite face structure 20 is preferably duplicated on each side of the foam core 30 such that a pair of composite face structures 20 and the foam core 30 together comprise the backing board 10. The composite face structure 20 is preferably applied to both sides of the foam core 30 to allow installation independent of side as well as provide similar mechanical properties on both sides.
The composite face structure 20 may be adhesive laminated to each side of the foam core 30, such as shown in
The composite face structure 20 may be separately manufactured and then subsequently adhered to the foam core 30 in a later operation or may be fabricated in process with the foam core 30. In either event, it is preferable that two composite face structures 20 are produced such that each are positionable on each respective side of the foam core 30.
An outer layer of each composite face structure 20 preferably includes an outer non-woven fabric layer 40. As used herein, the “outer” layer refers to a layer of the backing board 10 that is the outermost layer and is used for tile or similar surface covering adhesion and, on an opposite side of the backing board 10, is used to face and adhere to studs, a wall and/or other framing substrate. The non-woven fabric layer 40 is preferably suitable for bonding of either a tile or similar hard wall surface. One preferred embodiment of the non-woven fabric layer is a polypropylene or PET point bond nonwoven material. A preferred weight range is approximately 0.9 to 1.2 oz/yd2 although other weight ranges may be appropriate depending on the balance of the backing board 10 structure.
The composite face structure 20 additionally includes a central film layer 50. As used herein, the term “central” film layer 50 does not necessarily require that the central film layer 50 is a numerically or spatially central layer, only that it is not an outer, exposed layer of the composite face structure 20. Specifically, the central film layer 50 preferably comprises a proprietary VALERON film layer. VALERON film preferably comprises a high-density polyethylene that is oriented and cross-laminated. Preferably two plies of film are crossed at approximately 90 degrees to each other and laminated with a thin layer, for instance 0.5 mils, of polyethylene. A thicker central film layer 50 may be configured with four oriented plies and three laminating layers. In total, a preferred thickness of the central film layer 50 within the composite face structure 20 is approximately 3-10 mils thick. Such a thickness provides stability to the backing board 10 and enables use of a foam core 30 that would otherwise be susceptible to breakage.
The composite face structure 20 further includes an inner copolymer layer 60. As used herein the term “inner” means a layer of material that is adjacent the foam core 30 and/or between the central film layer 50 and the foam core 30. The inner copolymer layer 60 preferably comprises a copolymer such as ethylene-methacrylate (EMA), or in an alternatively embodiment, an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). A suitable EMA includes approximately 20% methacrylate and a density of 0.941 g/cm3. In addition, a suitable EMA includes a melt index of 6 grams/10 minutes and is an extrusion coating grade.
The inner copolymer layer 60 is preferably approximately 0.5 to 1 mil in thickness. As a result, the central film layer 50 is approximately 3 to 20 times thicker than the inner copolymer layer 60. Each of the above-described layers of the composite face structure 20 is preferably extrusion laminated or coated to an adjacent layer.
The inner copolymer layer 60 may be thermally laminated to each side of the foam core 30 thereby attaching the respective composite face structures 20 to each side of the foam core 30.
According to one embodiment of the invention, such as shown in
According to one embodiment of the invention, such as shown in
In addition, as shown in
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the backing board 10 may further include an EP copolymer layer 100 positioned between the central film layer and the outer non-woven fabric layer in each composite face structure. The EP copolymer layer 100 is preferably approximately 0.5 to 1 mil in thickness. The EP copolymer layer 100 is preferred to provide enhanced adhesion to polypropylene point bond nonwovens. EP copolymer can be blended with LDPE to provide better extrusion coating performance with improved adhesion. Additionally, EMA copolymers and EMA/LDPE blends can be used to provide better adhesion to polyester point bond nonwovens.
While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2022/019769 | 3/10/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63159789 | Mar 2021 | US |
