FLOOR COVERINGS WITH UNIVERSAL BACKING AND METHODS OF MAKING, INSTALLING, AND RECYCLING

摘要

A dimensionally stable floor covering comprises a tufted textile substrate and a reinforcement layer attached to the textile substrate. The reinforcement layer includes an adhesive backing compound and reinforcement fibers surrounded by the adhesive backing. The fibers may form a continuous layer on the back side of the floor covering or may be dispersed within the adhesive backing compound. The adhesive backing compound may be hot water-soluble to facilitate recycling of the floor covering. The floor covering may optionally include additional backing layers (including cushions) and may be used as a broadloom carpet, a carpet tile, or other modular floor covering products. Methods of manufacturing, installing, and recycling the present floor coverings are also provided.

主权项

1. A recyclable floor covering having a universal reinforcing backing layer which can be applied to both broadloom and modular floor coverings, the recyclable floor covering comprising:
a tufted textile substrate having a primary backing substrate extending in a first direction and a plurality of yarns tufted through the primary backing substrate, the primary backing substrate having a face side and a back side opposite the face side, a portion of each yarn forming a stitch portion having an end that is located on the back side of the primary backing substrate, and an interstitial space existing between the end of each stitch portion; a reinforcement layer of fibers laying predominately in the first direction and the fibers being in substantial alignment with each other for forming a reinforcement layer of the fibers that is substantially parallel to the backing substrate, the ends of the stitch portions engaging the reinforcement layer of fibers for separating the reinforcement layer of fibers from the backing substrate and the engagement of the reinforcement layer of fibers with the stitch portions providing dimensional stability for the entire floor covering, and the reinforcement layer of fibers and the backing substrate being separated by a substantially fiber free space; and a fiber free adhesive in the space between the reinforcement layer of fibers and the backing substrate for allowing the yarns, textile substrate, reinforcement fibers, and adhesive to be separated and recycled.