Thermoplastic vinyl tile products and production thereof

Claim 2

A REINFORCED THERMOPLASTIC VINYL CHLORIDE TILE COMPOSITION SUITABLE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FLOOR TILE WHICH COMPRISES A MINOR WEIGHT PROPORTION OF A PLASTICIZED VINYL CHLORIDE POLYMER UNIFORMLY MIXED WITH A MAJOR WEIGHT PROPORTION OF A MIXTURE OF FINELY DIVIDED MINERAL FILLERS, SAID MIXTURE OF FILLE RS COMPRISING, BASED ON THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF SAID COMPOSITION, 2% TO 15% ATTAPULGITE CLAY WHICH HAS BEEN HEAT ACTIVATED TO A VOLIATILE MATTER BELOW 10% BY WEIGHT, 15 TO 35% PLATY TALC AND 30 TO 50% CALCIUM CARBONATE, WITH THE PROVISO THAT THE COMBINED AMOUNT OF MINERAL FILLERS IS IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 55 TO 85% OF SAID TOTAL WEIGHT, SAID COMPOSITION EING FREE FROM ASBESTOS.

Claim 3

The tile composition of claim 1 wherein said plasticized vinyl chloride constitutes about 20 to 30% by weight of the composition, the mixture of fillers consisting essentially of the balance.

Claim 4

The tile composition of claim 2 wherein said plasticized vinyl chloride constitutes about 24 to 26% of the weight of said composition and is a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer containing at least 70% vinyl chloride.

Claim 5

The tile composition of claim 3 wherein said heat-activated attapulgite clay has an average particle size in the range of 3 to 20 microns and is present in amount in the range of about 2 to 15% based on the weight of the tile composition.

Claim 6

The tile composition of claim 4 wherein the calcium carbonate is present in amount of about 30 to 50% based on the weight of the tile composition and said platy talc is present in amount of about 15 to 35% by weight of the tile composition.

Claim 7

The tile composition of claim 4 wherein said heat-activated attapulgite clay is present in amount in the range of about 4 to 10% based on the weight of the tile composition.

Claim 8

The tile composition of claim 2 which contains from 2 to 15% by weight of heat-activated attapulgite clay and from 15 to 35% by weight of a platy filler selected from the group consisting of talc and mixtures of talc with up to 50% by weight of kaolin clay.

Claim 9

A reinforced thermoplastic vinyl chloride sheet composition which comprises about 16 to 18% by weight of a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer containing at least 70% vinyl chloride, about 6 to 8% by weight of a plasticizer composed of a combination of dioctyl phthalate and epoxidized soya bean oil, stabilizer, pigment and, as a filler, from 4 to 10% by weight of attapulgite clay heat-activated to a volatile matter below 5% by weight and in the form of a powder having an average particle size below 20 microns, 35 to 40% by weight calcium carbonate and 25 to 30% by weight of a platy talc, said composition being essentially free from asbestos.

Claim 10

A reinforced thermoplastic vinyl chloride sheet composition which comprises about 16 to 18% by weight of a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer containing at least 70% vinyl chloride, about 6 to 8% by weight of a plasticizer composed of a combination of dioctyl phthalate and epoxidized soya bean oil, stabilizer, pigment and, as a filler, from 4 to 10% by weight of attapulgite clay heat-activated to a volatile matter below 5% by weight and in the form of a powder having an average particle size below 20 microns, 35 to 40% by weight calcium carbonate and 25 to 30% by weight of a platy talc, said composition being essentially free from asbestos.

Claim 11

In a method for producing reinforced thermoplastic vinyl chloride wherein a plasticized vinyl chloride polymer is mixed with mineral fillers including a filler which functions as a reinforcing agent and provides hot strength and a filler which functions as a bulking agent, and the resulting tile composition is calendered between heated rolls to form sheets, the improvement whereby the desired hot strength and reinforcement are obtained without incorporating asbestos, which comprises utilizing as the filler a mixture of minerals consisting essentially of micron-size particles of attapulgite clay which has been heat activated to a volatile matter below 10% by weight, 15 to 35% platy talc and 30 to 50% calcium carbonate, said particles of attapulgite clay being present in amount within the range of about 2 to 15% based on the weight of the tile composition, with the proviso that the combined amount of mineral fillers is in the range of about 55 to 85% of the weight of said composition.

Claim 12

In a method for producing reinforced thermoplastic vinyl chloride wherein a plasticized vinyl chloride polymer is mixed with mineral fillers including a filler which functions as a reinforcing agent and provides hot strength and a filler which functions as a bulking agent, and the resulting tile composition is calendered between heated rolls to form sheets, the improvement whereby the desired hot strength and reinforcement are obtained without incorporating asbestos, which comprises utilizing as the filler a mixture of minerals consisting essentially of micron-size particles of attapulgite clay which has been heat activated to a volatile matter below 10% by weight, 15 to 35% platy talc and 30 to 50% calcium carbonate, said particles of attapulgite clay being present in amount within the range of about 2 to 15% based on the weight of the tile composition, with the proviso that the combined amount of mineral fillers is in the range of about 55 to 85% of the weight of said composition.

Claim 13

The method of claim 9 wherein the mixture of mineral fillers constitutes from about 70 to 80% by weight of the filled composition and the attapulgite clay constitutes from about 4 to 10% by weight of the filled composition.