Multilayered mat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11712869-B2
Application number	US-202017004673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2020
Priority date	Aug 27, 2020
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

Mats and panels of mats and methods of making the same are described. The panels include a first portion defined by a first material and a second portion defined by a second material. The first material and the second material have at least one of different compositions and different material properties. The methods include depositing a first material into a mold of a panel, depositing a second material into the mold of the panel after deposition of the first material, and applying at least one of pressure and heat to the mold of the panel to form a panel having the first material and the second material having at least one different compositions and different material properties.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A panel of a mat, the panel comprising:
a first portion defined by a first material, wherein the first material comprises at least 75% weight percent high density polyethylene (“HDPE”); and
a second portion defined by a second material, wherein the second material comprises a weight percent of high density polyethylene (“HDPE”) that is equal to or less than that of the first material,
wherein the first material of the first portion and the second material of the second portion are melted and bonded together, and
wherein the first material and the second material have at least one of different compositions and different material properties.

2. The panel of claim 1 , wherein the first material is different from the second material in at least two of density, flexibility, stiffness, rigidity, antiskid, antistatic, conductivity, resilience, chemical resistance, and permeability properties.

3. The panel of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is a first layer and the second portion is a second layer adjacent to the first layer.

4. The panel of claim 3 , wherein the first portion defines a top surface of the panel and the second portion defines a bottom surface of the panel.

5. The panel of claim 1 , wherein the first portion extends from a bottom surface to a top surface of the panel and the second portion extends from the bottom surface to the top surface of the panel, wherein the first portion is adjacent the second portion.

6. The panel of claim 5 , wherein the first portion defines a main body of the panel and the second portion defines a lip structure of the panel.

7. The panel of claim 1 , further comprising a third portion arranged such that the second portion is positioned at least partially between the first portion and the third portion.

8. The panel of claim 7 , wherein the third portion is formed by the first material.

9. The panel of claim 1 , wherein at least the first portion defines interior structures comprising a combination of voids and ribs of the panel.

10. The panel of claim 1 , wherein the first material and the second material are directly bonded and fused together to form a single, unitary, continuous body.

11. The panel of claim 1 , wherein the first material is composed of high density polyethylene (“HDPE”) having a weight percentage between 75% and 90%, calcium carbonate concentrate having a weight percentage between 8% and 20%, and a color concentrate having a weight percent between 0% and 5%.

12. The panel of claim 11 , wherein the second material is composed of 50-60 weight percentage high density polyethylene (“HDPE”), 25-35 weight percentage linear low-density polyethylene (“LLDPE”), 8-20 weight percentage calcium carbonate concentrate, and 0-5 weight percentage color concentrate.

13. The panel of claim 7 , wherein:
the first material comprises high density polyethylene (“HDPE”) having a weight percentage between 75% and 90%, calcium carbonate concentrate having a weight percentage between 8% and 20%, and color concentrate having a weight percent between 0% and 5%,
the second material comprises a similar composition as the first material and includes recycled materials, and
the third portion is formed of a third material comprising 60-75 weight percent very low-density polyethylene (“VLDPE”), 15-25 weight percent HDPE, 5-15 weight percent anti-static agent, and 0-5 color concentrate.

14. The panel of claim 7 , wherein:
the first material comprises high density polyethylene (“HDPE”) having a weight percentage between 75% and 90%, calcium carbonate concentrate having a weight percentage between 8% and 20%, and color concentrate having a weight percent between 0% and 5%,
the second material comprises a similar composition as the first material and includes recycled materials, and
the third portion is formed of a third material comprising 60-75 weight percentage metallocene linear low-density polyethylene (“mLLDPE”), 15-25 weight percentage HDPE, 5-15 weight percentage anti-static concentrate, and 0-5 weight percentage color concentrate.

15. The panel of claim 7 , wherein:
the first material comprises of 75-90 weight percentage high density polyethylene (“HDPE”), 8-20 calcium carbonate concentrate, and 0-5 weight percentage color concentrate,
the second material comprises 50-60 weight percentage high density polyethylene (“HDPE”), 25-35 weight percentage linear low-density polyethylene (“LLDPE”), 8-20 weight percentage calcium carbonate concentrate, and 0-5 weight percentage color concentrate, and
the third portion is formed of a third material comprising 60-75 weight percentage very low-density polyethylene (“VLDPE”), 15-25 weight percentage high density polyethylene (“HDPE”), 5-15 weight percentage anti-static agent, and 0-5% weight percentage color concentrate.

16. A mat comprising:
a first panel; and
a second panel bonded to the first panel,
wherein the first panel comprises:
a respective first portion defined by a respective first material; and
a respective second portion defined by a respective second material,
wherein the respective first material and the respective second material have at least one of different compositions and different material properties, and
wherein at least a part of the second portion defines a lip structure of the mat that extends from the first portion and does not overlap with the second panel
wherein the first material comprises high density polyethylene (“HDPE”) having a weight percentage between 75% and 90% and calcium carbonate concentrate having a weight percentage between 8% and 20%.

17. The mat of claim 16 , wherein the second panel comprises:
a respective first portion defined by a respective first material; and
a respective second portion defined by a respective second material,
wherein the respective first material of the second panel and the respective second material of the second panel have at least one of different compositions and different material properties.

18. The mat of claim 16 , wherein the second panel is formed from a single material.

19. The mat of claim 17 , further comprising a joint between the first panel and the second panel, wherein the joint comprises bonded material of the first material of the first portion of the first panel and the first material of the first portion of the second panel.

20. The mat of claim 16 , further comprising a perimeter weld that bonds the first panel to the second panel.

Assignees

• Newpark Mats & Integrated Services Llc

Inventors

• Manuel Dane
• Feng Jingxing
• Agrawal Gaurav

Classifications

• B32B3/06 Primary

  for securing layers together; for attaching the product to another member, e.g. to a support {, or to another product, e.g. groove/tongue, interlocking} · CPC title

• B29C43/10

  Isostatic pressing, i.e. using non-rigid pressure-exerting members against rigid parts or dies · CPC title

• B32B3/30

  characterised by a layer formed with recesses or projections, e.g. {hollows, grooves, protuberances, ribs (apertured layer B32B3/266; layer with cavities or internal voids B32B3/26)} · CPC title

• B32B5/142

  Variation across the area of the layer · CPC title

• B32B7/022

  Mechanical properties · CPC title