Bendable panel

Abstract

A bendable panel comprising a substrate layer, wherein the panel is provided with a mechanism enabling the panel to bend. The mechanism enabling the panel to bend is at least one groove or cut, and the depth of the groove or cut is no longer than the panel thickness. The substrate layer is prepared by the following materials with the following mass ratio: 100 parts of PVC resin or PVC powder, 30-55 parts of a styrene based elastomer, 150-300 parts of stone powder, sawdust or rock, 1-10 parts of an additive, and 1-4 parts of an elastomer coupling agent. The panel may be bent during the installation, and several panels can be seamlessly installed.

Claims

1. A bendable panel, comprising a substrate layer, wherein: the panel is provided with a mechanism enabling the panel to bend, the mechanism enabling the panel to bend is at least one groove or cut, the cut is for making a groove, the depth of the groove or cut is no longer than the thickness of the panel, the substrate layer is prepared by the following materials at the following mass ratio: TABLE-US-00011 PVC resin or PVC powder 100 parts; A styrene based elastomer 30-55 parts; Stone powder, sawdust or rock 150-300 parts; An additive 1-10 parts; An elastomer coupling agent 1-4 parts, the additive is one or more selected from the group consisting of a stabilizer, stearic acid, PE wax, chlorinated polyethylene, a modifier, a dye, a brightener and a plasticizer, the elastomer coupling agent is obtained by polymerization of a polyol, allylic acid, styrene or its derivative, and vinyl chloride.

2. The bendable panel of claim 1, wherein the mechanism enabling the panel to bend further contains a bending angle fixing mechanism.

3. The bendable panel of claim 2, wherein: the bending angle fixing mechanism is arranged inside of the groove, the bending angle fixing mechanism consists of a primary support part, a secondary support part and an adjusting board, the primary support part is arranged on one side of the groove, and the secondary support part is arranged on the opposite side of the groove, the adjusting board is a mechanism having an adjustable length, one end of the adjusting board is rotatably fixed onto the primary support part, and the other end is detachably attached to the secondary part.

4. The bendable panel of claim 2, wherein: the bending angle fixing mechanism is arranged inside of the groove, the bending angle fixing mechanism consists of a primary support part, a secondary support part and an angle brace, the primary support part is arranged on one side of the groove, and the secondary support part are arranged on the opposite side of the groove, the primary support part and the secondary support part contain at least one locating hole respectively, the locating hole(s) on the primary and secondary support parts are set in pairs, the angle brace consists a primary support base and a secondary support base, both provided with locating holes, the primary support base and the secondary support base form an included angle, the locating holes in the angle brace match at least one pair of locating holes in the primary and secondary support bases.

5. The bendable panel of claim 1, wherein the elastomer coupling agent is prepared by a method comprising the steps of: 1) adding a polyol and allylic acid into a polymerization reactor in turn, reacting the resultant mixture under an acid catalyst for 0.1-0.5 hours at 80-120° C., removing water and obtaining a mixture, and 2) reacting the obtained mixture with styrene or its derivative(s) and vinyl chloride at 120-160° C. at the presence of an initiator for 1-2 hours, raising the temperature to 200-240° C., and allowing the reaction to proceed for another 1-3 hours to obtain the elastomer coupling agent.

6. The bendable panel of claim 5, wherein the polyol, allylic acid, styrene or its derivative(s), and vinyl chloride are at a molar ratio of 1:2-6:5-15:5-15.

7. The bendable panel of claim 5, wherein the polyol is one or more selected from the group consisting of glycol, 1,2-propanediol, dipropylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, triethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, trihydroxymethyl propane, pentaerythritol and glycerol.

8. The bendable panel of claim 1, wherein: the layer is subject to one-pass, multi-pass or continuous cold or hot pressing, the cold or hot pressing is performed at a pressure of 8-12 kg/cm2, the cold or hot pressing is performed for 0.1-360 minutes, the cold pressing is done at a temperature of 10-35° C., the hot pressing is done at a temperature of 60-180° C.

9. The bendable panel of claim 1, wherein at least one functional layer is arranged above and/or below the substrate layer.

10. The bendable panel of claim 9, wherein the functional layer is one or more selected from the group consisting of a patterned layer, a wear layer, a paint layer, a veneer layer, a thermal insulating layer, a waterproof layer, a skid-proof layer, and an adhesive layer.

11. The bendable panel of claim 9, wherein the functional layer is one or more selected from the group consisting of a tree bark, a non-woven fabric, a bamboo bark, a wooden board, a bamboo board, a metal board, a WPC board, a PVC board, a LVT board, a calcium silicate board, an aluminum plastic sheet, a plastic sheet, a PVC coiled sheet, a bamboo-wood composite board, a magnesium board, a wood-plastic board, a stone board, a volcanic lime board, a calcium silicon carbonate board, a plastic board, a gypsum board, a glass sheet, a foam board, a melamine sheet, a PVC wear layer, a PVC patterned sheet, a PVC cushion, a PE film and a UV cure coating layer.

12. The bendable panel of claim 11, wherein the UV cure coating layer may be one or more selected from the group consisting of a UV wear layer, a UV skid-proof layer, a UV primer, a UV finish, a UV 3D patterned layer, and a UV patterned layer.

13. The bendable panel of claim 1, wherein the bendable panel is provided with a coordinating end trim at the edge.

14. The bendable panel of claim 13, wherein the bendable panel is composed of at least two layers, and the top layer has an area larger than and covers other layer(s), and an end trim is on the edge of the other layer(s).

15. The bendable panel of claim 14, wherein: the top layer of the panel is provided with an anti-bacterial coating layer, the anti-bacterial coating layer is formed by coating on the top layer an anti-bacterial paint, the anti-bacterial paint is prepared by mixing the following materials with the following mass percent distribution: TABLE-US-00012 Amorphous poly(lactic acid) 45-60%;  An acetate based solvent 0-30%; A modified film forming agent 10-25%;  An additive 1-10%; An anti-bacterial granule  0-3%; A dye  0-5%.

16. The bendable panel of claim 15, wherein the modified film forming agent is one or more selected from the group consisting of acrylic resin-modified casein, acrylic-polyurethane copolymer, polyethylene/acrylate-modified butadiene resin, and polyurethane-modified nitrocellulose.

17. The bendable panel of claim 15, where the additive is one or more selected from the group consisting of a leveling agent, a solvent, a stabilizer, and a heat sensitizing agent.

18. The bendable panel of claim 15, wherein the anti-bacterial granule is be one or more selected from the group consisting of a nano silver granule, a negatively charged weak alkaline granule, a de-chlorination electrolyzed granule, a de-formaldehyde granule, and an infrared light-emitting nano ball.

19. The decorative panel of claim 15, wherein the anti-bacterial paint is prepared by mixing the following materials with the following mass percent distribution: TABLE-US-00013 Amorphous poly(lactic acid) 55-60%; An acetate based solvent 15-20%; A modified film forming agent 15-25%; An additive  7-10%; An anti-bacterial granule  1-3%; A dye  2-5%.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of bendable panel 1# in Example 1.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of bendable panel 1# with a bending angle fixing mechanism in Example 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of bendable panel 2# in Example 2.

(4) FIG. 4 is a side schematic view of the groove in bendable panel 2# of Example 2.

(5) FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an angle brace for bendable panel 2# of Example 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Example 1. Bendable Panel 1#

(6) As shown in FIG. 1, bendable panel 1# was composed of a substrate layer 1# (100), a veneer layer (200) and a wear layer (300). The substrate layer 100, the veneer layer 200 and the wear layer 300 were subject to hot pressing (8-12 kg/cm.sup.2, 60° C., 25 minutes) to prepare the bendable panel 1#.

(7) The veneer layer was a PVC veneer with a thickness of 0.10 mm, and provided above the substrate layer.

(8) The wear layer was a PVC wear layer, 0.20 mm thick, provided below the substrate layer.

(9) A groove 400 was dug on the bottom of the bendable panel 1# towards the upper surface.

(10) As shown in FIG. 2, a bending angle fixing mechanism was arranged inside the groove 400, which contained a primary support part 410, a secondary support part 420 and a rotatable fixing board 430.

(11) The primary support part 410 was provided with a roller bearing 411.

(12) The secondary support part 420 was provided with a fixing board 421.

(13) One end of the rotatable fixing board 430 may rotatably fixed to the roller bearing 411, and the other end was provided with a fastener 431 which may fit into the fixing board 421 to fix the included angle between two sides of the groove.

(14) The length of the rotatable fixing board 430 was adjustable. The rotatable fixing board 430 may be, for example, composed of two segments, one with a chute, and the other with a knob. The length of the rotatable fixing board 430 may be adjusted by sliding the knob along the chute and then screwing down the knob tightly.

(15) The substrate layer 1#, 0.5 mm thick, was prepared by mixing the following materials at a specified mass ratio and subjecting the mixture to extrusion molding.

(16) TABLE-US-00004 PVC resin 100 parts; TPEE 35 parts; Stone powder 180 parts; Perlite 60 parts; A stabilizer 2 parts; Stearic acid 0.8 part; PE wax 0.2 part; ACR (Acrylic impact modifier) 2 parts; Titanium dioxide 1 part; A brightener 0.01 part; Elastomer coupling agent 1# 3 parts.

(17) The elastomer coupling agent 1# was prepared by adding 1 eq glycol and 2 eq allylic acid into a polymerization reactor in turn, reacting the resultant mixture at the presence of a phase transfer catalyst for 0.5 hour at 120° C., raising the temperature to 160° C., adding to the reactor 5 eq styrene, 5 eq vinyl chloride and an alkali, reacting the obtained mixture for 1 hour, raising the temperature to 240° C., and allowing the reaction to proceed for 1.5 hours.

(18) During panel installation, the panel was bent, had the bending angle fixed by the bending angle fixing mechanism, and then installed onto the wall or floor.

(19) The bendable panel 1# was tested for its properties in comparison to composite panel 01#. The composite panel 01# did not contain ingredients for improving panel properties, and had its layers bonded by adhesives as it cannot be prepared by hot pressing.

(20) A. Formaldehyde Release Test

(21) A room was floored with 100 m.sup.2 of either kind of the panels, and then door(s) and window(s) were closed. An air-conditioning was used to raise the room temperature to 28° C. 120 hours later, no formaldehyde was detected in the room with the bendable panel 1# while the formaldehyde level was 0.13 mg/m.sup.2 in the room with the composite panel 01#.

(22) B. Bending Test

(23) The panels were repeatedly bent with an included angle of 15°. After bent for 18 times, the panels were tested for the deformation extent of the patterns at the bending site. It was found that the pattern deformation was almost negligible in the bendable panel 1#, and the bending site seemed to be normal in color. In contrast, the pattern deformation extent was proved to be 56.9%, and the panel turned white and cracked at the bending site.

(24) C. Elasticity test

(25) The bendable panel 1# was able to proceed with elastic deformation with applied forces and recovered quickly upon force removal, and the surface deformation extent was less than 0.01%. The composite panel 01# cannot proceed with elastic deformation under stress condition.

Example 2. Bendable Panel 2#

(26) As shown in FIG. 3, bendable panel 2# was composed of a substrate layer 2# (100), a veneer layer (200) and a lower wear-resistant layer (300). The substrate layer 100, the veneer layer 200 and the wear layer 300 were subject to hot pressing (8-12 kg/cm.sup.2, 60° C., 25 minutes) to prepare the bendable panel 2#.

(27) The veneer layer was a PVC wood-like veneer, 0.05 mm thick, provided above the substrate layer.

(28) The lower wear layer was a PVC wear layer with a thickness of 0.15 mm, provided below the substrate layer.

(29) A groove 400 was dug on the bottom of the bendable panel 2# towards the upper surface.

(30) The groove 400 consisted of a primary support part 410 and a secondary support part 420.

(31) The primary support part 410 was shown in FIG. 4 as an example, which was provided with several screw holes 411. The secondary support part 420 had a similar structure.

(32) As shown in FIG. 3, an angle brace was arranged inside the groove 400 to fix the included angle between the two support parts.

(33) As shown in FIG. 5, the angle brace contained a primary support base 510 and a secondary support base 520.

(34) The primary support base 510 and the secondary support base 520 may form an included angle of a certain degree as needed.

(35) The primary support base 510 was provided with holes 511.

(36) The secondary support base 520 was provided with holes 521.

(37) As shown in FIG. 3, during panel installation, a proper brace was inserted into the groove 400, and screws 531 were pushed across the holes in the angle brace and then into the screw holes in the primary and secondary support parts to fix the angle.

(38) The substrate layer 2#, 0.5 in thickness, was prepared by mixing the following materials at a specified mass ratio and subjecting the mixture to extrusion molding.

(39) TABLE-US-00005 PVC resin 100 parts; TPE 55 parts; Sawdust 280 parts; A stabilizer 1.5 parts; Stearic acid 1.5 parts; PE wax 1 part; Chlorinated polyethylene 1.5 parts; ACR 3 parts; An antioxidant 0.5 part; A dye 1 part; Elastomer coupling agent 2# 1 part.

(40) The elastomer coupling agent 2# was prepared by adding 1 eq glycol and 2 eq allylic acid into a polymerization reactor in turn, reacting the resultant mixture at the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid for 0.2 hour at 100° C., raising the temperature to 120° C., adding to the reactor 10 eq styrene, 15 eq vinyl chloride and an initiator, reacting the obtained mixture for 1 hour, raising the temperature to 200° C., and allowing the reaction to proceed for 3 hours.

Example 3. Bendable Panel 3#

(41) Bendable panel 3# was composed of a substrate layer 3#, a patterned layer, a wear layer, a waterproof layer and a skid-proof layer. These layers were subject to hot pressing (8-12 kg/cm.sup.2, 80° C., 15 minutes) to prepare the bendable panel 3#. The uppermost layer was further coated with a UV cure paint.

(42) The patterned layer was a PVC patterned sheet, 0.1 mm thick and provided above the substrate layer.

(43) The wear layer was a transparent PVC wear layer, 0.15 mm thick, provided above the patterned layer.

(44) The waterproof layer was a board made of waterproof material, 0.1 mm thick, provided right below the substrate layer.

(45) The skid-proof layer was made of PVC and had tire tread patterns, 0.2 mm thick, provided below the waterproof layer.

(46) There was a cut made from the bottom of the bendable panel 3# towards the top of the panel, the cut was arranged for making a groove later.

(47) The substrate layer 3# was prepared by mixing the following materials at a specified mass ratio and subjecting the mixture to extrusion molding, 0.3 mm thick.

(48) TABLE-US-00006 PVC powder 100 parts; Polystyrene elastomer 45 parts; Sawdust 270 parts; Perlite 80 parts; A stabilizer 1 part; Stearic acid 0.3 part; PE wax 1 part; Elastomer coupling agent 3# 0.5 part.

(49) The elastomer coupling agent 3# was prepared by adding 1 eq triethylene glycol and 2.5 eq allylic acid into a polymerization reactor in turn, reacting the resultant mixture at the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid for 0.2 hour at 100° C., raising the temperature to 160° C., adding to the reactor 15 eq styrene, 5 eq vinyl chloride and an initiator, reacting the obtained mixture for 1 hour, raising the temperature to 240° C., and allowing the reaction to proceed for 1.2 hours.

Example 4. Bendable Panel 4#

(50) Bendable panel 4# was composed of a substrate layer 4#, a patterned layer, a wear layer, a waterproof layer and a skid-proof layer. These layers were subject to hot pressing (8-12 kg/cm.sup.2, 80° C., 15 minutes) to prepare the bendable panel 4#. The uppermost layer was further coated with anti-bacterial paint 4#.

(51) The patterned layer was a PVC patterned sheet, 0.1 mm thick and provided above the substrate layer.

(52) The wear layer was a transparent PVC wear layer, 0.15 mm thick, provided above the patterned layer.

(53) The waterproof layer was a board made of waterproof material, 0.1 mm thick, provided right below the substrate layer.

(54) The skid-proof layer was made of PVC and had tire tread patterns, 0.2 mm thick, provided below the waterproof layer.

(55) There was a cut made from the bottom of the bendable panel 4# towards the top of the panel, the cut was arranged for making a groove later.

(56) The substrate layer 4# was prepared by mixing the following materials at a specified mass ratio and subjecting the mixture to extrusion molding, 0.3 mm thick.

(57) TABLE-US-00007 PVC powder 100 parts; TPO 30 parts; Sawdust 240 parts; Perlite 30 parts; A stabilizer 1 part; Stearic acid 1.3 part; PE wax 2 part; A heat sensitizer 1 parts; A dye 0.8 part; Elastomer coupling agent 2# 4 parts.

(58) The anti-bacterial paint 4# was made of the following materials with the specified mass percent distribution.

(59) TABLE-US-00008 Amorphous poly(lactic acid) 45%;  Acetate 30%;  Granacrysil BAS 10%;  A leveling agent 5%; A photostabilizer 4%; Nano silver 1%; White dye 5%.

(60) The bendable panel 4# was compared with composite panel 02# without a cross-linking layer (prepared by hot pressing) for the following properties.

(61) A. Formaldehyde Release Test

(62) Neither panel released detectable formaldehyde.

(63) B. Bending Test

(64) The panels were repeatedly bent with an included angle of 15°. After bent for 20 times, the panels were tested for the deformation extent of the patterns at the bending site. It was found that the pattern deformation was almost negligible for the bendable panel 4#, and the bending site seemed to be normal in color. In contrast, the pattern deformation extent of the composite panel 02# was 45.3%, and the panel turned white and cracked at the bending site.

(65) C. Tear Strength Test

(66) The panels were soaked for a whole day, and then dried by hot blowing air. After the procedure was repeated for 25 times, the layers were hard to be separated from each other in the bendable panel 4#. In contrast, the veneer layer of the composite panel 02# was found in loose contact with the substrate layer, and the marginal part may be peeled off. After the procedure was repeated for 100 times, the layers were still hard to be separated from each other in the bendable panel 4# while the veneer layer of the composite panel 02# can be peeled off the substrate layer.

(67) D. Wear Test

(68) The panels were wiped by a wet cloth every 30 minutes. After 150 wipes, the bendable panel 4#'s surface was not different from that before the test, while the composite panel 2#'s surface bulged.

(69) E. Anti-Bacterial Test

(70) Two test panels were placed in an emergency room. 24 hours later, bacteria quantity per 1 cm.sup.2 was determined. It turned out that the bacteria quantity on the composite panel 02# was 10.sup.4 times as much as that on the bendable panel 4#. 48 hours later, bacteria quantity per 1 cm.sup.2 was further determined, and the bacteria quantity on the composite panel 02# was 10.sup.8 times as much as that on the bendable panel 4#.

Example 5. Bendable Panel 5#

(71) Bendable panel 5# was composed of a substrate layer 5#, a patterned layer, a wear layer, a waterproof layer and a skid-proof layer. These layers were subject to hot pressing (8-12 kg/cm.sup.2, 80° C., 15 minutes) to prepare the bendable panel 5#. The uppermost layer was further coated with anti-bacterial paint 5#.

(72) The patterned layer was a PVC patterned sheet, 0.1 mm thick and provided above the substrate layer.

(73) The wear layer was a transparent PVC wear layer, 0.15 mm thick, provided above the patterned layer.

(74) The waterproof layer was a board made of waterproof material, 0.1 mm thick, provided right below the substrate layer.

(75) The skid-proof layer was made of PVC and had tire tread patterns, 0.2 mm thick, provided below the waterproof layer.

(76) There was a cut made from the bottom of the bendable panel 5# towards the top of the panel, the cut was arranged for making a groove later.

(77) The anti-bacterial paint 5# was made of the following materials each with the specified mass percent distribution.

(78) TABLE-US-00009 Amorphous poly(lactic acid) 50%;  Methyl acetate 25%;  Granacrysil BAS 15%;  A leveling agent 1%; A heat stabilizer 1%; A photo-initiator 1%; Infrared light-emitting granules 2%; White dye 5%.

Example 6. Bendable Panel 6#

(79) Bendable panel 6# was composed of a substrate layer 1#, a PVC patterned layer, a PVC wear layer, and a PVC skid-proof film. These layers were subject to continuous hot pressing to prepare the bendable panel 6#. The top and bottom layers were coated with an anti-bacterial paint.

(80) The substrate layer 1# was 3.0 mm thick.

(81) The PVC patterned layer was 0.07 mm thick and provided above the substrate layer 1#.

(82) The PVC wear layer was 0.3 mm thick and provided above the PVC patterned layer.

(83) The PVC skid-proof film was 0.2 mm thick and provided below the substrate layer 1#.

(84) There was a groove made from the bottom of the bendable panel 6# towards the top of the panel, and a bending angle fixing mechanism as described in Example 1 was used.

(85) The anti-bacterial paint 6# was made of the following materials each with the specified mass percent distribution.

(86) TABLE-US-00010 Amorphous poly(lactic acid) 60%;  Ethanol 5%; Granacrysil BAS 25%;  A leveling agent 1%; A heat stabilizer 1%; A photo-initiator 1%; Negatively charged weak alkaline granules 2%; White dye 5%.