Floor mat with flock fibers adhesively bonded onto a thin polymeric film

Disclosed in an article comprising flock fibers adhesively bonded to a thin, heat stable, flexible, water-impermeable, polymeric film. The preferred article is a flocked floor mat with good water and wet soil absorbency and door clearance: a preferred mat comprises short fibers bonded, with a hydrophilic adhesive, to the thin polymeric film which in turn is preferably laminated to a thin foam secondary backing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to fiber flocked articles and more specifically to 
thin flocked floor mats. 
In general, both the consumers and flooring manufacturers are concerned 
with the negative impact of soiling on the appearance of floors and 
carpets. Carpet manufacturers take many steps to minimize the detractive 
appearance of soils on carpets through careful selection of fibers, soil 
release finishes, and colors to either make soils easy to remove or hide 
their presence. Consumers also employ means to minimize the effects of 
soiling on their floors and carpets by frequency vacuuming and sweeping to 
retrieve soils. Another means for preserving floor appearance is to trap 
soils before they are transferred via foot traffic onto permanent floors 
and carpets. Often this is done with the use of floor mats. 
Flocked carpets are known in the art. Flocked mats per se are effective for 
removing dry soils from the bottom of shoes. Wet soils, however, are 
another problem. The contact time during which absorption of wet soils 
takes place is often very short. It is desirable that these floor mats 
have good wet soil absorption rates such that wet soils can be absorbed 
from the bottom of a person's shoes during this short time. Commonly owned 
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 316,477, filed Oct. 30, 1981, P. J. 
Sagel, discloses a flocked floor mat with an immobile surfactant on the 
fibers to improve wet soil absorbency of otherwise hydrophobic flocked 
fabric. U.S. Ser. No. 316,477 is incorporated herein by reference in its 
entirety. 
Flocking onto rubber with a cement to make a contoured floor mat is 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,946, Aug. 6, 1957, J. H. Winchester and 
W. S. Edwards. Flocking onto a breathable polyvinyl chloride film is 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,858, Mar. 25, 1969, S. C. Dickinson. 
Special attention is directed to the references set out in Flocked 
Materials Technology and Applications," 1972, by E. L. Barden, published 
by Noyes Data Corporation; AATCC Flock Handbook, R. G. Weyker, Editor, 
published by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, 
1972; and AATCC Symposium, Flock Technology, Washington, D.C., Dec. 8-9, 
1971, published by American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, 
1972, P.O. Box 12215, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a fiber flocked, water-impermeable, thin polymeric 
film article. The preferred embodiment is a flocked floor mat comprising 
short fibers bonded with a hydrophilic adhesive to the thin polymeric film 
which in turn is laminated to a foam backing. The floor mat has good wet 
soil absorbency due to the hydrophilic adhesive. The polymeric film is 
water-impermeable, which protects the floor from moisture strike through. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a floor mat which is 
highly effective for wet and dry soil removal. Another object is to 
provide a thin yet structurally strong floor mat which has good door 
clearance. Yet another object is to provide a floor mat which is stable on 
both hard floors and carpeted surfaces. Still another object is to provide 
a floor mat with cushioning backing for foot comfort. Another object is to 
provide a floor mat with a water-absorbent top and a water-impermeable 
backing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The essentials of the present invention are: (1) flock fibers, (2) a 
flocking adhesive, and (3) a thin polymeric film backing with the flock 
fibers bonded thereto with the flocking adhesive. A preferred embodiment 
of this invention is shown in the drawing which is referred to from time 
to time herein. 
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a flocked floor mat 
comprising short flock fibers 1, a hydrophilic flocking adhesive 2, and a 
thin polymer film primary backing 3. A preferred embodiment also includes 
a thin secondary backing 5 which is attached to the polymeric film primary 
backing 3 using a laminating adhesive 4. A porous thin foam sheet is a 
preferred secondary backing material. Another preferred optional element 
is a pressure sensitive adhesive coating 6 on the back of the mat 
secondary backing to improve hard floor stability. Other optional elements 
(not shown), such as flame retardant, antimicrobial and antifungal agents, 
antistatic agents, perfumes, printing inks and dyes, can also be used for 
added benefits. 
It is important that the floor mats of this invention be flexible, i.e, 
have a "drape," such that the mat readily conforms to the contours of 
flooring. 
THE FLOCK FIBERS 
Fibers are essential to the present invention. In the present invention the 
flock fibers 1 can include those made of nylon, acrylic, modacrylic, 
polyester, rayon and other suitable materials. The fibers may be either 
random cut or precision cut. In the case of electrostatic flocking or a 
combination of electrostatic and mechanical flocking, the fibers are 
treated with a finish which promotes the ability to accept and transfer 
electrical charge. Flock fibers of from 1.5 to 80 denier and of lengths 
from 0.4 mm to 10 mm are flocked at a flock coverage of from about 1,000 
to about 40,000 fibers per square centimeter. Preferred fibers used in 
this embodiment are those of 2 denier to 20 denier and of length from 0.75 
mm to 2.5 mm at a flock density of from 8,000 to 30,000 fibers per square 
centimeter. The most preferred fibers are those of 2 to 4 denier and of 
lengths from 0.75 mm to 1.0 mm at a flock density of from 15,000 to 25,000 
fibers per square centimeter. 
THE FLOCKING ADHESIVE 
Hydrophilic and nonhydrophilic flocking adhesives can be used to bond the 
flock fibers to the thin polymeric primary backing. Suitable flocking 
adhesives can be compounded using commercially available polymeric resins, 
such as those disclosed in B. F. Goodrich L-14 Bulletin, pages 37 and 38, 
incorporated herein by reference. Suitable resin emulsions include 
polyvinyl acetate, polyacrylic, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane. 
The flocking adhesive 2 of the present invention is preferably hydrophilic. 
Although this embodiment of the instant invention is not limited to any 
particular theory or mechanism, it is believed that a hydrophilic flocking 
adhesive 2 contributes to the moisture absorption performance--which 
includes the removal of water from shoe soles and the prevention of 
reverse transfer of water back to shoe soles--by promoting the radial 
transport of the absorbed water. Water from shoe soles is removed and 
transferred to the mat by capillary action of the flock fibers. A 
hydrophobic adhesive layer confines this water to the original area of 
application, with slow radial spreading because of preferential vertical 
wicking action of the vertically oriented flock and the nonwetability of 
the base. On the other hand, an adhesive with good wetting property 
promotes a rapid radial spreading of the water away from the water 
application area, and thus the mat can absorb more water, and the absorbed 
water is kept deep under the flock layer open surface, therefore, the 
reverse transfer of water back to shoe soles is minimized. 
Hydrophilicity of a flocking adhesive is determined by measuring the water 
contact angle of an adhesive film cured at the same conditions which are 
required in the mat manufacture. An adhesive is considered hydrophilic if 
the water contact angle on its film surface is equal or smaller than 
70.degree.. An adhesive is considered hydrophobic if the water contact 
angle on its film surface is greater than 70.degree.. This is explained in 
detail below. 
The following experimental procedure is used to make adhesive films and to 
determine the hydrophilicity (water contact angle) of the flocking 
adhesive: (1) An amount of about 0.5 ml of uncured adhesive is deposited 
on a glass microscope slide of dimension 7.5 cm.times.2.5 cm. (2) The 
adhesive is spread with a spatula into a smooth film which covers the 
surface of the slide, with care taken in order to avoid the formation of 
bubbles on the adhesive film. (3) The adhesive film on glass slide is then 
placed in an oven at a temperature and time duration required for curing 
the adhesive as in mat making. (4) The water contact angle of a flocking 
adhesive is determined by depositing a droplet of distilled water on a 
smooth area of the adhesive film surface and measuring its contact angle 
on a Rame-Hart Contact Angle Goniometer, Model A-100. The droplet is about 
0.005 ml of the distilled water and is deposited using a microsyringe. The 
contact angle is measured 30 seconds after the droplet is deposited on the 
film. Four replicates are obtained and the mean value is calculated. 
The hydrophilic flocking adhesive useful herein is defined as one which has 
a water contact angle as measured by the above procedure of from 0.degree. 
to 70.degree., preferable from 0.degree. to 50.degree., and more 
preferably from 0.degree. and 40.degree.. The adhesive are usually 
compounded using a polymeric resin emulsion, a thickener, and a curing 
catalyst. Suitable hydrophilic polymeric resin emulsions include, but are 
not limited to, some water-based polyacrylic, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl 
chloride, and polyacrylonitrile emulsions. Some other useful additives 
include thermosetting resins, defoamers, humectants, pigments, and flame 
retardants. Some commercially available resin emulsions which can be used 
to prepare hydrophilic adhesives are Emulsion E-821 and Emulsion E-751 
acrylic latexes, manufactured by Rohm and Haas Company, and Hycar.RTM.2671 
nitrile latex, Geon.RTM.351 and Geon.RTM.576 vinyl chloride latexes, 
produced by B. F. Goodrich Company. Some polymeric resins are themselves 
hydrophilic. Other resins can contain effective amount of materials such 
as surfactants to give their film surfaces wetability. 
The following examples are given for purposes of illustration only and are 
not to be interpreted as necessarily limiting the invention. In Examples I 
and II, ingredients are added with mixing in the order listed, until a 
creamy mixture is obtained. 
EXAMPLE I 
______________________________________ 
Raw Materials and Sources 
Parts Product 
______________________________________ 
Emulsion E-821 Acrylic Latex 
900 
(60% solids) (Rohm and Haas Co.) 
Acrylsol .RTM. ASE-60 Polyacrylic Acid 
39 
Thickener (28% solids) (Rohm and Haas Co.) 
further diluted with equal weight of water 
NH.sub.4 NO.sub.3 (25% aqueous solution) Catalyst 
18 
(Fisher Scientific Co.) 
NH.sub.4 OH (28% aqueous solution) Neutralizer 
Until pH of 
(Fisher Scientific Co.) mixture is 8.5 
______________________________________ 
The flocking adhesive of Example I, when made into film and cured at 
121.degree. C. for 10 min. according to the above-described procedure, has 
a water contact angle of 29.degree..+-.6.degree. which denotes that it is 
hydrophilic. 
EXAMPLE II 
______________________________________ 
Raw Materials and Sources 
Parts Product 
______________________________________ 
Rhoplex .RTM. NW-1345 Acrylic Resin 
900 
(45.5% solids) (Rohm and Haas Co.) 
Acrysol .RTM. ASE-60 Polyacrylic Acid 
78 
Thickener (28% solids) (Rohm and Haas Co.) 
further diluted with equal weight of water 
NH.sub.4 NO.sub.3 (25% aqueous solution) Catalyst 
18 
(Fisher Scientific Co.) 
NH.sub.4 OH (28% aqueous solution) Neutralizer 
Until pH of 
(Fisher Scientific Co.) mixture is 8.5 
______________________________________ 
The flocking adhesive of Example II, when made into film and cured at 
121.degree. C. for 10 min. according to the above-described procedure, has 
a water contact angle of 87.degree..+-.2.degree. which is hydrophobic. 
The flocking adhesive 2 is applied to the polymeric film primary backing 3 
at a thickness of from about 0.1 mm and up; preferably from 0.1 mm to 1.5 
mm; and more preferably from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. 
THE PRIMARY BACKING 
Primary backing 3 can be made of thin polymeric films, as well as woven and 
nonwoven substrates. 
It is essential that the polymeric film used as the primary backing 3 is 
one which is dimensionally stable under flocking adhesive curing 
conditions. Suitable curing methods include, but are not limited to, heat 
cure, microwave, ultraviolet light and electron beam radiation. The 
preferred curing condition for most acrylic adhesives is heating in a 
forced air oven at a temperature of from about 120.degree. C. to about 
150.degree. C. for about 2 to 20 minutes; the higher the temperature the 
flock-adhesive-film structure is exposed to, the shorter is the time 
required to achieve the cure. 
A preferred curing method is to dry the adhesive in a forced air oven for 
about 3 to 10 minutes at a temperature of from 100.degree. C. to 
110.degree. C. and then achieve a final cure in the forced air oven at 
135.degree. C. to 140.degree. C. in 2 to 10 minutes. 
The selection of a suitable polymeric film material for the primary backing 
is a key to the practice of the present invention. Many polymeric films 
are unsuitable because they deform, and/or shrink, when exposed to such 
high temperatures used for curing. Also polymeric films which are stiff 
are unsuitable. Polymeric film material suitable for the primary backing 3 
includes, but is not limited to, polycarbonate, nylon, polyester, and 
polypropylene. The film thickness is at least 0.005 mm. The preferred film 
thickness is from 0.01 mm to 0.75 mm; the most preferred thickness is from 
0.01 mm to 0.03 mm. It is important to note that the film used for the 
primary backing 3 must also withstand time and temperature conditions for 
other treatments, such as laminating it to the secondary backing 5, curing 
the pressure sensitive adhesive coating 6, or affixing printing inks to 
the flock fibers 1. 
Some nonwoven substrates preferred for the primary backing are fabrics 
selected from the group consisting of acrylic, rayon, cotton, nylon, 
polyester, lower polyolefin, and paper materials having a basis weight of 
from 1 mg/cm.sup.2 to 30 mg/cm.sup.2. More preferred backings have basis 
weights of from 5 mg/cm.sup.2 to 25 mg/cm.sup.2, and the most preferred 
are from 5 mg/cm.sup.2 to 15 mg/cm.sup.2. 
In general, thin polymeric films and nonwoven substrates each have their 
advantages as primary backing material. One advantage of thin films is 
less film material is usually needed than nonwoven material. Namely, the 
most preferred embodiment calls for from 1 mg/cm.sup.2 to 4 mg/cm.sup.2 
basis weight for film material vs. from 5 mg/cm.sup.2 to 15 mg/cm.sup.2 
basis weight for the nonwoven material. Another advantage of thin film 
primary backing is less flocking adhesive is needed. There is substantial 
flocking adhesive penetration into the porous nonwoven substrate and none 
in the film. Furthermore, the water impermeability of the film prevents 
potential moisture strike through. 
On the other hand, the nonwoven primary backing usually provides more 
structural strength and durability for a flocked floor mat than one made 
with a thin film. 
THE LAMINATING ADHESIVE 
Any suitable adhesive can be used for laminating the primary backing 3 to 
the secondary backing 5. The adhesives disclosed as flocking adhesives can 
also be used for laminating adhesive 4. It is applied at a level suitable 
to attach the primary backing 3 to the secondary backing 5. It is 
noteworthy that for door clearance and cost considerations, it is 
preferable to use a thin primary backing 3 and a thin foam secondary 
backing 5. Taken separately, these two thin backings are usually not 
structurally strong enough to withstand the normal pedestrian traffic. 
However, the lamination of these two backings, with the added resiliency 
provided by the flocking adhesive 2 and the laminating adhesive 4, makes 
the mat resistant to wear and retain its integrity. 
Alternatively, it is acceptable to affix the primary backing to the 
secondary backing using heat welding, spot heat welding, radio frequency 
sealing, solvent welding, or other suitable laminating methods well known 
in the art. 
THE SECONDARY BACKING 
The secondary backing 5 can be rigid or and suitable flexible sheet 
material. Preferably, the secondary backing 5 is a flexible polymeric foam 
sheet having a thickness greater than or equal to 0.5 mm. The preferred 
backing thickness is from 1.0 mm to 10 mm, and the most preferred backing 
thickness for the present invention is from 1.5 mm to 4 mm. The preferred 
secondary backing material is a polyurethane ether or ester foam sheet 
having a density of from about 0.015 g/cm.sup.3 to about 0.05 g/cm.sup.3 
and having from about 20 to about 40 pores per linear centimeter. A more 
preferred foam density is 0.017 g/cm.sup.3 to 0.03 g/cm.sup.3. The most 
preferred materials for backing 5 are those having open-cell foam 
structure. The open cells provide less surface area for the applied 
pressure sensitive adhesive and a mechanical means for carpeted floor 
stability. It is believed that the open cells in the preferred foam 
secondary backing 5 provide openings into which carpet yarn fibers 
penetrate. The frictional forces between the yarn fibers and the foam 
cells provide resistance to movement parallel to the floor surface keeping 
the floor mat in place when walked down. 
THE PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE 
The pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) coating 6 located on the back of the 
mat is a preferred optional element. A PSA coating 6 is applied to the mat 
surface which is in contact with the floor. The preferred PSA's are those 
which provide an adequate level of tack for the mat to remain in place 
during normal traffic use (see Floor Stability below), but which can be 
separated easily by peeling action when mat removal is desired. The PSA 
should remain attached to the mat backing surface with little or no 
transfer to the floor surface when the mat is removed from the floor. The 
PSA should also remain active during the life of the product. It is 
critical that the nature and amount of PSA are well chosen to deliver the 
above-described properties. It is preferable to "kiss coat" the PSA onto 
the floor contact side of the secondary backing to keep the PSA primarily 
on the outer "tips" of flexible backing material. A common kiss coating 
technique is effected by applying a thin layer of the PSA onto an 
intermediary surface and then to the secondary backing. The following is 
an example of a suitable PSA composition. 
EXAMPLE III 
______________________________________ 
Raw Materials and Sources 
Weight % 
______________________________________ 
Hycar 2600X207 Acrylic Latex 
97.5 
(50% solids) (B. F. Goodrich Co.) 
Carboset XL-46 Acrylic Tackifier 
1.0 
(50% solids) (B. F. Goodrich Co.) 
NH.sub.4 OH (28% aqueous solution) 
1.5 
100.0% 
______________________________________ 
The above PSA is "kiss coated" on the foam secondary backing 5 at a level 
of about 4 g/m.sup.2 and cured at 150.degree. C. for 3 minutes. In 
general, the preferred PSA application level on the secondary backing 5 is 
of from 2 g/m.sup.2 to 12 g/m.sup.2. The most preferred PSA level is of 
from 2 g/m.sup.2 to 6 g/m.sup.2. 
WATER ABSORPTION AND DISSIPATION 
The water absorption and dissipation performance of a flocked mat can be 
evaluated most readily with a "water drop test," namely, a drop of 
distilled water is deposited on the flocked mat surface and the 
dissipation time (disappearance of the drop) measured. As an illustration, 
two mat samples were made with precision-cut modacrylic fibers of 0.9 mm 
length and 3 denier flocked onto a polyester nonwoven substrate. The flock 
fibers were obtained from Cellusuede Products, Inc., Rockford, Ill. The 
nonwoven substrate was Confil.RTM.1120F, 8.9 mg/cm.sup.2 basis weight, 
obtained from International Paper Company, Formed Fabrics Division, 
Lewisburg, Pa. The hydrophilic flocking adhesive of Example I was used in 
one sample, and the hydrophobic flocking adhesive of Example II was used 
in the other sample. Both samples were cured at 121.degree. C. for 10 
minutes. The water drop test showed that the sample with hydrophilic 
adhesive absorbed and dissipated the water drop very well, with the drop 
disappearing almost instantaneously. On the other hand, the sample with 
hydrophobic adhesive absorbed water poorly, with the water drop confined 
to the area of application, and remained visible after a few seconds. 
FLOOR STABILITY 
The combination of an open-cell foam secondary backing 5 and the pressure 
sensitive adhesive 6 in the preferred embodiment provides mat floor 
stability on hard floors and carpeted floor surfaces. One way to determine 
the "floor stability" is by measurement of the coefficient of friction 
(COF) of the mat on floor surfaces. The coefficient of friction of a mat 
sample on a floor surface is equal to the force parallel to the floor 
needed to dislodge the sample divided by the force normal to the sample 
and the floor surface. To determine the coefficient of friction, one uses 
a table-top Instron.RTM. Model 1102, manufactured by Instron Corp., 
Canton, Mass. 02021. The instrument has a horizontal plate attached, with 
a free wheeling pulley and a cable with a 207 gm plate. To determine the 
COF on hard floor surface, the instrument is modified by clamping a flat, 
smooth-surfaced vinyl asbestos tile to the horizontal plate. The floor 
tiles used are one square foot Kentile Reinforced Vinyl Asbestos Tiles, 
514M White Beaux Arts Series (Kentile Floors, Inc., Chicago, Ill. 60632). 
The tiles are precleaned by wiping with an isopropanol-impregnated paper 
towel. A 6.4 cm.times.6.4 cm test sample is cut from a larger mat and 
conditioned at 22.8.degree. C. for 24 hours. The 207 gm plate is taped to 
the flocked surface, and placed at the far edge of the tile. To complete 
test preparation, the cable is placed through the pulley grooves and 
connected to the Instron.RTM. load cell sensor. To test the sample, one 
lowers the table at a rate of 2.54 cm/min. for 8 minutes. The Instron 
instrument records the force required to dislodge the sample. As it moves 
across the tray many dislodgings occur and an average value of the force 
is estimated. This test is repeated once each week for 4 weeks. The 
preferred PSA provides a mat with a COF of from about 1.0 to about 8.0, 
preferably from about 1.5 to about 6.5, and most preferably from about 2.0 
to about 5.0, as measured on flat, smooth vinyl asbestos tiles. The carpet 
stability of the mat is determined in a similar manner except that the 
tile is replaced with short loop carpet and with shag carpet. Another 
difference is that the tests are made only once. The COF of a mat on short 
loop and shag carpet should fall preferably within the ranges given for 
the mat on vinyl asbestos tile. 
MAT THICKNESS 
The preferred floor mat of this invention is thin in order to have good 
door clearance. The preferred thickness is 15 mm or less. The more 
preferred thickness is from 2 mm to 10 mm. The most preferred thickness is 
5 mm or less. The thickness of the floor mat can be estimated from its 
elements by adding the fiber 1 length, the thickness of the flocking 
adhesive layer 2, the thickness of the film primary backing 3, and the 
thickness of the foam secondary backing 5, then adjusted for the fact that 
about 25% of the fiber 1 length is embedded in the flocking adhesive 2, 
and that the thickness of the flocking adhesive layer 2 is reduced to its 
percentage of solid content. The laminating adhesive 4 and the pressure 
sensitive adhesive 6 are excluded from the estimation because their 
thicknesses are negligible. For example, a floor mat constructed with 
precision cut flock fibers of 1.0 mm length, a flocking adhesive layer of 
50% solid content and 0.4 mm thickness, a film primary backing with 
thickness of 0.03 mm, and an open-cell foam secondary backing with 
thickness of 5.0 mm has an approximate overall thickness of about 6.0 mm. 
EXAMPLE IV 
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a floor mat construction 
shown in FIG. 1 with a thin polycarbonate film as the primary backing, and 
is made by the following procedure. 
Step 1. Prepare a flocking adhesive using the following materials: 
______________________________________ 
Raw Materials and Sources 
Parts Product 
______________________________________ 
Emulsion E-821 Acrylic Latex 
90.7 
(60% solids) (Rohm and Haas Co.) 
Nopco .RTM. DF 160L Silicone Defoamer 
0.6 
(Diamond Shamrock) 
diluted with equal weight of water 
Acrysol .RTM. ASE-60 Polyacrylic Acid Thickener 
6.2 
(28% solids) (Rohm and Haas Co.) 
further diluted with equal weight water 
NH.sub.4 NO.sub.3 (25% aqueous solution) Catalyst 
1.8 
(Fisher Scientific Co.) 
NH.sub.4 OH (28% aqueous solution) Neutralizer 
Until pH of 
(Fisher Scientific Co.) mixture is 8.5 
______________________________________ 
The above ingredients are added with mixing in the order listed until a 
creamy mixture is obtained. This flocking adhesive, when made into film 
and dried at 105.degree. C. for 7 minutes and cured at 138.degree. C. for 
3 minutes, has a water contact angle of 46.degree..+-.2.degree. which 
denotes that it is hydrophilic. 
Step 2. Prepare a pressure sensitive adhesive as set out in Example III. 
Step 3. Coat uniformly a 61 cm.times.92 cm piece of carrier paper with 
about 30 g of the flocking adhesive of Step 1 using a paint roller. 
Step 4. Transfer the adhesive to the foam secondary backing 5 by placing a 
61 cm.times.92 cm piece of 3.2 mm thick open-cell polyurethane ether foam 
of 0.02 g/cm.sup.3 density and having about 30 pores per linear 
centimeter, manufactured by the E. R. Carpenter Co., Richmond, Va., onto 
the adhesive coated carrier paper and apply light pressure on the foam 
backing 5 using a 61 cm.times.92 cm plexiglass template, then remove the 
foam backing 5 from the carrier paper. The amount of adhesive transferred 
to the foam secondary backing 5 is about 15 g. 
Step 5. Place a 61 cm.times.92 cm piece of 0.0254 mm thick Lexan.RTM. 
polycarbonate film (primary backing 3) manufactured by the General 
Electric Co., Pittsfield, Mass., onto the adhesive coated polyurethane 
foam surface of Step 4, and smooth out the wrinkles with a roller to 
provide a laminate. 
Step 6. Dry the adhesive of Step 5 laminate in a forced air oven for 7 
minutes at 105.degree. C., then let the structure cool to room 
temperature. 
Step 7. Tape the laminate of Step 6 to a flat plate with the primary 
backing 3 film side up and coat it with a layer of the flocking adhesive 2 
of Step 1 of about 0.33 mm thick using a #40 meyer rod, and quickly hand 
the plate vertically; then electrostatically flock the structure with 
precision cut 0.9 mm-3 denier acrylic fibers made by Microfibres, Inc., 
using a hand-held flocker Model 7301, manufactured by Ero-Floc Co., West 
Germany, and distributed by the Dekor Flocking Co., Middletown, N.Y. The 
flock coverage is about 10 mg/cm.sup.2. 
Step 8. Place the flocked laminate into a forced air oven for 7 minutes at 
105.degree. C. and then for 3 minutes at 138.degree. C. to cure the 
adhesive. 
Step 9. The sample is then vacuumed with a Kenmore brand household vacuum 
cleaner (Model 116.2694 available from Sears, Roebuck and Company) to 
remove nonadhered flock fibers. The face fiber density after vacuuming is 
about 22,500 fibers/cm.sup.2 (6.8 mg/cm.sup.2). 
Step 10. Kiss coat the PSA of Step 2 mostly onto the tips of the exposed 
open-cell polyurethane foam surface by following the general procedure of 
Steps 3 and 4, using about 5 g of PSA and curing the PSA in the forced air 
oven for 3 minutes at 150.degree. C. 
Step 11. Cut the construction into a mat of 53 cm.times.86 cm dimension 
with a die stamp. 
With a fiber 1 length of 0.9 mm, a flocking adhesive 2 layer of 0.33 mm 
thick (and 60% solid content), a primary backing film 3 thickness of 
0.0254 mm, and a foam secondary backing 5 thickness of 3.2 mm, the 
estimated overall thickness of the floor mat of Example IV is 4.1 mm, and 
was found experimentally to be 4 mm. 
The floor mat of Example IV had an initial COF of 4.6 and the COF at 4 
weeks was 2.2 on vinyl asbestos tile. (A similar floor mat, but without 
the PSA, had a COF of about 0.7 throughout the testing.) The COF was 3.3 
on short loop carpet and 3.1 on shag carpet. This floor mat had excellent 
wet soil absorbency, good door clearance and superior hard and carpeted 
floor stability. 
EXAMPLE V 
In this example the primary backing 3 of the floor mat is a thin nonwoven 
substrate. 
Step 1. The flocking adhesive mixture of Example I is evenly knife-coated 
into a layer of about 0.5 mm thick onto a 61 cm.times.95 cm piece of a 
nonwoven primary backing. The nonwoven material is a white polyester 
nonwoven substrate, sold under the name of Confil.RTM.1120F, of 8.9 
mg/cm.sup.2 basis weight, obtained from International Paper Company, 
Formed Fabrics Division, Lewisburg, Pa. 
Step 2. The adhesive-coated primary backing is then quickly hung on a 
vertical metal ground plate with the adhesive-coated side exposed. 
Step 3. Precision-cut, 3 denier, 1 mm nylon flock is then applied at a 
coverage of about 10 mg/cm.sup.2, using the Ero-Flock.RTM. hand-held 
electrostatic flocker. 
Step 4. The sample is dried and adhesively cured for 10 minutes at 
121.degree. C. in a forced air oven. 
Step 5. The sample is then vacuumed with a Kenmore brand household vacuum 
cleaner to remove nonadhered flock fibers. The face fiber density after 
vacuuming is about 6.8 mg/cm.sup.2, which is about 20,000 fibers/cm.sup.2. 
Step 6. Prepare a laminating adhesive using the following materials: 
______________________________________ 
Raw Materials and Sources 
Parts Product 
______________________________________ 
Rhoplex .RTM. HA-8 Acrylic Latex 
91 
(Rohm and Haas Co.) 
Acrysol .RTM. ASE-60 Polyacrylic Acid 
9 
Thickener (28% solids) (Rohm and Haas Co.) 
further diluted with equal weight of water 
NH.sub.4 OH (28% aqueous solution) Neutralizer 
Until pH of 
(Fisher Scientific Co.) mixture is 8.5 
______________________________________ 
Step 7. Coat uniformly the unflocked side of the sample of Step 5 with 
about 30 grams of the laminating adhesive of Step 6 using a paint roller. 
Step 8. Laminate a 61 cm.times.95 cm piece of thin polyurethane foam onto 
the adhesive coated side of the sample of Step 7, and smooth out the 
laminate with a roller. Foam material used is 1.6 mm thick open-cell 
polyurethane ether foam of 0.02 g/cm.sup.3 density and having about 30 
pores per linear centimeter, manufactured by E. R. Carpenter Co. 
Step 9. Dry the adhesive of Step 8 laminate in a forced air oven for 7 
minutes at 105.degree. C. 
Step 10. Apply and cure the PSA of Example III to the exposed side of the 
polyurethane foam following the procedures of Step 10 of Example IV. 
Step 11. Cut the construction into a mat of 53 cm.times.86 cm dimension 
with a die stamp. 
This floor mat has excellent wet soil absorbency, good door clearance and 
superior hard and carpeted floor stability.