Improved Cork Carpet.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1890-Accepted, 26th July, 1890
Improved Cork Carpet.
I, RICHARD FREDERICK FLYNN, of Kirkcaldy, in the County of Fife, Assistant
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to floor-cloths or floor-covering known as cork-carpet and its
object is to provide a floor covering which will be equally durable or more durable
than the cork-carpet at present in use at a considerably less cost of production.
It consists essentially of a floor covering or cork-carpet the base or ground work of
which is composed of coarse granulated particles of cork cemented or held together
solely or mainly by natural or artificial bitumens or bituminous residues from the
distillation or destructive treatment of hydrocarbonaceous matters such as pitch, or oil
residue, or Archangel tar, bitumen, asphalt, and like substances either with or
without the addition of a suitable solvent or of a pigment or dye stuff.
In carrying out the invention I prefer to use the pitch or residue obtained from
palm oil. but in the use of the word pitch throughout the specification it is to bo
understood that I include thereby the other residual hydrocarbonaceous matters
already indicated. I will as an example describe the manufacture when palm oil pitch
is used, it being further understood that some modifications of the details such as the
quantities of the materials or the degree of heat to which they are subjected may
be required when for the palm oil pitch one of the other residual matters are
substituted.
The cork is prepared by granulating it in a suitable machine. It must however be
maintained in distinct granules without being powdered or reduced to so fine a state
of subdivision as is the case in the manufacture of ordinary cork-carpet or linoleum.
With the cork so prepared is intimately mixed a sufficient quantity of the pitch or oil
residue to render the mass of a consistency that it can be readily handled and spread
upon canvas by calender or similar machine.
The pitch or oil residue is heated (or treated with solvents) until it assumes a very
liquid form before it is mixed with the cork. The hot liquid pitch and the coarse
granulated cork are then intimately mixed together in a machine such as that
employed in the manufacture of linoleums and like floor cloths, until a thoroughly
homogeneous mass is produced.
This composition may have added to it any suitable pigment or colouring matter if
desired or it may be used without any such material.
The materials may be used in any desired proportions to give a plastic homogeneous
mass but at present I prefer to use them in the proportion :-
as by my experiments I have found that these proportions will give good results.
The composition formed by the admixture of the pitch or oil residue with the cork
is preferably, while in a hot state, spread or rolled out upon a hacking of jute or
canvas of the ordinary kind, upon which it is firmly compressed by means of rollers
or the like until a fabric is formed with a front or base of the pitch and cork com-
position firmly adhering to a fibrous back.
The fabric so formed is then dried and matured in an oven or stove where it is
subjected to a heat of from 100° to 170° F., for a period extending over from three to
four days. The degree of heat to which the fabric is subjected and the duration of the
period will vary, and will depend on the quality of pitch or other material with which

page_text: the granulated cork is incorporated, and if found desirable the heat may bo raised
above the degree mentioned an! the process be continued for a week.
The fabric is sometimes rough on the surface and in order to give a better finish it
may be treated with grinding rollers of emory or pumice stone until the desired
smoothness and colour are attained.
The fabric when made, either after the surface is polished or without being so
polished may be printed with any design or pattern or may be dyed to any colour or
the cork may be dyed before being mixed with the pitch.
Hitherto cork-carpets have been chiefly made from finely granulated cork
mixed with linseed oil with or without other materials mulded or from ground cork
mixed with india-rubber in a state of solution, and such does not form any part of my
¡nvention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
A cork-carpet or floor covering, having a base or ground work of coarsely
granulated cork, mixed solely or mainly with a residual hydrocarbonaceous matter,
natural or artificial, such as heroinbefore described, spread upon a backing of canvas,
jute, or like material.
Dated this 5th day of May 1800.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Stroot, Manchester, Patent Agents.