Vinyl flooring has two parts, a vinyl portion and a flooring felt portion (made from fiber, filler and a latex binder). The vinyl contains a plasticizer such as dioctyl phthalate or butyl benzyl phthalate which is necessary to soften the vinyl during processing. The vinyl and plasticizer are called the plastisol. The consequence is the plasticizer weakens the latex in the felt composite when the plastisol is combined with the felt composite.
The plasticizer also weakens the felt composite itself. The hot tensile property (strength of felt composite at high temperatures) is affected by the presence of the plasticizer. The felt composite provides the integrity for the plastisol such that the felt composite must remain strong and not stretch during the process of fusion of the vinyl. Fusion occurs at high temperatures when after the plastisol is contacted with the felt composite, the plasticizer penetrates into the vinyl to give the vinyl integrity. The plasticizer increases the flexibility of the felt composite causing undesirable wrinkling and stretching (plasticized elongation) resulting in distorted patterns (misregistration) on the resultant vinyl flooring.
The retention properties and drainage properties of the aqueous dispersion used to make the felt composite must also be within a range to optimize the runnability of the felt composite on common papermaking equipment.
Preparing a felt composite having plasticizer stiffness and reduced elongation as well as improved retention and drainage properties for processing would therefore, be desirable.