When was rubber flooring invented?

The history of rubber begins with the Olmecs, a Mesoamerican indigenous culture, who took the latex which they found from native trees, boiled it, and used in a ballgame similar to today's games basketball and football; this was the first documented use of rubber. Since then, rubber has been used in numerous industries for an even larger amount of applications. With both natural and artificial rubbers being readily available, the rubber supply the world over is plentiful; but it was not always that way. When natural rubber was not available during the first half of the twentieth century, nations needed a source for bulk rubber for the many industries that used the material, especially to make tires and parts of military vehicles that were being produced at the time. Thus came the rise of artificial elastomers, which have dominated the rubber market for decades; by the looks of things, they will continue to do so for decades to come. A rubber companies like Firestone and Goodyear were started at this time. For example, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in to supply pneumatic tires for wagons and buggies.

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The tree from which the Olmecs harvested the latex necessary to make their balls is called the Hevea brasiliensis, and it was originally found only in South America, in areas near the tropics. These areas, on both of the planet's hemispheres are sometimes referred to as the 'Rubber Belt.' It was discovered that when the tree was 'wounded,' (meaning it is incised or cut open), that it secreted an oozy material to heal itself. The material which it secreted was the latex that was used for the ball and was the first source for the natural rubber supply. While the Olmecs merely boiled it, there are a number of more complicated processes involved in creating bulk rubber which can be utilized in multiple industries for numerous functions.

Natural rubber remained unique to South America until French explorer and geographer by the name of Charles Marie de la Condamine decided to introduce samples of rubber to the French Royal Academy of Sciences in . Somewhat later, a British explorer by the name of Henry Wickham allegedly stole 70,000 seeds of the Hevea brasiliensis and transported them over to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England to be planted. The seeds were also sent Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Today, these Southeast Asian plantations are far more successful that the ones which are located in South America. Much later on, these areas became independent and made free of British control, which would prove to be unfortunate in the decade to follow. America's automotive and rubber companies also tried their hand at farming rubber!

The story of 'Fordlandia' speaks of American rubber companies' desire to control their sources of raw materials. Henry Ford didn't just want to be a maker of cars ' he wanted to be a maker of men. And he was pretty successful at it in Michigan. But in the jungles of Brazil, he would ultimately be defeated. It was . Ford wanted his own supply of rubber ' and he decided to get it by carving a plantation and a miniature Midwest factory town out of the Amazon jungle. It was called 'Fordlandia.' Ford never really became a rubber company'or at least not one that managed plantations. The next to try to behave as monopolistic rubber company were nation states during World War II!

Open Cell Rubber ' EPDM

• Operating temperature range from -40° F to 160° F
• Easy to roll up for transportation and storage purposes
• Pressure sensitive adhesive backing can be applied upon request
• The cellular texture of the open cell rubber is visible on the surface

Excellent Compressibility: This EPDM rubber foam is among the most compressible products currently available. The cellular composition of this open cell rubber material is the secret behind its ability to compress. The cell structure is composed of tiny air pockets that have gaps in between them. When force is applied to the surface of the EPDM sponge, these air pockets will close in on themselves. The source of the pressure will also not face any resistance due to the soft nature of open cell sponge. The EPDM foam sheet will maintain its compressed form as long as the object applying the pressure remains.

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Fast Recovery: The open cell EPDM has the ability to revert back to its original shape after compression. When the source of pressure is removed from the open cell rubber sheet's surface, the air pockets within its cellular composition will revert back to their original shape. This helps the EPDM rubber foam maintain a working lifespan suitable to long-term use in applications that require constant compression.

During World War II, when Britain and the Allies fought against Japan and the other members of the Axis, the rubber plantations in Southeast Asia were under Japanese control, decimating the rubber supply for these nations. As a result, the exportation of rubber to Allied nations was halted, leaving these nations desperate for an alternative to fulfill their needs for bulk rubber that had previously been obtained from natural latex. The rubber was much needed for the many vehicles that were being produced for the war, such as tanks. It was during this time that research began to create a rubber alternative, a new substance that would mirror the physical characteristics of natural rubber, if not match them chemically as well. When scientists began searching for a material that simply shared physical properties with rubber, instead of a material that was nearly identical to it chemically, they became successful, finding the compound butadiene to be useful for their needs. The first suitable polymer of rubber, made from styrene and butadiene, was synthesized at I.G. Farben in the Society Union; it was called SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber). While other substitutes had been created beforehand, this was the first that would be suitable for use in tires, which is what was truly important at the time. Synthetic rubber is created through the process of polymerization, and uses additives to achieve the desired properties of rubber.

By the year , 75% of all rubber that was produced was synthetically. America's rubber companies are at the forefront of synthetic rubber production and the number has been on the rise since! And while man-made elastomers are leading the market, we must not forget the humble history of rubber that began with natural products made with simple processes. Had man not looked past nature and decided to take the rubber supply into his own hands, we may never have been able to produce the amounts of bulk rubber that we need for use in a large amount of applications today. Perhaps the tide of history has finally turned and it may be that the fastest growing share of marketplace belongs to recycled rubber companies! More affordable, just as durable, crumb tire may be the raw materials of the next great American rubber company!

History of rubber

Latex, the source used to make natural rubber, has been making its debut since the heyday of the ancient Mayan civilization, almost 3,500 years ago ( B.C.). Used initially in Mayan rubber ball production, latex was not successfully applied to flooring until well into the 19th century. Prior to these attempts, latex in rub-ber form was popularly used for erasers, hammers, waterproof boots, tubes and jars.
The first attempts to make rubber floor tiles date back as early as the 13th century, but with little to no suc-cess. It wasn't until the s when inventors Charles Goodyear and Nathaniel Hayward learned how to combine gum plastic, sulfur and plant sap (latex) to create the rubber we know and use today. This process (named 'vulcanization' after the Roman god of fire, Vulcan) produces a material more durable and more resilient than its rubber ancestors.
The latex used in natural rubber production is actually sap that can be found in certain plants and trees, in-cluding lettuce and dandelions. At present, the primary source of latex is generated from the Pará rubber tree.
Latex is white and milky in appearance, has an elastic consistency, and is removed from the tree through a process called 'rubber tapping'. During this process, cuts are made into the bark of the tree where the latex is stored (latex vessels). The vessels are tapped in such a way so as not to disturb the tree's growth. The latex then drips down into buckets which are tied to the tree underneath the incisions.
Just two centuries ago, the Para rubber tree was exclusive to the Amazon Rainforest. It wasn't until the s when rubber tree seeds were brought to India to help establish the first commercial rubber planta-tions. Today, rubber tapping methods are also commonly practiced in Liberia and Brazil, with Asia as the predominant source of natural rubber production.
The rubber made by the Mayans, while innovative for the time, was somewhat basic in form and function. Since then, scientists and inventors have discovered ways to manipulate latex with other materials and processes to create a variety of rubber types.
Despite technological advances with rubber in the early 19th century, it wasn't until the s that rubber was used as a flooring material. In fact, the first major recorded rubber flooring installation was in a Frankfurt, Germany airport in . Since then, rubber has found its way into gyms, airports and facilities around the world. Its growing popularity on the home front has led to the development of eye'pleasing rubber designs and imitative patterns to suit many living spaces.
The first rubber floor tiles debuted sometime in the 12th to 13th centuries, but declined in popularity toward the end of the 17th century. The use of plain, square, undecorated red clay tiles became common throughout Europe during the 18th century. Linoleum was invented and patented in . It was first manufactured in Scotland in the s, and the first U.S. plant was built in .
In , Philadelphia architect Frank Fumess patented a system for rubber floor tiles. Colors were limited, but the tiles could be laid in geometric patterns to produce an eye-catching design. By the end of the century, recessed tabs allowed rubber tiles to be nailed to the sub-floor, and soon the tabs were eliminated altogether. These tiles were durable, sound-deadening, easy to clean, and easy to install. However, they also stained easily and deteriorated over time from exposure to oxygen, ozone and solvents, and were not suitable for use in basements where alkaline moisture was present.
Rubber flooring offered an alternative and additional benefits compared to other resilient floor coverings like PVC, vinyl, etc., that began to gain in popularity in the 's and 's. The first major installation of nora' rubber flooring was at the Frankfurt Airport in , where it still is giving excellent service. In the early 's, nora' Rubber Flooring was first introduced into the U.S. market through a Chicago distributor.
Rubber tiles flooring gives a room a high-tech look. Rubber flooring was once made from the milky sap of the rubber tree, but most rubber tile flooring is now synthetic or manmade. Rubber tile flooring is resilient, flexible and durable. Rubber flooring is resistant to burns and dents; it's built-in self-releasing wax allows some rubber tile flooring to self heal most scratches and abrasions. Rubber tile flooring comes in wet suit finishes, primary and pastel colors, and in industrial studded rubber sheet or rubber tiles.
Once used primarily in commercial settings, rubber tiles are hard wearing, colorful, and resilient, but costly. Because rubber can be slippery when wet, ribbed or studded rubber tiles are recommended in kitchens and active use rooms.
Rubber tiles flooring is generally considered a 'low-impact,' environmentally friendly building material. Virgin rubber is sustainable as it is derived from trees, and the manufacture of synthetic rubber also has a low im-pact on the environment. Flooring that contains recycled rubber, however, is cheaper and more durable choice than synthetic or virgin rubber, and is considered a better choice as far as environmental impact is concerned. For reasons in favor of using recycled rubber over virgin or synthetics.
Recycled rubber flooring's low impact on the environment indeed carries over into all areas that you mention: manufacture, use and disposal. To stretch your question just a bit, also consider that rubber's sound absorbing qualities impact the environment by reducing noise pollution.
In summary:
' The energy required to process the used tires and chemicals is lower than that used to produce other resilient flooring.
' Adhesives and tiles continually produce minor but non-hazardous gasses; not enough however to fall out of strict air quality ranges.
' Rubber tiles are flammable but are 100% recyclable. If installed without adhesive, additional recycling benefits are realized.

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