Reinforced wood flooring with a discontinuous glue pattern for truck trailers and containers

1. A reinforced wood flooring for truck trailers and containers, comprising:

a wood member having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the wood member includes a plurality of wood strips that are attached together;

an underlay essentially impermeable to liquid water and to water vapor attached to the bottom surface of the wood member with a discontinuous layer of adhesive, the underlay having a thickness of about 0.025 inches to about 0.050 inches;

wherein the underlay includes a fiber reinforced plastic that includes a plurality of continuous fibers and a polymeric resin; and

wherein in at least a portion of the underlay, 95% or more of the continuous fibers are aligned in the longitudinal direction.

2. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 1 , wherein the wood member include oak, maple, ash, birch, or beech.

3. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 1 , wherein the continuous fibers include glass fibers and aramid fibers.

4. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric resin includes polyurethane.

5. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 1 , wherein the discontinuous layer of adhesive includes a hot melt reactive polyurethane.

6. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 1 , wherein bottom surface of the wood member has a surface area and wherein the discontinuous layer of adhesive covers 98% or less of the surface area of the bottom surface.

7. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 1 , wherein bottom surface of the wood member has a surface area and wherein the discontinuous layer of adhesive covers 96% or less of the surface area of the bottom surface.

8. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 1 , wherein bottom surface of the wood member has a surface area and wherein the discontinuous layer of adhesive covers 90% or less of the surface area of the bottom surface.

9. A reinforced wood flooring for truck trailers and containers, comprising:

a wood member having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the wood member includes a plurality of wood strips that are attached together;

an underlay essentially impermeable to liquid water and to water vapor attached to the bottom surface of the wood member with a discontinuous layer of adhesive;

wherein the underlay includes a fiber reinforced plastic that includes a plurality of continuous fibers and a polymeric resin, the continuous fibers including glass fibers and aramid fibers;

wherein the ratio of glass fibers to aramid fibers by weight is about 8:1 to about 10:1;

wherein the discontinuous layer of adhesive forms a pattern along the bottom surface; and

wherein the reinforced wood flooring has a flexural strength of at least about 2.0×10 4 pounds per square inch.

10. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 9 , wherein the pattern includes a pair of parallel sections that are free of adhesive.

11. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 9 , wherein the pattern includes a pair of intersecting sections that are free of adhesive.

12. A method of manufacturing a reinforced wood flooring for truck trailers and containers, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a wood member having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

attaching an underlay that is essentially impermeable to liquid water and to water vapor to the bottom surface of the wood member with a discontinuous layer of adhesive, the underlay having a thickness of about 0.025 inches to about 0.050 inches;

wherein the underlay includes a fiber reinforced plastic that includes a plurality of continuous fibers and a polymeric resin, the continuous fibers including glass fibers and aramid fibers; and

wherein the ratio of glass fibers to aramid fibers by weight is about 8:1 to about 10:1.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of providing a wood member includes providing a plurality of wood strips that are attached together.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of attaching an underlay that is essentially impermeable to liquid water and to water vapor to the bottom surface of the wood member with a discontinuous layer of adhesive includes applying the discontinuous layer of adhesive to the bottom surface of the wood member with a roller, wherein the roller has an adhesive applying section and one or more grooves formed in the adhesive applying section.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the roller includes two grooves that are disposed parallel to one another.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the roller includes two grooves that intersect one another.

17. A reinforced wood flooring for truck trailers and containers, comprising:

a plurality of floor boards joined together, each of the floor boards including a plurality of hardwood strips that are attached together, a top surface, and a bottom surface;

a fiber reinforced plastic member that is essentially impermeable to liquid water and to water vapor attached to the bottom surface of each of the floor boards with a discontinuous layer of adhesive, the fiber reinforced plastic member including a plurality of continuous fibers and a polyurethane resin, the plurality of continuous fibers including glass fibers and aramid fibers;

wherein the underlay has a thickness of about 0.025 inches to about 0.050 inches;

wherein the ratio of glass fibers to aramid fibers by weight is about 8:1 to about 10:1;

wherein in at least a portion of the underlay, 95% or more of the continuous fibers are aligned in the longitudinal direction;

wherein the reinforced wood flooring has a flexural strength of at least about 2.0×10 4 pounds per square inch; and

wherein the reinforced wood flooring has a flexural modulus of at least about 1.9×10 6 pounds per square inch.

18. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 17 , wherein the underlay is free of a cellulosic material.

19. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 17 , wherein the underlay consists of a polyurethane resin, glass fibers, and aramid fibers.

20. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 17 , wherein continuous fibers make up about 60-80% of the weight of the underlay.

21. The reinforced wood flooring of claim 17 , wherein continuous fibers make up about 70% by weight of the underlay.