Slot Assemblies in Foam Plates for Artificial Turf
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing artificial lawn systems for sports fields face issues with dimensional stability due to warping and expansion caused by temperature differences and moisture, leading to a loss of connection between plates and compromised functionality.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating slot assemblies on the plates that extend in specific directions to absorb stresses and prevent warping, with slots that are 50% to 95% of the plate's thickness, allowing for compression and extension, and additional slot assemblies in perpendicular directions to maintain flatness, along with drainage openings at intersection points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plates are used as sport-technical layer, then damping and resilience are improved, but dimensional stability deteriorates due to warping and expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is divided into multiple segments by creating slot assemblies that split the continuous material into discrete sections. These slots extend through the plate thickness and are arranged in patterns that allow independent movement of each segment, preventing warping while maintaining overall structural integrity and damping properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The slot assemblies are strategically positioned at specific locations within the plate to provide localized flexibility where needed. The slots create zones of controlled deformation that allow the plate to accommodate thermal expansion and moisture changes without compromising the overall damping performance or causing widespread warping.
2Ease of manufacture
If plates are arranged in abutting relationship, then construction is simplified, but connection reliability deteriorates due to warping and overlapping
Solution Approach 1:
The slot assemblies are pre-formed as integral parts of the plate during manufacturing. This preliminary creation of expansion joints ensures that when plates are assembled together, they are already designed to accommodate movement and maintain connection, eliminating the need for complex adjustment procedures during construction.
3Strength
If plates are made rigid, then structural integrity is improved, but adaptability deteriorates due to inability to accommodate temperature and moisture changes
Solution Approach 1:
The slot assemblies transform the rigid plate into a dynamically adaptable structure. The slots allow the plate to flex, expand, and contract in response to temperature and moisture changes while maintaining overall structural integrity. This dynamic capability enables the plate to adapt to environmental variations without compromising strength or causing warping.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures a flat and stable sport-technical layer, enhancing the functional characteristics of the artificial lawn system, simplifying construction, reducing maintenance costs, and improving drainage, while preventing warping and maintaining playing characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
the action of sunlight but also the occurrence of temperature differences between the bottom side and the upper side of the layer as well as factors such as the dimensions and the water balance
Implementation Method 2
the plate is provided with flatness-enhancing means... enables the plate to compress and extend under the influence of, for example, form loads in a first direction or of temperature differences
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a sport-technical layer for use in an artificial lawn system in particular intended for sports fields, which artificial lawn system is built up at least of a substrate to which artificial grass fibres are attached as well as the sport-technical layer extending under said substrate, which sport-technical layer comprises at least one damping sublayer made of a synthetic foam, which damping sublayer made of a synthetic foam is built up of an essentially rigid flat plate, which plate is provided with flatness-enhancing means. The invention further relates to an artificial lawn system provided with such a sport-technical layer. According to the invention, the sport-technical layer is to that end characterised in that said flatness-enhancing means comprise at least one first slot assembly of at least two closely spaced slots formed in a respective upper surface or bottom surface of the plate, which slots extend in a first direction of the plate. As a result, the sport-technical layer is constructionally guaranteed to be a flat layer not exhibiting any warped or overlapping portions. On the one hand this leads to improved functional characteristics of the artificial lawn system to be ultimately constructed, but in addition this prevents the unnecessary work and expenses involved in repairing a non-level sport-technical layer, which currently takes place with the artificial lawn system according to the prior art.