Structural Modules for Artificial Sports Surfaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional artificial sports surfaces require a granular sub-base layer for support, which can lead to settlement issues and uneven surfaces, especially on challenging ground conditions, and also face challenges in water management due to low permeability and high costs of materials.
Innovation Solution
A structural module with a top wall having small apertures to maintain surface flatness and a bottom wall with larger apertures for drainage, eliminating the need for a granular sub-base layer and allowing for direct installation on suitable ground, while providing sufficient drainage and load support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a granular sub-base layer is used for support, then load-bearing capability is improved, but settlement issues and surface unevenness occur
Solution Approach 1:
The sub-base layer is segmented into individual modular elements with interlocking features. Each module is a discrete unit that interlocks with adjacent modules through complementary geometric features (protrusions and recesses), creating a unified load-bearing structure that resists settlement and maintains surface flatness while distributing loads effectively across the entire assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular sub-base elements combine multiple functional features within a single component: load-bearing structural geometry, interlocking mechanical features, drainage apertures, and potential shock-absorbing materials. This composite approach integrates support, stability, and drainage functions into one element, eliminating the need for separate granular layers.
2Manufacturing precision
If macadam and sub-base layers are used to ensure flatness, then surface flatness is improved, but weight and transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sub-base layer is segmented into individual modular elements with interlocking features. Each module is a discrete unit that interlocks with adjacent modules through complementary geometric features (protrusions and recesses), creating a unified load-bearing structure that resists settlement and maintains surface flatness while distributing loads effectively across the entire assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for traditional macadam and granular sub-base layers by replacing them with structural modular elements that provide equivalent or superior support and flatness functionality. This removal of unnecessary material layers directly reduces the overall weight of the artificial surface structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If small apertures are provided in the top wall, then surface flatness is maintained, but drainage capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage system transitions from a two-dimensional surface drainage approach to a three-dimensional vertical drainage pathway. Water enters through small apertures in the top wall (maintaining surface flatness), travels vertically through the module's internal structure, and exits through larger apertures in the bottom wall, creating an efficient vertical drainage dimension that resolves the contradiction between maintaining flatness and enabling drainage.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the modular element have different aperture sizes optimized for their specific functions: small apertures in the top wall maintain surface flatness while allowing water entry, while larger apertures in the bottom wall maximize drainage efficiency. This local differentiation of aperture sizes allows each region to optimize for its primary function.
4Reliability
If a structural module is used instead of granular sub-base, then settlement resistance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sub-base layer is segmented into individual modular elements with interlocking features. Each module is a discrete unit that interlocks with adjacent modules through complementary geometric features (protrusions and recesses), creating a unified load-bearing structure that resists settlement and maintains surface flatness while distributing loads effectively across the entire assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular elements feature nested interlocking geometries where protrusions of one module fit into recesses of adjacent modules, creating a tightly integrated assembly. This nesting approach simplifies manufacturing by allowing standardized modular units to be produced independently and then assembled through simple interlocking without requiring complex field fabrication.
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 level surface without the need for macadam and sub-base layers, reducing weight and transportation costs, and improving water management, while maintaining the necessary load-bearing and drainage capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
the top wall is provided with a plurality of apertures to permit the flow of liquid into and out of the volume, and the bottom wall is provided with a plurality of apertures which permit the flow of liquid therethrough
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
An area suitable for sporting activities comprises an upper synthetic surface layer, and a sub-surface support layer which includes a load bearing structural module. The structural module comprises a top wall and a bottom wall spaced therefrom by one or more supporting elements so as to define a volume between the top and bottom walls. The top wall is provided with a plurality of apertures to permit the flow of liquid into and out of the volume. The size and shape of the apertures is such that the apertures cause substantially no variation in the flatness of the synthetic surface layer.