Turf Underlayment Panels With Vertical Edge Supports for Drainage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing artificial turf systems face issues with infill material migration, leading to reduced stability and impact absorption due to depletion of infill constituents, and sagging of the turf assembly into drainage paths, which affects the overall performance and durability of the system.
Innovation Solution
A turf underlayment layer comprising panels with top projections forming drainage channels and vertical support extensions that maintain the turf assembly's stability and prevent sagging, while allowing for water drainage, utilizing non-linear panel edges and complementary indentations to accommodate panel movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If panels are joined with flat edges forming drainage paths, then water drainage is enabled, but the turf assembly sags into the drainage paths reducing stability
Solution Approach 1:
The panel edges are segmented into multiple features including vertical support extensions and drainage projections. The vertical support extensions are divided into multiple segments that can independently engage with indentations on adjacent panels, creating a distributed support system that prevents sagging while maintaining drainage paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical support extensions are received within indentations on adjacent panels, creating a nested configuration. This nesting arrangement allows the support extensions to be housed within the structural features of adjacent panels, providing stable support while maintaining the overall panel configuration for water drainage.
2Ease of operation
If infill material is applied among artificial grass blades, then turf assembly is formed, but infill material migrates to drainage paths depleting infill constituents
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage projections extract and separate the drainage function from the infill material. By providing dedicated drainage pathways through the panel edges with drainage projections, the infill material is prevented from migrating into drainage paths, as the drainage function is extracted and isolated to specific structural features.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical support extensions act as intermediaries between the turf assembly and the drainage paths. These extensions prevent direct contact and migration between infill material and drainage paths, while still allowing water to flow through the designated drainage projections.
3Stability of the object's composition
If panels are rigidly fixed to prevent movement, then panel stability is maintained, but drainage paths cannot accommodate thermal expansion and contraction
Solution Approach 1:
The panel edges are designed with dynamic features including vertical support extensions that can move relative to each other and drainage projections that can compress and expand. This dynamic design allows the drainage paths to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of panels while maintaining overall system stability through the interlocking configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
An underlayment layer is configured to support an artificial turf assembly. The underlayment layer comprises plurality of panels, each panel comprising a core with a top side and a bottom side. The top side has a plurality of top projections. The top projections form top side water drainage channels. The panels have edges, with the edges of one panel abutting the edges of adjacent panels, thereby forming a drainage path between adjacent panels. The panel edges have vertical support extensions that extend into the drainage paths between adjacent panels. The vertical support extensions have an upper surface for supporting an artificial turf assembly overlying the turf underlayment layer, and the panel edges having one or more complementary indentations corresponding to vertical support extensions of adjacent panels. When the panels move toward each other, thereby closing drainage paths between adjacent panels, the vertical support extensions are received in the corresponding indentations.