SPORTS FLOORING


A comfortable floor is a key factor when


choosing a sports floor, as it helps prevent injury


Sports specific research Gerflor – the Flooring Group has played an active role in the development of flooring standards and player protec- tion, with one of the most recent being the EN14904 European sports flooring standard. While this stipulates that a sports floor in any of the European Union countries must offer a minimum of 25 per cent force reduction to those who will use the facility, it does not in any way quantify the notion of contact with the floor (impact comfort) – which is particu- larly important for young users between the ages of two and 11 years. A key issue has been to establish a way


in which one could quantify the differ- ent levels of comfort (as opposed to force reduction) of the various point and area elastic floors commonly found in the market place. This research was carried out by the biomechanics department at the University of Poitiers in France, from 2007 to 2011. The first challenge the research


engineers were faced with was measur- ing the level of comfort of a floor. To this end, engineers at the University of Poit- iers developed a spherical impactor filled with sensors to enable researchers to measure the comfort of sports floors. This spherical apparatus, with varying


weights, simulates different parts of the body such as the knee/elbow versus the head. The apparatus, through different impact velocities, also simulates the dif- ferent types of users in a sports hall or playroom – from young children to se- niors as defined by the ETH of Zurich. (See diagram 1 below)


Consequently, engineers were then


able to determine the comfort levels of different types of sports floors – ranging from timber sprung to several different types of synthetic sports floor- ing. These included: – Area elastic floors such as sprung timber with force reduction >50 per cent – Point plastic floors such as poured urethane, PVC and rubber The comfort index is the intensity of


the force on impact. The intensity of im- pact depends on the contact area. The higher the contact area, the lower the intensity (pain, risk of bruising and frac- tures) and the greater the comfort. Consequently for harder floors, even


though the force reduction properties of a floor may be very high, the surface area of the spherical apparatus remains relatively low compared to softer floors. (The classification of the comfort index is illustrated in the table below)


Level of Impact Comfort of a Floor


Comfortable


Impact Comfort Index


<15


Medium Comfortable ≥15 - ≤35 Uncomfortable


>35 Diagram 1: Simulating different types of floor users


1. Vertical deformation 2. Spherical impactor 3. Sports floor surface 4. Foam 5. Concrete


Sc max Contact area in mm2


The research findings showed that


‘comfortable’ floors (ie Impact Comfort Index <15 per cent) to be, systematically, point elastic sports floors with a force reduction of >45 per cent (according to the Sports Flooring Standard 14904). Findings also showed that when


encountering elbow or head impacts, children and adults experienced a greater comfort from point elastic floors compared to area elastic floors. Currently the French Ministry of


Education is keen to promote this type of sports floor testing – particularly when used in playrooms or small sports halls in primary schools and crèches. The ministry recommends comfortable floors with an Impact Comfort Index of <15 per cent combined with a force re- duction of >45 per cent.


Study conclusion The conclusion of the study is that com- paring the force reduction properties – while being essential in the determina- tion of a safe sports floor (ie protection against long term injuries) – is not neces- sary the only comparison that needs to be made in the choice of adapted sports floors for use by a particular user profile. The comfort properties of a floor


should also be taken into account as it’s a crucial factor for protection against immediate injury risk, such as bruising, and even more importantly when for use by younger players. In my opinion, the comfort levels of a floor is a factor that is often neglected, basically be- cause of the difficulty in determining “what is a comfortable floor?” ●


Peter Daly is Western European sales manager at Gerflor


66 Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital Issue 2 2011 © cybertrek 2011


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