Fundamentals of Indoor Sports Floors:
From Rubber to Polypropylene!
Rubber
Vinyl
Polyurethane
Polypropylene
Synthetics Do What Concrete Can’t
MAXIMUM SHOCK
ABSORPTION &
ENERGY RETURN.
Energy IN vs. Energy OUT
Synthetics Reduce Injury and Fatigue
Surface Related Injuries:
Abrasions
Slip and Fall
Muscle Pulls
Torn Tendons
Torn Ligaments
Impact Injuries
Synthetics Are Multipurpose
Synthetics Save Money
INSTALLATION
Hardwood = $ Expensive
Synthetic = VALUE
MAINTENANCE
NO Annual Recoats
$$$
NO 7 to 10 yr Resands $$$$$
The University of Florida
Synthetics are part of a Sustainable Design
– Rapidly Renewable
– Clean Production
– Clean Installation
– VOC Compliant
– Long Life
– Recyclable
Britney Spears- Princess of Pop
Tom Jones- King of Cool
Both Ride on Vulcanized Rubber
It All Started With Rubber
•
•
•
•
•
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Locomotive springs
Conveyor belts.
Seals for sewers.
Flooring
Inflatable boats.
Clothing.
Vulcanized Rubber
Vulcanized Rubber = Rubber + Sulfur + Heat
Natural Rubber from Hevea Tree
Christopher Columbus
Discovery of Rubber- 1499
• Discovered rubber
on his third voyage to
the New World from
1498-1500.
Charles Goodyear - 1839
• No formal education.
• Hardware dealer and
inventor.
• Accidentally
discovered
Vulcanization.
• Died of Lead
Poisoning.
Thomas Hancock - 1843
• Stole idea from Goodyear.
• Awarded patent rights.
• Developed machinery.
• Vulcan- Roman God of Fire.
VULCANITE
Sir Henry Wickham -1876
Expedition to Amazon
Henry Ridley
• Director of Singapore
Botanic Gardens.
• Encouraged rubber
planting.
Waldo Semon – 1933
• Accidentally invented vinyl at BF
Goodrich trying to bond rubber to steel.
• Grandfather fought in the Civil War and
fought the Sioux with Custer.
• Great-grandfather crossed the country for
the California gold rush.
• First job was working in Bill Cody’s Wild
West Show.
• 116 Patents.
• Invented SBR (Government RubberStyrene) Helped save the world.
• Invented synthetic rubber bubblegum.
• Died in 1999.
SBR & POLYVINYL CHLORIDE
Characteristics of PVC
Pliable and moldable.
Inexpensive to make (sea water and
petroleum).
Chlorine makes it an inherent fire
retardant.
60% of vinyl is used by the construction
industry.
Walter Diemer - 1928
• Invented conventional bubblegum.
• Accountant for Fleer.
BUBBLE GUM
Otto Bayer - 1939
INVENTED POLYURETHANES
Germany needed rubber
substitutes during World War
II.
Invented high quality bristle
brushes.
POLYURETHANE
Giulio Natta - 1954
Awarded the Nobel
Prize at Milan
Polytechnic for the
introduction of
polypropylene resins
through the
polymerization of
polypropylene to
produce stereo regular
polymers.
POLYPROPYLENE
More Durable than Tom Jones
Tom Jones circa 2002
Outperform Even Britney Spears!
F - Numbers
FF
FL
FLATNESS
LEVELNESS
FF 25 / FL 20
Flatness always comes first.
“F 25” means “FF 25”
F Numbers Are Linear
The higher the number the better.
FF 20 is twice as
flat as FF 10
What Was Wrong With Straightedge?
How to Interpret 1/8” in 10’?
Unscientific and Non-repeatable .
Almost Never Achieved.
Straightedge Doesn’t Control The Floor
All These Floors Meet 1/8” in 10’
What F-Number = 1/8” in 10’
FF 25 ≈ ± 1/4” defect in 10’
FF 50 ≈ ± 1/8” defect in 10’
FF 100 ≈ ± 1/16” defect in 10’
How F-Numbers Are Measured
Dipstick
ASTM E-1155
Not over expansion joints
OK over saw cuts
Minimum 30 readings
Leave out 2’ border
Exclude handwork areas
How Readings Are Taken
“Q” readings for flatness
“Z” readings for levelness
Problems For Us
We go over expansion joints
We include the 2’ border
We include handwork areas
Readings taken immediately
after pour
Saw cuts warp
Our Spec is 1/8” in 10’
The End - Go Forth and Prosper!!