Athletics tracks
All sports surfaces are characterised by the ability to guarantee an interface between the athletes and the support.
Doing sports produces a series of shocks that have an effect on the body and can provoke injuries, fatigue or lesions. The aim of a sports surface is to delay, if not eliminate, all risk of trauma in the short, medium or long term for the athlete.
The sports surface industry, in correlation with current knowledge in the field of biomechanics, has introduced changes into the technical solutions it has proposed in the last forty years or so. Sports federations (both national and international authorities) have monitored these changes and have included in their regulations the results of the research published, mostly in the form of standards, first at the national level, then at the European level, in the last decade.
The history of track and field sports dates back to Antiquity and has used successively earth, grass and then so-called cinder tracks (a stabilised mineral material). In 1968, at the Olympic Games in Mexico, the first synthetic track made its appearance. It was made of “Tartan” polyurethane, a generic term that still designates this type of equipment for many athletes.
This period also corresponds to the invention of EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) which was very quickly and widely used in the form of granulate in the composition of sports surfaces in the 1970s until today, particularly as this type of track is coloured in the mass and the red colour (despite the fact that tracks are now made in blue or bicoloured) has become a sort of “reference” in the field.
The association of two components (polyurethane resin and EPDM granulate) was thus used as the basis for the design of athletics tracks for a great many manufacturers, who took part in preparing reference standards in this sector of activity. These standards are now known as EN 14877 (European standard relating to athletics tracks) and NF P90-127 (French standard for sports facilities – used in secondary and high schools).
Rubber granulate was progressively introduced as it arrived on the market. However, given their irregular physical characteristics, they were only used in the under layer and were covered either with EPDM granulate or projections of PU paint and EPDM powder.
Today, ELT granulate is produced in a format that can be used in the place of EPDM granulate.
The idea of producing an athletics track made exclusively from ELT granulate bound with a PU resin was thus possible. This led to Aliapur and Technisol carrying out a study with the aim of developing a surface corresponding to the expectations of the athletes in stadium-based track and field events.
As the aim was to satisfy the expectations of users, the 3 following essential criteria were retained:
- Shock absorption
- Deformation (flexibility)
- Skid (support)
After a validation phase in a laboratory, this project was selected by the ASM athletics club for its new athletics track at the Gauthière stadium in Clermont Ferrand.
A track was thus manufactured: a 400 m circuit, with 6 lanes (including one straight line), a half-circle for the high jump area, as well as a runway for long jump and triple jump. (Total area: 3,900m².)
This track corresponds to the equivalent of recycling 9,000 end-of-life tyres.
The aim of this prototype was thus to provide the demonstration, at the scale of a 400 m athletics track, that the exclusive use of ELT granulate makes it possible to produce in a sustainable manner a surface whose qualities are more long-lasting given the use of a material (ELT granulate) with mechanical characteristics that are better than those of EPDM. This system is destined for athletics tracks and sports facilities in schools.
All that remained was to hear the reaction of those who are the most concerned: the athletes from the ASM, one of the biggest athletics clubs in France. The reaction was extremely positive: “This surface has good shock absorbance properties and does not deform. It also provides good energy restoration”. Both middle distance runners and sprinters liked the surface, to such an extent that the directors of the club would like to be able to host a few competitions on it.
This surface is innovative because it makes it possible to make full use of the exceptional characteristics of tyres, and to confirm a new recovery method. In addition, the surface is no longer hidden under a layer of coloured EPDM and is proud to show off its own colours. The durability of this material will be monitored over time, but given the constraints applied, it is reasonable to expect there to be only a very low risk of degradation. The tyres used effectively undergo temperature and pressure constraints that are considerably higher than those of runners on the track, even if the runners are rugby players!
More info here: Video 1
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