Athletic play surface

Abstract

An athletic play surface having a moisture-resistant substrate layer located on top of a base surface. A woven scrim layer is positioned on top of and adhered to the substrate layer. A plurality of open cells extend through the scrim layer. An encapsulation layer is formed using a flowable curable material that is poured over the scrim layer and that hardens. The curable material passes through the open cells of the scrim layer, contacts the base surface, and then substantially fills the plurality of open cells of the scrim layer. A portion of the encapsulation layer extends beyond a top of the scrim layer to a height H. A decorative layer, such as paint and court lines, may be applied on top of the encapsulation layer.

Claims

1. A method for constructing an athletic play surface on a base surface comprising the steps of: A. providing a moisture-resistant substrate layer on top of the base surface; B. covering the substrate layer with a woven scrim layer; C. covering the scrim layer with a flowable curable material that passes through open cells formed in the scrim layer and that contacts the substrate layer, substantially fills the open cells of the scrim layer, and forms an encapsulation layer having a portion with height H that extends beyond a top of the scrim layer; D. placing two moisture-resistant substrate layers adjacent one another on top of the base surface; and E. placing a first adhesive strip having a first width over at least a portion of an abutment formed by the two adjacent substrate layers in order to loin them together.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a decorative layer on a top surface of the encapsulation layer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the decorative layer is applied before the curable material has dried and hardened.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising sanding a top surface of the encapsulation layer.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing said base surface on an existing subbase surface prior to Step A.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the base surface is a damaged poured surface.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising adhering the woven scrim layer to the substrate layer with an adhesive.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of placing a second adhesive strip having a second width, where the second width is wider than the first width, over the first adhesive strip to substantially cover the first adhesive strip with the second adhesive strip.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein height H is substantially uniform across the encapsulation layer.

10. An athletic play surface configured for placement on top of a base surface, the athletic play surface comprising: a moisture-resistant substrate layer disposed on top of the base surface; a woven scrim layer disposed on top of the substrate layer; a plurality of open cells extending through the scrim layer; an encapsulation layer having a portion with height H that extends beyond a top of the scrim layer, the encapsulation layer formed by a flowable curable material that is configured to pass through the plurality of open cells formed in the scrim layer in order to contact the substrate layer and to substantially fill the plurality of open cells of the scrim layer prior to curing; one or more pairs of moisture-resistant strips disposed adjacent one another at an abutment on top of the base surface to form said substrate layer; a first adhesive strip with a first width disposed over the abutment formed by each adjacent pair of moisture-resistant strips joining the moisture-resistant strips together, wherein the first adhesive strip is water resistant and resists water passing between the two adjacent moisture-resistant strips at the abutment.

11. The athletic play surface of claim 10 further comprising a second adhesive strip having a second width disposed over the first adhesive strip, wherein the second width is wider than the first width such that the first strip is covered substantially entirely by the second strip.

12. The athletic play surface of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of open cells has a minimum open area of 0.09 square inches (in..sup.2) and a maximum open area of 1.0 square inches (in..sup.2).

13. The athletic play surface of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of open cells is substantially rectangular in shape with a minimum side length of 0.3 inches and a maximum size length of 1.0 inches.

14. The athletic play surface of claim 10 wherein height H is 0.125 inches or greater.

15. The athletic play surface of claim 10 wherein the curable material is comprised of 10-95% sand by volume.

16. The athletic play surface of claim 10 wherein the curable material comprises fiber-reinforced concrete.

17. The athletic play surface of claim 10 wherein the moisture-resistant substrate layer is composed of a fabric and at least one of a moisture-resistant coating or moisture-resistant backing surface applied to the fabric.

18. A method for replacing a damaged poured surface disposed on a subbase surface with a new poured surface without removing the damaged poured surface, the method comprising the steps of: A. placing one or more pairs of moisture-resistant fabric strips adjacent one another along an abutment to form a moisture-resistant fabric substrate layer on top of the existing damaged poured surface, each moisture-resistant fabric strip composed of a fabric layer with a thickness of at least 0.125 inches and at least one of a moisture-resistant coating applied to the fabric layer or a moisture-resistant backing layer affixed to the fabric layer; B. placing an adhesive water-resistant strip over the abutment formed by each adjacent pair of moisture-resistant fabric strips, wherein the adhesive water-resistant strip resists water passing upwards from the existing damaged poured surface between the two adjacent moisture-resistant fabric strips at the abutment; C. placing a woven scrim layer that is provided with a plurality open cells on top of the substrate layer; D. covering the woven scrim layer with a self-curing concrete-sand mixture that is comprised of 10-95% sand by volume and that passes through open cells formed in the scrim layer, contacts the existing damaged poured surface, substantially fills the open cells of the scrim layer, and forms an encapsulation layer having a portion that extends past a top of the scrim layer and that has a substantially uniform height H of at least 0.125 inches; E. sanding a top surface of the encapsulation layer; and F applying a decorative layer over the top surface of the encapsulation layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages of the invention are apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements throughout the several views, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a top plan view depicting a section of an athletic play surface according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a portion of the athletic play surface of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2;

(4) FIG. 3 is a section view of a portion of the athletic play surface of FIG. 1 taken along line 3-3;

(5) FIG. 4 is a section view of the athletic play surface of FIG. 1 taken along line 4-4; and

(6) FIG. 5 is a detail view showing the circled portion of the athletic play surface in FIG. 4 denoted by FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is provided poured athletic play surface 100 constructed according to the method of the present invention. In certain preferred embodiments, poured athletic play surface 100 is placed on top of existing base surface 102 that has been damaged and that is located on top of subbase 104. For example, existing base surface 102 could be a cracked asphalt or concrete, such as a parking lot or existing play surface (e.g., basketball court, tennis court, or the like), located on subbase 104 of stabilized soil. Advantageously, constructing play surface 100 does not require the expense of first breaking up and removing the existing and damaged base surface. Instead, as detailed herein, play surface 100 may be placed directly onto base surface 102. Play surface 100 may also be constructed where only subbase 104 is located. In that case, base surface 102 is created on top of existing subbase 104 through compacting the existing subbase material, by building the base surface using new materials (e.g., dumping crushed stone or gravel onto a dirt subbase surface, and compacting the added material), or other similar site preparation functions, as necessary to provide a suitable base surface.

(8) According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, one or more pairs of moisture-resistant fabric strips 106 are arranged on top of base surface 102. In certain preferred embodiments, each of the fabric strips 106 is formed by a fabric layer that is at least 0.125 inches thick and includes moisture-resistant coating 108 (such as urethane, epoxy, resin, or other polymeric coating etc.) applied to the fabric layer, moisture-resistant backing layer 110 (such as a woven polypropylene and polyester fabric impregnated with liquid urethane) affixed to the fabric layer, or both. However, coating 108 or backing layer 110 may be applied to the top of the strips 106. Additionally, coating 108 may be dispersed throughout the strips 106, including between the top and bottom surfaces. Strips 106 are arranged such that side edges of each strip is adjacent a side edge of an adjacent strip to form an abutment 112 (excluding the outermost strips, where only one side edge is adjacent the side edge of the nearest strip) to form a moisture-resistant fabric substrate layer 114.

(9) A first adhesive water-resistant strip 116, such as moisture-proof tape, is then placed over the abutment 112. Each first strip 116 has a first width W1 that is sufficiently wide enough to span the abutment 112 and to join the two adjacent fabric strips 106 together. In certain preferred embodiments, a second adhesive strip 118 having a second width W2, where the second width (e.g., 6 inches to 18 inches) is wider than the first width W1 (e.g., 3 inches to 8 inches wide), is placed over the first adhesive strip. Preferably second width W2 is wide enough that first strip 116 is covered entirely by second strip 118 to provide a double layer of water-resistant strips placed over each abutment 112. In some embodiments, strips 116, 118 are formed using the same materials. However, in other embodiments, strips 116, 118 are formed using different materials with different material properties. For example, first strip 116 may be formed using a flexible waterproof tape that permits fabric strips 106 to move or flex. However, second strip 118 may be formed using a rigid tape, such as fiberglass tape, that provides rigidity and a stable surface on top of fabric strips 106 and first strip 116. Preferably, adhesive water-resistant strips 116, 118 resist water passing upwards from base surface 102 or subbase 104 between the two adjacent moisture-resistant fabric strips 116 at abutment 112. As a result of this water resistance, play surface 100 resists moisture from below and, therefore, can be constructed on moisture-laden base surfaces 102, such as concrete roof areas and the like.

(10) Next, an open weave scrim layer 120 is placed on top of substrate layer 114 and adhesive strips 116, 118. Preferably, scrim layer 120 is adhered to substrate layer 114 with a liquid, water-based, free-flowing adhesive (not shown). In certain embodiments, scrim layer 120 is formed by twisted fiber strands of natural materials, synthetic materials, or both that are woven together. For example, scrim layer 120 may be formed from fiberglass, polypropylene, or other synthetic fabrics. Scrim layer 120 may be formed by separate strips that are connected together. For example, in one embodiment, scrim layer 120 is formed using multiple strips that are each 24-40 inches wide by 100-150 feet wide and are placed adjacent one another. Scrim layer 120 is provided with a plurality of open cells 122 located between the woven fibers or strands 124 that extend throughout the scrim layer.

(11) An encapsulation layer 126 (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) is the top layer of athletic play surface 100 and is formed by covering the scrim layer 120 with a flowable curable material 128, such as self-curing Portland cement concrete. In a preferred embodiment, the curable material 128 is a self-curing cement or cementitious mixture that is preferably comprised of approximately 10 percent to approximately 95 percent sand by volume. Preferably, the sand has a particle size that is smaller than #12 U.S. screen mesh size. In other embodiments, fine sand has a particle size that is less than #40 U.S. screen mesh size and greater than #120 U.S. screen mesh size. In certain preferred embodiments, the curing material 128 comprises sand particles and other aggregate that are bound by a mixture of cement and a latex binder. For example, in one preferred embodiment, curable material 128 is comprised of approximately 10% Portland cement, approximately 18% latex binder, and approximately 72% sand, by weight. In certain embodiments, curing material 128 is fiber-reinforced concrete that is reinforced, for example, with carbon, steel, glass, synthetic, natural or other fibers mixed into the concrete mix.

(12) Preferably, encapsulation layer 126 is formed by pouring and spreading curable material 128 over scrim layer 120 such that the curable material passes into and substantially fills open cells 124. As curable material 128 is poured over scrim layer 120, it flows down through cells 124 and preferably contacts poured base surface 102, fills open cells 124, and then forms a portion that extends to a top surface 130. Encapsulation layer 126 extends from the top of substrate layer 124 to top surface 130. Preferably, the upper portion of the encapsulation layer 126 that is located between the top of the scrim layer 120 and top surface 130 has a height H. Preferably, height H is uniform across the entire surface of encapsulation layer 126. In certain embodiments, height H ranges from about 0.125 inches to about 0.25 inches. Even more preferably, the overall thickness of the entire encapsulation layer 126 has a uniform thickness (i.e., the distance from the top of substrate layer 124 to top surface 130).

(13) Scrim layer 120 is configured with open cells 122 being sized such that curable material 128 flows easily into the open cells, but the cells are not so large that the curable materials slumps or is uneven when cured (e.g., side lengths ranging from 0.3 inches to 1.0 inches in a rectangular cell). Open cells 122 may be rectangular in shape, including square-shaped, or any other suitable shape (e.g., round). For example, in a preferred embodiment, scrim layer 120 is formed using a furred fiberglass mesh having rectangular open cells 122 with side lengths of 0.5 inches and 0.75 inches (0.375 square inches). Advantageously, fiberglass mesh will not rust like metal meshes. Additionally, fiberglass is lighter and easier to handle than metal meshes. Scrim layer 120 is furred so that portions of the scrim layer are held above (i.e., away from) the substrate layer 114. For example, a scrim layer 120 having a thickness of 0.04 inches is furred to provide an overall thickness of 0.12 inches, which provides a constant depth above substrate layer 114. The constant depth of the scrim layer 120 also assists in providing a constant thickness once the curable material 128 fills the open cells 122 (e.g., an encapsulation layer 126 having a 0.2 inches overall thickness using a 0.12 inches thick scrim layer). If the cured encapsulation layer 126 has an initial overall thickness of 0.2 inches, the top surface 130 may be sanded down until uniform and the final sanded encapsulation layer is 0.16 inches thick.

(14) Once the encapsulation layer 126 has cured, its top surface 130 may be sanded smooth and level in order to prepare the surface for use. Additionally, a decorative layer 132 may be applied to top surface 130 of encapsulation layer 126. This decorative layer 132 may include the paint, lines, tape, etc. required to form a pickle ball court, tennis court, basketball court, etc. In certain embodiments, decorative layer 132 is applied after the curing process of curable material 128 has finished. In other embodiments, decorative layer 132 is applied before the curable material 128 has dried and hardened.

(15) Although this description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments thereof, as well as the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the invention. The invention, as described herein, is susceptible to various modifications and adaptations as would be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention relates.