ELEMENT OF DAMPING LAYER FOR FLOORING AND RELATED DAMPING LAYER

Abstract

Element (1) of damping layer (200) comprising a frame (2) which comprises a plurality of through openings (4), a plurality of support bodies (5) which protrude from the frame (2) arranged at a respective through opening (4) and bridging with structural continuity two attachment regions (6) belonging to the frame (2) and mutually opposite with respect to the respective through opening (4), wherein the frame (2) has a reticular structure comprising elongated elements (10, 12) connected to each other at nodes (11), wherein each support body (5) is attached to the frame (2) only at the two attachment regions (6), wherein each through opening (4) is delimited by the two attachment regions (6) and by two respective frame portions joining the two attachment regions (6), and wherein each frame portion at least partially comprises at least two elongated elements (10, 12) not mutually parallel, wherein at least one of the two elongated elements (10, 12) has development at least partially not parallel to the longitudinal direction (100).

Claims

1. Element of damping layer for flooring, the element comprising: a frame which forms a first face of said element, said frame comprising a plurality of through openings; a plurality of support bodies which protrude from said frame at opposite side with respect to said first face, each support body being arranged at a respective through opening of said plurality of through openings and bridging with structural continuity two attachment regions belonging to said frame and mutually opposite with respect to said respective through opening, wherein said frame has a reticular structure comprising elongated elements connected to each other at nodes, wherein said two attachment regions are arranged mutually opposite along a longitudinal direction, wherein each support body is attached to said frame only at said two attachment regions, wherein each through opening is delimited by said two attachment regions and by two respective frame portions joining said two attachment regions respectively at opposite sides of said through opening, and wherein each frame portion at least partially comprises at least two elongated elements not mutually parallel, wherein at least one of the two elongated elements has development at least partially not parallel to said longitudinal direction.

2. Element according to claim 1, wherein each frame portion comprises in their entirety said at least two elongated elements, wherein each of said at least two elongated elements has development at least partially not parallel to said longitudinal direction and not parallel, not even substantially, to a transversal direction substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, and wherein said at least two elongated elements of each frame portion are mutually consecutive.

3. Element according to claim 2, wherein said at least two elongated elements have rectilinear development and define between them a connection angle facing towards the respective through opening, wherein said connection angle is greater than or equal to 90? and less than or equal to 170?.

4. Element according to claim 2, wherein said frame develops substantially on a plane comprising the longitudinal direction and a transversal direction substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, wherein said reticular structure is regular, wherein each node is a connection point between at least three elongated elements, wherein each elongated element is straight, wherein each through opening has, in plant, a hexagonal shape having a longitudinal axis of symmetry and a transversal axis of symmetry, wherein said hexagonal shape has main development along the longitudinal direction, wherein each through opening is delimited by two first elongated elements with substantially transversal development and respectively comprising said two attachment regions, and by two pairs of consecutive second elongated elements, each pair connecting said two first elongated elements at opposite sides of the through opening, wherein each first elongated element has two transversal end portions left free by the respective attachment region, wherein said at least two elongated elements coincide with said second elongated elements, and wherein each frame portion comprises in their entirety only said at least two elongated elements and further comprises a respective transversal end portion of the two first elongated elements.

5. Element according to claim 1, wherein each through opening is associated with one and only one respective support body, wherein said through openings are all equal to each other and said support bodies are all equal to each other, wherein each support body has in plant a main development along said longitudinal direction and comprises two end portions respectively adjacent to said attachment regions, wherein at least one of, or both, said end portions of the support body has/have in plant a transversely tapered shape, at least moving longitudinally from the support body to the frame, wherein each of one or more support bodies comprises one or more respective through openings, preferably longitudinally elongated, wherein each of one or more support bodies comprises one or more respective ribs, preferably arranged on one face of the respective support body facing towards said frame, and wherein said one or more respective ribs develop substantially parallel to a main development of the respective support body.

6. Element according to claim 1, wherein each support body comprises two end portions respectively adjacent to said attachment regions, wherein, in a vertical plane perpendicular to said first face and comprising the longitudinal direction, each end portion of each support body forms, together with said first face of the frame at the respective attachment region, a respective attachment angle facing towards the respective support body, said attachment angle being greater than or equal to 0? and less than or equal to 45?, preferably less than or equal to 30?, and wherein, in said vertical plane, each support body has an arc development between the two attachment regions, preferably with concavity facing towards said frame for at least part of the arc development.

7. Element according to claim 6, wherein each support body, in said vertical plane, has sinusoidal development with attachment angle equal to 0?.

8. Element according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of support bodies comprises at least a first and a second group of support bodies, each group comprising a respective plurality of rows of support bodies, wherein the rows of the first group are interspersed with the rows of the second group along a transversal direction substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, wherein the support bodies of the first group are arranged staggered with respect to the support bodies of the second group with respect to said longitudinal direction by a longitudinal offset equal to substantially half of a longitudinal length of the support bodies, and wherein the support bodies of each row are all aligned to each other with respect to the transversal direction.

9. Damping layer for flooring comprising a plurality of elements of damping layer according to claim 1, arranged side by side.

10. Flooring comprising: a compact substrate; a surface layer arranged over the substrate and a damping layer for flooring according to claim 9 interposed between the substrate and the surface layer, wherein said first face of each element of damping layer faces towards said surface layer, wherein said surface layer comprises a synthetic turf mat and a granular infill.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an element of damping layer according to the present invention;

[0079] FIG. 2 shows a plant view of the element of FIG. 1;

[0080] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 2;

[0081] FIG. 4 shows a partial perspective view of the element of FIG. 1 from the opposite side to that of FIG. 1;

[0082] FIG. 5 shows a partial side view of the element of FIG. 1;

[0083] FIG. 6 shows a scheme of a flooring according to the present invention;

[0084] FIG. 7a schematically shows the reticular structure of the frame of the element of FIG. 1;

[0085] FIGS. 7b and 7c schematically show two embodiments of the reticular structures of the frame of the element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0086] The features and advantages of the present invention will be further clarified by the following detailed description of some embodiments, presented by way of non-limiting example of the present invention, with reference to the attached figures. FIG. 6 exemplarily shows a flooring 201 comprising a compact substrate 202 (for example made of clay or concrete), a surface layer 203 arranged above the compact substrate and comprising a synthetic turf mat and a granular infill (not shown), and a damping layer 201 for flooring comprising a plurality of (in figure two) element 1 of damping layer arranged side by side, the damping layer being interposed between the substrate and the surface layer, wherein a flat first face 3 of the elements 1 faces towards the surface layer.

[0087] Each element 1 is exemplarily made in single piece, made of a single polymeric material, for example polypropylene, and is modular (for the purpose of a mutual interconnection with further identical elements for making the damping layer 200). The element 1 of damping layer can for example be made by an injection moulding process.

[0088] Preferably the element 1 of the damping layer is elastically deformable.

[0089] Exemplarily the element 1 comprises a frame 2 which makes the first face 3 and which develops substantially on a plane (e.g., the plane of FIG. 2) comprising a longitudinal direction 100 and a transversal direction 101 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

[0090] Exemplarily the frame 2 has a regular reticular structure comprising straight elongated elements 10, 12 (see in detail FIG. 3) connected to each other at nodes 11 (symbolically identified in FIG. 3 by points), each node 11 exemplarily being a connection point of three and not more than three elongated elements 10, 12.

[0091] Exemplarily each elongated element 10, 12 has a vertical thickness S equal to about 4 mm and a square section having a side length equal to the thickness.

[0092] Exemplarily the frame 2 comprises a plurality of through openings 4 all identical to each other, having in plant a hexagonal shape with a main development along the longitudinal direction 100 and each having a longitudinal axis of symmetry and a transversal axis of symmetry (not shown).

[0093] Exemplarily the element 1 comprises a plurality of support bodies 5 all identical to each other.

[0094] Exemplarily the support bodies 5 protrude from the frame 2 at opposite side of the frame with respect to the first face 3, each support body 5 being arranged at a respective through opening 4 of the plurality of through openings and bridging with structural continuity two attachment regions 6 belonging to the frame and mutually longitudinally opposite to the respective through opening 4.

[0095] Exemplarily each through opening 4 is associated with one and only one respective support body 5.

[0096] Exemplarily each through opening 4 is delimited by two first elongated elements 12 with transversal development and respectively comprising the two attachment regions 6 in middle position of the respective first elongated element 12, and by two pairs of consecutive second elongated elements 10, each pair connecting the two first elongated elements 12 from transversely opposite sides of the opening.

[0097] Exemplarily each first elongated element 12 has two transversal end portions left free from the respective attachment region 6 (and comprised between the attachment region 6 and the nearest node 11).

[0098] Exemplarily each through opening is delimited by the attachment regions and by two frame portions joining the two attachment regions 6 respectively at transversely opposite sides of the through opening 4.

[0099] Exemplarily each frame portion is free from the respective support body and comprises (consists of) a pair of second elongated elements 10 consecutive to each other and by two end portions respectively belonging to two distinct first elongated elements 12.

[0100] Exemplarily, for each frame portion, the two second elongated elements 10 are not mutually aligned and each has development not parallel to the longitudinal direction 100. In particular, the two second elongated elements 10 of each frame portion exemplarily define between each other a connection angle 17 facing the through opening 4. Exemplarily the connection angle 17 is equal to about 160?.

[0101] For the purposes of the present invention, elongated elements (or portions thereof) having an arc development (i.e., not straight as described above) are included in the expression development not parallel to the longitudinal direction.

[0102] Therefore, in one (not shown) embodiment each frame portion (or one or more frame portions) can comprise at least one arcuate elongated element instead of one or both the aforesaid second elongated elements 10. In this embodiment, the concavity of the arcuate elongated element is preferably faced towards the respective through opening 4, to obtain a similar technical effect (possibly with different entity) to that obtained thanks to the aforesaid connection angle 17 facing towards the through opening 4 (i.e., transversal contraction of the opening and longitudinal extension).

[0103] In one further embodiment (FIG. 7c) each through opening (or one or more through openings) has rectangular shape.

[0104] Exemplarily, for each frame portion, each second elongated element 10 defines with an end portion of the adjacent first elongated element 12 a further connection angle 18 facing towards the opening 4 (and of smaller width than the connection angle 17), each further connection angle 18 being exemplarily equal to about 100?.

[0105] Exemplarily each support body 5 is attached to the frame 2 only at the two attachment regions 6 and has, in plant, a main development along the longitudinal direction 100 (i.e., the transversal development is lower than the longitudinal one).

[0106] Exemplarily each support body 5 comprises two end portions 13 adjacent respectively to the two attachment regions 6 and a central portion 19 longitudinally interposed between the respective end portions 13.

[0107] Exemplarily, in a vertical plane perpendicular to the first face 3 and comprising the longitudinal direction 100 (e.g., a plane parallel to the plane of FIG. 5), each support body 5 has, between the two attachment regions 6, a sinusoidal development (comprising two respective inflection points) with concavity facing towards the frame 2 at the respective central portion 19.

[0108] Exemplarily, in the aforesaid vertical plane, each end portion 13 of each support body forms, with the first face 3 of the frame at the respective attachment region 6, a respective attachment angle 20 facing towards the respective support body 5, the attachment angle 20 being equal to 0?. In other words, each support body 5 exemplarily has a sinusoidal development which extends for an entire spatial period of the sinusoid, wherein both the respective end portions 13 are attached to the frame 2 with a null attachment angle 20 (in FIG. 5 the valleys of the sinusoid are at the attachment regions).

[0109] For the definition of the attachment angle 20 (see FIG. 5) it can be exemplarily considered, on the aforesaid vertical plane, a straight line 103 tangent to a development line 50 (indicated in broken line in FIG. 5) of the respective end portion 13 in a point P belonging to the attachment region 6 (e.g., a central point of the attachment region).

[0110] In FIG. 5 being the attachment angle 20 equal to 0?, the tangent line 103 is exemplarily parallel to the first face 3.

[0111] In other (not shown) embodiments, the attachment angle of each end portion can vary between 0? and 45?.

[0112] In one (not shown) embodiment the support bodies can have an arc development with concavity always facing towards the frame, e.g., circle arc concavity or parabolic segment concavity.

[0113] Exemplarily the plurality of support bodies 5 comprises a first and a second group of support bodies, each group comprising a respective plurality of rows 7, 8 of support bodies 5.

[0114] Exemplarily the rows 7 of the first group are interspersed with the rows 8 of the second group (exemplarily they are individually alternated according to an ABAB scheme wherein A indicates the rows 7 and B the rows 8) along the transversal direction 101. Exemplarily the support bodies 5 of the first group are arranged staggered with respect to the support bodies of the second group with respect to the longitudinal direction 100 and staggered by a longitudinal offset equal to half of a longitudinal length of the support bodies 5.

[0115] Exemplarily, since each through opening is associated with one and only one support body, also the through openings 4 are arranged in longitudinal rows mutually staggered by a longitudinal offset equal to half the length of the opening. The staggered arrangement is particularly synergistic with the hexagonal shape of the openings, since allows obtaining a high surface density of the openings.

[0116] In fact, the staggered arrangement of hexagonal shapes allows to substantially reducing to zero a dead space of the frame interposed between the openings, as clear by comparing FIGS. 7a and 7b with continuous line, wherein FIG. 7a schematically shows the reticular structure with hexagonal openings longitudinally staggered (and aligned with respect to the transversal direction, as in the element 1 of FIG. 1) while FIG. 7b schematically shows an alternative reticular structure with hexagonal openings aligned with respect to the longitudinal direction (as well as the transversal one). In the case of FIG. 7b, between two pairs of transversely consecutive through openings there is a dead space with rhomboidal shape (which can be full or empty), which is absent in FIG. 7a.

[0117] The through openings of hexagonal shape and arranged longitudinally staggered further allow to obtain a more homogeneous distribution of the support bodies 5. In fact, as shown in FIG. 7a, each attachment region 6 (wherein the element 1 does not lie on the substrate) is transversely interspersed with a central portion of a through opening, and therefore with the central portion 19 of the support body 5 of such through opening. On the other hand, in the reticular structure of FIG. 7b the attachment regions 6 are aligned along transversal rows, and this causes the element 1 to have large frame areas without the support of the support bodies, these areas transversely extending for substantially an entire transversal dimension of the element 1.

[0118] Even in the (not shown) embodiment in which the through openings have a circular plant, the arrangement of the through openings staggered with respect to the longitudinal direction allows to obtain a surface density of through openings (and therefore of support bodies) greater than an arrangement of the same through openings (i.e., with the same dimensions) aligned with each other with respect to both the longitudinal and transversal directions (as in WO 2014/169328 A1), and a more homogeneous distribution of the support bodies 5 (in a similar way as above explained for the hexagonal openings).

[0119] In the case of rectangular openings, the staggered arrangement with respect to the longitudinal direction (FIG. 7c), which may not affect the through openings surface density, nevertheless allows to obtain a more homogeneous distribution of the respective support bodies with respect to rectangular through openings aligned along the longitudinal and transversal directions, in a similar way as explained above in relation to the hexagonal openings.

[0120] Exemplarily the support bodies 5 of each longitudinal row 7, 8 are all mutually aligned with respect to the transversal direction 101 (i.e., they all lie on the same longitudinal straight line).

[0121] With reference to FIG. 2, the rows 7 of the first group are arbitrarily the odd ones and the rows 8 of the second group the even ones.

[0122] In one (not shown) embodiment the rows of the first and second groups can be mutually interspersed following a pattern of the AABAAB type, or any other pattern that provides for an alternation between the rows of the two groups.

[0123] In one (not shown) embodiment the plurality of support bodies can comprise more than two groups of support bodies, each group comprising a respective plurality of rows of support bodies, wherein the rows of each group are interspersed with the rows of the remaining groups and wherein the support bodies of each group are arranged longitudinally staggered with respect to the support bodies of the remaining groups. In this embodiment, the pattern with which the rows of the groups are interspersed can be anyone, such as for example, in the case of three groups, ABCABC, or ABCBABC, etc., and the longitudinal offset of the support bodies can be, for example, equal to one third of the longitudinal length of the support bodies.

[0124] Exemplarily (FIG. 3) both the end portions 13 of each support body 5 have in plant a transversely tapered shape longitudinally moving from the support body to the frame.

[0125] Exemplarily (FIG. 4) each support body 5 comprises two respective ribs 21 arranged on a face of the respective support body facing towards the frame 2, the ribs 21 being in relief on the surface of the support body and extending longitudinally.

[0126] Exemplarily each support body 5 comprises two respective longitudinally elongated through openings 14. Exemplarily, some support bodies 5 (e.g., those arranged at the transversal edges of the element 1) have the two respective through openings having different longitudinal lengths.

[0127] As exemplarily shown in the figures, given the hexagonal shape of the through openings 4 and the plant shape of the support bodies 5, the support bodies 5 do not occupy in plant an entire extension of the respective opening.

[0128] In one embodiment (not shown, for example with through openings having a rectangular shape) the support bodies can occupy in plant a substantially entire extension of the respective through opening.

[0129] Exemplarily the central portions 19 of all the support bodies are tangent to a same plane (not shown) and, in use, the central portions 19 are faced towards (e.g., in contact with) the substrate 202 (FIG. 6).

[0130] In one (not shown) embodiment the central portions of a first sub-plurality of support bodies are tangent to a first plane vertically offset with respect to a second tangency plane of the central portions of a second sub-plurality of support bodies which is complementary to the first sub-plurality.

[0131] Exemplarily a maximum height H of the element 1 on the vertical plane is equal to about 15 mm.

[0132] In the use of the element 1 of damping layer in the flooring 201, a stress coming from an athlete on the flooring 201 has typically at least a vertical component directed towards the damping layer 200. The damping layer responds by (elastic) deformation of the support bodies which, crushed by the stress of the athlete towards the substrate 202, longitudinally stretch imparting a thrust to the frame 2 at the respective attachment regions 6. This thrust has a greater longitudinal component the smaller is the attachment angle 20. Exemplarily since the attachment angle is equal to 0?, the stress is transferred to the frame substantially entirely along the longitudinal direction 100, therefore the thrust is entirely longitudinal. The frame 2, thanks also to the aforesaid values of attachment angle, is therefore involved in the (elastic) deformation of the element 1 and, in turn, is able to absorb the longitudinal stress transmitted by the support bodies by (elastic) deformation of the reticular structure, in particular at the connection angles 17 between each pair of second elongated elements 10 and possibly also at the further connection angles 18.

[0133] In fact, subject to the longitudinal thrust of the support body 5, the second elongated elements 10 (inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction 100 in absence of forces) tend to align with the longitudinal direction 100 (i.e., they tend to increase the width of the connection angle 17) by (elastic) deformation of the node 11 at the connection angle 17, rather than by (elastic) deformation distributed along the entire frame portion. In this way, a longitudinal extension of the frame portions that delimit the through opening is achieved, which allows to absorb the longitudinal thrust and therefore damping the stress exerted by the athlete.

[0134] In the comparative case in which the frame portion is purely (substantially) longitudinal (for example the opening has a rectangular plant and the attachment region is transversely wide as the opening), for the same stretching force, the extension length of this portion would overall be more limited, as would require its (elastic) elongation distributed along the entire frame portion.

[0135] Exemplarily, thanks to the fact that the connection angle 17 faces towards the respective through opening, the longitudinal extension of the frame portions is also accompanied by their transversal contraction which compensates for the longitudinal extension, further facilitating it.

[0136] As mentioned above, the reticular structure can be (elastically) deformed also at the further connection angles 18 thanks to the fact that each attachment region 6 does not entirely occupy the respective first elongated element 12, but leaves free the two transversal end portions. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, these transversal end portions left free from the attachment region 6 can flex and/or generally facilitate the longitudinal extension of the frame portions (allowing for example the alignment of the second elongated element 10 to the longitudinal direction 100 by (elastic) deformation of the node 11 at the further connection angle 18). FIGS. 7a and 7b schematically show with broken line the reticular structures in a deformed configuration as a result of the aforesaid stress. As can be seen, in both the structures, the element 1 undergoes at least locally a transversal contraction.

[0137] The Applicant believes that the element 1 allows to obtain the desired dynamic response properties to the stresses in terms of absorption thanks also to the fact that the support bodies directly affected by the stress distribute this stress (e.g., following the aforesaid deformation of the frame to which all the bodies are fixed) also to the support bodies not directly involved, thus distributing the stress on a greater number of support bodies than those directly stressed by the athlete (with the foot and/or with the body).

[0138] The Applicant has subjected the element 1 of damping layer exemplarily illustrated to experimental tests conducted by the test called Artificial Athlete or Berlin Athlete.

[0139] The test involves the use of a special machine able to measure the performance characteristics of a surface for sports in terms of damping (KA), vertical deformation (VD) and possibly (by the so-called Advanced Artificial Athlete test) of elastic energy restitution (ER).

[0140] This test is particularly used in the evaluation of the surfaces for sports use, such as synthetic turf pitches, subject for example to EN 14904 (for indoor surfaces) and/or EN 14877 (for outdoor surfaces) which require as a result of the aforesaid test a damping value greater than 25% (to ensure optimal conditions for the athletes). The tested element of damping layer has obtained in the aforesaid Artificial Athlete test a damping result equal to about 50%/60%, significantly higher than the values obtainable with the known damping layers.