Shock Absorbtion
Shock absorption measures the amount of impact force the floor systems absorbs as opposed to returning it to the athlete. For every action there is a reaction, and for every impact there is a return of energy.
Impact & Shock Absorption Levels
When an athlete jumps on a floor surface, the more of the impact energy the floor absorbs, the less the athlete must absorb. This relates to safety and fatigue. Designing floor systems capable of high levels of shock absorption is relatively easy when dealing with area-elastic (wood) systems. By comparison, conventional synthetic systems rate poorly. For example, solid poured-in-place urethanes will typically give somewhere between 6 % to 8 % shock absorption. Sheet rubber will be about 14 %, sheet vinyl about 5 %.
Because Pulastic combines a high durometer surface layer with a composite resilient rubber base mat, it can offer shock absorption levels not available in conventional synthetic systems. Pulastic begins at 13 % shock absorption with the (4 + 2) system. The (7 + 2) systems offers 29 % shock absorption and the (9+2) offers a full 35 %. The din certified system pulastic dg, 51 %! These are revolutionary shock absorption values for synthetic surfaces.
Area-elastic & Point-elastic Floors
But there's more than just the maximum amount of shock absorption. Biomechanical studies prove that the human body is not able to absorb impacts within the first phase of a shock. This means the floor has to do the job. This is only possible if the floor reacts fast to impact. Point-elastic floors react faster to impact than area-elastic floors, due to the higher weight of the area-elastic construction. You simply need more force to get any movement in an area-elastic floor. This is detrimental with regard to the impact protection of children since they have a low weight. Point elastic floors offer a far better shock-absorption to children.
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