A summary research report ‐ Shockpad layers for synthetic sports pitches

This report summarises the research findings and makes recommendations to the sports surfacing industry regarding shockpad layers used in outdoor synthetic sports pitches, and is aimed at improving the quality and consistency of shockpads constructed on‐site. These recommendations are based on the findings of the PhD research project conducted at Loughborough University, which investigated the following areas: • The effect of mix design variables on shockpad and shockpad‐carpet system mechanical properties • Shockpad behaviour and development of a theoretical mechanical model to describe this behaviour • Development of new test methods appropriate for shockpad and constituent material mechanical testing and quality control For the purposes of this study, the results presented in this report were obtained from the construction and testing of laboratory‐constructed shockpads rather than full‐scale on‐site constructions, due to the high accuracy of mix design specifications required. The research methods and findings in this investigation focused on cast in‐situ shockpads, however, the recommendations are considered applicable to prefabricated shockpads. Furthermore, these comments may, in general, be useful for any bound rubber crumb installation, such as playground and walkway surfaces. This report discusses the findings in the sections below and is concluded with a list of recommendations. For full details of the methodology used, the results and a more in‐depth discussion of the findings refer to the references provided at the conclusion of this report for the PhD thesis (Anderson, 2007) and two Engineering of Sport conference papers (Anderson et al, 2004 & 2006).