DUAL STIFFNESS FLOORING

摘要

An impact-absorbing flooring system of modular design is described, with applications in areas of nursing homes where there is a high risk of injury due to falls or in sports facilities for high impact events such as gymnastics and tumbling or with other uses. For example, the invention could also take the form of a safety mat or coaming for use around slippery areas like bathtubs, showers or the edge of swimming pools. The system provides a significant reduction in peak impact load during falls, yet remains a substantially non-compliant configuration during normal motions. The flooring system comprises a series of sections or tiles which can be interconnected to cover the high-risk area. Each tile is composed of a plurality of elastomeric columns (4) sandwiched between two urethane sheets (3, 5). The top sheet (3) and projecting columns (4) are preferably molded as one piece and then the lower sheet (5) is secured about the free ends of the columns (4) to produce a secure attachment and an integrated unit. The exposed face of the top sheet (3) may optionally be coated with a thin layer of high-friction material and the non-slip properties could be enhanced by incorporation of a knurl pattern.