Mar 01, 2006

ASTM International standard F 1936, Specification for Shock-Absorbing Properties of North American Football Field Playing Systems as Measured in the Field, has had a positive effect on the sports field industry. Since the introduction of F 1936, which was approved by Committee F08 on Sports Equipment and Facilities in 1998, the amount of field testing and the number of firms offering field testing has increased.

 

The success of F 1936 illustrated the need for testing other types of sports fields, so Committee F08 has begun working on a proposed new standard, WK10311, Shock-Absorbing Properties of Multi-Sport Fields and Sports Fields Other Than North American Football Systems as Measured in the Field. WK10311 is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F08.65 on Artificial Turf Surfaces and Systems, as is F 1936. The new standard will cover maximum attenuation for all types of installed turf playing systems for multi-sports fields, other than those covered in F 1936.

 

"As the number of synthetic sports fields and system providers increases throughout the world, it is necessary to provide owners with a reliable and consistent means to evaluate their facilities, says John Amato, JJA Sports. "This is important from a safety and life cycle perspective."

 

Amato says that the development of WK10311 will provide owners of fields, testing providers and suppliers and manufacturers of turf fields a consistent approach to evaluate and report shock attenuation characteristics. These properties are related to field safety and are expected to provide a valuable management tool for the industry. Testing on an annual or bi-annual basis will provide a practical means of predicting schedules for replacement and maintenance.

 

All interested parties are invited to participate in the ongoing development of WK10311.

 

For further technical information, contact John Amato, JJA Sports, Westford, Mass. (phone: 978/692-0247; jjasports@comcast.net). Committee F08 will meet May 16-19, at the May Committee Week in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For membership or meeting details, contact James Olshefsky, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9714; jolshefs@astm.org).

 

ASTM International standards are available from Customer Service (phone: 610/832-9585; https://www.astm.org/contact) or the Web site store (mailto:www.astm.org).

 

Release #7352