WO2002031293A1

WO2002031293A1 - Dasher board covering material

Info

Publication number: WO2002031293A1
Application number: PCT/CA2001/001418
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brian Douglas Townsend; Stephen Brenot
Original assignee: Innovative Arena Products Inc
Current assignee: Innovative Arena Products Inc
Priority date: 2000-10-11
Filing date: 2001-10-10
Publication date: 2002-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 2003-04-11
Also published as: AU2001295324A1; CA2424913A1

Abstract

A dasher board comprises a supporting frame structure and a covering material on the frame structure forming an outside vertical plane surface of the dasher board. The covering material comprises a composite sheet having a core of a semi-rigid or rigid polyurethane closed-cell material having fiberglass reinforced plastic incorporated therein and a coating of fiberglass reinforced plastic. The coating forms the outside vertical playing surface.

Description

DASHER BOARD COVERING MATERIAL

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a dasher board system suitable for use in applications such as , hockey dasher boards , dasher boards or inline skating and indoor soccer dasher boards . In particular , it relates to a laminate suitable for use as a dasher board covering or facing material and a dasher board system comprising the covering material .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Until the mid seventies or so, hockey dasher board systems were faced with wood that was painted white. Generally 3/4" marine plywood was used for this purpose .

High density polyethylene was introduced as a cover for dasher boards to reduce maintenance costs and to improve the smooth surface of the boards . It was applied over the plywood in 1/4" thickness. The main attraction of polyethylene was that it remained white and, therefore, did not require painting every year. Further, it does not decompose or rot like wood. Plywood covered by polyethylene is still in use in some rinks, as is plywood laminated with a fiberglass sheet.

In the late seventies, a molded fiberglass dasher board system, reinforced by wood, was developed. This was patented as a complete system (U.S. Patent

3,883,120). Since this is a complete system, it cannot be used in conjunction with another system. By the eighties , polyethylene was accepted as a reliable dasher board facing and it was used in the form of a 1/2" thick sheet with no plywood backing.

With the introduction of pre-manufactured dasher board systems and the need for a lighter frame weight, polyethylene is now the standard facing for dasher board systems throughout the world.

Polyethylene has become the preferred dasher facing material mainly due to its durability and history as a reliable surface, despite its apparent faults, such as :

(a) It is prone to a high degree of expansion and contraction due to temperature changes ;

(b) It is inconsistent in its density, depending on the polymers used and the amount of regrind in the manufacturing process ;

(c) It is not rigid enough to provide a consistent puck bounce in open areas between the dasher board frame support, resulting in dead or soft spots;

(d) It does not have enough resilience to provide a strong puck bounce, such as provided by the original 3/4" marine plywood with the 1/4" polyethylene facing; and

(e) It lacks dimensional stability.

It is an object of the present invention to alleviate the above difficulties . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a dasher board comprising a supporting frame structure and a covering material on said frame structure forming an outside vertical playing surface of the dasher board, wherein said covering material comprises a composite sheet comprising a core of a semi-rigid or rigid polyurethane closed-cell foam material having fiberglass incorporated therein as reinforcement and a coating of fiberglass reinforced plastic, said coating forming the outside vertical playing surface.

Also according to the invention there is provided a composite sheet for use as a covering material on a dasher board, comprising a core of a semi-rigid or rigid polyurethane closed-cell foam material having fiberglass incorporated therein as reinforcement and a coating of fiberglass reinforced plastic.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of preferred embodiments of the invention below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary end view of a dasher board facing material .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In Figure 1, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a dasher board facing material which comprises a composite sheet comprising a core 12, of a semi-rigid or rigid polyurethane closed-cell foam material having fiberglass incorporated therein as reinforcement, and a coating 14 of a preferably white fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) .

In the present example, the sheet 10 is about 1/2" thick.

The sheet 10 can be manufactured as a rectangular sheet of 48" x 96", 42" x 96" or any other suitable size.

A two-part mold (having a top part and a bottom part) is used in manuf cturing the sheet 10. Starting with the bottom part of the mold, FRP is sprayed into the bottom of the mold. The FRP is about 90 thousands of an inch thickness . This forms the coating 14 of the composite sheet 10 referred to above. Then the polyurethane is introduced on top of the coating layer 14 in flowable (molten) form. This forms the core 12 referred to above. Next the top part of the mold is put in place and a thermo-forming process occurs . The mold precludes the core 12 and coating 14 from expanding during the thermo-forming process . Due to the fact that the core and coating have different densities , they do not mix and are bonded together during the thermo-forming process .

In use, the composite sheet 10 is attached as a covering material to a dasher board frame, such as an aluminium, steel or wooden frame. As such, it can be used in a new or an existing dasher board system. The coating layer 14 is located on the ice side of the dasher board. If desired the coating 14 may be provided on both sides of the core 12.

The combination of the above materials in the sheet 10 , produces a dasher board facing which is stronger and more consistent than polyethylene.

The sheet 10 has the following advantages :

(a) It does not expand or contract due to temperature changes like polyethylene;

(b) It has a better energy coefficient that absorbs energy and transmits it back to the puck, resulting in a better rebound of the puck; (c) It has sufficient strength that eliminates dead spots or soft areas found in polyethylene facings which reduces the performance of the polyethylene dasher board system; (d) It has a harder surface area which reduces the amount of play in the sheet, which also contributes to improving the puck play off from the dasher board;

(e) It has good sound absorbtion properties so that the "tin can" effect currently experienced in some facilities is absorbed and generally improves the sound quality in the facility; and

(f) It is lighter than polyethylene or the old fiberglass sheet.

(g) It is dimensionally stable.

Whilst only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described herein in detail, the invention is not limited thereby and modi ications can be made within the scope of the attached claims .

Claims

What is claimed is :

1. A dasher board comprising a supporting frame structure and a covering material on said frame structure forming an outside vertical playing surface of the dasher board, wherein said covering material comprises a composite sheet comprising a core of a semi-rigid or rigid polyurethane closed-cell foam material having fiberglass incorporated therein as reinforcement and a coating of fiberglass reinforced plastic, said coating forming the outside vertical playing surface .

2. The dasher board according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet has a thickness of from about 3/8" to about 1/2".

3. The dasher board of claim 1, wherein the core and coating are bonded together by means of a thermo-forming manufacturing process .

4. A composite sheet for use as a covering material on a dasher board, comprising a core of a semi-rigid or rigid polyurethane closed-cell foam material having fiberglass incorporated therein as reinforcement and a coating of fiberglass reinforced plastic.

5. The composite sheet of claim 4 , wherein the sheet has a thickness of from about 3/8" to about 1/2".

6. The composite sheet of claim 4 , wherein the core and coating are blended together by means of a thermo-forming manufacturing process .