Synthetic ice: Difference between revisions

Synthetic ice is a solid polymer material designed for skating using normal metal-bladed ice skates. Typical materials used for synthetic ice include polypropylene and many grades of polyethylene. Of these materials, high density polyethylene (HDPE) and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW) are the only ones that offer reasonable skating characteristics, with UHMW offering the most ice-like skating, but also being the most expensive.

A typical synthetic ice rink will consist of many panels (usually in typical building material sheet sizes) of thin surface material assembled on top of a sturdy, level and smooth sub-floor (anything from concrete to wood or even dirt or grass) to create a large skating area. Synthetic ice is sometimes called artificial ice but that term is ambiguous, being also used to mean the man-made skating surface created by freezing water with refrigeration equipment.

History

The first known application of modern plastics as a substitute for ice for the purpose of ice skating was in the 1960s using materials such as polyoxymethylene plastic which was developed by DuPont in the early 1950s.

Many synthetic ice products use the same generic polymers that were available in the 1960s. These generic materials have some significant shortcomings. The most obvious being that skaters cannot glide on these surfaces as they can on real ice without the regular application of a silicone compound. This compound builds up on the surface, collects dirt and grime, and is the source of much dissatisfaction among those who have tried synthetic ice skating on rinks using the old technology.

Another shortcoming of early synthetic ice products was the methods used to join the panels. The earliest method was a simple butt joint with one flat panel butted against the next, leaving a joint that skaters could feel, or worse yet that a skate blade could catch in and trip the skater. Using simple splines on the straight-cut joint was an improvement on this, but variations in temperature could cause these joints to open up and cause the same problems. Another connection system for panels is to use variations of a common dovetail joint. Although easier to set-up, if the ground-floor is not 100%, the joints can be felt by skaters. This problem is avoided by the use of tongue and groove system, which keeps panels tight and leveled.

Technological challenges

There are three common challenges which the synthetic ice industry is facing:

1. With most products, still much effort is needed to skate. Although this side effect can be positive for resistance training, skaters report to miss out on the fun of effortless skating. However, the industry as a whole is advancing and there are some products available in the market which need much less effort when skating.
2. Due to higher level of friction, most synthetic ice products still wear-down the skate blades very fast, with 30 min - 120 min the industry average. Some products however have advanced their technology so much that they reach near to conventional ice levels in regards to blade usage.
3. Due to increased friction and density of the material, many products produce alarming level of shavings and abrasions. Although this disadvantage is less on a practical level than on an aesthetic level, surfaces have to be cleaned more regularly and the attractivness of the rink can be reduced significantly.
4. So far, hockey markings have been painted on the surface, which get scratched off easily and can look unaesthetic. Synthetic ice products are now available with permanently embedded markings which do not scratch off.

Modern synthetic ice

Years of research and development in the field of synthetic ice have improved its skating characteristics to very near that of real ice. Special polymer materials have been specifically engineered for skating, and unique lubricants designed to work with the polymer and be absorbed by it so that the surface never feels sticky and does not attract contaminants while providing an ice-like glide. Modern production and assembly methods ensure that the seams between panels are smooth and do not vary with temperature . This provides a safer and more predictable skating surface.

Theory

Skating on refrigerated ice, the blade increases the temperature of the microscopic top layers of the ice reducing drag and causing the blade to glide on top of the ice.

Liquid surface enhancements are common among synthetic ice products to further reduce drag on the skate blade over the artificial surface. Although some synthetic ice products allow skating without liquid, liquid is still used to optimize gliding and imitate the real feel.

See also

• Tribology
• Ice