Polymeric rubber is a versatile surface which can be used for a wide variety of sports. The textured Type 4 is the most popular choice for sports and meets Sport England’s requirements for multi use game areas (MUGA). This type of surface is also good for professional athletics as it is better suited to a higher standard of play, due to its shock-absorbing surface which reduces impact on joints and backs. It is available in a range of colours, and can be installed with different line markings for multiple sports to create a truly multi-use surface.
The MUGA of synthetic rubbers are elastomers, a class of polymers with an elastic property. This is because the polymer chains are coiled and bunched up when in their rest state, but they are able to stretch and then bounce back into their original shape when released. This elasticity is caused by the way the chains are linked together with cross-links.
“Polymeric Rubber: Your Guide to a Resilient and Slip-Resistant Flooring Choice
Most of the building blocks, or monomers, that make up polymers are ring-shaped molecules with carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) atoms. These monomers are joined together by weak chemical bonds called covalent or hydrogen bonds. These bondings link the monomers into long, tangled, and often twisted chains, that form the polymer’s structure.
The polymer most commonly used to make rubber is butadiene. It is an elastomer made up of giant molecules of butadiene that are joined together by chemicals. This gives it excellent abrasion resistance, low heat buildup at ordinary temperatures, and high resilience. The butadiene rubber is then mixed with fillers, protectants, plasticizers and curatives to produce specific physical and chemical properties.
