DE102021104427B3 - Track segment for a sports track and sports track - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a track segment (10) for a sports track (12) with a curved track surface, which track segment (10) is designed to be assembled at the front (36) with other track segments (10) to form the sports track (12). Each track segment (10) has a concrete shell (14) with a first side (20) facing the track surface and a second side (24) facing away from the track surface, with reinforcement (16) and at least one reinforcement (16) in the concrete shell (14) extending over coolant line (18) is arranged which extends over a large part of the surface of the web segment (10) and is spaced at least towards the first side of the concrete shell (14). An insulating layer (22) made of a thermally insulating material is arranged on the second side (24) of the concrete shell (14).

Description

technical field

The invention relates to a track segment for a sports track, in particular an ice rink, such as a toboggan run or bobsleigh track.

the WO 2013/062244 A1 describes a bobsled track that is constructed on site using shaped rebar and a concrete support framework. The bobsleigh track contains embedded coolant lines to cool the track. the EP 3243956 A1 describes a reinforced sports field surface with coolant lines, in particular for an ice rink.

State of the art

Sports tracks, especially ice and bobsleigh tracks, have so far been built on site. Until now, artificial ice tracks for tobogganing, bobsleigh and skeleton for leisure and competitive sports have been produced manually on the construction site in a conventional manner by building formwork and pouring the track from in-situ concrete. On-site construction poses major technical challenges for the companies involved. The concrete surface to accommodate the at least 10 cm thick layer of ice must be of fair-faced concrete quality, even if the formwork is above the fair-faced concrete surface (as so-called opposing formwork). The air contained in the concrete rises to the formwork and remains there. The blowholes then represent a weakening of the concrete component. Another problem here is that the local conditions for manual construction are limited or unfavorable in terms of climate or access.

Presentation of the invention

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a sports track and a sports track element which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and enables simpler on-site expansion of a sports track. According to the invention, this object is achieved by a track segment according to claim 1 and a sports track according to claim 17 . Further advantageous aspects, details and configurations of the invention result from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

To that effect, the invention creates a track segment for a sports track with a curved track surface, which track segment is designed to be assembled at the front with other track segments to form the sports track.

Each track segment has a concrete shell with a first side facing the track surface and a second side facing away from the track surface. A reinforcement and at least one coolant line extending over a large part of the surface of the track segment are arranged in the concrete shell. The coolant line is preferably designed as a flexible hose and transports the thermal energy to the first side of the concrete shell, which forms the web surface, via a heating/cooling medium.

The reinforcement used can either consist of the usual structural steel or stainless steel, carbon and textile. Each of these types of reinforcement has its specific advantages and disadvantages, such as workability, price and service life.

The at least one coolant line is spaced at least toward the first side of the concrete shell to be below the surface of the concrete shell. The coolant line is preferably as close as possible to the surface of the concrete shell, so that the cooling effect towards the track is optimized and, on the other hand, enough thickness of the material of the concrete shell remains towards the track to ensure stability during operation.

On the second side of the concrete shell, there is an insulating layer made of a thermally insulating material, e.g. PU, to minimize "cold loss" to the outside of the track. The rail segment is therefore extremely efficient in generating cold on the rail side. A track segment of this type can therefore be prefabricated extremely easily in the factory and assembled at the construction site to form a complete sports track, in particular an ice rink or bobsled track. As a result, on the one hand, the assembly work at the installation site is significantly reduced, which also enables the track to be set up in places that are difficult to access. In addition, due to the prefabrication, the overall construction costs are significantly lower. Individual track courses can be put together as desired using appropriately prefabricated track segments for straight courses and curves. The track segments only have to be connected at the front and anchored to the floor. Since the track segments are prefabricated in the factory under controlled conditions, the overall quality of the sports track produced is also significantly better than when it is assembled on site. This new type of artificial ice track construction therefore makes it possible to produce better quality, faster, more effectively and more cost-effectively. Setting up a production line in a precast plant and reusing formwork for each runway segment reduces costs.

In principle, the first side of the concrete shell can form the track surface. However, the first side can also be covered with a protective layer, for example made of a polymer, in order to protect the concrete shell against the effects of the weather, for example.

Since the dimensions of ice skating rinks for bobsleigh and skeleton must comply with international standards, such as curve radii, sidewall spacing or sidewall cant, the track segments for these different track sections can be created as standard and used multiple times, which saves enormous costs.

As used herein, the term "concrete shell" means the shaped, hardened, mostly curving, concrete layer of the track segment that forms the structurally significant component of the track segment. The concrete shell has nothing to do with formwork in the manufacturing sense.

For the material of the concrete shell, inorganic building materials based on Portland cement are very well suited to transporting energy in the form of heat.

Preferably, the track segment has a level standing section on its underside, so that it can be easily connected to a substructure or foundation produced on site.

The track segments can be fastened to the concrete substrate or foundation, for example with a connecting layer made of a polymer adhesive. Preferably, the standing section of the track segment alternatively/additionally has steel anchors for connection to a concrete substructure or foundation for the concrete shell, so that the track can be securely and quickly anchored to the subsoil. The steel anchors then protrude downwards and have attachment means, such as bores, threads or the like, which can be connected to corresponding counter-anchors in the foundation.

As a substructure for the sports track, a solid concrete foundation with a smooth surface is preferably made on site according to the slope of the sports track. The above-mentioned steel anchors, which can be anchored either in the track segment or in the foundation, are used as connecting elements to the track segments. To compensate for any misalignments of the individual segments, a connecting layer of high-performance mortar or epoxy resin can preferably be arranged between the track segments and the foundation.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the insulating layer represents part of a lost formwork for casting the concrete shell. The insulating layer thus also functions as part of the casting mold when the track segment is produced in the factory. This reduces the amount of production waste and, on the other hand, ensures a close connection of the concrete of the concrete shell with the insulating layer, in particular when the insulating layer has roughness and/or porosity towards the concrete shell.

The at least one cooling line preferably extends in a meandering manner in the concrete shell, which ensures uniform and effective cooling of the web surface.

In an embodiment of the invention that is easy to assemble, the track segment has connecting flanges on the face side for the coolant line. Thus, when the track segments are placed face to face to form the sports track, the coolant lines of the adjacent track segments are preferably automatically connected to one another. In addition, the risk of human error when connecting the coolant lines is minimized.

External connections of the coolant lines preferably protrude to the second side of the track segment, preferably in the area of the standing surface from the track segment and allow connection to corresponding cooling devices or coolant distribution devices.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the concrete of the concrete shell is shrinkage-compensated, which allows the production dimensions of the web segment to be chosen to be equal to the final dimensions, which in turn simplifies production and makes it less prone to errors.

A protective layer made of polymer, concrete or polymer concrete can preferably also be formed on the back of the insulating layer in order to protect the insulating layer from injuries during assembly and/or during operation.

Preferably, the coolant line is also spaced toward the second side of the concrete shell to force cold delivery toward the first side. Preferably, the distance of the coolant line to the first side is much smaller than to the second side, so that the cooling effect is released near the surface of the web, where an ice layer is to be built up. The spacing ratio is thus preferably between 1:2 and 1:10, in particular between 1:3 and 1:5. The cooling effect is thus optimized, especially since the second side is also insulated by the insulating layer.

The coolant line is preferably arranged at a small distance of 1 to 10 cm, in particular 1 to 5 cm, from the first side of the track segment forming the track surface—and at the same time the concrete shell.

The concrete shell preferably has a thickness of between 5 and 30 cm, preferably between 10 and 20 cm. It is thus rigid and strong enough for the intended use, e.g. by four-man bobs. On the other hand, the strength of the concrete shell can be kept lower than with on-site assembly, since the manufacturing conditions of the track segments are defined in the company and the strength values of the concrete shell are better than with on-site construction, e.g. less air inclusions.

The thinner, prefabricated track segments can be transported by truck to the destination station of the sports track, while the comparatively low weight of the concrete shell means that they can be transported to the construction site along the course of the track, for example by helicopter.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the insulating layer has a thickness of between 10 and 20 cm. This strength results in effective thermal insulation, directing the cooling effect of the coolant lines to the first side of the web. In addition, the track segment does not become unwieldy in construction due to the insulating layer.

Preferably, the track segment has a length from end to end of 1 to 5 m, preferably between 2 and 3 m. Such a length represents a good compromise between transportability of the individual track segments (e.g. transport by helicopter), which favors short track segments and minimization the effort involved in assembling the track segments, which favors long track segments.

The cooling lines are preferably fixed to the reinforcement, which has the advantage in terms of production technology that the cooling medium line does not have to be fixed from the outside, which in turn would result in defects in the concrete shell. In this way, a concrete segment with an optimized route for the coolant line can be easily produced without impairing the quality of the concrete shell.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the cooling lines are profiled, in particular corrugated, e.g. in the form of corrugated cooling hoses. On the one hand, this leads to better "hooking" of the coolant line in the concrete of the concrete shell. On the other hand, the heat transfer to the concrete shell is improved by the correspondingly enlarged surface of the coolant line.

The invention also relates to a sports track, in particular an ice rink, such as a toboggan run or a bobsleigh track, which comprises a number of track segments of the type described above that are placed end to end, the abutting ends of adjacent track segments being connected to one another. The connection can be made by cementing over the front-side gap between two web segments, e.g. using a calcareous or organic binding agent or alternatively or additionally using a polymer-based sealant. The track segments are thus connected to form a coherent, seamless sports track.

In addition, a polymer seal can preferably be arranged between the track segments, which allows a certain play and thus represents a buffer for seasonal thermal expansions of the track segments, which would add up in a one-piece track.

In one embodiment, the coolant lines can preferably be connected to one another automatically by connecting flanges on the face side when connecting the track segments. In this case, however, the coolant lines of all adjacent track segments are connected to one another with a front connecting flange.

In an alternative embodiment, the coolant line of each track segment can therefore be led out at the rear and connected to a coolant distribution device, which connects the coolant lines of the individual track segments to one another, but which also allows the coolant line(s) of individual track segments to be shut off, which makes it possible to replace the corresponding web segment without having to drain the coolant of all web segments.

It is also possible to combine the types of connection for the coolant lines described above, which could then, for example, connect several track segments to form sections that can only be emptied together. Accordingly, connecting flanges would then be provided on the face side between the track segments of the same route section and the outermost track segments of the route section would be connected to a coolant distribution device. In addition, the flow of coolant through individual track segments or route sections can be adjusted via the coolant distribution devices.

Of course, instead of one coolant line, several coolant lines can be used arranged in the track segment, which would have the advantage that the cooling capacity can be regulated simply by switching off the coolant lines. In this way, for example, the cooling capacity can be adjusted to the outside temperature.

It goes without saying that the start and finish areas of the sports track, as well as a ski jump plate, require level track segments.

The following expressions are used synonymously: sports track - ice rink - toboggan track - bobsleigh track; substructure - foundation - concrete foundation;

character list

• 1 einen vertikalen Schnitt durch ein Bahnsegment einer Sportbahn gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• 2 eine Aufsicht auf drei miteinander verbundene Bahnsegmente einer Sportbahn gemäß Ansicht II aus 1, und
• 3 eine schematische Darstellung des in eine Ebene aufgeklappten Verlaufs der Kühlmittelleitung in den drei Bahnsegmenten aus 2.

The invention will be explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments in connection with the drawings. Show it

• 1 a vertical section through a track segment of a sports track according to the present invention;
• 2 a top view of three interconnected track segments of a sports track according to view II 1 , and
• 3 shows a schematic representation of the course of the coolant line in the three path segments, folded out into one plane 2 .

Ways to carry out the invention

1 shows a vertical section through a track segment 10 of a sports track 12, which consists of track segments 10 connected to one another at the front.

Each track segment 10 consists of a concrete shell 14 in which a reinforcement 16 and a coolant line 18 which is connected to the reinforcement 16 is arranged. The coolant line 18 is arranged at a small distance of 1 to 10 cm, in particular 1 to 5 cm, from the first side 20 of the concrete shell 12 forming the web surface.

An insulating layer 22 is arranged on the rear side 24 of the concrete shell 14 and is already connected to the concrete shell 14 in a precast plant. Since the track segments 10 are completely prefabricated in the factory, they can be manufactured in a production-optimized manner under defined conditions. In this way, a low porosity of the concrete shell is achieved as well as a good connection between the concrete shell 14 and the insulating layer 22. This applies above all if the insulating layer 22 represents a lost formwork in the casting or manufacturing process of the concrete shell 14.

A protective layer made of a hard polymer, concrete or polymer concrete can optionally be arranged on the back of the insulating layer 22 in order to protect the insulating layer 22 during the assembly and use of the sports track.

The track segment rests on a foundation 26 constructed on site of conventional structural concrete. A connecting layer 30 made of a high-performance mortar or an epoxy resin is arranged between the foundation 26 and the flat standing section 28 of the track segment 10, in which the track segment 10 is fixed to the concrete foundation 26, e.g. glued. Manufacturing tolerances and inaccuracies in the planarity between track segment 10 and concrete foundation 26 are also compensated for by this connecting layer 30 .

In addition, concrete anchors 32 can be arranged in the standing section 28, which can be connected to counter-anchors 34 in the concrete foundation 26, e.g. via screw connections.

2 shows the supervision according to II 1 with three web segments 10 connected to one another, which are connected to one another at their end face 36, the connection region of the end faces 36 of adjacent web segments facing one another being closable via a calcareous bonding agent and/or a polymer with sealing properties.

3 shows the meandering course of the coolant line 18 in each concrete formwork 14, the concrete formwork being folded out here into the plane of the drawing. The coolant lines 18 of adjacent web segments 10 can be connected to one another via connecting flanges 38, 40, which optionally automatically seal off with one another when the adjacent web segments 10 are connected to one another. The connecting flanges 38, 40 facing one another can have a somewhat larger diameter than the coolant lines 18, which allows the use of a sealing sleeve without impairing the free flow diameter for the coolant.

The invention is not limited to the described embodiment but can be varied within the scope of the following patent claims.

Reference List

10

railway segment

12

Sports track - bobsleigh track - toboggan run - ice rink

14

Concrete shell of the railway segment

16

Reinforcement inside the concrete shell

18

coolant line(s)

20

first side of the concrete shell - track surface

22

Insulation layer on the back of the concrete shell

24

second side of the concrete shell facing the insulation layer

26

Concrete foundation made on site

28

Standing section of the railway segment

30

Connection layer made of high-performance concrete or polymer adhesive

32

Steel anchors in the stand section of the railway segment

34

Counter anchor in the concrete foundation for connection to the steel anchors of the track segment

36

end faces of the track segments to be connected to one another

38

Connection flange on the first face of the track segment

40

Connection flange on the second face of the track segment

Claims (18)

Track segment (10) for a sports track (12) with a curved track surface, which track segment (10) is designed to be assembled at the end (36) with other track segments (10) to form the sports track (12), each track segment (10) a concrete shell (14) with a first side (20) facing the track surface and a second side (24) facing away from the track surface, wherein in the concrete shell (14) a reinforcement (16) and at least one reinforcement (16) extends over a large part of the surface of the track segment (10) extending coolant line (18) is arranged, which is spaced at least towards the first side of the concrete shell (14), and that an insulating layer (22) made of a thermally insulating material is arranged on the second side (24) of the concrete shell (14). is. Track segment (10) after claim 1 , characterized in that it has a flat standing section (28) on its underside. Track segment (10) after claim 2 , characterized in that the standing section (28) has steel anchors (32) for connection to a substructure (26), consisting in particular of concrete, for the concrete shell (14). Railway segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulating layer (22) represents part of a permanent formwork for casting the concrete shell (14). Track segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one cooling line (18) extends in a meandering manner in the concrete shell (14). Track segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has connecting flanges (38, 40) on the face side for the coolant line (18). Railway segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the concrete of the concrete shell (14) is compensated for shrinkage. Track segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coolant line (18) is also spaced towards the second side (24) of the concrete shell (14). Track segment (10) after claim 8 , characterized in that the distance of the coolant line (18) to the first side (20) is smaller than to the second side (24). Railway segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the concrete shell (14) has a thickness of between 5 and 30 cm, preferably between 10 and 20 cm. Track segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulating layer (22) has a thickness of between 10 and 20 cm. Track segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a length from end to end of 1 to 5 m, preferably between 2 and 3 m. Track segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coolant lines (18) are fixed to the reinforcement. Track segment (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coolant lines (18) are profiled, in particular corrugated. Sports track comprising a number of face-to-face set track segments (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the abutting end faces (36) of adjacent web segments (10) are connected to one another. sports track after claim 15 , characterized in that the track segments (10) are connected via a calcareous or organic binder. sports track after claim 15 or 16 , characterized in that a polymer seal is arranged between the end faces (36) of the web segments (10). Sports track after one of Claims 15 until 17 , characterized in that the coolant lines (18) of the web segments (10) are connected to one another via distribution devices.

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