American Platform Tennis Association - Ideation Workshop

*********************************
There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
*********************************

Event Details
  • Date/Time:
    • Tuesday March 28, 2017 - Wednesday March 29, 2017
      9:00 am - 2:59 pm
  • Location: Georgia Tech Global Learning Center, 84 5th St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
  • Phone:
  • URL: Global Learning Center Directions
  • Email:
  • Fee(s):
    N/A
  • Extras:
Contact

Cecelia Jones, Center Manager

Cecelia.jones@imat.gatech.edu  

Summaries

Summary Sentence: The American Platform Tennis Association (APTA) is sponsoring an ideation workshop at Georgia Tech Global Learning Center. They are interested in finding ways to improve the design/build process.

Full Summary: No summary paragraph submitted.

The American Platform Tennis Association are interested in ways to improve the design/build process from a costs/speed/maintenance/safety/enjoyment of play perspective. 

Questions/concepts to be considered include:

1.Can a polymer-based or composite material be created with the following characteristics?

  • Sufficient thermal conductivity to melt/dry the surface during active precipitation events
  • Enough traction during rainy play so that foot doesn’t slip on the surface, BUT, not too much traction during dry play so that the foot locks on the surface”.
  • Easier (less abrasive) on the body and less injurious during falls
  • Less costly to install than current technologies (~75,000/court)
  • Allow for multi-purpose court utilization throughout the year (pickleball, U10 tennis, volleyball, basketball, etc…

2.What improvements could be made to the current aluminum court surface?

  • Textured during manufacture such that the highly abrasive grit material is no longer necessary?
  • Can a standardized type and amount of anti-skid material be developed that takes into account “foot-lock?”  Can we devise a formula to measure “foot-lock?”
  • Can shock absorption be applied to make the surface easier on the body?
  • Are there value engineering options to bring installation costs down?

3. What improvements can be made or other options to consider for court heating systems?

  • More efficient system and less costly to install and maintain.

4. Other potential areas for improvement/cost savings that have not been highlighted

  • LED court lights – can they be run on solar power? Other considerations?
  • Chicken-wire walls (would utilizing a plexi-glass wall system like the sport of “padel” be an option?) See http://www.thepadelbox.com for information on Padel court construction.
  • Snowboards made of something other than wood.  Wood snowboards have to be repainted and replaced periodically.

Click on the link for full agenda and to RSVPhttps://matin.gatech.edu/events/details/36

Additional Information

In Campus Calendar
Yes
Groups

Georgia Tech Materials Institute

Invited Audience
Faculty/Staff, Undergraduate students, Graduate students
Categories
Conference/Symposium
Keywords
No keywords were submitted.
Status
  • Created By: Cecelia Jones
  • Workflow Status: Published
  • Created On: Mar 24, 2017 - 5:58pm
  • Last Updated: Apr 13, 2017 - 5:12pm