EN 14809:2005

Surfaces for sports areas - Determination of vertical deformation

This European Standard specifies a method for the determination of the vertical deformation of sports surfaces.
NOTE   The method specified is commonly known as the Artificial Athlete (Stuttgart) method.

Sportböden - Bestimmung der vertikalen Verformung

Diese Europäische Norm legt ein Prüfverfahren zur Bestimmung der vertikalen Verformungseigenschaften von Sportböden fest.
ANMERKUNG   Dieses Verfahren wird in der Regel als "Künstlicher-Sportler-Verfahren" (Stuttgart) bezeichnet.

Sols sportifs - Détermination de la déformation verticale

La présente Norme européenne spécifie une méthode de détermination des caractéristiques de déformation verticale des sols sportifs.
NOTE   La méthode spécifiée est communément désignée sous le nom de  méthode de l’athlète artificiel (Stuttgart).

Podloge za športne dejavnosti – Ugotavljanje navpične deformacije

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 20-Dec-2005
• Withdrawal Date: 29-Jun-2006
• ICS: 97.220.10 - Sports facilities
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 217 - Surfaces for sport areas
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 217/WG 2 - Surfaces of sports halls
• Current Stage: 9060 - Closure of 2 Year Review Enquiry - Review Enquiry
• Start Date: 04-Jun-2022
• Completion Date: 04-Jun-2022
• Ref Project: SIST EN 14809:2006 - Surfaces for sports areas - Determination of vertical deformation

Relations

• Corrected By: EN 14809:2005/AC:2007 - Surfaces for sports areas - Determination of vertical deformation
• Effective Date: 22-Dec-2008

Overview

EN 14809:2005 is a European Standard developed by CEN that specifies a precise method for determining the vertical deformation of sports surfaces. Commonly referred to as the Artificial Athlete (Stuttgart) method, this standard provides a reliable and reproducible procedure for assessing how sports surfaces deform under impact, ensuring surface quality and performance consistency across various sports facilities.

The measurement of vertical deformation is crucial to evaluate the safety, comfort, and performance characteristics of sports surfaces, including synthetic turfs, running tracks, and multi-purpose courts. EN 14809:2005 supports manufacturers, testing laboratories, and sports facility managers in implementing uniform testing conditions and results reporting.

Key Topics

• Scope and Application
  EN 14809 applies to all types of sports surfaces, including area-elastic, point-elastic, combined-elastic, and mixed-elastic surfaces. It covers both lab-prepared samples and in-situ surface testing.

• Test Piece Requirements

  • Area-elastic and combination-elastic surfaces require a test piece of at least 3.5 m × 3.5 m.
  • Point-elastic and mixed-elastic surfaces need a minimum of 1.0 m × 1.0 m, including supporting layers.

• Test Conditions

  • Laboratory tests require conditioning the test piece at (23 ± 2) °C for a minimum of 40 hours.
  • On-site tests are conducted under prevailing ambient conditions, which must be recorded.

• Apparatus and Setup

  • The test uses a precisely designed falling weight impact device with a 20 kg weight, a spiral spring, and sensors measuring deformation with an uncertainty of no greater than 0.05 mm.
  • The apparatus includes force sensing components and must meet defined specifications for spring rate, sensor placement, and data acquisition fidelity.

• Testing Procedure

  • The weight is dropped from a fixed height (120 mm above the testing foot) onto the surface sample.
  • The apparatus records the maximum force and corresponding vertical deformation.
  • Three impacts are typically conducted per test location, and the average deformation of the last two impacts is calculated.

• Expression of Results
  Vertical deformation (D) is calculated using the formula:

  [ D = 1500 , \text{N} \times \frac{f_{\text{max}}}{F_{\text{max}}} ]

  where:

  • ( f_{\text{max}} ) is the maximum surface deformation in millimeters,
  • ( F_{\text{max}} ) is the maximum force in Newtons.

• Reporting
  The test report must include reference to EN 14809, identification of the tested surface, test conditions, deformation results, surface condition (wet or dry), and uncertainty statements.

Applications

• Sports Facility Design and Quality Control
  Enables architects and engineers to specify sports surfaces that meet performance criteria for vertical deformation, contributing to injury prevention and athlete comfort.

• Surface Manufacturing and Certification
  Manufacturers use EN 14809 testing to verify product compliance, facilitating market acceptance across Europe and worldwide.

• Maintenance and Renovation Assessment
  Facility managers can assess wear and degradation of sports surfaces over time by measuring changes in vertical deformation, ensuring safe playing conditions.

• Research and Development
  Testing of new materials and surface constructions to develop innovative sports surfaces with optimized deformation characteristics.

Related Standards

• EN 12229: Preparation of synthetic turf and textile test pieces for surface testing, referenced within EN 14809 for sample preparation.
• ISO 6487: Instrumentation of impact tests, providing specifications for data acquisition and signal conditioning relevant to EN 14809’s measurement apparatus.
• Other sports surface standards under CEN/TC 217 relate to performance aspects such as ball behavior, friction, and shock absorption.

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By following EN 14809:2005, stakeholders ensure accurate, repeatable, and standardized assessments of sports surface vertical deformation, improving safety and functionality in sports environments. This standard is essential reading for professionals focused on sports surface evaluation, certification, and quality assurance.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-marec-2006
3RGORJH]DãSRUWQHGHMDYQRVWL±8JRWDYOMDQMHQDYSLþQHGHIRUPDFLMH
Surfaces for sports areas - Determination of vertical deformation
Sportböden - Bestimmung der vertikalen Verformung
Sols sportifs - Détermination de la déformation verticale
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 14809:2005
ICS:
97.220.10 Športni objekti Sports facilities
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN 14809
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
December 2005
ICS 97.220.10
English Version
Surfaces for sports areas - Determination of vertical deformation
Surfaces de sols sportifs - Détermination de la déformation Sportböden - Bestimmung der vertikalen Verformung
verticale
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 28 November 2005.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the Central Secretariat or to any CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the Central Secretariat has the same status as the official
versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2005 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 14809:2005: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents
page
Foreword .3
1 Scope .4
2 Normative references .4
3 Terms and definitions.4
4 Principle.4
5 Test piece .5
6 Conditioning and test temperature.5
7 Apparatus .5
8 Procedure .6
9 Expression of results.7
10 Test report .8

Foreword
This European Standard (EN 14809:2005) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 217 “Surfaces for
sports areas”, the secretariat of which is held by BSI.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or
by endorsement, at the latest by June 2006, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by
June 2006.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following
countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
1 Scope
This European Standard specifies a method for the determination of the vertical deformation of sports surfaces.
NOTE The method specified is commonly known as the Artificial Athlete (Stuttgart) method.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this European Standard. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document
(including any amendments) applies.
EN 12229, Surfaces for sports areas — Procedure for the preparation of synthetic turf and textile test pieces
ISO 6487, Road Vehicles — Measurement techniques in impact tests — Instrumentation
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this European Standard, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
area-elastic sports surface
sports surface, to which the application of a point force causes deflection over a relatively large area around the
point of application of the force
3.2
point-elastic sports surface
sports surface, to which the application of a point force causes deflection only at or close to the point of application
of the force
3.3
combination-elastic sports surface
area-elastic sports surface with a point-elastic top layer, to which the application of a point force causes both
localized deflection and deflection over a wider area
3.4
mixed-elastic sports surface
point-elastic sports surface with an area-stiffening component
NOTE A mixed-elastic sports surface has deflection characteristics between those of an area-elastic surface and a point-
elastic surface.
3.5
vertical deformation
deformation of the surface to an applied normalized load
4 Principle
A weight is allowed to fall onto a spring placed on the test piece; the maximum deformation applied is recorded.
5 Test piece
For area-elastic and combined-elastic sports surfaces, the test piece shall be a sample of the complete surfacing
system measuring 3,5 m by 3,5 m, assembled and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s stated method,
on a substrate complying with the
...