Synthetic ice
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Synthetic ice is the name given to a synthetic material intended to substitute for ice as a skating surface. It is a lightweight, low-friction, wear-resistant polymer (plastic) material used for skating with standard metal-bladed ice skates. 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
Synthetic ice has been around for many decades as an alternative to real ice, which requires either cold weather to produce natural ice or expensive refrigeration equipment to freeze water. 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. The latest technological advancement in synthetic ice panel edging is to use variations of a common dovetail joint to really hold the panels together and make the seams almost undetectable.
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.[1] The most realistic recreation of natural ice is found in the high-end synthetic ice panels that incorporate microscopic beading on the surface to simulate the slight melting of ice under a skate blade.
Liquid surface enhancements are common among synthetic ice products to further reduce drag on the skate blade over the artificial surface. Initial trials of the surface enhancers were rudimentary and many of these products required the application of silicone to reduce drag to simulate the blade of a skate on ice. Advancements in the industry have removed the need for silicone. Biodegradable and water soluble solutions have been found to be more effective in decreasing the drag or friction on the surface of the synthetic ice. The biodegradable solutions can be reconstituted by the simple application of water. These enhancements vary among the types of surfaces and on how much to use to re-create an ice-like feel.