The effect of wood chip surface depth on peak force during impacts
Name:
Effect_Wood_Chips_Force_2025.pdf
Size:
43.53Mb
Format:
PDF
Description:
Final Published Version
Author
Lee-Confer, JonathanAffiliation
Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences, University of ArizonaIssue Date
2025-04-03
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
Frontiers Media SACitation
Lee-Confer J (2025) The effect of wood chip surface depth on peak force during impacts. Front. Environ. Health 4:1557660. doi: 10.3389/fenvh.2025.1557660Rights
Copyright © 2025 Lee-Confer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Objective: Playgrounds are essential for children’s physical, social, and mental health. However, only 4.7% of playgrounds meet safety standards for wood chip surface depth around playground structures. This study aimed to quantify peak force attenuation at safety-compliant (9-inch) vs. non-compliant (5-inch) wood chip depths. Methods: Wood chip layers of 5 inches and 9 inches were placed on a calibrated force platform. A 4.54-kg medicine ball was dropped from a consistent height onto the wood chips, and peak forces and time to peak force were measured. Results: The 9-inchwood chip layer significantly reduced peak forces compared to the 5-inch layer, showing a 44% reduction (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in time to peak force between the two conditions (p=0.46). Discussion: Compliant wood chip surface depths reduce impact forces substantially, emphasizing the importance of routine inspection and maintenance of playground surfaces to safety standards. This practice can help minimize injuries in children resulting from playground falls.Note
Open access journalEISSN
2813-558XVersion
Final published versionae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3389/fenvh.2025.1557660
Scopus Count
Collections
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Copyright © 2025 Lee-Confer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).