Meet Frank Lucarelli, Senior Scientist behind Rekortan’s Track Systems
How R&D is Driving Track Innovation
Frank Lucarelli has been a Senior Chemist at APT since 1999 and has a major focus on R&D for our global track brand, Rekortan. A chemist by training, with a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Hanover, Germany, he is a passionate problem solver and has cooked up some surprising and game-changing innovations for the track world over the last 23 years.
He welcomed us into his lab in Pennsylvania, for an insight into what it takes to develop World Class track surface systems, how Rekortan is making tracks greener and faster and a view of what the future of track development looks like.
On what it takes to build a World Class track…
Like the track systems themselves, the recipe for success in track development is multi-layered. Firstly, you need good raw materials. We’re constantly experimenting and innovating in this space with a focus on using renewable natural oils over petrochemical products which used to be the work horse for everything.
Next you need to develop the track’s building blocks – the intermediate layers and binders. Each layer needs to have different physical properties to create the desired force reduction and energy return, so how they operate individually and as a system is a key part of the development.
We then go into a design and development stage to fine-tune the product for installation. This involves adaptations to stabilise the product to withstand external factors like temperature and humidity.
Finally, you need a highly-trained installation team to ensure the track is laid properly. We only work with experienced teams to ensure that what we create in the lab, translates onto the track.
The whole process from R&D to market implementation takes around 4-5 years. And underpinning it all is innovation.
On using renewable raw materials to build greener tracks…
Our move into using renewable natural oils over petrochemicals as raw materials began 15 years ago. Once we found the enzyme reaction to convert them, it opened up a completely new world. We now had the ability to make products with unbelievably high renewable content that hadn’t been possible before. Rekortan has led the way on this innovation. No-one else in the industry is doing it.
The innovation is a continual process. Our initial work gave us the know-how and the renewable building blocks which we can use and move around. From this base we are consistently looking for new natural oils which we can incorporate.
Using renewables has helped to improve our track performance, sustainability and also cost (in many cases natural oils are cheaper than their chemical counterparts.)
On the biggest innovation in track development over the last two decades…
Gel Tracks are the first time that something completely different has come into the market. This is our latest technology which adopts all of our knowledge and experience of natural oils. The result is the most environmentally-advanced track system in the industry.
We use natural oils exclusively in our Gel system as well as other non-commercialised liquid oils so that they are composed of up to 84% renewable and recyclable content. We’ve also minimised the electricity consumption involved in their manufacture by using an enzyme process which requires very little power.
“Right now, we are designing faster tracks and we are well advanced in the new technology for this.”
Our R&D into natural oils means that we can do everything ourselves and are not reliant on expensive partners which would drive the costs up. It also means we are still the only company making Gel Tracks.
With a focus from governing bodies, clubs, events and communities around the world on making greener choices for their track facilities, we are at a turning point and Gel Systems go a long way to answering the crucial sustainability questions of the future.
On developing faster tracks…
It’s always our ambition to offer track systems based on our customer feedback. Right now, we are designing faster tracks and we are well advanced in the new technology for this. Interestingly there is very little research and literature in this space so it is pioneering territory and we are investing a lot of testing into it.
The challenge is in balancing the soft and hard segments of the track. You need a soft layer at the bottom, a hard one in the middle and a medium-hard layer on top. These components will determine the pace of the track but it isn’t a straightforward calculation.
“Once we found the enzyme reaction to convert natural oils, it opened up a completely new world. We now had the ability to make products with unbelievably high renewable content.”
When an athlete runs on a track there is a shockwave generated, that shockwave is reflected differently on the hard, medium and soft layer. You need the soft layer to get the force reduction otherwise you are going to wear out your joints very fast. But then the athlete wants the force to be reflected back into their foot to get the energy return, but this must happen when they need it and not too quickly. That’s where the medium layer comes in to ensure the energy return is delivered at the right time.
This innovation is exciting, but the process takes time. After all, there is no point having a fast track that is not ‘runnable’ after a few years – Rekortan tracks must last 7+ years.
On climate innovation…
Tracks need to be designed with local climates in mind. The hotter it gets, the thicker you want your material to be to compensate for the lower viscosity as it gets warmer. We have a climate chamber here in the U.S. to test the behaviour of our products in different climates and to adjust the physical properties like the viscosity of the products by market and season. We can create thicker binders for hot climates. Reactivity to humidity can be adjusted by using chemicals in the coating that absorb excess moisture in the air. By adjusting these two parameters we can cover the whole spectrum from really cold and dry to really hot and wet.
On track longevity…
The layered building blocks we use in Rekortan tracks are, after they are cured, not highly reactive anymore which means they don’t oxidise and get hard easily over time. Other rubber-based tracks are less stable which means they oxidise and become hard relatively quickly. This increases athlete stress and limits the track lifespan. Because of our developments in durability, coupled with our climate innovations which prevent degradation from UV, temperature and moisture, we guarantee Rekortan tracks for 5-10 years, but in reality, we can get 15 years out of them.
On the future of track development…
The tracks of the future will be greener and faster. As part of these developments, microplastics need to be addressed which will change the industry as EPDM rubber is so widely used. We have developed more responsible installation practices which results in almost half of the EPDM rubber we use being recycled or repurposed. We are also testing systems that will use renewables like woodchips or stone fiber that won’t generate microplastics in the first place.
In addition, we’re working on water-based systems which incorporate a water-based binder, sealer and topcoat. This will remove the need for isocyanates that can react and cause irritations.
On the innovations that didn’t work…
During my work on renewable natural oils I tried using lard and fish oil but the tracks ended up smelling of pork and fish so we didn’t pursue those avenues!