This article has been written to address issues related to the maintenance of the third generation long-pile surfaces. In doing so it is hoped that users, owners and those responsible for their maintenance will be able to develop a greater understanding of their requirements. However, before we look at maintenance issues, we need to examine structural differences between natural and artificial pitches.
It would be fair to say that the
expectation on artificial surfaces is one of high wear tolerance. To a certain degree this statement is true. Because a high- grade polymer based plastic is used to form the basis for the fibre element, structurally it is much stronger than the soft organic tissue within a grass leaf. There is a key difference here though - grass has the ability to recuperate but plastic polymer does not. In the short- term, this key difference is negligible, in the long-term however it becomes significant.
Natural turf, given the necessary time and conditions to do so, will repair play and maintenance damage. Artificial turf cannot. So, resistance to wear, on the side of the artificial surface, is on a sliding scale from construction, whereas that of natural turf is ongoing given favourable conditions. Unfortunately, we cannot apply any preservative products to the artificial surface that will help to extend its working life e.g. polymer wear resistant coatings or Uva Uvb protectants. Until such products are available, the goal is to tailor efforts to extend the useful life of the artificial types as far into the future as possible through basic maintenance and usage control.
One major similarity between the two types of surface is the need to have a high construction quality from the start. Artificial surfaces rely on the quality of materials and the installation process to maximise their useful life. Polymer type, amount of contaminates absorbed during manufacture, backing materials, method of securement, infill selection, presence of shock pad, amount and type of maintenance together with usage environment all collectively contribute to the actual working life of an artificial surface.
Independent feasibility analysis, using
reputable suppliers/contractors, site supervision and materials testing will help to minimise any problems whilst maximising the potential for the artificial surface. It is then up to the initial and ongoing maintenance routines to further reinforce the progress.
Once the pitch is constructed and installed, the maintenance approach is split into five main areas:
• Fibre management • Infill management • Pitch surrounds management • Wear management • Performance testing • Resource management
Weed invasion Fibre management
In order to produce the desired ball- surface and player-surface interactions, the fibre pile must be regularly treated. All those performance quality aspects i.e. ball; roll, bounce, slip, player; traction, grip are directly proportionate to fibre position and support. Flattened fibres do not maintain the ball and will affect both
Over full infill layer with a high splash potential
pace, roll direction and bounce behaviour adversely (not to mention exposing a greater fibre surface area to Uva/Uvb damage). This is normally addressed by brushing with a drag brush in several directions; raising fibre uniformity levels to the intended position.
Flattened third generation pile
Conversely, too much brushing, and in particular, too high brush filament strength, will cause the fibres to wear prematurely. Fibre “memory” is partly responsible for the return to its original position after load is exerted upon the polymer filament. Excessive brushing reduces this memory and causes the pile fibres to return to the flattened state much sooner. It can also cause seam failure. Brushing and/or decompacting across the seam lines may lead toward seam stress and eventual splitting/separation. Following the direction of seam lines when brushing will help to preserve their integrity. A good way to assess a brush for suitability is by feel. If you rate it based upon firmness from one to five and consider a brush made for laminate flooring as a one, and a brush made for yard areas a five, the desired level is somewhere in between. It is much more logical to replace the brush more frequently than the surface.
Infill management
The infill layer provides: support for the fibre layer, resilience for ball bounce, fall cushioning and together with fibre condition forms the basis for traction and grip potentials. The depth of infill material as well as its orientation or distribution is the most important point of concern.
The choice seems to be between using either pure rubber crumb (EPDM, or re- cycled tyres) or a rubber crumb/sand mix. Both options have relative merits and drawbacks but both primarily depend on even depth and distribution for optimum performance. It is important to recognise that this infill material will need to be completely replaced at least twice over the working life (assuming a ten year life period is achieved). The resilience produced by the rubber crumb particles diminishes over time requiring replacement material to be added. If left, the polymer-based fill will eventually break down leading to compaction and infiltration problems. There is also evidence to support that the infill itself reacts, at diffident levels, with the fibre filaments leading to amplified wearing rates. Brushing will help to regulate the fibre uniformity but will not remove finer particles or contaminates from the infill/fibre profile. An appropriate vacuum sweeper should be used regularly so that infill is agitated (decreasing problems with moss, weed grass germination etc) and all types of debris removed. Finer particle build-ups will
Given time, natural turf will repair damage - artificial turf cannot!
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