Artificial Surfaces
Exploring artificial turf
From the ground up...
each type of yarn construction is a material that boasts its own list of performance benefits. The polyethylene used to manufacture fibrillated and monofilament yarns brings about a soft and supple, non-abrasive surface with a waxy texture, whilst polypropylene tends to be more abrasive, rougher, drier and more brittle. Again, it is the end-user requirements and budgetary constraints that will determine the most appropriate yarn material for use.
Wider system components
One of the most common oversights, when it comes to the specification and installation of artificial turf, is the failure to look beyond the structure of the yarn, and the tufts it is used to create. Of equal
significance is the primary backing fabric that supports the turf structure. The quality of the primary backing fabric will play a big part in the way the quality of surface installation, and the way in which it will perform once in place. The primary backing fabric is critical because of the manner in which it forms the backbone of the turf construction. This fabric must ensure the turf is dimensionally stable in all extreme environmental conditions and provides the correct platform for strong, durable jointing seams. To ensure the turf grass fibres remain
securely fixed to the primary backing fabric, and to further increase the dimensional stability of the turf construction, latex compound is used to
back coat the turf structure. The challenge faced by manufacturers in this respect is determining how best to ensure the system is durable enough to withstand as many playing hours as possible, without applying a greater volume of latex compound than is necessary.
It is vital to control the application and placement of the latex compound, and that its quality is engineered to give maximum performance whilst controlling the application weights. It is often regarded that quality of latex is preferable to quantity; highly filled latex compounds add unnecessary weight and cost to the overall system whilst offering no improved long-term performance. The key is to target the latex compound
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2013 PC 107
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