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Abstract
Technical textiles are divided into 12 segments & Sportech is one of them. Artificial Turf, a
Sports accessories/functional Sportech product comes under the Sportech segment. In
India, Sportech is growing rapidly & becoming popular. Artificial turf is a surfacing material
used to imitate grass. It is generally used in areas where grass cannot grow, or in areas
where grass maintenance is impossible or undesired. Artificial turf is used mainly in sports
stadiums and arenas, but can also be found on playgrounds and in other spaces. The
present article deals with the history of artificial turf and various aspects like features,
components, manufacturing process, future trends & dem and, scenario of artificial turf
usage in India etc.
Keywords: Artificial Turf, Components, Manufacturing process, Advantages &
Disadvantages, Market scenario, Future trends.
1. Introduction:
Artificial turf or synthetic turf is a man -made surface manufactured from synthetic materials
with appearance similar to natural grass. It is used for making world -class surfaces for
playing sports (Hockey, Soccer, Baseball, Tennis, Ski and snowboard) which are normally
played on grass [1]. The hockey stadiums accou nt for most of the consumption of the
artificial turf in India. It is also used in indoors or outdoors for landscaping: Rooftops,
Balconies, Atriums, Home and Corporate Lawns, Hotels and Resorts, Club Houses, Airports,
Jogging / W alking Tracks, Shopping Ma lls, Traffic Islands, Road Medians & Kid's play area
etc.
Synthetic grass was first introduced in the 1960s for professional sports teams, and is now
widely used in all levels of sports for indoor and outdoor fields. Artificial turf is considered
a safe alternative to natural grass; an arid environment or one where there is little natural
light are examples, turf has no direct harmful effects to pets or children. The advantages of
artificial turf are that it doesn't need water, fertilizer or mowing. It hold s up to wear and tear
far better than natural grass. Artificial turf can withstand significantly more use than natural
grass and can therefore be used much more frequently. This allows sports ground owners
to generate more income from their facilities. Tur f generally lasts at least a decade. Many
are dog durable and gopher proof (there are no roots to eat). It's safe for children and pets
with regards to not twisting ankles in gopher holes. It's eas y to clean with a hose and doesn't
attract bugs and pests. It can't get grass stains and it won't have bare or brown spots. Some
artificial turf s ystems allow for the integration of fiber -optic fibers into the turf. This would
allow for lighting or advertisements to be directly embedded in a playing surface, or ru nway
lighting to be embedded in artificial landing surfaces for aircraft [2, 3].
However, artificial turf does have few disadvantages. It tends to get hotter than natural
grass in the mid-day sun and materials on the surface don't break down as easily. The
production and transportation of artificial turf releases more greenhouse gases than the
maintenance of natural turf. It will need to get replaced and disposed of in a landfill since
most types cannot be recycled. Despite the advances in technology, less expensive types
of artificial turf and infill still may not have as much give as grass. Several studies have
shown that the artificial turfs have a higher injury rate than grass on play grounds. The new
manufacturing and installation procedures have result ed in lowering of injury rates than on
natural grass. Although it is still more costly than natural turf in the short term, the cost has
come down as technologies have improved, making artificial turf a realistic option for
homeowners today [4, 5].
Background History
Artificial turf has been manufactured since the early 1960s, and was originally produced by
Chemstrand Company (later renamed Monsanto Textiles Company). It is produced using
manufacturing processes similar to those used in the carpet industry. Since the 1960s, the
product has been improved through new designs and better materials. The newest s ynthetic
turf products have been chemically treated to be resistant to ultraviolet rays, and the
materials have been improved to be more wear -resistant, less abrasive, and, for some
applications, more similar to natural grass.
In the early 1950s, the tufting process w as invented. A large number of needles insert
filaments of fiber into a fabric backing.
Then a flexible adhesive like polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride is used to bind the fibers to
the backing. This is the procedure used for the majority of residential a nd commercial
carpets. A tufting machine can produce a length of carpet that is 15 ft (4.6 m) wide and more
than 3 ft (1 m) long in one minute. In the early 1960s, the Ford Foundation, as part of its
mission to advance human achievement, asked science and industry to develop s ynthetic
playing surfaces for urban spaces. They hoped to give urban children year -round play areas
with better play quality and more uses than the traditional concrete, asphalt, and compacted
soil of small urban playgrounds. In 1964, the first installation of the new playing surface
called Chem grass was installed at Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island.
In 1966, artificial turf was first used in professional major -league sports and gained its most
famous brand name when the Astrodome was opened in Houston, Texas. By the first game
of the 1966 season, artificial turf was installed, and the brand name Chem grass was
changed to Astro Turf.
Artificial turf also found its way into the applications for which it was originally conce ived,
and artificial turf was installed at many inner -city playgrounds. Some schools and recreation
centers took advantage of artificial turfs properties to convert building roofs into "grass y"
play areas.
After the success of the Astrodome installation, t he artificial turf market expanded with other
manufacturers entering the field, most notably the 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing)
Company with its version known as Tartan Turf. The widespread acceptance of artificial turf
also led to the boom in closed and domed stadium construction around the world.
In the early 1970s, artificial turf came under scrutiny due to safety and quality concerns.
Some installations, often those done by the number of companies that sprang up to cash in
on the trend, began to deteriorate. The turf would wear too quickly, seams would come
apart, and the top layer would soon degrade from exposure to sunlight. Athletes and team
doctors began to complain about the artificial surfaces, and blamed the turf for friction burns
and blisters. Natural turf yields to the force of a blow, but an arm or leg driven along
the unyielding surface of artificial turf is more likely to be injured. Since artificial turf does
not have the same cooling effects as natural turf, surface temperatures ca n be 30° warmer
above the artificial surfaces. Baseball players claimed that a ball would bounce harder and
in less predictable ways, and some soccer players claimed that the artificial surface makes
the ball roll faster, directly affecting the game. Howev er, the National Football League and
the Stanford Research Institute declared in 1974 that artificial turf was not a health hazard
to professional football players, and its use continued to spread.
In the 1990s, biological turf began to make a comeback whe n a marketing of nostalgia in
professional sport resulted in the re -emergence of outdoor stadiums. Many universities —
responding to the nostalgia, advances in grass biology, and the fears about increased risk
of injury on artificial turf —began to reinstall natural turf systems. However, natural turf
systems continue to require sunlight and maintenance (mowing, watering, fertilizing,
aerating), and the surface may deteriorate in heavy rain. Artificial turf offers a surface that
is nearly maintenance-free, does not require sunlight, and has a drainage s ystem. Recent
developments in the artificial turf industry are new systems that have simulated blades of
grass supported by an infill material so the "grass" does not compact. The resulting product
is closer to the look and feel of grass than the older, rug -like s ystems. Because of these
factors, artificial turf will probably continue to be a turf surface option for communities,
schools, and professional sports teams.
2. Components of Artificial Turf:
Basic components of artificial turf are as follows:
§ Pile Fibre - The grass like piles are non-abrasive and soft to touch. It is made of either
PP/PE or nylon/nylon 6.6, which is custom extruded into a monofilament ribbon form. The
pile fibre has to allow for smooth ball roll and bounce, support non -directional foot traction,
allow for water permeability and should have the correct balance of strength, elasticity and
stiffness to withstand the wear and tear of regular usage.
§ Backing Fabric - The material to which surface fibres are attached to form the underside
of the artificial turf surface. The backing has to permit water to flow through the fabric
readily.
§ Shock-Absorbing Foam – It provides cushioning for running or falling athletes. The foam
is made of a closed-cell polymer alloy like polyurethane, typically 1/2 inch in height and
perforated for vertical drainage.
§ Supporting Base – It supports the load placed on the entire structure, typically a 2 -feet
or 3- feet layer of asphalt or concrete Install ation and maintenance are very crucial for the
performance of Artificial Turf. For ground installations, a good quality sub -base is very
important.
§ Medium-pile turf
(i) Filled: These carpets are in the range of 20 - 35mm and have traditionally bee n the hard-
wearing sand-filled carpets used for hockey, tennis, lawn bowls and for training level
activities for a variety of other sports.
(ii) Dressed: An interesting and recent development is the approval of soccer pitches in
Europe that have sand infil l and a shock pad instead of rubber granule infill and no shock
pad. Because of the lack of rubber granule infill, the pile height can be lower than the typical
third generation dressed pitch. This product may be similar to the new Australian Football
League (AFL) and Cricket Australia -approved artificial grass surface, and might be the first
example of a hybrid design that is close to meeting both AFL and Federation Internationale
de Football Association (FIFA) specifications.
§ Long-pile turf
(i) Dressed: Long-pile turf has long blades of fibre similar in height to some natural turf
playing surfaces. The long fibres (40 - 65mm in length) provide cushioning and allow for a
great amount of infill to be integrated into the pitch adding to the shock absorben cy and
force reduction characteristics of the ground, and plays more like grass. These fibres can
be monofilament (single fibre) or multi -ended filament yarns (brush-like at the tip), and are
proving to be popular for soccer, rugby, Australian rules footba ll/cricket and golf. The pitch
infill is comprised of a sand layer at the base with, typically, (rec ycled) rubber granules
above the sand layer. The total infill height is generally between one half and two thirds of
the pile height. Some sports (eg. rugby) may also need to have a shock pad under the ‘turf’.
The shortest of the long -pile turfs (35 – 40 mm) are targeted at Australian rules football and
cricket (outfield) usage, and provide an ‘acceptable’ surface for some competitive soccer
and hockey (lower levels of competition and school usage). A 55 – 65 mm pile height is the
recommended soccer turf height, whilst rugby recommends 65 mm, often with a shock pad
as well. Refer Appendix 8 for summary table. The latest development with long pile turf is
the development of even longer fibre carpet (80 -85mm, with approximately 60mm of infill
material). This is being hailed as the first suitable artificial grass s ystem for athletics field
events including hammer, shot put, discus and javelin [6].
5. Installation:
Artificial turf installation and maintenance is as important as its construction.
1. The base of the installation, which is either concrete or compacted soil, must be
leveled by a bulldozer and then smoothed by a steam roller. Uneven surfaces will still be
evident once the turf is supplied.
2. For outdoor applications, intricate drainage s ystems must be installed, since the
underlying surface can absorb little, if any, rainwater.
3. Turf s ystems can be either filled or unfilled. A filled s ystem is designed so that once
it is installed; a material such as crumbled cork, rubber pellets, or sand (or a mixture) is
spread over the turf and raked down in between the fibers. The material helps support the
blades of fiber, and also provides a surface with some give, that feels more like the soil
under a natural grass surface. Filled systems have some limitations, however. Filling
material like cork may break down or the filling ma terial can become contaminated with dirt
and become compacted. In either case the blades are no longer supported. Maintenance
may require removing and replacing all of the fill.
Proper installation is vital for guarantee a long lifespan for artificial turf. Proper drainage is
needed before the turf installation. A layer of good draining collection should be laid down
and compressed below the turf for safe installation. The turf is rol l out, super glued with
special bonding agent at line of ground with long steel shafts. Expert installation is
suggested for long-lasting constanc y supplier that exactly prepares a site may have more
fee – but the additional price is sound value it. Specia l type of sand is also used bnot give
as much of a soften feel underneath your foot. The infill helps grip down the turf and stops
creases as well as provides a light barricade to make sure a longer life in support of the
backing. Infill is worth the funds if someone’s home turf gets a bunch of use, chiefly from
children playing. However, it is not value the expenditure if the artificial grass is just for
demonstration. There is a considerable straight deal required with artificial turf. Conversely,
greater than the life of an artificial lawn, the cost can be recouped from side to side repairs
savings. Normally artificial turf lasts more than 20 years with suitable maintenance and
potentially up to 30 years. So many dealers offer warranties of 8 years or mor e. The majority
varieties of turf have a covering to guard against UV rays and put a stop to fading. Blustery
weather is not bean anxious since the turf is secured to the ground. During midday straight
sun, the grass may feel warm to the feel. Certain infi ll may decrease heat absorption [7].
6. Quality Control
The standards for artificial turf used in football grounds are governed by FIFA. It specifies
various ball / surface and player / surface tests for these turfs and certifies as FIFA
recommended 1 Star and 2 Star. 1 Star is mainly for recreational, community and municipal
use while 2 Star for artificial turf designed specifically for the playing characteristics of
professional football. Both the FIFA recomm ended 1 Star and 2 Star have to go through a
series of stringent laborator y and field tests for getting the FIFA certificate. The International
Hockey Federation (FIH) has developed standards for Hockey turfs. These products are
tested and verified by a FIH accredited laboratory. Because of the high use of artificial turf
and the constant scrutiny by professional athletes, new products must undergo a number of
tests as they are being developed. In 1994, the American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) published a list of standard methods for the testing of s ynthetic turf systems. It
contains over two dozen tests for the properties of turf systems.
As part of ASTM's testing, the backing fabric is tested for strength. The force it takes to
separate the individual tufts or blades is also measured. In tufted turf, this test usually
measures the strength of the adhesive involved. To test how resistant the turf is to abrasion,
the ASTM recommends testing the fabric by running it under an abrasive head made of
spring steel, while another ASTM test measures how abrasive the turf will be to the players.
The ASTM also has tests that measure the shock absorbenc y of the turf system, and there
are also tests to see how well the turf stands up during the course of a ga me or even
prolonged tournament play.
Several quality checks are performed during the manufacturing process, as well. For
example, according to AstroTurf Incorporated, the following quality checks are performed:
19 checks for the raw materials, eight check s for extrusion, six checks for unfinished fabric,
and 14 checks for finished fabric.
As per FIFA, Laboratory test requirements are as follows:
Ø Artificial W eathering
§ Artificial turf - Colour change
§ Pile yarn (s) - Tensile strength
§ Polymeric infill -Colour change
§ Joint strength - after immersion in hot water
Ø Joint strength: stitched seams
§ Joint strength – unaged
§ Joint strength - after immersion in hot water
Ø Joint strength: Bonded seams
§ Joint strength – unaged
§ Tuft withdrawal
§ Tensile strength of shockpads and e -layers (if supplied as part of system)
§ W ater permeability
§ Stabilising infill
7. Byproducts/Waste
Defected artificial turf batches are discarded as are nylon yarn that is damaged. Completed
turf is generally rec ycled, but not reused as artificial turf. The earth that is cleared from the
installation site is transported to a landfill and discarded. Older turf that has been worn
down is typically rec ycled.
The arguments about the environmental impact of artificial versus biological turf continue.
Both create large amount of water run -off, adding to sewage problems. Chemical processes
are used in the manufacture of raw materials for artificial turf, but most biological grass in
stadium applications requires chemicals in the form of fertilizer and pesticides for
maintenance.
Acknowledgement: The authors are grateful to Director and Dy. Director, W ool Research
Association, Thane, Maharashtra, India for giving valuable inputs, guidan ce and support.