selecting the proper turf system
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FSB 2011. Selecting The Proper Turf System. Introduction. Installing an artificial turf system requires a substantial investment. Therefore, selecting the proper turf system is paramount. It is important to understand that not all synthetic surfaces are created equal. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Selecting The Proper Turf System
FSB 2011
Introduction
Installing an artificial turf system requires a substantial investment.
Therefore, selecting the proper turf system is paramount. It is important to understand that not all synthetic surfaces are created equal.
We encourage all of our clients to get properly informed prior to making their purchase decision.
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4 Steps to Success
Usage Assessment
Financial Assessment
Vendor Selection
Product Selection
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Usage Assessment
There are several key questions that should be answered during the turf purchasing process to help determine the proper vendor / product for your project:
What sports will be played on the field?
How many hours of use will the field receive?
Will the field require any certifications? (IRB, FIFA, AFL, FIH)
What is the desired / intended life cycle?
Specific considerations should be given to:
Sports requiring special products – field hockey
Field size – smaller pitches require more durable features
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Financial Assessment
Prior to starting the turf selection process it is important to determine what makes financial sense for the project. With that, there are two key questions:
What budget is available for the project?
What budget will be made available for annual maintenance costs?
The most important aspect to remember is that artificial turf is an investment – there must be a justification for ROI.
Warning
A cheaper price is not an indicator for value.
You get what you pay for.
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Vendor Selection
Key Questions to determine which vendor is the ideal partner:
How long has the firm been in business?
How are the company’s financials?
How many fields have they installed?
Which approvals / certifications does the company have?
Do they control their manufacturing process?
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Product Selection
There are eight main elements to review in order to validate choosing the proper turf system for your needs.
Fiber
Pile Height
Turf Spacing
Infill Type
Infill Depth
Underlayments / Shock Pads
Backing
Seams
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Fiber
Turf fibers are responsible for comfort and safety of the player, durability, natural grasslike look with soft and pleasing grass-like feel, and resilience. The ideal fibers should possess lowest skin friction, reduced skin abrasion, superior durability, high resilience, and temperature stability.
When it comes to fiber type, there are three options:
Monofilament
Slit-Film
Hybrid
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Fiber
Monofilament
Known for their resilience and aesthetics.
Monofilament systems have been in use for over five years with continued success.
Slit-Film
Slit-Film systems have been in use for well over 10 years with great success in the turf industry.
Ideal for high use areas such as mini-pitches (Under 4,000 sq.m).
Hybrid
Combine Slit-Film and Monofilament fibers.
Over time, the system will look and perform like a Slit-Film system.
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Fiber
Three keys to fiber development:
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Polymer Process
Geometry
Pile Height
Pile height refers to the length of the grass blade.
The length of the blade is directly related to the amount of infill that can be inserted into a given system.
The more infill the system has, the better the shock absorption properties will be. Shock absorption is directly related to player safety.
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Pile Height
1.6” (40 mm)
Shorter pile systems are becoming more prevalent due to the introduction of various underlayment systems. Increased shock absorption properties allow for the fiber to be shortened and for less infill to be used.
2.0” (50 mm)
This height is ideal for non-contact sports such as Football, Baseball, and Lacrosse.
2.25” (57 mm)
A mid-range pile height ideal for all sports, contact included. This height is ideal for park and recreation applications looking for the ideal compromise between shock absorption and cost.
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Pile Height
2.5” (63.5 mm)
This high performance pile height is the ultimate in safety and performance for athletes of all ages and is by far the most popular pile height offered in the industry today.
2.75” (70 mm)
A little extra pile height makes room for extra infill which is required for IRB (International Rugby Board) and AFL (Australian Football League) approval. Both the IRB and AFL have put into place HIC requirements which require extra infill.
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Turf Spacing
The spacing of the system must be open enough for the athlete to cut, plant, and release in the infill system – proving for grass-like traction.
Typical system options range from:
3/4” / 19.0 mm
5/8” / 15.9 mm
1/2” / 12.7 mm
3/8” / 9.5 mm
The right spacing for a turf system is ¾”as it has proven to provide ideal cleat interaction.
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Tight
Wide
Infill Type
SBR Rubber Cryogenic (SBR) Rubber
This rubber consists of ground-up recycled tires which have been cryogenically frozen to allow for a cleaner partition of the pieces and turning the rubber into small, smooth-edged particles. It is the ultimate form of an environmentally friendly product.
Ambient (SBR) Rubber Also made from ground-up tires, ambient rubber is processed through a high powered
rubber cracker mill at ambient temperature. The result is a more jagged rubber granule creating air pockets which can increase its propensity to float and facilitate infill migration.
Alternative Infill Materials Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)
The infill pellets are harder than typical SBR granules but are also quite durable. Only the best grades of TPE have characteristics which allow them to remain durable by rebounding back to their original shape after compression.
Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) The material is soft yet does not withstand sports use quite as well as SBR. EPDM also
comes at a significantly higher price tag due to its complex manufacturing process.
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Infill Type
Alternative Infill Materials Nike Grind
Consists of recycled athletic shoes and Nike manufacturing scrap which are ground up and turned into infill crumb.
Organic These infills either consist of cork, coconut shell, or a combination of both. They are
viewed as organic due to the materials they consist of, but the playing conditions of fields which have this infill are far from being “natural”. The material typically becomes soggy and migrates during rainfall.
Coated (SBR) Rubber Polyurethane-coated (colored) rubber has been introduced to the market as an attempt
to reduce the temperature of fields in warm areas. This effort has proven to be ineffective. The process simply involves coating standard crumb rubber with a light color, in hopes that less heat would be absorbed by the infill.
Coated Sand Testing has proven that coated sand is not sufficiently robust to withstand outdoor use
and the abuse of high traffic areas on sports fields. It may have a perceived low cost compared to some other alternative infills, but a high quantity is required to fill a full field, driving the cost up.
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Infill Type
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Infill Depth
Infill depth is key to maintaining a grass-like appearance, while also ensuring proper playability and longevity of the fiber.
Ensuring proper infill depth will contribute to the longevity of the turf fiber and lead to the natural progression of an artificial turf field. This aspect is the most important part of turf construction.
The critical mistake in turf installation, regardless of the type of infill, is the under filling or over filling of the turf system.
Avoid the major risk of over-infilling or under-infilling your turf system - demand 2/3 ratio of infill depth in your specifications!
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Infill Depth
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Infill Type
Layering Options
Sand-and-Rubber (3-Layered) Infill The 3-layered infill system is the most intricate and most meticulous infill
system available on the market. This method has been proven to offer the best shock absorption and energy restitution results for both the safety and the performance of athletes playing on the field.
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Infill Type
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Layering Options
Sand-and-Rubber (heterogeneous mix) Infill Sand is deposited at the base of the turf carpet to stabilize the whole
system and to offer a firmness which is required for athletic performance. Crumb rubber is laid over the sand to create a soft surface with safe shock absorption.
Infill Type
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Layering Options
Sand-and-Rubber (homogeneous mix) Infill Sand and crumb rubber are mixed together before the particles are
deposited between the turf fibers.
Infill Type
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Layering Options
All-Rubber Infill Crumb rubber is the only element used to fill up the entire turf system. All-
rubber fields have been identified as being far too soft and subject to quick deterioration. The infill migrates easily and the lack of mass at the base of the turf makes the field vulnerable to other damages. It simply does not offer suitable safety and performance characteristics.
Underlayments / Shock Pads
Underlayments, also known as e-layers or shock pads, were introduced along with carpet type turf systems in the 1960’s. Pads were vital to these systems as they provided the shock absorption required to limit player injuries.
Introduction of long pile systems with heavy weighted infills in the 90’s eliminated the need for a separate pad. There has been a recent movement by some to re-introduce pads to the marketplace.
Today, pads are used for two reasons:
Shock Absorption
Lightweight turf systems (4 lbs of infill or less) typically require a separate pad to allow for proper shock absorption. Short pile turf systems (less than 1.75”) also require a separate pad for the same reason.
Drainage
These systems are designed to eliminate the need for excessive amounts of stone and also provide for some shock absorption.
The Challenge – To find a pad system with ideal shock absorption and drainage at a fair price.
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Backing
Turf backing has three objectives:
Drainage
Turf Bind
Stability
There are two main backing types:
Finger Coated In order to secure the fiber’s tuft bind, a quality urethane
coating is only applied along the fiber rows, allowing for the remainder of the backing to be made available for drainage. Finger coated backing is naturally 40% porous.
Solid Coated Holes are perforated through the primary and secondary
backings to facilitate drainage. The proper is to puncture 0.25” holes that are approximately 3” apart in both directions.
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Seams
The seam is the lifeline of the field. It facilitates the combination of large turf panels which results in one unified field system. The long term risks associated with poorly sewn or glued seams are simply not worth the short term costs. Reoccurring problems with seams are the number one maintenance issue affecting fields around the globe.
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Sewn Seams
Preferred method of joining artificial turf rolls
Proven durability
Long lasting and require minimal to no maintenance
Glued Seams
Low quality option
Large turf panels can shift and raise over time
Displaced infill can lead to two dangerous and detrimental outcomes.
Loose infill will reposition itself beneath the panels resulting in a mound, or the infill will migrate from beneath a panel leaving a hollow zone in the field.
Reviewing the 4 steps
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Usage Assessment
Sports, hours of use and certifications
Financial Assessment
Budget for project construction and maintenance
Vendor Selection
Evaluating the company’s experience, financials and quality control
Product Selection
Fiber type and height
Infill depth and type
Backing
Type of seams
