Posts Tagged ‘Artificial’

Artificial grass sports surfaces

Technology has given mankind the opportunity to live life in the comfort of advanced gadgets and equipment. Sport, an integral part of our lives, whether as viewers or players, is also touched by the advancements made in the field of technology. Artificial grass sports surfaces are an example of technology blending with sports.

An artificial sports surface may be made of synthetic grass which is made from polypropylene, lubricated with silicone. Such surfaces are ideal for sports such as football, hockey, tennis, and many more. They are also suitable for Multi Use Games Areas where a variety of sports can be played.

What led to the invention of artificial grass?
As an old saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention”, the same holds true for artificial grass. The problems associated with natural grass, such as soggy or frozen playing fields as well as the heavy expenditure incurred on the maintenance of natural grass sports surfaces, especially in long dry summers led to search for an alternative. The invention of artificial grass put an end to all these problems.

What is an artificial grass sports surface?
An artificial grass sports surface is basically a man-made turf ‘carpet’, with an infill layer of some particulate material evenly spread. Usually sand-filled, the surface gives differing qualities of ball bounce and speed. There is also a layer of shock pad just beneath the artificial grass. This helps in protecting the players from any kind of injury. Artificial grass sports surfaces are also available in a choice of colours. This allows court markings to be made in different colours for different sports on the same surface.

In some cases, the synthetic grass surface also includes a synthetic grass warning track having different tangible properties to alert a player stepping thereon that he is approaching an obstacle.

Technology has now come up with another latest development in the form of Third Generation Artificial Grass. In this case, the grass fibres are made of polyethylene, a softer material. Dressed with a mixture of rubber crumb and sand, this latest variety of artificial grass offers greater cushioning to the players. What is even great about it is its adaptability to various playing conditions. With this new artificial grass, you can alter the characteristics of the sports surface simply by varying the length and density of the fibres.

Artificial Sports Pitches: Giving sports a new definition

The numerous advances made in the field of science and technology have touched every aspect of our lives, including sports. Today, grass sports pitches are passe, thanks to artificial sports pitches. Such surfaces are ideal for many sports such as football, hockey, tennis, netball, athletics, and many more. These sports surfaces have found a prominent place in Multi Use Games Areas where a variety of sports can be played.

The credit for the invention of artificial turf goes to David Chaney, the dean of the North Carolina State University College of Textiles. He, along with a team of researchers, created the first artificial turf in early 1960s. However, artificial turf began to gain popularity from 1965, when Astro Turf was installed in the newly built Astrodome in Houston, Texas. By 1970s, these artificial sports pitches could be found in many of the indoor and outdoor stadiums, used for playing baseball and grid iron football, in the USA and Canada.    

An artificial sports turf is a man-made sports surface made from synthetic materials like polypropylene or polyethylene. The most common type of artificial turf uses grass-like fibres made from polypropylene, which are then lubricated with silicone. These synthetic fibres are then tufted into a primary cloth, and latex is applied to its back for providing stability. The artificial turf, thus created, is then in-filled with a layer of sand and rubber granules. This layer helps to keep the fibres upright and provide the right level of shock absorbency.   

Another popular type of artificial grass is the ‘Third Generation’ artificial grass. The artificial grass fibres, in this case, are made of a softer material, known as polyethylene. The lubricated polyethylene fibres are shorter and more densely packed. Another feature of such an artificial pitch is an expanded polyethylene base, which serves as an effective “cushion” to prevent injury to players. There is no doubt why this foamy material was originally used as a shock absorber in cars. These modern artificial sports pitches also feature spring-like fibres in between the main in-filled fibres to keep the latter upright.   

An artificial sports surface offers many advantages. For instance, it can be used all year round and also requires minimal maintenance. The shock pad just beneath the top layer of artificial grass offers protection to players whilst sliding and falling on the surface.  Furthermore, it is easy to alter the playing characteristics of such a surface by varying the length and the density of the synthetic fibres.  It is therefore possible to design a sports surface specifically suited to particular sports including athletics.

Artificial Outdoor Sports Surfaces

The popularity of synthetic sports surfaces in the 1970s all across the USA and Canada prompted many sports facilities around the world to opt for them.  Artificial sports surfaces could be used for football and hockey pitches, tennis courts or for synthetic athletics tracks.  They have also found prominence in Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs) where a variety of games can be played on the same surface.

Manufactured from synthetic materials, polypropylene and sometimes, polyethylene, an artificial sports surface offers the same playing characteristics as natural grass surfaces. However, there are many advantages that they enjoy over natural grass. First, an artificial sports surface is usable all year round. This means whatever be the weather, you can always enjoy the scheduled football or hockey match.  Wet or frozen winters cannot stop you from enjoying your favourite game.

Another advantage of opting for artificial sports surfaces is their low maintenance costs. In fact, it is one of the main reasons for the artificial sports pitches being favoured by sports clubs and other sports facilities providers. By installing a synthetic sports surface, they can do away with many activities like regular watering, draining, mowing, applying fertilizers, weeding, and so on of grass pitches. This could considerably bring down their annual outlay on maintenance, which can be used for other productive activities.  

An artificial sports surface, be it a synthetic football pitch or an athletics track, can be so designed as to minimise the risk of injury to players when they slide or fall on the surface. This is possible because such an artificial turf is usually equipped with a “shock absorbent layer” just beneath the top layer. Also, water-based or unfilled artificial sports surfaces, a variant of synthetic sports pitches and used for playing hockey, protect players by minimising the abrasive effect caused by sand in-fill. Similarly, the artificial athletics surfaces are specially built to offer the benefit of slip-resistance to the players.

Artificial sports surfaces are also available in a choice of colours. This allows court markings to be made in different colours for different sports on the same surface. This is particularly true in the case of MUGAs. Synthetic athletics tracks also allow the use of multi-coloured striping and event markings. This allows the same track to be used for multiple events besides enhancing the look of the tracks.