KR100557282B1 - Artificial turf with upper surface layer of elastic granules - Google Patents

Abstract

The artificial turf assembly installed on the support member includes: a pile structure including a flexible seat support material and a plurality of artificial ribbons extending upwardly from an upper surface of the support material, the plurality of artificial ribbons having a selectable length; A filler layer arranged between the respective ribbons erected up from an upper surface of the backing material, the filler layer comprising a particulate material selected from the group consisting of hard and elastic particulates arranged at a depth less than the length of each ribbon, wherein said filling The layer comprises: a lower layer distributed over substantially the same size and arranged on the top surface of the backing material, wherein the hard, elastic granules are mixed with each other; An upper layer arranged on the lower layer and substantially consisting of only elastic particulates, wherein an upper portion of the artificial ribbon extends upwardly from an upper surface of the upper layer.

Description

Synthetic grass having an upper surface layer of elastic granules {SYNTHETIC GRASS WITH RESILIENT GRANULAR TOP SURFACE LAYER}             

The present invention relates to an artificial turf having a bottom layer made of sand and rubber fine particles of the same size and an upper layer made of rubber fine particles, and including an artificial ribbon in which lattice is formed to hold such particulate filler.

The cost of maintaining a natural turf for athletics or landscaping is expensive, and natural turf does not grow well in the shaded areas of the stadium, and if it is constantly subjected to intense friction and impact on the natural turf, it will wear out.

The natural grass surface is degraded by intensive use, resulting in the undesirable phenomenon that water and soil accumulate on the exposed topsoil.

Therefore, artificial turf has been developed for the purpose of reducing the maintenance cost of a sports stadium that is used wildly, and for the purpose of improving the durability of the turf surface, so that the stadium surface on which professional sports are opened is more even.

Artificial grass is installed by arranging carpet-type pile fibers with flexible backing material on easy-to-drain and dense members such as crushed stone or other stable foundation layers.

The pile fiber extends upwards from the top surface of the backing material and has a row of woven artificial ribbons representing turf grains.

The main point of the present invention is that the particulate elastic filler is filled in various official methods between the ribbons arranged in a line standing on the upper surface of the backing plate serving as soil.

Most existing systems use some hard particles, such as sand or broken slag particles, along with elastic particles, such as foam support plates or broken rubber particles, to provide elasticity.

A feature of the present invention lies in the optimum selection of the size of the particles, the shape of the particles, the composition of the particles and the installation conditions in multiple layers or in multiple directions.

US Pat. No. 4,337,283 to Haas, Jr. discloses homogeneous mixed fillers, such as soil, which provide fine resilience to elastic particulates having a volume ratio of 25% to 95% to provide improved elasticity and wear resistance fillers. And light sand particles are mixed.

The elastic fine particles include a mixture of granulated rubber particles, cork polymer beads, foam rubber particles, vermiculite, and the like.

US Pat. No. 4,396,653 to Tomarin discloses an inhomogeneous filler consisting of rubber particles forming the base layer and sand particles forming the upper layer.

The rubber particles provide an internal elastic force to the surface, wherein the sand layer is formed as an exposed cover layer for the rubber particle layer arranged therein.

The use of uniformly mixed particulate fillers in the Haas system, in which light sand particles and elastic rubber particles are mixed and mixed in a proportion proportional to the depth of the filler, causes some disadvantages.

Artificial turf fillers For example, a filler consisting of a mixture of 60% by weight of sand and 40% by weight of granulated rubber particles is filled between artificial ribbons from 1 inch to 3 inches deep.

High rates of sand in such systems are desirable to minimize cost, but rubber particles are more expensive than sand. Sand particles are also provided to improve the drainage performance required when the artificial turf surface is not a closed stadium.

Rubber particles tend to interfere with the free flow of water, while the capillary action of sand particles causes surface moisture to drop due to the different surface tension properties between rubber and silica sand.

However, in the Haas and Tomarin systems, hard sand particles, which are easy to wear, are exposed to the upper surface layer of the filler material, and in such a game surface, players play football, rugby, soccer, field hockey, baseball, etc. This will cause you to fall or bump repeatedly.

In such applications, there is a need to protect athletes from the sand spewing into their eyes, ears, and mouth, and from skin abrasions caused by the light sand in the particulate layer.

Conventional fillers are mixtures of sand and rubber particles.

The rubber particles are compressed or decompressed when the ball bounces off the surface, or when the athlete steps on.

In conventional ground surfaces, topsoil and humus particles provide the elastic force inherent, but rebound increases gradually due to the small size of particles and relatively low inherent elasticity, moisture, and the like.

In the case of artificial fillers, the particles are relatively dry and do not cling together.

The rubber particles have a sharp return force like a spring, which causes the rubber particles and adjacent sand particles to rise upward when subjected to an external force.

The artificial filler is continuously subjected to the flow of water and subjected to impact force, based on the pressure and vibration force of the athlete's foot and body in contact with the upper surface of the filler, rainwater, flooding of water, the impact of the ball bound The particles tend to separate and scatter from each other.

When the ball or the player impacts the upper surface of the filler, sand particles are scattered in the upper layer having a high proportion of sand.

When the soccer ball is rolled on the surface of the filler, when sand particles are present on the top surface, they are buried in the ball that is rolled by the sand particles due to the phenomenon of suction and static electricity caused by the air flow along the rotating ball. .

As a result, smaller sand particles present on the top of the filler material are sprinkled in the form of a "rooster tail" to the back of the rolling ball.

Over time, this continuous spreading of sand or impact on the ball makes the sand visible on the playing field surface.

It is not desirable to see light colored sand visually on the surface of artificial turf, and in particular, it is not desirable to see sand piles by impact.

In addition, exposed sand particles can cause abrasions on the skin when the athlete falls or slides on the surface, and when the sand particles are sprayed, they enter the eyes, ears, nose and mouth to give a foreign object.

Another disadvantage of the conventional fillers is that sand particles which are easy to wear remain on the upper surface of the artificial turf, so that athletes on the surface come into contact with the sand particles and suffer skin abrasions.

Over time, due to the dynamics, vibrations, and impact of water, small sand particles accumulate toward the bottom of the filler material, and larger sand particles rise to the upper surface.

Small sand particles are conducted between the spaces between the large particles under the influence of vibration, water and gravity. In addition, smaller sand particles accumulate in the lower part of the particulate packing layer and are simultaneously compressed.

Larger sand particles remain on top of the particulate layer, causing greater friction to the body skin than smaller particles.

As a result, the inherent wear of the artificial system increases over time, and wear occurs more severely than in other areas in the intensively used area.

Conventionally used hard particles and particles having elastic force have an angled surface structure. Particles having such angles cause a phenomenon that they are agglomerated with each other as compared to particles of spherical or curved surfaces, and friction between shapes having angles occurs severely.

In addition, where a wide range of particle sizes is used, the degree of compaction of smaller particle fillers present in the gaps between the larger particles is increased.

When rubber crumbs or conventional broken rubber is used, the rubber particles have an irregular surface, which blocks the flow of water due to the surface tension and generates an air trap.

When the filler is wet with rain or submerged in water, air traps are generated by the light weight rubber particles, which causes the rubber particles to float.

This phenomenon causes the rubber to be washed away due to the flow of surface water, and the floated rubber particles separate from the heavier sand in the filler mixture, resulting in loss of elasticity of the filler, compression of the sand, and loss of particles.

When sand is used in buildings for purposes such as road construction or concrete mixers, the size range of the particles is wide, which is very desirable, since the mixing of small and large particles results in the presence of small particles in the gap between the large particles. Contact and good cohesion.

Where sand or fine aggregates are used in buildings, vibration compressors are employed and moisture content is controlled to achieve maximum compression and density of the topsoil.

However, when sand is used in the construction of elastic filler present in the gap of artificial turf, excessive compression is undesirable.

The maximum degree of compaction of sand, the contamination of the filler due to airborne dust, and the dust change the elasticity of the filler over time, resulting in a significant change over the surface of the artificial turf from frequent use to low use. Done.

The constant and consistent elasticity, drainage capacity and predictable performance of the fillers are a goal rather than high load bearing strength.

The conventional method for solving the separation and compression of the filler particles is a method of periodically brushing the artificial turf.

Brushing crushes the compacted material and remixes the top surface to restore as much of the fill mixture as possible to the original composition.

The method of brushing causes an increase in maintenance costs, and wears the artificial ribbon sharply, which is only a temporary solution, and thus the conventional fillers have to be compressed again and regularly.

Proper selection of the thermal spacing of artificial ribbons has proved to be a problem.

A frequent and major complaint of professional athletes is that the wedge-shaped cleat in the shoe does not fall out consistently from the dense, mat-tight artificial turf surface, which causes injuries to the knee and ankle joints. .

The aged artificial turf surface is like a carpet surface in the room with elasticity and tight spacing from the interwoven base layer, with fibers extending upwards.

When the fiber surface is stepped on, it is designed to prevent tangling and at the same time maintain a clean state.

Thus, the spacing of the fibers is kept very tight to achieve this result. However, when the foot touches the surface, the wedges on the athlete's shoes are less likely to fall out, resulting in injury to the knee and ankle joint.

On the other hand, when only pure sand is used on the surface, for example in an equestrian stadium, the surface is relatively unstable and the location of the sand particles is easily changed.

In order to stabilize this surface, U.S. Patent 4,819,933 to Almond (Fibersand Limited) discloses a sand mixture having a relatively small proportion per weight of randomly arranged, stiff artificial fibers connected together as a loose and displaceable network structure. It is.

The fiber serves to distribute intensive loads and to fix sand to the weight of means such as horseshoes, athlete's feet, wheels of vehicles.

US Pat. No. 5,326,192 to Freed (Synthetic Industries, Inc.) discloses a method for improving the performance characteristics and visual characteristics of artificial turf surfaces by recognizably planting bundles of artificial turf as topsoil layers.

Particulate filler in combination with artificial ribbons erected up, such as grass, provides a fine grain of artificial turf surface combined with fibers extending upright from the fiber backing to mimic natural topsoil, embedded roots and grass. It can deal with the disadvantages.

When wedges on an athlete's shoe are buried in particulate filler, the particulates are displaced like natural topsoil with loose particle variation. At the same time, the synthetic ribbon standing up is wrapped in loose particulates, which makes it possible to reduce or prevent the slippage of the wedge.

Without these ribbons, loose particles are very difficult to run, such as dry sand on the beach, while a dense mat made of fibers prevents wedges and causes human injury.

Thus, the combined structure between the upright ribbon and loose particulate filler should be appropriately provided to the desired athletic stadium surface.

When the ribbons are tightly stranded together, the wedges do not fall out properly, but if the ribbons are spaced too large, there is not enough static friction and stability.

Since the cost of installing artificial turf is expensive, it requires fundamental and renewable turf performance.

Also, the artificial turf surface may consist only of rubber fillers. The rubber filler is relatively light and the broken particles form air bubbles.

As a result, when flooding of water occurs, the rubber particles float on the surface of the water drained from the artificial turf surface.

This results in depletion of the thickness of the filler in the area of the artificial turf as the rubber particles are drained and displaced.

The loss of the filling material with a certain thickness and the elastic force on its surface will burden the owner of the stadium and cause injury to the athlete.

While existing techniques include some rubber and sand filler compositions and fiber structures, they have usually had significant drawbacks as described above.

It is an object of the present invention to reduce the need for periodic brushing on the surface and to provide a filler that can retain its properties without compression and loss of the filler.

Another object of the present invention is to improve the wear resistance and elasticity of the conventional particulate fillers filled in the gaps of artificial ribbons and to allow the wedges on the athlete's shoes to fall out appropriately without the risk of injury.

Another object of the present invention is to visually appear on the surface of the filler, to prevent the scattering of the sand particles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new artificial turf assembly installed on a support topsoil support member, in order to provide a turf surface giving the appearance of natural grass while retaining the wear resistance of the artificial turf.

Although the present invention is described as being used, for example, as a sports stadium, the present invention is intended for use in any landscaped areas such as landscaping areas that are frequently used, road and highway boundaries, indoor gardens or golf greens, racetrack surfaces, etc. The same is applicable.

The turf assembly comprises a pile structure comprising a flexible seat support material and a series of artificial ribbon rows extending upwardly from an upper surface of the support material to show turf grains.

The two layers of filling layers are arranged by filling with the space between the stiff ribbons decorated on the upper surface of the backing material, and arranged to a depth smaller than the depths of the ribbons.

Each of the ribbons is decorated over a water permeable fibrous backing and includes slits formed intermittently along its length in a predetermined pattern.

During the installation of the filler, the ribbon is compressed due to the rolling of the decorated fibers during post-production storage and shipping operations, which results in a light brushing operation to restore the ribbon from its upright position.

The plurality of rows of slits formed over the entire width of the ribbon will have a width of about one inch.

The brushing operation tends to open the lower part of the ribbon and extends the open slit formed by laterally connecting strands arranged in a lattice structure filled with particulate filler.

Once the filler is installed, the top of the ribbon that extends to the top of the filler is brushed harder.

By brushing along the slit so that the thinner and individual freely standing multiple strands represent the grain, the ribbons are torn along its length.

The present invention results in a dynamic system in which particulate fillers of different sizes of hard and elastic particles are continuously moved, and other physical properties are also affected by the effects of vibrations and shocks resulting from competition, surface maintenance and precipitation. Has

The present invention accommodates the dynamic operation of several methods.

The upper surface freely holds the sand using a pure rubber particle upper layer with relatively large particles and has particles of substantially larger size than the particles of the lower layer.

The smaller sand particles that move to the upper surface based on the displacement action of the wedge will seep into the gap between the larger upper surface particles and eventually to the lower layer under the influence of water, vibration and gravity.

The lower layer of sand and rubber mixed with each other is installed under the pure rubber upper layer, providing additional elasticity, acting as moisture release, and acting as a stable layer for stabilization of the fiber support material.

The size of the particles is a sphere that substantially reduces the friction between the particles, which prevents compression and at the same time improves drainage performance.

The spherical shape can reduce the resistance to particle displacement, thereby reducing the compressibility compared to conventionally angled particles.

As is known, the Crumbane sphericity standard test shows that the shape of the particles has a wide range of 0.5 to 0.99, preferably substantially spherical or curved, with a range of 0.6 to 0.9.

The particle size of the hard and elastic rubber particles in the lower layer is chosen to be the same size, and the preferred particle size is limited depending on the type of sport or the stadium, ranging from 14 to 30 screen mesh standards. Lose.

In order to use the artificial turf surface for other purposes, the particle size ranges from 0.5 inch to 50 screen mesh standard.

Larger particles can be applied to horse riding sites up to 0.25 inches, and excessively large wear can occur when the particles are too large.

Particles smaller than 50 screen mesh screens produce dust and at the same time cause undesirable compression, resulting in a decrease in the osmotic rate of water and loss of particles.

Naturally occurring topsoil particles are graded as medium sand, coarse sand and fine grains.

By “substantially the same” size distribution is meant, where the lower packed layer has been analyzed through conventional topsoil experimental body analysis, the standard scale analysis semi-arithmetic graph (y-axis represents the percentage passing through the body size, The x-axis shows the logistic / particle size logarithmically), the lines for the hard particles and the lines of the particles with elastic force are virtually superimposed on each other.

Thus, the hard, elastic particles have substantially the same size and the dispensed size is also substantially the same.

Because natural topsoils vary across the surface of the site, the standard physicographs are inaccurate with "rough and ready" measurements.

In general, the graphs do not show up to 10% and at least 10% of the particle size, and depending on the variety of topsoil particle sizes, these extremes are statistically insignificant.

Therefore, when the topsoil particle size is measured by trunk analysis, 80% of the particles are medium in size.

Applying this practice to the present invention, a light and elastic particle size of 80% per weight in the underlying layer is distributed in a range with a numerical difference of 40 screen mesh standards, and the distributed particle size is substantially the same or It's very similar.

Sand and rubber can be graded on set, and preferably have numerical differences below 20 screen mesh standards to be more consistent fillers.

For example, fully spherical grass beads have numerical differences that are nearly zero.

However, since sand is a natural by-product made from the erosion of rocks, the distribution particle size and sphericity vary.

Numerical differences in the 20 screen mesh standards mean that the particle size of the distribution will vary from 10 to 30 for horse riding and 20 to 40 for sports.

In practice, the least expensive light particulate material occurs naturally in sedimentary deposits or is mechanically graded sand for use in conventional buildings such as concrete mixers and paving materials.

The demand for sand to be used for the installation of artificial turf is relatively small, thus requiring a special separation or requiring graded distributed sand particle sizes, which can lead to some cost increase.

When trying to determine a particular material for use at a location, it is desirable to use adjacent sand at the installation site.

When purchasing elastic particles to characterize the size distribution of the elastic particles, they overlap the size distribution of the measured sand particles and purchase one within the above-mentioned range.

Since the elastic particles are not located at the installation site, they are subject to shipping and transport procedures from the manufacturing facility.

The manufacturing cost of the elastic particles, including the particle size distribution that matches the particle size distribution of the sand particles, is lower than the grading approach for size distribution of the sand particles to match the elastic particles.

By producing elastic particles to match the size distribution of sand already used at the installation site, the lower layer of filler with the same distribution size and a mixture of sand and rubber particles has the advantage of significantly reducing the separation and settling of the particle mixture. Will be provided.

In contrast, conventional mixtures of elastic particles have particles that are much larger than the graded sand used. As a result, light and large elastic particles move upward, and heavy and small particles move downward due to the influence of gravity, vibration, rain, and water penetration.

The loss of these particles of different sizes provides uneven static friction to the conventional mixed packing layer and does not provide optimal compression.

Accordingly, the present inventors are directed to (1) distributing the light and elastic particles in the mixed lower layer (1) to distribute the light and elastic particles to the same or equivalent size, and (2) to make the range of particle sizes relatively narrow. And (3) it was found that by selecting the shape of the hard and elastic particles having a spherical shape, it can be reduced or prevented.

When all particles have substantially the same size, small particles are not filled between the larger particles, thereby preventing compression even with minimal vibration to the particles.

The spherical particles can reduce the resistance in the displacement between the particles, and can reduce the phenomenon that the adjacent particles are bonded to each other.

Tapered artificial ribbons, such as natural grass on the top surface, make the relatively large top rubber particles a loose structure like loose mesh.

The loose cross web of thin fibers acts as the released rubber particles return to the upper rubber layer as the foot passes through the artificial ribbon and particles.

The combination of the upper rubber layer and the thin ribbon mesh structure gives the natural grass a look and feel.

The artificial ribbon located between the fiber backing and the top layer provides resistance to displacement of the particles in the mixed bottom layer by forming a grid in which the strands intersecting each other in the lateral direction form a lattice structure or open.

The bottom layer, which is a mixture of sand and rubber, is provided as a rigid resilient support for supporting a relatively thin rubber top layer.

The sand content of the mixed layer is determined in consideration of the necessary weight for stabilization and improved drainage due to the capillary phenomenon of sand.

The relatively thin upper layer, which is in direct contact with the athlete's body, has a high elasticity where physical contact occurs, which induces low skin friction by using only rubber.

The sand content of the mixed bottom layer is determined by the weight at which the grass is held in place and by the weight at which surface drainage is rapid.

Drainage is essential where there is a risk of freezing, which results in choosing a coarser mixture for improved drainage performance that may be required in cold climates.

The elastic particles in the mixed layer provide the surface elastic force in addition to the upper surface elastic force provided by the upper layer.

Selecting hard, elastic particles with substantially the same dispense size will prevent compression and reduce maintenance.

The top layer made of pure rubber can allow free movement of sand depending on the choice of particle size.

The shuffle due to contact with wedges attached to the shoes of the players during a game or practice may cause the sand to be displaced from the mixing bottom layer to the surface of the top layer.

However, the size of the sand particles is chosen to be smaller than the size of the elastic particles of the top layer.

Displaced sand particles may be washed down by rainwater falling across the top layer, or small sand particles may be returned to the bottom layer due to mixing and vibration due to frequent athlete's foot movements.

The two-layer installation, consisting of only rubber in the upper layer and a mixture of sand and rubber, has a low cost and thin thickness and elasticity compared to conventional methods such as US Pat. No. 4,337,283 by Haas and US Pat. No. 4,396,653 by Tomarin. To provide a surface.

Existing packed layers with large and small particles tend to return to a firmer compression surface and compress or harden.

The present invention does not compress or separate the upper layer and the mixed lower layer made of pure rubber granules, and maintain the elastic force even in the use of a thin layer. Therefore, the elastic force is preserved for more predictable and long time.

The artificial ribbon is manufactured to be decorated on the fiber support material.

Preferably, the ribbon is formed with a short slit at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction while crossing the width of the ribbon.

After installation of the filler, the top of the artificial ribbon is torn off due to brushing.

The ribbon has an original structure in the longitudinal direction at the time of manufacture, by extending the slit along the longitudinal direction so that individual grass-like strands are densely formed, thereby brushing the ribbon by the brushing operation on the upper surface to become a thin natural grass-like strand. Is torn thinly.

Where the ribbon is torn off due to brushing, it is the top of the ribbon, which is torn into strands like thin natural grass, while the bottom of the ribbon remains intact and wider, initially decorated with the backing material. Preferably, it is pulled out, forming an opening such as a lattice structure or an expanded cobweb.

The direct advantage of the lattice structure is that the particles can be stabilized as the particles are filled between the inside of the fibrous structure, such as expanded cobweb, and the slender grassy strands.

The lower cobweb structure of the ribbon stabilizes the filler, the grassy top allows easy penetration and release of the wedges, easy passage and drainage of water,

As the strands representing the grass texture become curved, they provide a little more surface elasticity, and the large elastic particles of the upper layer are easily fixed due to the net structure such as the grass grain.

In addition, the thin fiber showing the grass on the installation site forms a more dense top surface and is represented by strands like natural grass.

On initial installation, short through-shaped slits and relatively wide ribbons are arranged with sufficient distance to allow easy filling of particulate filler between the ribbons.

When the filler is fully filled, the ribbons are held to a wider width and are then torn off, resulting in thinner turf strands that cover the entire top surface of the particulate filler while simultaneously filling the space between the ribbons. It is filled.

The crosswise tapered strands form a dense mesh-like shape, which encloses the top layer of rubber particulates while allowing the wedge to penetrate and allow for easy drainage of the water.

Tapered ribbons are low cost and can provide a visually natural grass-like effect.

In the application, it is not limited to sports use, it is possible to apply for landscaping and decoration, and even if the spacing of the fibers representing grass grains is less dense, the same visual effect will be achieved as compared to the artificial turf which forms the adjacent spaces in the past. This can reduce the cost.

Hereinafter, the detailed description and advantages of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be described a preferred embodiment of the present invention as an embodiment.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an artificial turf assembly, showing a state in which a filler is installed in a flexible support material with a ribbon standing up, a top layer made of relatively large rubber particles, and a hard sand and elastic rubber particles distributed in the same small size. Showing a packed layer consisting of a mixed bottom layer;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ends of the ribbon are brushed to have a small tear, such as natural grass, and the strands are finally arranged with a slight curved surface;

3 is a side view showing an artificial ribbon made with rows of slit through holes along its length direction;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the artificial ribbon showing the twisted lower portion of the fiber support before being decorated on the fiber support material, and the slit is extended in the longitudinal direction and laterally by allowing the top to be extended laterally to exhibit a grassy structure such as a cobweb. Indicates an extended state;

FIG. 5 is a table graphically illustrating particle size distribution as a result of standard body analysis of a packed bed; FIG.

FIG. 6 is a table visually showing graded particles by performing a Crumbane implementation diagram scale. FIG.

The pile fiber comprises a flexible seat backing material (1) in which two open fabrics are woven, one of which is stable and resilient to prevent stretching during installation and use. It is composed of having a net.

From the upper surface of the backing material 1, a number of rigid artificial ribbons 2 extend upwards.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ribbon 2 is woven through the support member 1 at a distance W and a distance L. As shown in FIG.

The length 'L' of the fiber may be selected according to the total depth (5 + 6) of the filler and the set elastic force of the finished artificial grass assembly.

Filling layers of particulate material are formed in the gaps between the ribbons 2 on the upper surface of the backing material 1.

The particulate material is sand; Light aggregate; Silica sand; Pebble; Slag; Granulated plastics; It can be chosen from light particulates such as polymer beads.

The elastic fine particles are rubber crushed at cryogenic temperatures; Rubber; Cork; Polymer beads; Artificial polymer foams; Styrene; Perlite; Neoprene, broken tires; You can choose from EPDM rubbers.

The filling layer 3 is composed of an upper layer 6 and a lower mixed layer 5.

The lower mixed layer 5 is a mixture of hard sand and elastic rubber particles.

The mixing is based on the volumetric distribution criteria between the elastic particulates having substantially the same size within the 0.5 inch and 50 screen mesh ranges and the hard particulates of different sizes.

The preferred range of particle sizes is limited to prevent small and fine particles from filling between larger particles to promote compression.

Preferred ranges are 14 and 30 screen meshes. Depending on the application, the particle size range in the mixed layer is limited to 10-30, 15-30, 20-40 screen mesh and can be selected accordingly according to the design parameters.

The shape of the hard and elastic microparticles is substantially spherical and is not angular as in the prior art in which compression and precipitation are further promoted.

As shown in the graph of FIG. 5 showing a standard screen size analysis, the horizontal axis represents an algebraic scale showing particle and body size, and the vertical axis represents "% by weight" or "percentage smaller". Indicates the linear size of.

The example line shown in FIG. 5 represents a uniform mixture of particles with a narrow range of particle sizes. The sand particle size distribution line and the rubber particle size distribution line are the same and are shown to overlap each other.

However, the above-described 10-30 range is shown such that hidden areas within certain lines require size limitations of the particles.

The upper layer 6 consists essentially of elastic rubber fine particles.

The upper portion 7 of the artificial ribbon 2 extends from the upper surface 8 of the upper layer 6.                 

Such artificial turf surface is athletic field; It can be adopted for indoor and outdoor use, such as race tracks, playgrounds, landscape areas, and resorts.

When buried in the filler material, the top surface of the backing material containing the mixed sand and rubber material is washed several times in order to maintain the ribbon standing up, not locked into the filler material, and the ribbon is more narrowly extended to open the slit, After installation, it creates a lattice structure to stabilize the filler to prevent excessive displacement of the filler particles.

After the mixed lower fill layer is disposed, substantially pure rubber particles are placed into the elastic upper layer.

A spreader is used to deposit the lower layer, and the surface after use is swept so that the nap of the pile fibers is raised and the upright of the ribbon is maintained prior to the deposition of the upper layer 6.

After spreading for each layer, the surface should be swept and at the same time the surface should be swept up so that the ribbon extends upright, as shown in the figure.

Preferably, after installation of the upper layer 6, the upper portion 7 of the artificial ribbon 2 becomes a thin fiber by an operation of sweeping across the surface.

This operation forms a slit in the upper portion 7 and spreads uniformly over the upper surface 8.

The width of the ribbon 2 in the manufactured state is 1 inch, and is torn to form an open slit in the longitudinal direction by a brush action (sweeping action), as shown in FIG. It is formed very thin.

The upper end of the ribbon 2 is brushed more strongly to have advantages over existing methods.

The arrangement of the thinned top layer 7 is a loose network structure where the ends of the ribbons are coupled to each other to show the appearance as if it were natural grass.

As the thin ends are stretched and stretched upward, the thin ends distribute fine elasticity when the ball bounces on the finished surface, which is almost equal to the elasticity of natural grass.

The tip is bent so that the rubber crumbs of the upper layer are hard to see, which serves to fix in place while preventing debris from moving back and forth between the upper layer 6 and the upper surface of the thin ribbon 2. .

As the ends of the ribbon 2 are tapered, less surface tension is formed, and water is more easily released through the upper surface 8 and drained through the lower layer 5.

The ribbon 2 comprises a multi-tiered superstructure, such as a slender turf, and mechanically forms a web grid such that the extended structure, such as a web, remains intact but interacts with the filler. It is.

The ribbon can be selected from fibers such as polyproylene, polyethylene, nylon and plastic.

The mixing of thick and thin strands gives a more natural turf-like appearance and, depending on the fiber's resistance to the ball during the game, allows the ball to be handled in a more predictable way.

The width of the ribbon and the density of the turf can be modified according to the rolling characteristics of the ball.

When the ribbon is embellished with the original fiber backing, it is decorated with a width of 1 inch to 3 inches, and individual slender grass strands have a width ranging from 1 mm to 15 mm (about 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch).

As an expression term used in this technique, the strand range is 800 to 5000 denier and the ribbon and strand range is 45 to 200 microns (μ).

The shape and size of elastic and hard particulates that have a dramatic effect on turf performance characteristics are based on experience and experimentation.

In addition, variations in ribbon spacing and filler depth will have a significant impact on the performance of the artificial turf assembly.

The size of the hard and elastic particulates ranges between 0.5 inches and 50 screen meshes of the US standard, but preferably has a narrow range of 14-30 to avoid the risk of compression.

Hard particles larger than 14 screen meshes are cases where direct contact occurs, which may cause some wear on the surface of the stadium.

However, since the fiber on the upper surface is arched, that is, the artificial fiber is woven in an arc shape so as to have elastic force, it is possible to block direct contact of the user. Somewhat larger particles can be used to avoid wear.                 

Particles of 50 screen mesh or less can block the penetration of moisture and adversely affect the drainage characteristics of the filler material 3 in a relatively wet climate.

In dry climates, the use of smaller particles is desirable to maintain an optimum moisture content to maintain optimum levels of elasticity and compression.

Large particles with elasticity (14 screen mesh standards) can be used where the potential wear occurs as the essence of the spot and where the skin contacts the surface.

Preferably, the sand is one that has been sorted and washed to remove all fine particles of 50 mesh or less.

The properties of the relatively large and light rubber particles tend to move upwards, and smaller and heavier sand particles tend to move towards the bottom of the packed layer 3, which is reduced by the use of particles of the same size.

Particle migration is also reduced by interaction with ribbon structures such as artificial webs and the use of spherical particles.

The properties of these fillers prevent compression and maintain a constant elastic force of the filler.

In the upper layer 6 made of elastic rubber, the elastic force is provided on the contact surface which requires substantially the recognition of the elastic force.

The preferred rubber particle size of the upper layer 6 is larger than the elastic particles and sand of the lower layer 5.

The larger particles in the upper layer serve to cause the smaller particles in the lower layer to fall down through the gap between the larger particles, so that the particle size composition between the layers is clearly distinguished.

The elastic force of the final filling layer can be finely controlled by testing the elasticity at the surface and by gradually spreading the rubber particles to achieve the desired elasticity of the final upper layer while increasing the thickness of the upper layer 6 to the side. have.

The artificial ribbons are arranged in rows at selected minimum distance "W" intervals.

Based on the degree of freedom and fixation force required for a rotatable fixture according to various sport types, the spacing " W " can vary from 2.25 inches to 0.625 inches or less.

Closer spacings are provided to support the filler more firmly, while wider spacings can be provided to facilitate rotation of the buried fixture.

The depth of the filler material 3 relative to the length "L" of the synthetic ribbon ranges from 90% to 40%, although the preferred range is 85% to 55% or 80% to 70% as an optimal application.

For example, if the length L of the ribbon is 2 inches, the depth of the filler is 75%, which is 1.5 inches deep, so that the exposed length of the ribbon extending over the top surface of the filler is 0.5 inches.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings show certain preferred embodiments as a consideration by the present inventors, and the present invention includes a wide range of mechanical and functional equivalents of the components shown in the above description and attached drawings.

Claims (21)

In the artificial turf assembly installed on the support member, The assembly is: A pile structure including a flexible seat support material and a plurality of artificial ribbons extending upwardly from an upper surface of the support material, the plurality of artificial ribbons having a selectable length; A filler layer arranged between the respective ribbons erected up from an upper surface of the backing material, the packing layer being made of a particulate material selected from the group consisting of particles having a hardness and elasticity, arranged at a depth smaller than the length of each ribbon, The filling layer is: A lower layer which is distributed in the same size and arranged on the upper surface of the support material, and has fine grains and elastic grains mixed with each other; An artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles, wherein the upper layer is arranged on the lower layer and comprises an upper layer consisting of substantially only elastic fine particles, wherein the upper portion of the artificial ribbon extends upwardly from an upper surface of the upper layer. The artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles according to claim 1, wherein the elastic fine particles in the upper layer are larger than the elastic fine particles in the lower layer. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the fine grain and the resilient particulate in the lower layer is characterized in that the sphericity (sphericity) in the range of 0.5 to 0.99 on the basis of the Krumbein scale (3). Artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic granules. 4. The artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles according to claim 3, wherein the hard fine particles and the elastic force in the lower layer have a range of 0.6 to 0.9 on a crumb vane scale. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the elastic particulates are rubbers that are broken at cryogenic temperatures; Rubber; cork; Polymer beads; Artificial polymer foams; Styrene; Pearlite; Neoprene; Artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles, characterized in that it is selected from EPDM rubbers. The method of claim 1, wherein the light grains are sand, light aggregates; Silica sand; Pebble; Slag; Atomized plastics; Artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles, characterized in that it is selected from the group consisting of polymer beads. 7. An artificial turf having an upper surface layer of resilient particulates according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the particulate material of the filler has a size between 0.5 inches and 50 screen mesh standards as the maximum surface dimension. 8. The artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles according to claim 7, wherein the size of 80% by weight of the hard fine particles and the elastically fine particles in the lower layer is distributed so as to have a numerical difference of 40 as the screen mesh standard. . 10. The artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles according to claim 8, wherein the size of 80% by weight of the hard fine particles and the elastically fine particles in the lower layer is distributed to have a numerical difference of 20 as the screen mesh standard. . In the artificial turf assembly installed on the support member, The assembly is: A pile structure including a flexible seat support material and a plurality of artificial ribbons extending upwardly from an upper surface of the support material, the plurality of artificial ribbons having a selectable length; A filler layer arranged between the respective ribbons erected up from an upper surface of the backing material, the filler layer being made of a particulate material selected from the group consisting of hard and elastic particulates arranged at a depth less than the length of each ribbon, The artificial ribbon is: A slit formed to be thinly torn along its vertical direction in a preset pattern; An upper portion of the ribbon extending over the filling layer, torn into individual free standing strands with a width selected to represent turfgrass; An artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles, characterized in that it is arranged in a lattice structure to fill particulate filling material, and has a lower surface of a ribbon including slits communicating with each other to form strands connected laterally to each other. 11. An artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic particulates according to claim 10, wherein said artificial ribbons are arranged in an interval row of a selected minimum distance. 12. The artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles according to claim 11, wherein a maximum distance between rows of said artificial ribbons decorated in said support member is 2.25 inches. 13. The artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles according to claim 12, wherein a maximum distance between rows of said artificial ribbons decorated in said support member is 1.0 inch. 14. An artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic granules according to claim 13, wherein a maximum distance between rows of said artificial ribbons decorated in said support member is 0.625 inches. 11. The artificial turf having elastic top surface layer according to claim 10, wherein the depth of the filling layer is in the range of 90% to 40% of the length of the artificial ribbon. 16. The artificial turf having elastic top surface layer according to claim 15, wherein the depth of the filling layer is in the range of 85% to 55% of the length of the artificial ribbon. 17. The artificial turf having elastic top surface layer according to claim 16, wherein the depth of the filling layer is in the range of 80% to 70% of the length of the artificial ribbon. The method of claim 10, wherein the artificial ribbon is polypropylene; An artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles, characterized in that the fiber is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, nylon and plastic. 11. The artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic fine particles according to claim 10, wherein the upper portion of the artificial ribbon has a width ranging from 1.0 mm to 15 mm and constitutes individual thin strands. 11. An artificial turf having an upper surface layer of elastic particulates according to claim 10, wherein the artificial turf has a thickness in the range of 45 to 200 microns. delete

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