Thursday, August 9, 2018

Essential Facts About Florida Synthetic Turf

By Carolyn Kennedy


When technology was in its early stages nobody ever thought that grass would find a replacement. Today, things have changed for the better with a promise of the best yet to come. Grass is being replaced by synthetic or artificial turf. Artificial turf is a man-made thing designed to resemble the appearance of natural grass. Normally, it is made from synthetic materials which are not toxic. This is what Florida Synthetic Turf are all about.

Since their emergence in 1965, they were mainly used for indoor applications. On the other hand, by around 1970s, they were being used in outdoor stadiums. In the US and Canada they were used in gridiron baseball and football fields. With advance in technology artificial grass has also undergone some improvements. As time progresses they are getting better in terms of appearance as their application increases.

In fact, the latest generation has closer resemblance to natural grass than its predecessors. The improvement is such that they can be installed on athletic fields and be used throughout the year without need for replacement. They have consistent and all-weather playing surface that is durable. A considerable number of people are switching from natural grass to artificial turf for many different reasons.

Low maintenance is one of the major causes for the shift. For example, mowing and watering are not necessary when it comes to artificial grass. Applying fertilizer and weeding are also not necessary. Mowing, fertilizing, watering, and weeding among other activities usually raise the maintenance cost of natural grass. With synthetics one needs not to panic. Some people are usually attracted by the beauty of these products.

Another advantage that comes with turfs is they come in different styles. They can also be designed to appear like local or exotic grass. They are commonly made up of eight layers with drainage pipes included. There is a specific function played by each of the layers. A granular filler is also incorporated to offer stability, uniformity and resiliency. On top of the multi-layered backing system is the artificial grass.

Today, it is easier to tell the cover of a field school whether it is covered with natural or fake grass. Fields with natural grass cover will leave grass stains on the games kit of school-going children. On the contrary, parents should expect bits of rubber that are stuck in the shoes of their kids if their field is covered with fake grass. The rubber comes from the infill layer.

The turf fiber is at the top followed by infill. After these is the backing layer with weep holes, energy pad, leveling layer, drainage stone, geotextile, and finally a natural subgrade. Howvere, not all turfs have all these layers as some have less. There are different types of infill materials including organic infill, crumb rubber, coated rubber infill, sand, coated silica sand, and ethylene propylene diene monomer.

In conclusion, most stakeholders from a number of sectors have raised their fears on the idea of crumb rubber being used as infill. This is because of the negative effects the material has on both the general public health and the environment. They claim that the chemicals in the tire rubber may result to health issues such as cancer to the players. They also claim that when worn out rubber tears, it may get carried into the environment.




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