Synthetic grass . Also known as artificial grass, artificial grass, artificial grass, or synthetic grass is an industrial model that resembles natural grass, but made of plastic and synthetic materials. Currently it is very common to use it on sports grounds where natural grass was originally used. Although its use is mostly sports, it is also used in residential and commercial areas.
Modern artificial grass.
Summary
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- 1 60s and 70s
- 2 80s and 90s
- 3 XXI century
- 4 Quality standard for soccer
- 5 Other uses
- 6 News
- 7 artificial grass distributors under FIFA certificates
- 1 Penthouses
- 2 Gardens
- 8 Source
60s and 70s
The first artificial turf was laid in 1965 , when it was installed in the then new Astrodome Stadium, built in Houston , Texas . The product became enormously popular and its use became extensive in the 1970s. It was installed in covered stadiums, but also outdoors, being used primarily for baseball and football fields in the United States and Canada .
In the 60s and 70s (and more today) the stadiums were built many times covered, which forced the use of this product. Also when the stadiums became multidisciplinary spaces, which necessarily required the installation of a multi- use synthetic flooring . But also some outdoor stadiums chose to play on artificial surfaces, these did so due to the optimization of hours of use and the low cost of maintenance.
80s and 90s
Some football clubs in Europe installed artificial surfaces in the 1980s. In some countries, several professional club pitches had adopted synthetic pitches, but being pitches not designed for playing soccer , they made artificial turf a bad reputation. the fans and especially the players, who still, sometimes today, are present in the collective memory.
The artificial grass of the 80s and 90s was a harder surface than natural grass, and it was intuited that it was a surface that caused more injuries (and, particularly, more serious injuries) than with a natural grass surface. Gradually it turned to natural grass. The use of artificial grass was banned by FIFA , UEFA and by many national football associations.
But the grass continued its important development, related technologies continued to develop, new fibers, new materials appeared … The research and development work was intense and with partial successes, but the great revolution would take place at the beginning of this decade …
XXI century
At the beginning of the 21st century, new artificial surfaces were developed using sand and rubber padding. It is the so-called “new generation”, or “third generation” of artificial grass. They are surfaces that are often virtually indistinguishable from natural grass both in view of any distance, and generally as safe to play as the typical grass surface – perhaps even safer in extreme conditions.
Many clubs that previously used artificial grass and similar surfaces have installed the new surfaces (primarily for training facilities or lower categories), while some clubs that have maintained natural grass are reconsidering artificial grass. The governing institutions of football, in their spirit of improving and spreading the sport, and the various European clubs, in the unceasing pursuit of improving the game and reducing maintenance costs, are adopting artificial grass as a perfectly suitable surface. The International Federation even recommends its use under certain conditions.
Quality standard for soccer
Detail photo.
The International Federation has published some Quality Standards in which, once the product offers adequate qualities and guarantees (eighteen licensees), what is relevant is the interaction of the pavement with the game: boat and ball rolling, shock absorption capacity , deformability, resistance to torsional stress … It practically homogenizes the intrinsic qualities of the product: fiber weight, total weight, dtex, heights or fiber compositions are no longer important if the development of the game is optimal.
Currently the most common type uses polyethylene with fibers of more than 5 cm in length, which are sewn into a coated backing. The blanket is then infilled with a 4-centimeter layer of sand granules and [rubber] , which keeps the fibers vertical and provides the required level of absorbency and deformability. Most of the eighteen FIFA approved turf manufacturers use this technology.
Depending on the manufacturer, we will find differences in the parameters that make up the carpet: small variations in height, fiber shape, weight or stitch density … the specifications of a product that must comply will vary slightly. a series of requirements for durability and mechanical properties.
The International Federation bases its tests on the pavement’s interaction with the player and the ball, which turns small brand differences into marketing tools. When the game is truly important, the intrinsic qualities of the product become less important.
The significant effort in research and development of manufacturers eager for differentiation will surely give significant improvements in the future in an exceptional product.
Other uses
Since the 1990s the use of artificial grass has been extended to the domestic economy, in addition to the fact that planting natural grass requires considerable work and continuous effort for proper conservation, natural grass is expensive and requires an abundant consumption of water. This fact has caused the appearance and spread of artificial grass also in the residential area.
Artificial grass requires a considerably lower economic cost, and at the same time, offers a beauty very similar to that of natural grass. If we also consider the current drought situation in which we are seeing ourselves, opting for artificial grass is an obligation that will bring us great benefits.
Finally, we must bear in mind that research in the field of artificial grass offers materials with a softness and appearance similar to natural grass, while avoiding the inconveniences derived from maintenance costs.
News
For some years, artificial grass has ceased to be an exclusive pavement for sports facilities. The evolution of the fibers that make up this textile product has reached a point where its realism, softness and low abrasiveness make it suitable for domestic use.
The great demand in the market and the demand from people who decide to install or replace the natural grass in their garden with an artificial one, makes the manufacture of said product a first quality. For this reason, today we can find artificial sports lawns (soccer, tennis, paddle tennis, golf, etc.) that mostly have a sand and rubber filling (cryogenic mixture); and, on the other hand, there are lawns for decorative use that are only intended for leisure areas, nurseries, gardens, etc., since their filling is composed solely and exclusively of a layer of natural-colored silica sand and another layer of brown ceramic sand, resulting in an artificial grass that almost perfectly imitates natural grass, both in sight and touch.
Distributors of artificial grass under FIFA certificates
The unbeatable qualities of artificial grass prevail.
- Germany
- United States
- Ecuador
- Spain
In addition, there are models of artificial grass that are exempt from sand filler, replacing said filler with a tangle of fibers, usually nylon, that are hidden between the threads of the grass, providing greater cushioning to the final product. This mat can be found in both green and earth tones; The latter are used to simulate the filling of natural sand. Artificial grass for decorative use is, without a doubt, the so-called 4th generation of artificial grass.
Penthouses
The artificial grass in its decorative aspect has not gone unnoticed by decorators and architects, who find in their last generation a good ally. This is the case when this synthetic product is applied in the attic of homes. In Spain, the last house in the building is called an attic; it is a somewhat exclusive space; in fact, they are the most desired homes, although their value exceeds the price of a traditional home by up to 50%. One of the main advantages of living in an attic is the lifestyle involved, in addition to being able to enjoy a green space, especially if you dress it with artificial grass. A good tip is to combine it with Ipe wood, making a platform that will even help the best installation of the lawn, since it is a useful element to hide irrigation cables and pipes.
- The water obviously drains much better. The use of gravel is not useful as it is an attic terrace.
- We get a softer surface and not as hard as the tile.
- We match height differences. Raise the artificial grass about 2 cm to minimize the difference in height that will be with the Ipe decking.
Gardens
In this time that the demands of the clients are greater we currently have personnel specialized in the design of ponds, fountains and waterfalls, which will make your garden a pleasant and comfortable place. It produces a pleasant effect well similar to natural, the duration of color and texture is approximately 8 years.
