 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chemists, Big People in a Big World |
|
|
|
Astroturf |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Who would have thought that astroturf would have played such a big role in the world? Well, astroturf has made a significant impact on the world of sports specifically, but it has also become one of the premiere artificial surfaces used for landscaping. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Astroturf was first invented by James M. Faria and Robert T. Wright of Monsanto Industries. A patent for the product was issued on July 25, 1967. However, it took several years prior to filing for, and receiving a patent, to create such a wonderful product.
Astroturf is composed of three different layers. The first layer, the bottom layer, is composed of a mixture of silica sand and rubber. This layer provides cushion aswell as a rebound system when balls are bounced on on the astroturf. That is why astroturf is used as a playing surface for many sports where bounces are critical to a game. The most notable sports for astroturf are football and baseball. Many soccer stadiums have been making the switch to astroturf in order to make the preperation easier, but to also allow a true roll and bounce to the ball. Astroturf has no major lumps or hills, so the ball will role flat unless disturbed by an outside force such as a person or other object.
The only slight slopes in astroturf are to allow for any drainage that does not seep through the material. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
The second layer, or the middle layer in astroturf, is the section that the synthetic fibers are attached to. In some cases, the pad is actually a polyester base that it then laid down over the rubber and silica to provide shock absorbtion. The synthetic fibers allow for an even playing surface, along with a low abrasion index which will allow players to slide on the astroturf without suffering too much of a "burn". An abrasion index tells us how many grams of a material are removed due to rubbing, or scrapping it on a specific surface. An abrasiveness index can be calculated by taking the mass lost in grams, and then dividing it by 0.0606. |
|
|
|
|
|
The top layer of astroturf in the synthetic fibers. They are sewn into the foam, and allow players on the field to feel like they are on real grass as much as possible. There are several astroturf companies, and they all create their astroturf in slightl different methods. Some of them use longer strands of synthetic fibers to give the feel of playing on longer grass. Some companies use shorter strands to increase the speed of the ballt raveling over it.
Astroturf has significantly changed the way sports are played. In recent years, many sports franchises have been switching or attempting to switch, to astroturf or similar artificial surfaces. It has become a frequent sighting on many college campus', especially on football surfaces. Grass football fields go through a lot of wear and tear over a season, and with astroturf, it will not go through that same beating day in and day out. It will also keep the field looking good, and will not get sloppy if it happens to rain during the game. |
|