Selection of filling particles for artificial turf system of football stadium

At present, there are two kinds of artificial turf system in football field: filling type and non-filling type，The artificial grass system of non-filled football field is mainly composed of turf cushioning mat and non-filled artificial grass of football field.The artificial turf of the filled football field is the most mainstream and the most popular artificial turf system of the football field，It is generally composed of artificial grass, quartz sand, and filled particles，In addition, according to the use of demand and project cost to choose whether to lay artificial turf shock pad。Today we are going to talk about the selection of filling particles for the filled artificial turf。

When the artificial turf of the football field first appeared, the filling particles were mainly black rubber particles, which is what we often say, "black particles", which are mainly produced by the secondary processing of rubber products such as waste tires。The advantage is that the price is much lower than "epdm particles" and "TPE particles", and the disadvantage is that the smell is large and the chemical environmental protection performance is uncontrollable。At present, after the introduction and implementation of strict standards related to synthetic surface layers such as "Shanghai Group Standard", "Shenzhen Standard" and GB36246-2018 new National standard, the current "black particles" have basically withdrawn from the historical stage。

At present, the mainstream artificial turf filled particles"EPDM Particles" and "TPE Particles"。

"EPDM particles" is the main component of EPDM rubber, after high temperature vulcanization, "TPE particles" is also known as thermoplastic elastomer, can be called artificial rubber。The two are quite different from each other in terms of shape. "EPDM particles" show irregular shape and different size particles, while "TPE particles" are very consistent in shape and size。

Functional aspects: 

Both have good elasticity to provide sufficient shock absorption during movement and play a cushioning effect。

Durability: 

Both have good UV resistance and bromine oxygen resistance。

In terms of dosage: 

Because the weight of "TPE particles" is lighter than that of "EPDM particles" under the same volume conditions, the amount of "TPE particles" is less than that of "EPDM particles" per square meter when artificial turf is filled。At present, the volume of "TPE particles" of about 4kg is equivalent to 5.5-6kg Volume of EPDM particles。

In terms of price: 

The quality of "TPE particles" is relatively uniform, and the price is relatively stable, in terms of price, it is slightly more expensive than the "EPDM particles" with 20% glue content that meet the "new national standard" quality。Of course, the price of low-end "EPDM particles" is far lower than the above two。

The problem with both is that:

First, at present, the performance of "EPDM particles" is very different due to the different amount of glue。At present, the glue content of "EPDM particles" can be low to 5%, and the high can be more than 20%, and the difference between the two is obvious in price and quality。The price of a 20% gel "EPDM granule" is more than three times that of a 5% gel "EPDM granule"。The main disadvantages of the small amount of glue are: first, the elasticity is poor，It shows up after the site has been used for a while，My feet feel stiff，The buffering and damping performance is greatly reduced;Secondly, it is easy to powder，The harm caused by the powderization phenomenon is mainly that the floating dust is inhaled into the lungs for a long time，May cause irreversible damage to the body，The second is that the pulverized "EPDM particles" do not have the role of shock absorption and buffering。

Second, "TPE particles" are mostly very good in the current use scenario, because the production method of "TPE particles" leads to relatively stable product quality。However, it is also due to the production process that may cause caking problems under specific conditions of use。Because "TPE particles" are processed at a temperature of about 100 ° C，And "TPE particles" are the characteristics of materials that can be reused after heating and melting，So it's used in some venues，We found that there was a problem with the agglomeration of "TPE particles" in the site，This is the biggest drawback of the current "TPE particles" in use。

Conclusion: At present, "TPE particles" which meet the "new national standard" and "EPDM particles" which meet the "new national standard" with high quality and 20% glue content can be used safely, both of them are the best choice in the filling of artificial turf in the filled football field。It is also necessary to build high-quality and high-quality football field artificial grassland. It is also necessary to avoid the use of "EPDM particles" and the elimination of products "black particles" that do not meet the "new national standard".。