Polymers in the Field and Track
Transcription
Polymers in the Field and Track
Polymers in the Field and Track prepared by Mary Harris Missouri Polymer Ambassador Before renovation in 2005 This presentation includes: • • • • • • • History of artificial turf Preparation of the field A closer look at the turf Playing on the new surface Recycled tires for the turf Virgin rubber track Temperature and heat studies History of Artificial Turf • 1950’s Ford Foundation and Chemstrand Company (Monsanto) • 1964 Chemgrass • 1966 Astroturf in the AstroDome • 1967 First outdoor field • Poligras • Baspograss Synthetic Surfaces • • • • • • • Tennis courts Indoor sports surfaces Lawn bowls In-line skating facilities Golf courses Residential lawns Leisure areas Preparation of the Field • Design of a storm water retention basin • Tons of soil were removed • Filter fabric was installed • Gravel base of 2 feet in thickness over the entire field • 0.5 percent grade Prestige System at JBS Four layers A. Polyolefine fibers B. SBR rubber granules C. Sand layer D. Polypropylene, latex, and styrenebutadiene base More on Prestige Turf • “Grass” is 5.5 cm in height • Rubber granules are postconsumer product from recycled tires • Sand locks the grass in place and provides stability • Backing is very heavy but flexible Close Up of Turf Density of 9,450 tuffs per square meter Underside of Turf Drainage holes every 10 cm. Rubber Granules 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm A dime is here for comparison. Football on the New Turf Notice the Rubber Spray! Recycling of Tires Hammermill uses carbide cutting teeth to grind tires into 6-inch or smaller size pieces. Grinder #1 More on Recycling Rotary shear shredder or hookshear uses heattreated steel alloy blades for shredding tires. Grinder #2 What about the steel belts? The shredders separate the steel wire fragments from the steelbelted tires. An in-line magnet removes the steel from the tire bits. These grinders can handle up to 4,000 tires per hour. What about other uses for recycled tires? • Tire derived fuel (TDF) – Co-mingled with bark and coal to feed giant boilers in a paper mill • Crumb rubber – Used in septic fields, asphalt, footwear, barrier walls, plastic lumber, railroad ties • Landfill acceptance What about the nylon fibers? A new patent (March 25, 2003) developed by USDA has a new method to recover the nylon fibers in tires. It describes a “cotton ginning technology” to save the nylon for garden hoses, brake pads, and carpet backing. Back to the field and track Mondo Sportflex Super X Track Track Surface • Double layer construction – Bottom layer is a shock absorber – Top layer for excellent traction – Vulcanized at the factory to bond the two layers – Precut and sent to a site in rolls – Roll 1, Lane 1 etc. Mondo Track Textured top surface More on the Mondo Track The base of the track is 4 inches of asphalt. It must degas and cure for 30 days before the raw rubber surface can be applied. This is NOT recycled rubber. The only additives are for pigment, UV protection, and to increase density. History of Synthetic Tracks The 1964 Tokyo Games had the last pre-rubber track for the Olympics. Mondo tracks were present at: 1976 Montreal 1992 Barcelona 1980 Moscow 1996 Atlanta 1984 Los Angeles 2000 Sydney 1988 Seoul 2004 Athens Talk with an Engineer • The field has a warranty of 10 years. • The track will last 15-20 years. It can be power scrubbed and relined. • Surveyors use embedded metal plates under the turf to help line the track. New JBS Field and Track (minus the painted lanes!) Temperature Study This is a study of the temperatures above the surface and on the surface during a warm day in October. Time to predict the results! The air temperature was 31.4 degrees Celsius. What was the surface temperature at the start of the experiment? ____ What was the change in temperature at the surface for a 15 minute study at noon on a warm day? ___ Noon on October 4, 2005 Temperatures of the air and turf 60 50 Temperature in Celcius 40 Air temperature in Celcius 30 Surface Temperature in Celcius 20 10 0 0 2 4 6 8 Tim e in m inutes 10 12 14 16 Data from the Temperature Study Air Start Final Difference Temp. Temp. 31.4 C 33.5 C 2.1 C Turf 52.4 C 55.9 C 3.5 C Data taken for 15 minutes at noon Data from the Temperature Study Final Temp. C Final Temp. F Air 33.5 C 92.3 F Turf 55.9 C 132.6 F Difference 22.4 C 40.3 F Heat Study Measuring the temps of water and turf under two 100 watt bulbs. Heat Study The turf and water were in identical plastic containers. The water level was the same depth as the turf. The turf had the grass embedded with sand and rubber granules. The temperature probes were just under the surface and they took readings for 30 min. Time to predict the results! The starting temperature of the water was 21. 2 degrees Celsius and the starting temperature of the turf was 23.1 degrees Celsius. Which surface (water or turf) will have the greater change in temperature after 30 minutes? ___ How many degrees of temperature will be the difference? ___ Heat Study: water vs turf 40 35 Temperature in Celcius 30 25 Water Temp. in C 20 Turf Temp. in C 15 10 5 0 0 5 10 15 20 Tim e in m inutes 25 30 35 Heat Study Data Start Temp. Final Difference Temp. Water 21.2 C 23.7 C 2.5 C Turf 36.6 C 13.5 C 23.1 C Conclusions from Studies The artificial turf does get hotter than the air temperature by a significant amount. The artificial turf could be cooled by spraying water over it before a game. The wet field also increases the humidity of the air above the surface. More Conclusions It looks great all the time. There is some maintenance required but no seeding and mowing! The surface is springy. Players like the soft turf during tackles but not the spray of rubber granules. It is expensive! Summary • Students’ interest in chemistry is increased if they see relevance in where they live and play. • Chemistry is all around us. You just have to know where to look! Thank you, Mary Harris [email protected] www.polymerambassadors.org