RECREATIONAL SURFACES

A grass-like artificial surface was installed for the first time in 1964, at Moses Brown School (Providence, Rhode Island) (1). In 1966, artificial turf was installed in the Houston Astrodome in Texas. These surfaces consisted of green pigmented, nylon-6,6 pile ribbon, with a cross-section resembling that of natural grass. Since that period, other fabrics of various pile ribbon and constmctions have continued to become available commercially for indoor and outdoor facihties. 

Other more recent examples of recreational surfaces or components are artificial turf variations for golf tee mats and croquet, permanent resident base layers replacing asphalt or asphalt and shock-absorbing underpad in artificial turf field instadations, and sand-fided turf 

These grass-like and resident instadations require substantial amounts of synthetic materials. A typical sports field covered with artificial turf requires approximately 15,000 kg of fabric, 15,000—30,000 kg of shock-absorbing underpad, and 5,000—10,000 kg of adhesive and seaming materials. The artificial surface for a 0.40-km miming track may require 50,000—70,000 kg of materials. Paint striping and marking of turf, tracks, and courts cad for additional materials. 

Recreational surfaces must provide certain performance characteristics with acceptable costs, lifetimes, and appearance. Arbitrary but useful distinctions may be made for classification purposes, depending on the principal function a covering intended primarily to provide an attractive surface for private leisure activities, eg, patio surfaces a surface designed for service in a specific sport, eg, track surfaces or a grass-like surface designed for a broad range of heavy-duty recreational activities, including professional athletics, eg, artificial turf for outdoor sports. 

Light-Duty Recreational Surfaces. Artificial surfaces intended for incidental recreational use, eg, swimming pool decks, patios, and landscaping, are designed primarily to provide a practical, durable, and attractive surface. Minimum cost is a prime consideration and has driven the quaUty of some such products to a low level. Most surfaces in this category utilize polypropylene ribbon and a tufted fabric constmction (see Olefin polymers, polypropylene).  

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Recording media Record ofinvention Recovery furnace Recreational surfaces Rectification Rectified oils... 

A grass-like recreational surface system includes the top material directly available for use and observation, backing materials that serve to hold together or reinforce the system, fabric-backing finish, a shock-absorbing underpad system if any, and adhesives (qv) or other joining materials. The system is installed... 

For other recreational surfaces, such as mnning tracks, the installation techniques are quite different. Most are poured-in-place. An interlocking tile technique may be employed for tennis courts. In all cases, adequate provision for weathering and water drainage is essential. In general, the resiHent surfaces are installed over a hard base (see Fig. 4) that contains the necessary curbs to provide the finished level. Outdoors, asphalt is the most common base, and indoors, concrete. A poured-in-place polyurethane surface (14) is mixed on-site and cast from at least two components, an isocyanate and a filled... 

For the purpose of illustrating the recreational surface market, manufacturers and trade names of commercial products are provided in Tables 8 and9. Table 8. Manufacturers and Trade Names of Artificial Turf Surfaces for Multisport Use... 

Table 9. Manufacturers and Trade Names of Other Recreational Surfaces ...

In terms of surface area covered, artificial turf is the dominant commercial product in the category of artificial surfaces described in this article. Light-duty surfaces are the largest representative, followed by tennis court and multipurpose recreational surfaces. 

Small tire chips have also been utilized as a soil amendment to improve athletic playing fields (see Recreational surfaces). A patented process marketed under the trade name Rebound (fai Tire) combines cmmb mbber from scrap tires with composted organic material to reduce soil compaction, resulting in better athletic playing surfaces (52). Installations have been made in Florida, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Virginia, and Wisconsin. 

Abrasion tests -for artificial turf [RECREATIONAL SURFACES] (Vol 20)... 

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