The influence of various types of artificial turfs on football fields and their effects on the thermal profile of surfaces

Abstract

Surfaces of artificial turf have been continuously improved to resemble the characteristics and properties of natural grass. Nevertheless, these improvements are still unable to prevent the turf from reaching higher temperatures than natural grass. This situation results in customer dissatisfaction, decreased performance and the possibility of causing heat-related injuries. The aim of this study was to check how various structural components such as the type of fibre, the type of infill, the age of the turf and the hours of use influence the temperature (°C) of artificial turf football fields. In situ tests were performed using an infrared thermographic camera according to the standard ISO 18434-1:2005 and the normative standard of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association for the certification of artificial turf football fields. The results show higher temperatures in artificial turf fields built with styrene–butadiene rubber and fibrillated fibres. This shows that the type of infill and fibre affects the temperature of third-generation artificial turf fields, the thermoplastic rubber and the monofilament fibres being the components that contribute significantly to the reduction of the temperature.