Artificial Turf Weave Structure for Coating-Free Pile Fixation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing artificial turf manufacturing methods require costly coatings to secure plastic grass blades, leading to material shrinkage, environmental impact, and increased operational costs, while also affecting the properties of the blades.

Innovation Solution

An artificial turf design utilizing a W weave structure with binding and tension warp yarns and high-density pile warp yarns to securely tie up plastic blades of grass within the fabric, eliminating the need for a coating on the back of the ground fabric, achieving a pile fixation of at least 15 N through a specific weave pattern and yarn density.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a coating is applied to secure plastic grass blades in the carrier material, then the pile fixation is improved, but the cost price increases, additional operations are required, and the plastic blades undergo significant shrinkage (up to 10%)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepile fixationVSAvoidadditional coating operation and equipment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the coating operation from the artificial turf manufacturing process. By using a textile carrier material with loop structure that mechanically interlocks with the grass blades during tufting, the patent removes the need for subsequent coating application, thereby simplifying the production process while maintaining adequate pile fixation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The carrier material is pre-configured with a loop structure during the textile manufacturing stage. These loops are designed to mechanically engage with the grass blades during the tufting process, providing built-in fixation capability before any coating or after-treatment is considered. This preliminary structural design eliminates the need for later coating operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If a coating is applied to secure plastic grass blades, then the pile fixation is improved, but the manufacturing cost and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepile fixationVSAvoidmanufacturing process simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the coating operation from the artificial turf manufacturing process. By using a textile carrier material with loop structure that mechanically interlocks with the grass blades during tufting, the patent removes the need for subsequent coating application, thereby simplifying the production process while maintaining adequate pile fixation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The carrier material's loop structure performs the fixation function inherently through its mechanical interlocking design. The loops are formed to naturally capture and hold the grass blades during the tufting process, making the system self-sufficient for pile securing without requiring external coating materials or additional processing steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If a coating is applied to secure plastic grass blades, then the pile fixation is improved, but the plastic blades undergo significant shrinkage (up to 10%) and their properties are adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepile fixationVSAvoidplastic blade properties
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The carrier material is pre-configured with a loop structure during the textile manufacturing stage. These loops are designed to mechanically engage with the grass blades during the tufting process, providing built-in fixation capability before any coating or after-treatment is considered. This preliminary structural design eliminates the need for later coating operations that would expose the plastic blades to high temperatures and shrinkage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention converts the inherent smoothness of plastic filaments, which normally makes them difficult to secure, into a benefit by using a mechanical loop structure that captures the blades through physical interlocking rather than relying on surface adhesion. The loop structure accommodates the smooth surface by using geometric constraint rather than chemical bonding, thereby avoiding the shrinkage problem.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

4Reliability

If a coating is applied to secure plastic grass blades, then the pile fixation is improved, but environmental harm increases due to coating leaching

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepile fixationVSAvoidcoating leaching into environment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the coating operation from the artificial turf manufacturing process. By using a textile carrier material with loop structure that mechanically interlocks with the grass blades during tufting, the patent removes the need for subsequent coating application, thereby eliminating the source of environmental contamination from leaching coatings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The carrier material's loop structure performs the fixation function inherently through its mechanical interlocking design. The loops are formed to naturally capture and hold the grass blades during the tufting process, making the system self-sufficient for pile securing without requiring external coating materials that would leach into the environment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2122059B1Artificial turf
Publication Date: 2010.11.03 NV MICHEL VAN DE WIELE

AI summary

The object of the invention is to provide an artificial turf which no longer requires the application of a coating on the back of the ground fabric in order to secure the plastic blades of grass. The object of the invention is achieved by providing an artificial turf comprising a ground fabric and a number of plastic blades of grass protruding from the ground fabric in which said turf, as a result of the weave structure, has a pile fixation of at least 15 N.