Infill Extractor Diversion for Base Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The disposal and repurposing of infilled artificial turf materials, particularly crumb rubber, pose logistical and environmental challenges, and the consolidation of limestone fines in the base layer leads to drainage issues, requiring costly and inconvenient repairs.
Innovation Solution
Modifying an infill extractor/collector to divert and incorporate extracted infill directly into the compacted base, mixing it with limestone and sand to improve drainage and prevent compaction, allowing for the reuse of reclaimed materials without the need for bagging and offsite disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If infill materials including crumb rubber are used in artificial turf fields, then the turf provides desired resiliency and shock absorption, but disposal becomes difficult and costly due to environmental restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and recovers infill materials from old artificial turf fields, separating crumb rubber from sand. The recovered crumb rubber is reused in new fields, eliminating disposal problems while maintaining the resiliency and shock absorption properties that make crumb rubber valuable in turf applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and composition parameters of the base layer by incorporating extracted infill materials into the subbase. This creates a composite base material that improves drainage and reduces compaction, transforming the base layer's properties to solve disposal and performance issues simultaneously.
2Strength
If limestone fines are used in the compacted base layer, then the base provides structural support, but drainage performance deteriorates due to consolidation and compaction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite base material by mixing extracted infill (sand and crumb rubber) with the existing limestone subbase. This composite structure maintains the structural support provided by limestone while the sand and rubber components create void spaces that improve water drainage and prevent compaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different materials to different layers of the base structure. The extracted infill is incorporated into the top portion of the subbase where drainage is most critical, while the limestone subbase provides overall structural support. This local differentiation optimizes both strength and drainage performance.
3Loss of substance
If infill is extracted and collected for reuse, then material recovery is achieved, but bagging and offsite disposal or storage becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts infill materials directly from the old turf field using specialized equipment that separates crumb rubber from sand on-site. The extracted materials are then incorporated directly into the new field's subbase, eliminating the need for bagging, storage, and offsite disposal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the infill extraction process with the new field installation process. The extracted infill is immediately reused as part of the new field's base layer construction, combining what would traditionally be separate operations (old field removal and new field installation) into an integrated process that eliminates intermediate handling steps.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces costs and environmental impact by repurposing infill materials, enhancing drainage characteristics, and eliminating the need for frequent repairs, while allowing for the use of newer infill types in newly installed artificial turf fields.
Implementation Method 1
incorporate the extracted infill into the top surface of the compacted base so as to improve the drainage characteristics of the newly installed athletic field
Implementation Method 2
incorporate the extracted infill into the top surface of the compacted base so as to improve the drainage characteristics of the newly installed athletic field
Data Source
AI summary
Particulate infill from a worn down infilled artificial turf, particularly a sand/rubber mixture which includes crumb rubber from vehicle tires, is extracted from a prior field and then thereafter incorporated into the top surface of the compacted base at the same site, thereby to assure better drainage conditions in the compacted base for the subsequently installed field. The extracted and incorporated infill helps to maintain open drainage channels throughout the top of the compacted base, particularly in areas where limestone is prevalent. Otherwise, the limestone “fines” are susceptible to compacting and creating a cement-like crust at the top of the base. An existing infill extractor/collector device is modified to operate in a second mode, so that instead of merely performing the conventional bagging of the already-used infill, the already-used infill is laterally diverted back on to the base at the same site, and thereafter, distributed and tilled into the base. By incorporating the extracted infill into the base of the new field, the need to bag, remove, and dispose of the used infill is eliminated, along with the time and costs associated therewith, while at the same time improving the drainage of the new field. Two structures for diverting the collected infill are disclosed.