Knitted Reticulated Hybrid Turf Support for Drainage and Root Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hybrid turf systems face challenges in maintaining healthy, robust, and consistent natural grass surfaces in sporting venues due to issues like restricted drainage, aeration, and root growth, as well as high maintenance costs and environmental impact from permanent installations.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid turf support system featuring a knitted reticulated structure with grass-like fibers that extend upward from a knitted reticulated support, providing a stable and open environment for natural grass growth, improved anchoring, and ease of maintenance, while allowing for temporary or permanent installations and recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a sand-based subsurface is used to promote drainage and water wicking, then drainage performance is improved, but root retention capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite subsurface structure combining sand layer with a geotextile fabric layer. The sand provides drainage functionality while the geotextile fabric provides root retention, resolving the contradiction between drainage performance and root retention capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The geotextile fabric acts as an intermediary between the sand-based drainage layer and the root zone. It mediates between the need for drainage (sand function) and root retention (fabric function), allowing both requirements to be satisfied simultaneously.
2Stability of the object's composition
If fibers are injected into the subsurface to stabilize the root zone, then turf stability is improved, but installation time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The geotextile fabric is pre-installed in the subsurface before turf establishment, providing immediate root retention and stability. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming post-installation fiber injection processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the root stabilization function from the complex fiber injection process and integrates it into the subsurface structure itself through the geotextile fabric layer, simplifying the overall system and reducing installation complexity.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If a permanent hybrid turf system is installed to reduce maintenance, then turf durability is improved, but environmental impact and recyclability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The geotextile fabric is designed to be removable and recyclable. When the turf reaches end-of-life, the fabric can be extracted and recycled, preventing permanent environmental impact while maintaining turf durability during its service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses biodegradable or recyclable materials for the geotextile fabric, changing the material parameters from permanent synthetic materials to environmentally friendly alternatives that can decompose or be recycled, reducing environmental impact.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the subsurface structure is stabilized to prevent wear and tear, then playing surface consistency is improved, but drainage and aeration capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The geotextile fabric is designed with porous structure that allows water and air to pass through while providing mechanical stability. This porous design maintains drainage and aeration capabilities while achieving playing surface consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of sand (for drainage) and geotextile fabric (for stability) creates a composite structure where each material performs its optimal function, achieving both playing surface consistency and drainage/aeration capabilities simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a hybrid turf support for use with natural grass to form a stable hybrid turf system, the hybrid turf support comprising a knitted reticulated support; and a plurality of grass-like fibers extending upwardly from the knitted reticulated support, the grass-like fibers comprising groups of fibers extending upwardly at intervals.