Decades of development has improved the technology of fake grass significantly, eliminating the major issues and generally improving the quality of the products. One particularly interesting example is that of the Desso hybrid system, which was used as the pitch at Twickenham during the RBS Rugby Six Nations recently. The Twickenham pitch has a history of experiencing problems due to the intense nature of the game of rugby, which puts an extreme strain on the condition of any natural grass surface. But during the recent tournament the pitch remained in excellent condition thanks to the new hybrid technology, which combined the strength and durability of fake grass with the forgiving nature and good aesthetics of natural grass.
In the late 1960s there was much excitement about the new fake grass products becoming available, but at that time the technology was not good enough to replicate the experience of playing sports on real grass. This hybrid system is proving much more popular with big sports clubs, as it is essentially still a natural grass system with reinforcement from artificial fibers.
These fibers are injected 20cm deep into the natural grass bed, at intervals of every 2cm across the entire pitch surface. This results in millions of threads of fake grass supporting the real grass - its roots grow round the fibers, ensuring the field is fully anchored. The pitch becomes totally stable and uniform, allowing the natural grass to recover from damage and disruption more quickly.
Because the fibers are sewn in so closely together, it is difficult to get down between them to cause major damage such as large divots being churned out. At the same time, the players using the pitch do not feel that there is any less cushioning or give in the surface. Drainage is also vastly improved, drawing water down at up to 125mm per hour, which means that water-logging is very unlikely except in extreme weather conditions.
This hybrid technology is not yet available for domestic or smaller-scale commercial use, as it is quite an expensive and labor-intensive process to install. Luckily, the advances in fake grass mean that it is now very close in terms of aesthetics and feel to real grass, as well as having even greater strength and durability advantages than this hybrid system.
Why not browse through the
RC Artificial Grass site, or contact a member of the team to see which products could be relevant for you?
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