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Wednesday, 02 December 2020 18:18

Artificial grass in municipal sports facilities. From the tender to its maintenance Featured

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Rafael Mengual Ortolá, Laura Magraner Llavador, Begoña Martínez Climent, Ricard Barberà i Guillem, Enrique Alcántara Alcover

Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) Universitat Politècnica de València (Edificio 9C) Camino de Vera s/n (E-46022) Valencia (Spain)

 

Artificial grass pitches have evolved significantly since the 1960s. The improvement in materials and in their installation have increased their performance to a level similar to that of natural grass pitches, and such aspects as their maintenance and the intensive use of the facilities have also been improved. In order to reduce problems in new installations or in the renovation of existing ones, the execution of the different phases is crucial, ranging from the correct drafting of the tender documents to the execution and supervision of the work itself, or the moment of its acceptance. All this, without forgetting about the need to carry out maintenance work that allows us to extend the life of the pitch in the best possible conditions. The Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) makes its knowledge and experience in this field available to the sector, as a technological partner.

INTRODUCTION

A history of continuous innovation

The introduction of artificial grass into the world of sport has been slow. If we take soccer as a reference, the use and development of these pitches has been conditioned by the acceptance of players, coaching staff and sports federations, all of whom have been very reticent due to the negative results of the first generations of artificial grass.

Artificial grass sports pitches first appeared during the 1960s as a substitute for natural grass, basically in an attempt to overcome the problem of maintenance. However, it was not until the third generation of artificial grass that the playing conditions between artificial and natural grass began to be more equal. It was not until the 90s that fibers grew in length (between 40 and 65 mm for soccer and rugby) and  nylon and propylene gave way to polyethylene, a material that offers less risk of abrasion. They have also incorporated two filling materials, sand and, above all, granulated rubber, in order to improve the cushioning conditions. 

The challenge is still open, we still need to find the optimal balance between the technical and sporting functions of the surface. We want surfaces that do not deteriorate or seriously modify their characteristics while at the same time reinforcing player safety and guaranteeing the attractiveness of the game. In this sense, the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) has been collaborating intensely with different agents in the sector, both at European and at Spanish and Valencian level, and we are currently the only Spanish laboratory certified by FIFA and World Rugby both for the “in situ” certification of facilities and for new products in the laboratory. We are also certified by ENAC in the ISO 17025 Standard, which guarantees the technical competence and trustworthiness of analytic results in these areas. The IBV is also secretary of the technical standardization committee CTN147 “Sports. Sports equipment and facilities” presided over by the Consejo Superior de Deportes (Spain’s National Sports Council).

A consolidated market in Spain

Last year (April 2019 – March 2020), according to data published in the state’s procurement portal, more than 100 works were put out to tender for a value of more than 25 million euros, between new work and the renovation of existing facilities; these data show how important this sector is and how artificial grass pitches have become an interesting option for public administrations. Three main aspects support the implantation of this type of facility as opposed to natural grass: (1) lower maintenance costs, (2) increased usage hours and (3) less dependence on weather conditions.

10 years of product life that need be taken care of.

The useful life of artificial grass pitches is estimated to be 10 years, that is when we are talking about products with certified qualities and proper maintenance. This number of years makes it possible to amortize the initial cost overrun, which is almost 20%, and to obtain an overall saving of 34% over the product’s full life span. It also makes it possible to multiply the potential usage hours by 2.5, an important aspect for municipal facilities for which there tends to be a big demand. Table 1 shows the costs in detail.

Source. TELETURF Project (ERASMUS+ - Reference: 2016-1-ES01-KA202-025236)

FROM THE TENDER TO MAINTENANCE. KEY ELEMENTS

Activities, value proposal and life cycle.

Public administration bodies pour a lot of public resources into sports facilities and they must make sure that the money is well invested. A product with a 10-year life cycle, at a cost of more than 200,000 euros, which also has important implications in the promotion of sport and its associated benefits in terms of health and the promotion of the social fabric, requires a highly detailed tendering process in order to obtain appropriate benefits and performance.

In the life cycle of artificial grass pitches, we can identify three groups of activities. The first group includes activities aimed at defining what the needs of the new facility are, or those of the facility being renovated. The second group focuses on promoting proper use and exploitation. Finally, let’s not forget those activities that have to do with monitoring the functional conditions of the pitch in order to determine the end of the product’s life cycle, in order to foresee its renovation. Table 2 identifies the administrative phases and tasks for each set of activities related to the product’s life cycle as well as IBV’s value proposal.

The “necessary quality” dilemma.

In order to determine the necessary quality of a sports pitch, we must first establish the ultimate purpose of the facility. One of the most common mistakes is wanting to certify one and the same facility for different uses, when the regulations often contain contradictions. This happens, for example, if we want to apply Rule EN 15330-1 and FIFA certification to the same pitch. Table 3 summarizes the recommended tests for installations that are going to be used for rugby, soccer, competitions or training.

The best way to objectify the quality of a product is to assess it objectively; to do so, we need to perform tests. Tests can be designed to evaluate player-grass or ball-grass interaction, such basic aspects as durability or resistance, or even elements prior to the installation, such as the planimetry of the surface that will be covered by the artificial grass. Figures 1-4 show some of these tests in their different categories.

Figure 1. Assessment of ball-grass interaction (ball roll test)

 

Figure 2. Assessment of player-grass interaction ( force reduction, rotational resistance and head injury criteria).

Figure 3. Assessment of resistance and durability faced with different agents and under different conditions (simulation of wear and tear and fiber extraction).

Figure 4. “In situ” physical evaluation of the under-base (planimetry and slopes).

An adaptable and flexible proposal.

The IBV has broad experience in the sector and the product with which it seeks to become a strategic partner, with a flexible and solvent offer that is adapted to the needs of different city councils. The final purpose of the different collaboration modalities that can be established is to have facilities in a perfect state of repair for their use, and at the same time to carry out maintenance work that can extend their life cycles until they need to be renovated, once they have reached their point of obsolescence.

One of the collaborations we would like to highlight as good practice is the work carried out with the Town Hall of Campello, which involved the renovation of a soccer pitch with artificial grass. In this case, IBV’s involvement from the beginning and a fluid collaboration during the different phases made it possible to ensure the quality of the facilities throughout the entire process, as well as to avoid any possible stoppages or delays that would have had a negative impact on the planning of the work.

CONCLUSIONS

The importance of proper management of artificial grass facilities for local public administrations is clear. This can be seen in the different associated costs (purchase, maintenance and renovation) and also in the need to take intaccount the underlying processes that make it possible to extend the life cycle of the facilities in optimal conditions, with repercussions that go beyond the merely economic, such as the promotion of sport and a healthy lifestyle, as well as the social fabric of clubs and sports entities. In this management, and accompanying the life cycle of artificial grass pitches, the IBV emerges as a solvent partner with an offer that is adapted to the needs and problems of each city council.

Read 917 times Last modified on Wednesday, 02 December 2020 19:08



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INSTITUTO DE BIOMECÁNICA (IBV)

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