1. Laboratory for Advanced Fibers, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, CH‐9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland;2. Laboratory for Mechanical Systems Engineering, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 129, CH‐8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland;3. Laboratory for Protection and Physiology, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, CH‐9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Abstract:
Artificial turf is robust, playable in all weathers and has a long service life. Polyamide (PA) flooring has excellent resilience but provokes abrasion injuries (friction burn); polyethylene (PE) monofilaments are skin‐friendly but tend to permanent deformation. To maximize resilience while minimizing the risk of skin abrasion, PA‐PE bicomponent fibers are developed. Numeric simulation is applied to find optimized fiber cross‐sections and material combinations, accompanied by melt‐spinning of respective filaments and validation of the model. The resulting artificial grass resembles natural turf with respect to playability and appearance and does not need any granular infill.
