Advanced measurement for sports surface system behaviour

Artificial turf surface systems for sport can be comprised of a number of different materials. Measuring the surface system's response to loading from player and ball is important for developing better understanding of its behaviour to enhance product design and optimise performance. Currently, simple mechanical tests are used to test and classify artificial turf systems for compliance to industry standards. However, little literature exists that describes artificial turf system response under player loading or the contribution of the components to the system response. This paper presents data for the stress-strain behaviour of the layer materials (one hockey turf and two types of shockpad) from laboratory controlled loading and data from a dynamic pressure measurement system. The results show strong non linearity, hysteresis and viscoelasticity exhibited by the materials. The pressure measurement results show how the applied loads are dissipated within the system and demonstrate the differing response of two shockpads. The paper provides a contribution in understanding to the response of artificial turf systems to compression loading.