Surfaces for sports areas - Synthetic turf sports facilities - Guidance on how to minimize infill dispersion into the environment

This document describes ways of containing infill materials used in many types of synthetic turf sports fields within the confines of the sports field, so they are not dispersed into the surrounding environment.
The options described are based on examples of best practice identified by members of CEN/TC 217.
This document is intended to be of practical use, to create awareness amongst field designers, venue owners, installation companies and those maintaining synthetic turf sports fields. It is applicable for all forms of synthetic turf sports field, from those used for community activities to those used by professional and elite level athletes.

Sportböden - Kunststoffrasenflächen - Leitfaden zur Minimierung des Austrags von Verfüllgut in die Umgebung

Sols sportifs - Installations sportives en gazon synthétique - Recommandations pour limiter la dispersion des matériaux de remplissage dans l'environnement

Le présent document décrit des moyens de contenir les matériaux de remplissage utilisés dans de nombreux types de terrains sportifs en gazon synthétique dans les limites du terrain sportif, afin d'empêcher leur dispersion dans le milieu ambiant.
Les options décrites sont fondées sur des exemples de bonnes pratiques identifiés par les membres du CEN/TC 217.
Le présent document est destiné à une utilisation pratique afin de sensibiliser les concepteurs de terrains, les propriétaires de sites, les entreprises d'installation et les entreprises chargées de l'entretien des terrains sportifs en gazon synthétique.  Il s'applique à toutes les formes de terrains sportifs en gazon synthétique, aussi bien ceux utilisés pour des activités collectives que ceux utilisés par des athlètes professionnels et de haut niveau.

Podloge za športne dejavnosti - Umetne travnate podloge športnih objektov - Navodilo za zmanjšanje razprševanja polnila v okolje

General Information

Status
Published
Public Enquiry End Date
19-May-2020
Publication Date
15-Nov-2020
Technical Committee
Current Stage
6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
Start Date
25-Aug-2020
Due Date
30-Oct-2020
Completion Date
16-Nov-2020

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Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
01-december-2020
Podloge za športne dejavnosti - Umetne travnate podloge športnih objektov -
Navodilo za zmanjšanje razprševanja polnila v okolje

Surfaces for sports areas - Synthetic turf sports facilities - Guidance on how to minimize

infill dispersion into the environment
Sportböden - Kunststoffrasenflächen - Leitfaden zur Minimierung des Austrags von
Verfüllgut in die Umgebung

Sols sportifs - Installations sportives en gazon synthétique - Recommandations pour

limiter la dispersion des matériaux de remplissage dans l'environnement
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TR 17519:2020
ICS:
97.150 Talne obloge Floor coverings
97.220.10 Športni objekti Sports facilities
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020 en,fr,de

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519
TECHNICAL REPORT
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
July 2020
TECHNISCHER BERICHT
ICS 97.150; 97.220.10
English Version
Surfaces for sports areas - Synthetic turf sports facilities -
Guidance on how to minimize infill dispersion into the
environment

Sols sportifs - Installations sportives en gazon Sportböden - Kunststoffrasenflächen - Leitfaden zur

synthétique - Recommandations pour limiter la Minimierung des Austrags von Verfüllgut in die

dispersion des matériaux de remplissage dans Umgebung
l'environnement

This Technical Report was approved by CEN on 12 July 2020. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 217.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,

Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,

Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and

United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels

© 2020 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TR 17519:2020 E

worldwide for CEN national Members.
---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
Contents Page

European foreword ................................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4

1 Scope ................................................................................................................................ 6

2 Normative references ................................................................................................ 6

3 Terms and definitions ............................................................................................... 6

4 Sports performance .................................................................................................... 7

5 Infill migration routes ............................................................................................... 8

6 Means of minimizing infill migration ................................................................... 8

6.1 General ............................................................................................................................ 8

6.2 Types of synthetic turf surface ............................................................................... 8

6.3 Field design ................................................................................................................... 9

7 Installation of infill ................................................................................................... 12

8 Field maintenance ..................................................................................................... 12

9 Snow clearance .......................................................................................................... 13

10 Changing rooms ......................................................................................................... 13

11 End of life disposal of synthetic turf surfaces ................................................. 14

12 Retrofitting existing fields ..................................................................................... 14

Annex A (informative) Figures showing typical design details ............................... 15

Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 21

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
European foreword
This document (CEN/TR 17519:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee

CEN/TC 217 “Surfaces for sports areas”, the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the

subject of patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such

patent rights.
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
Introduction
General

Synthetic turf sports surfaces provide attractive, hard–wearing and safe playing areas that

can accommodate high levels of use and be used in far more diverse climates than natural

turf. The development of these surfaces has led to significant demand with over 16 000 full

size sports fields now being used in Europe, and approximately 4 000 new fields being built

each year.
Synthetic turf sports surfaces take four generic forms:
— non-filled short pile;
— sand filled or sand dressed short pile;
— long pile with infill (typically rubber and/or sand);
— long pile non-filled.
Infill is applied to the synthetic turf surfaces for three reasons:

— it is used to stabilize the carpet to prevent dimensional expansion and contraction and

movement through use i.e. it acts as a ballast. This type of infill is often described as

stabilizing infill;
— it contributes or provides the sports performance and impact attenuation
characteristics of the sports surface. This type of infill is often described as

performance infill. The performance infill is a key component of the surface as it

provides comfort and protection to players as they run and fall on the surface;

— it helps control the way the ball interacts with the surface, supporting the pile of the

surface so it remains upright.

Short pile synthetic turf surfaces typically have pile heights of between 10 mm and 30 mm

and normally only have one layer of infill. This is often a rounded sand. Sometimes the sand

has a polymeric coating to change the colour of the infill (i.e. it is coloured to match the

synthetic turf colour).

Figure 1 shows the typical cross section of a short pile synthetic turf sports surface.

Key
1 synthetic turf carpet pile, may be curly
2 infill
3 shockpad (optional depending on intended sports use)
4 base (or foundation)
Figure 1 — Typical cross section of short pile synthetic turf surface
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)

Long pile synthetic turf surfaces typically have pile heights of between 30 mm and 60mm.

Most contain two layers of infill, the lower layer (normally sand) is installed to provide

ballast and stability to prevent the synthetic turf carpet moving. The upper layer is the

performance infill.

There are a number of different granulated materials used to form this layer including

various rubbers and thermo-plastics and natural materials such as cork, timber, nut husks,

etc.

Figure 2 shows the typical cross section of a long pile synthetic turf sports surface.

Key
1 synthetic turf carpet pile, might be curly
2 performance infill
3 stabilizing infill
4 shockpad (optional)
5 base (or foundation)
Figure 2 — Typical cross section of long pile synthetic turf surface

Most infills are in the particle size range 0,5 mm to 2,5 mm with some occasionally being

larger.
Environmental concerns

Increasing public concern about microplastics has led the European Commission, to

investigate ways of reducing the quantities released into the environment. They have

defined a microplastic as any solid particle made of a non-biodegradable polymer that is

5,0 mm or less in size. They can be unintentionally formed through wear and tear or

deliberately manufactured and intentionally added to products for a specific purpose.

As many infill materials used within synthetic turf sports surfaces are either made from

non-bio-degradable polymers that are less than 5,0 mm in size, or incorporate some form

granule (e.g. sand) that has a polymeric coating, it is important that the design and

maintenance of sports fields having these infills is undertaken in a way that minimizes the

possibility of the infill migrating from the sports surface and being dispersed into the

environment. This document describes ways of containing infill materials within the

footprint of the synthetic turf field during its construction, operation and end of life

removal.
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
1 Scope

This document describes ways of containing infill materials used in many types of synthetic

turf sports fields within the confines of the sports field, so they are not dispersed into the

surrounding environment.

The options described are based on examples of best practice identified by members of

CEN/TC 217.

This document is intended to be of practical use, to create awareness amongst field

designers, venue owners, installation companies and those maintaining synthetic turf

sports fields. It is applicable for all forms of synthetic turf sports field, from those used for

community activities to those used by professional and elite level athletes.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.

ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following

addresses:
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/ui
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
synthetic turf surfacing system

all components of the surface that influence its sports performance or bio-mechanical

characteristics including the synthetic turf carpet, infill and shockpad
3.2
filled synthetic turf

synthetic turf surface, whose pile is either totally filled or partly filled with an unbound

particulate material
3.3
infill

particulate materials used within the synthetic turf surface to provide support to the carpet

pile and to aid the provision of the required performance characteristics of the surface

3.4
performance infill

granulated materials used to form the upper layer of infill that help provide the required

sports performance and player welfare characteristics of the surface
3.5
polymeric infill

granular infill material formed from non-biodegradable rubbers or plastics, or an infill

material that has a coating formed from non-biodegradable rubbers or plastics (e.g. coated

sand)
---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
3.6
stabilizing infill

particulate materials used to infill the lower portion of the synthetic turf surface to provide

support to the carpet pile and ballast to hold the carpet in place and help prevent

dimensional movement
3.7
shockpads

elastic material placed beneath a synthetic turf sports surface that is designed to aid the

provision of the performance properties of the sports surfacing system
Note 1 to entry: Shockpads are also known as elastic layers.
3.8
stitch rate

number of tufts per square meter, which is a function of the number of stitches per linear

length multiplied by the spacing (gauge) of the tufting needles
3.9
field
playing area including the perimeter margins or run offs
Note 1 to entry: Field is also known as the pitch.
3.10
base
all elements of construction beneath the synthetic turf sports surfacing system
4 Sports performance

The performance of a synthetic turf sports surface is provided by the interactions of the

synthetic turf carpet, the infill materials and, if part of the system, the shockpad.

Occasionally some synthetic turf systems also utilize characteristics of the base

construction to achieve the required performance.

EN 15330-1 specifies the properties required of synthetic turf surfaces used for football,

rugby, hockey, tennis and multi–sports applications. The requirements of EN 15330-1 are

intended to apply to surfaces used for community, educational and recreational sport. For

professional and elite levels of competition, many sports governing bodies have published

their own specifications.

NOTE The requirements of the sports’ governing bodies differ from those detailed in

EN 15330-1 and facility developers are advised to ensure that they select surfaces offering the

correct performance for the level of competition to be played on the field.
---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
5 Infill migration routes

Experience has shown that infill materials can be transported from a synthetic turf field by

a number of different actions including:
— being carried by players (caught in and stuck on clothing and footwear);
— snow removal;
— being carried by maintenance equipment;
— inappropriate maintenance procedures;
— inappropriate installation procedures;
— poor storage of spare material;
— surface water run–off from the field;
— wind dispersion.
6 Means of minimizing infill migration
6.1 General

By incorporating appropriate design features into a synthetic turf sports field and

undertaking its construction, operational maintenance and end-of-life removal in

environmentally sensitive ways the risk of infill being dispersed from within the field to the

surrounding environment can be minimized.

The following clauses describe examples of good practice that have been shown to be

effective in ensuring infills are not dispersed into the surrounding environment. Many of

these design features work best when used in collectively and it should not be assumed that

only incorporating one feature will achieve the desired containment.
6.2 Types of synthetic turf surface
6.2.1 Carpet design

The tuft density (expressed as the number of tufts per square meter) of the synthetic turf

carpet can greatly influence the mobility of the infill. Experience shows the more mobile

the infill is, the greater the likelihood of it being dispersed to the environment around the

field. Carpets that have lower tuft densities will generally allow greater infill movement and

so the potential for infill dispersion is greater. When selecting a synthetic turf surface for a

specific field, choosing one that offers the desired sporting qualities and has a high tuft

density (for the intended use), will help reduce the potential of infill movement and loss

into the surrounding environment.

Some long pile synthetic turf carpets contain a lower layer of curly tufts (often called a

thatch zone), that is designed to stabilize the infill and so reduces the potential for

movement and migration.

Other forms of synthetic turf carpet use texturized or curled yarns to form the main carpet

pile, and these are also designed to stabilize the infill, which they do quite effectively, but

possibly to the detriment of controlling the ball speed, meaning they are possibly better

suited to areas being used for recreational and small sided football, where the need to

replicate a natural grass field is less important.
---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------
SIST-TP CEN/TR 17519:2020
CEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)

The performance standards published by FIFA and World Rugby for synthetic turf football

and rugby surfaces, contains an Infill Splash Test. This measures how much infill is lifted

from the surface when a ball strikes it. Products having Infill Splash Values of less than 1,5 %

are designated ‘low splash’ and will therefore offer better containment of the infill.

6.2.2 Shockpads

Many long pile synthetic turf surfaces used for sports such as football are often based on

carpets having pile lengths of between 50 mm and 60 mm. These are laid directly onto the

base of the field and are partly filled with a combination of stabilizing infill and performance

infill. As the ball rebound and player welfare properties of these surfaces are provided by

the performance infill it forms a significant proportion of the infill depth.

Alternative surfacing systems incorporate shockpads, these obtain some, if not most, of

their impact attenuation properties from the shockpad, meaning they can have lower pile

heights and lower quantities of performance infill. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the

reduced infill quantities result in surfaces that are less likely to suffer from infill migration.

It is recommended that if a shockpad is being used within a synthetic turf surfacing system

it complies with prEN 15330-4. This document specifies minimum performance and
durability requirements for shockpads.

NOTE 2 Some forms of synthetic turf tennis surfaces incorporate coated sand infills. Generally,

shockpads are not used with surfaces intended for tennis due to the need for the tennis ball to bounce

reasonably high.
6.2.3 Infill
6.2.3.1 Infill shape

Infill materials are produced in a number of different shapes. Those that are more round

will allow faster surface water drainage and are less inclined to compact through use but

are far more mobile meaning the risk of dispersion within a field and into the surrounding

environment is higher. Infills that are more angular in shape with interlock providing a

more stable playing surface that is less mobile.
6.2.3.2 Infill dust control

To minimize the potential of fine particulates being released from the infill, the dust

content, when measured in accordance with EN 15051-1, should be classified as ‘Very Low’

or ‘Low’.
6.3 Field design
6.3.1 Field profile
Synthetic turf fields are often built with slo
...

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
01-maj-2020
Podloge za športne dejavnosti - Umetne travnate podloge športnih objektov -
Navodilo za zmanjšanje razprševanja polnila v okolje

Surfaces for sports areas - Synthetic turf sports facilities - Guidance on how to minimize

infill dispersion into the environment
Leitfaden zur Minimierung des Risikos von Umweltkontaminationen durch
Kunststoffrasenfüllungen
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: FprCEN/TR 17519
ICS:
97.150 Talne obloge Floor coverings
97.220.10 Športni objekti Sports facilities
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020 en,fr,de

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
FINAL DRAFT
TECHNICAL REPORT
FprCEN/TR 17519
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
TECHNISCHER BERICHT
March 2020
ICS 97.150; 97.220.10
English Version
Surfaces for sports areas - Synthetic turf sports facilities -
Guidance on how to minimize infill dispersion into the
environment
Leitfaden zur Minimierung des Risikos von
Umweltkontaminationen durch
Kunststoffrasenfüllungen

This draft Technical Report is submitted to CEN members for Vote. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC

217.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,

Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,

Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and

United Kingdom.

Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are

aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a Technical Report. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without

notice and shall not be referred to as a Technical Report.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels

© 2020 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. FprCEN/TR 17519:2020 E

worldwide for CEN national Members.
---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
FprCEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
Contents Page

European foreword ................................................................................................................... 3

0 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 4

0.1 General ............................................................................................................................ 4

0.2 Environmental concerns .......................................................................................... 5

1 Scope ................................................................................................................................ 6

2 Normative references ................................................................................................ 6

3 Terms and definitions ............................................................................................... 6

4 Sports performance .................................................................................................... 7

5 Infill migration routes ............................................................................................... 7

6 Means of minimizing infill migration ................................................................... 8

6.1 General ............................................................................................................................ 8

6.2 Types of synthetic turf surface ............................................................................... 8

6.3 Field design ................................................................................................................... 9

7 Installation of infill ................................................................................................... 11

8 Field maintenance ..................................................................................................... 11

9 Snow clearance .......................................................................................................... 13

10 Changing rooms ......................................................................................................... 13

11 End of life disposal of synthetic turf surfaces ................................................. 13

12 Retrofitting existing fields ..................................................................................... 14

Annex A (informative) Figures showing typical design details ............................... 15

Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 22

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
FprCEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
European foreword
This document (FprCEN/TR 17519:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee

CEN/TC 217 “Surfaces for sports areas”, the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.

This document is currently submitted to the Vote on TR.
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
FprCEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
Introduction
General

Synthetic turf sports surfaces provide attractive, hard–wearing and safe playing areas that

can accommodate high levels of use and be used in far more diverse climates than natural

turf. The development of these surfaces has led to significant demand with over 16 000 full

size sports fields now being used in Europe, and approximately 4 000 new fields being built

each year.
Synthetic turf sports surfaces take four generic forms:
— non-filled short pile;
— sand filled or sand dressed short pile;
— long pile with infill (typically rubber and/or sand);
— long pile non-filled.
Infill is applied to the synthetic turf surfaces for three reasons:

— it is used to stabilize the carpet to prevent dimensional expansion and contraction and

movement through use i.e. it acts as a ballast. This type of infill is often described as

stabilizing infill;
— it contributes or provides the sports performance and impact attenuation
characteristics of the sports surface. This type of infill is often described as

performance infill. The performance infill is a key component of the surface as it

provides comfort and protection to players as they run and fall on the surface.

— it helps control the way the ball interacts with the surface, supporting the pile of the

surface so it remains upright.

Short pile synthetic turf surfaces typically have pile heights of between 10 mm and 30 mm

and normally only have one layer of infill. This is often a rounded sand. Sometimes the sand

has a polymeric coating to change the colour of the infill (i.e. it is coloured to match the

synthetic turf colour).

Figure 1 shows the typical cross section of a short pile synthetic turf sports surface.

Key
1 synthetic turf carpet pile, may be curly
2 infill
3 shockpad (optional depending on intended sports use)
4 base (or foundation)
Figure 1 — Typical cross section of short pile synthetic turf surface
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
FprCEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)

Long pile synthetic turf surfaces typically have pile heights of between 30 mm and 60mm.

Most contain two layers of infill, the lower layer (normally sand) is installed to provide

ballast and stability to prevent the synthetic turf carpet moving. The upper layer is the

performance infill.

There are a number of different granulated materials used to form this layer including

various rubbers and thermo-plastics and natural materials such as cork, timber, nut husks,

etc.

Figure 2 shows the typical cross section of a long pile synthetic turf sports surface.

Key
1 synthetic turf carpet pile, might be curly
2 performance infill
3 stabilizing infill
4 shockpad (optional)
5 base (or foundation)
Figure 2 — Typical cross section of long pile synthetic turf surface

Most infills are in the particle size range 0,5 mm to 2,5 mm with some occasionally being

larger.
Environmental concerns

Increasing public concern about microplastics has led the European Commission, to

investigate ways of reducing the quantities released into the environment. They have

defined a microplastic as any solid particle made of a non-biodegradable polymer that is

5,0 mm or less in size. They can be unintentionally formed through wear and tear or

deliberately manufactured and intentionally added to products for a specific purpose.

As many infill materials used within synthetic turf sports surfaces are either made from

non-bio-degradable polymers that are less than 5,0 mm in size, or incorporate some form

granule (e.g. sand) that has a polymeric coating, it is important that the design and

maintenance of sports fields having these infills is undertaken in a way that minimizes the

possibility of the infill migrating from the sports surface and being dispersed into the

environment. This Technical Report describes ways of containing infill materials within the

footprint of the synthetic turf field during its construction, operation and end of life

removal.
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
FprCEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
1 Scope

This document describes ways of containing infill materials used in many types of synthetic

turf sports fields within the confines of the sports field, so they are not dispersed into the

surrounding environment.

The options described are based on examples of best practice identified by members of

CEN/TC 217.

This document is intended to be of practical use, to create awareness amongst field

designers, venue owners, installation companies and those maintaining synthetic turf

sports fields. It is applicable for all forms of synthetic turf sports field, from those used for

community activities to those used by professional and elite level athletes.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
synthetic turf surfacing system

all components of the surface that influence its sports performance or bio-mechanical

characteristics including the synthetic turf carpet, infill and shockpad
3.2
filled synthetic turf

synthetic turf surface, whose pile is either totally filled or partly filled with an unbound

particulate material
3.3
infill

particulate materials used within the synthetic turf surface to provide support to the carpet

pile and to aid the provision of the required performance characteristics of the surface

3.4
performance infill

granulated materials used to form the upper layer of infill that help provide the required

sports performance and player welfare characteristics of the surface
3.5
polymeric infill

granular infill material formed from non-biodegradable rubbers or plastics, or an infill

material that has a coating formed from non-biodegradable rubbers or plastics (e.g. coated

sands)
3.6
stabilizing infill

particulate materials used to infill the lower portion of the synthetic turf surface to provide

support to the carpet pile and ballast to hold the carpet in place and help prevent

dimensional movement
---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17519:2020
FprCEN/TR 17519:2020 (E)
3.7
shockpads

elastic material placed beneath a synthetic turf sports surface that is designed to aid the

provision of the performance properties of the sports surfacing system
Note 1 to entry: Shockpads are also known as elastic layers.
3.8
stitch rate

number of tufts per square meter, which is a function of the number of stitches per linear

length multiplied by the spacing (gauge) of the tufting needles
3.9
field
playing area including the perimeter margins or run offs
Note 1 to entry: Field is also known as the pitch.
3.10
base
all elements of construction beneath the synthetic turf sports surfacing system
4 Sports performance

The performance of a synthetic turf sports surface is provided by the interactions of the

synthetic turf carpet, the infill materials and, if part of the system, the shockpad.

Occasionally some synthetic turf systems also utilize characteristics of the base

construction to achieve the required performance.

EN 15330-1 specifies the properties required of synthetic turf surfaces used for football,

rugby, hockey, tennis and multi–sports applications. The requirements of EN 15330-1 are

intended to apply to surfaces used for community, educational and recreational sport. For

professional and elite levels of competition, many sports governing bodies have published

their own specifications.

NOTE The requirements of the sports’ governing bodies differ from those detailed in

EN 15330-1 and facility developers are advised to ensure that they select surfaces offering the

correct performance for the level of competition to be played on the field.
5 Infill migration routes

Experience has shown that infill materials can be transported from a synthetic turf field by

a number of different actions including:
— being carried by players (caught in and stuck on clothing and footwear);
— snow removal;
— being carried by maintenance equipment;
— inappropriate maintenance procedures;
— inappropriate installation procedures;
— poor storage of spare material;
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— surface water run–off from the field;
— wind dispersion.
6 Means of minimizing infill migration
6.1 General

By incorporating appropriate design features into a synthetic turf sports field and

undertaking its construction, operational maintenance and end-of-life removal in

environmentally sensitive ways the risk of infill being dispersed from within the field to the

surrounding environment can be minimized.

The following clauses describe examples of good practice that have been shown to be

effective in ensuring infills are not dispersed into the surrounding environment. Many of

these design features work best when used in collectively and it should not be assumed that

only incorporating one feature will achieve the desired containment.
6.2 Types of synthetic turf surface
6.2.1 Carpet design

The tuft density (expressed as the number of tufts per square meter) of the synthetic turf

carpet can greatly influence the mobility of the infill. Experience shows the more mobile

the infill is, the greater the likelihood of it being dispersed to the environment around the

field. Carpets that have lower tuft densities will generally allow greater infill movement and

so the potential for infill dispersion is greater. When selecting a synthetic turf surface for a

specific field, choosing one that offers the desired sporting qualities and has a high tuft

density (for the intended use), will help reduce the potential of infill movement and loss

into the surrounding environment.

Some long pile synthetic turf carpets contain a lower layer of curly tufts (often called a

thatch zone), that is designed to stabilize the infill and so reduces the potential for

movement and migration.

Other forms of synthetic turf carpet use texturized or curled yarns to form the main carpet

pile, and these are also designed to stabilize the infill, which they do quite effectively, but

possibly to the detriment of controlling the ball speed, meaning they are possibly better

suited to areas being used for recreational and small sided football, where the need to

replicate a natural grass field is less important.

The performance standards published by FIFA and World Rugby for synthetic turf football

and rugby surfaces, contains an Infill Splash Test. This measures how much infill is lifted

from the surface when a ball strikes it. Products having Infill Splash Values of less than 1,5 %

are designated ‘low splash’ and will therefore offer better containment of the infill.

6.2.2 Shockpads

Many long pile synthetic turf surfaces used for sports such as football are often based on

carpets having pile lengths of between 50 mm and 60 mm. These are laid directly onto the

base of the field and are partly filled with a combination of stabilizing infill and performance

infill. As the ball rebound and player welfare properties of these surfaces are provided by

the performance infill it forms a significant proportion of the infill depth.

Alternative surfacing systems incorporate shockpads, these obtain some, if not most, of

their impact attenuation properties from the shockpad, meaning they can have lower pile

heights and lower quantities of performance infill. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the

reduced infill quantities results in surfaces the are less likely to suffer from infill migration.

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It is recommended that if a shockpad is being used within a synthetic turf surfacing system

it complies with prEN 15330-4. This document specifies minimum performance and
durability requirements for shockpads.

NOTE 2 Some forms of synthetic turf tennis surfaces incorporate coated sand infills. Generally,

shockpads are not used with surfaces intended for tennis due to the need for the tennis ball to bounce

reasonably high.
6.2.3 Infill
6.2.3.1 Infill shape

Infill materials are produced in a number of different shapes. Those that are more round

will allow faster surface water drainage and are less inclined to compact through use but

are far more mobile meaning the risk of dispersion within a field and into the surrounding

environment is higher. Infills that are more angular in shape with interlock providing a

more stable playing surface that is less mobile.
6.2.3.2 Infill dust control

To minimize the potential of fine particulates being released from the infill, the dust

content, when measured in accordance with EN 15051-1, should be classified as ‘Very Low’

or ‘Low’.
6.3 Field design
6.3.1 Field profile

Synthetic turf fields are often built with slopes of up to 1 % in magnitude. This is to aid the

movement of water as it drains through and from the synthetic turf surface. The more

pronounced the slope the greater the possibility of
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