Chemical Education Today

Report

Polymers in the Field and Track

by Mary E. Harris

About a year ago, trucks delivered ton after ton of polymers

photo by Hal Harris

to my school. No, our chemical order had not gone awry. In-
stead, the materials were part of a large construction project on
campus—the athletic field. The old, grass athletic field was going Figure 1. The
to be replaced with artificial turf; the track that surrounded it underside of the turf
was being replaced as well as enlarged from six to eight lanes. has drainage holes
As a teacher I find that a construction project like this can be every 10 cm.
an excellent opportunity to bring practical chemistry into the
classroom. There are very few building or repair projects that
do not have at least one chemical connection; often there are
several. For instance, this article about the replacement of our

photo by Hal Harris

school’s track and field is a perfect way to work polymers into
the curriculum at any time, and this year it is a handy connection Figure 2. Close up of
to the 2008 National Chemistry Week theme of Chemistry and turf base and attached
Sports. You can introduce many polymer-related topics with a “grass” blades. The
connection to sports, such as polymers used in the manufacture turf has a density of
of golf balls, tennis balls, racquet strings, helmets, and shoes to 9,450 “grass” tufts
name just a few. per square meter.

Artificial Surfaces
Monsanto Industries developed the first artificial turf in the
mid-1960s (1). At that time it was primarily a chemical and fiber
company and had not yet evolved into a leading agricultural bio-
technology corporation, as it is today. The patent for the artificial
turf was applied for in 1965 and granted in 1967. The product
was originally sold as “Chemgrass” and was made out of nylon.
When it proved impossible to grow natural grass inside the Texas
Astrodome, the Monsanto artificial turf was installed—it was
therefore dubbed AstroTurf, and the name stuck (2).
Today there is a large variety of artificial surfaces for both
indoor and outdoor sports. For example, one children’s play
surface is made of special graded rubber particles with a poly-
urethane binder. This surface is poured on site and thus has no
seams. Some tennis courts use a layer of an 100% acrylic emul-
sion into which added pigments and polymeric fibers have been
mixed for added cushioning (3).
Field Construction
Returning to the installation of artificial turf at my school,
the project began with the removal of hundreds of tons of soil
The yard lines and goal lines are a part of the turf. They are
made with white and yellow colored blades (see field in Figure
3)—they are not painted! The blades are rather stiff, and student
athletes tell me that it is easy to get a turf burn sliding on the
polymer. The blades are held upright by a ballast layer of sand
that was spread onto the backing and then leveled with a special
machine that rakes and smooths it. Then a final layer composed
of black SBR granules was placed on top of the sand (Figure 4);
again, this layer was leveled with the special machine. The blades
of turf protrude above the black granules.
The SBR granules are ground-up post consumer automo-
bile tires (Figure 4). The tires have been shredded into tiny bits
and magnets have been used to remove any steel that was in the
tires. Depending on the particular type of artificial turf used, a
careful observer of football might see sprays of black granules
when the players slide or tackle (Figure 3). (The type of turf at
our school is also used by some professional teams.) The players
photo by Margaret Bahe

from the site of the previous grass field and track and the subse-
quent construction of a storm water retention basin. Once the
area had been cleared, the field was graded so that it had a 0.5
percent slope from center to the edges, thus water flows off the
center of the field. Then a two-foot gravel base was laid under
the entire field.
After this preparation, the turf was rolled onto the grav-
eled area. The turf consists of a base made of polypropylene,
latex, and styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR). It is flexible, but it
is heavy and bulky. This base has holes (Figure 1) so that water
can percolate through and make its way to the retention basin. Figure 3. A football game on the new turf. Note the spray of black
The “grass” blades are attached to the turf base (Figure 2); they rubber granules rising from the field near the players as well as the
are 5.5 cm-long and made of polyolefin fibers.1 white and yellow blades.

© Division of Chemical Education  •  www.JCE.DivCHED.org  •  Vol. 85  No. 10  October 2008  •  Journal of Chemical Education 1323
 Chemical Education Today

Report

photos by Hal Harris

Figure 4. Rubber granules
(0.5–1.5 mm, shown with
a dime for comparison).

Figure 5. Double layer

of vulcanized rubber that
forms the track surface.

at our school tell me that the little granules get into eyes, noses,

graphic by Randall J. Wildman

and mouths. After a few games, the field must be raked to re-level A
the granules. However the rubber granules in the field act as very
effective cushions for falls. Schools justify the expense of turf
maintenance partially because it is believed that these surfaces
are less likely to result in broken bones and injuries to joints. Turf
burns from the blades and getting a face full of granules are just
part of the game now.

Track Construction
B
Our newly installed school track is a Mondo track (4).
Mondo has been the official supplier of tracks for the last eight
Olympic games including the 2004 Games in Athens (4). Its
surface is a double layer of vulcanized rubber that contains both
color and ultraviolet protection agents (Figure 5). The top layer
is textured for traction and the bottom is a shock absorber. The C
product’s manufacturer maintains that with each step taken
this dual-layer construction returns energy to the athlete. (This
would be a subject appropriate for the physics classroom!)
The track’s two layers are bonded at the factory using vulca-
nization, a process that cross-links long elastomer chains result-
ing in a polymer mass that is a solid rather than a highly viscous
liquid. This cross-linking can be seen in Figure 6. For example,
chewing gum is an elastic polymer; it has no particular shape
and can be easily deformed. A rubber band is also an elastic D
polymer; but it has a stable shape even if it can be deformed. The
difference arises because a rubber band has been vulcanized (5).
I was surprised to learn that, unlike the field, the track does not
contain post-consumer tires. The rubber used is virgin, which
means this is the first time the rubber polymer has been used.
As a result, the track is very expensive.
The track lanes are precut in the factory and the pieces are
installed on-site, like a puzzle. The lanes are glued onto a four-
inch asphalt base that has been laid down and then allowed to Figure 6. Vulcanization. The four panels illustrate polymer chains: (A)
degas for four weeks. Degassing allows volatiles to escape that and (B) are in unvulcanized rubber; (C) and (D) are in vulcanized
rubber. Panels (B) and (D) illustrate the different effects of applying
would otherwise interfere with the binding of the adhesive that
a horizontal stretching force to the rubber. Because the cross links
holds the track in place. The track is expected to last from 15 (black) in the vulcanized rubber hold some of the polymer chains
to 20 years; it can be power scrubbed and relined. There are together, it is stronger and harder to stretch (panel D) than the
embedded metal plates under the field in specific locations that unvulcanized rubber (panel B). The diagram is schematic. In the real
allow surveyors to accurately place lane lines and markers on polymer there would be many more chains and each chain would be
the track. much longer. There would not be as many cross links.

1324 Journal of Chemical Education  •  Vol. 85  No. 10  October 2008  •  www.JCE.DivCHED.org  •  © Division of Chemical Education 
 Chemical Education Today

Turf Temperature: their opinions about playing on different surfaces, compare

A Student Investigation temperature differences between a natural grass field and an
artificial field, or conduct a heat capacity study comparing water
The artificial turf of our new field retains heat and therefore and artificial turf. There is potential for all kinds of investigations
becomes very warm on sunny days. Because the “grass” blades are that could be the basis of a class project, an independent study, or
dyed green, they strongly absorb solar radiation. After the field a student newspaper article. Take the idea and run with it!
was completed, I asked students to perform a quick temperature
study of the turf. As a result, several students collected data at Note
noon on a sunny day. One group placed a temperature probe
1. The polyolefins used for the blades of grass are thermoplastics;
directly on the field and a second group used another probe a
they can be heated, melted, and formed into another product. The term
few centimeters above the surface of the field. They found that
polyolefin means “oil-like” and refers to the oily or waxy texture of the
when the warmest air temperature of the day was 33.5 °C, the
polymer’s surface. One common polyolelfin is polyethylene, which is
turf temperature was 55.9 °C! During a 15-min. data collec-
composed of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms at-
tion period when the air temperature increased by 2.1 °C, the
tached.
turf temperature increased by 3.5 °C. Others have studied the
surface temperature of synthetic turf playing surfaces, and their
data are available (6). With this information about high turf Literature Cited
temperatures in mind, coaches need to pay close attention to
1. History of Synthetic Grass or Astroturf. http://inventors.about.
the hydration and condition of their players during workouts
com/library/inventors/blastroturf.htm (accessed Jun 2008).
and games.
2. Artificial Turf (AstroTurf ) and How It Grew. http://www.astro-
On hot days, the colored polymers absorb the sun’s energy
turf.com/history.htm (accessed Jun 2008).
efficiently, and the field can get very warm. The manufacturer
3. Court Surfacing System Components and Recreational Acces-
recommends that the field be sprayed with water before a game.
sories. http://www.pavecoat.com/tennis_coatings.html (accessed
Not only does the water immediately lower the temperature,
Jun 2008).
but the higher heat capacity of water makes the system more
4. Mondo Home Page. http://www.mondousa.com (accessed Jun
resistant to temperature change. The evaporation of the water
2008).
also carries thermal energy away, in the same way that sweating
5. Del Vecchio, R. J. A Beginner’s Guide to Rubber Technology; Tech-
cools the body. Students are familiar with their skin cooling after
nical Consulting Services: Fuquay-Varina, NC, 2001.
a shower due to evaporation of water. To further reinforce these
6. Two examples are: Evaluation of Playing Surface Characteristics of
ideas, I place a drop of acetone on each student’s hand. Then I
Various In-Filled Systems. http://cropsoil.psu.edu/mcnitt/infill7a.
go around the room again and use a drop of alcohol, then a drop
cfm and Synthetic Surface Heat Studies. http://www.turfgrasssod.
of water. The three liquids have very different vapor pressures
org/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=160. (accessed Jun 2008).
so the cooling due to evaporation is easily distinguished. These
7. Polymer Ambassadors: Polymers in the Field and Track Power-
examples bring the real world into the chemistry classroom.
Point Presentation. http://www.polymerambassadors.org/polymer-
Besides the heat of the playing field, another concern
sonfield.pdf (accessed Jun 2008).
for coaches using or playing on fields with artificial turf is the
possible danger of bacterial infection. Natural fields have soil
microbes that work to decompose saliva, blood, and food spills, Supporting JCE Online Material
but an artificial surface lacks most of these decomposers. http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2008/Oct/abs1323.html
Abstract and keywords
Another Lap: More Activities To Try Full text (PDF) with links to cited URLs
Supplement
The information contained in this article, more informa- Fully manipulable ( Jmol) versions of many polymers are part of
tion on recycling tires, and the data from the temperature stud- the JCE Featured Molecules collection on JCE Online at http://
ies of the artificial turf mentioned above are available as a free www.JCE.DivCHED.org/JCEWWW/Features/MonthlyMol-
downloadable PDF file from the Polymer Ambassadors Web ecules/. This month’s column on p 1456 expands that collection.
site (7). Teachers may use these data as a guide for performing
similar temperature studies at their own school. Students might Mary E. Harris teaches at John Burroughs School, 755 South
check out athletic fields and tracks in their area to see how they Price Road, St. Louis, MO 63124; mharris@jburroughs.org. She
compare with the ones at my school, interview athletes about is the Polymer Ambassador for the state of Missouri.

© Division of Chemical Education  •  www.JCE.DivCHED.org  •  Vol. 85  No. 10  October 2008  •  Journal of Chemical Education 1325