CN111819330A

CN111819330A - Artificial turf mat and method for manufacturing an artificial turf mat

Info

Publication number: CN111819330A
Application number: CN201880080566.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 胡戈·德弗里斯
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-11-13
Filing date: 2018-11-13
Publication date: 2020-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-13
Also published as: NL2019893B1; WO2019093900A9; JP2021502510A; US20200283965A1; CA3082562A1; WO2019093900A1; CN111819330B; EP3710637A1; JP7374914B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to an artificial turf mat comprising a fabric backing and a number of artificial grass blades connected to the fabric backing. The fabric backing comprises a leno fabric having warp yarns and weft yarns, wherein at least some of the warp yarns and/or at least some of the weft yarns are formed from fused yarns. The artificial grass blades are woven into a fabric backing. Each melt line may include a heat resistant core and a meltable coating surrounding the core. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing an artificial grass mat by weaving a backing and connecting a number of artificial grass blades to the backing, wherein the backing is woven by interweaving a number of warp and weft threads by means of a leno weave, wherein at least some of the interwoven threads are formed by fused threads, and wherein the artificial grass blades are woven into the fabric backing.

Description

Artificial turf mat and method for manufacturing an artificial turf mat

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an artificial turf mat comprising a fabric backing and a number of artificial grass blades connected to the fabric backing. Such artificial turf mats are known in different forms.

Background

The known artificial turf mat is formed of a comparatively dense textile, from which the artificial grass blades protrude on one side. These artificial grass blades are attached to the backing by means of tufting or weaving. The side of the backing remote from the projecting blade is usually stabilized by a latex layer or by another coating. The additional layer also serves to firmly fix the artificial grass blade in the backing.

The known artificial turf mat has the disadvantage that it is completely sealed on the underside by a latex layer or other coating, which adversely affects the drainage of the artificial turf field.

US 2016/265170 a1 describes an artificial turf mat having a flexible base layer from which long and shorter blades extend. The short blades are used to support the long blades, thereby providing the short blades and the long blades with better shock absorption performance.

EP 3029198 a1 describes a hybrid grass surface with a base sheet having apertures in the base sheet through which the roots of the grass can protrude and with groups of filaments connected to the base sheet by tufting.

JP 2005015972 a describes a mat of artificial turf by coupling a number of filaments to each other in the form of strips and weaving the filaments into a mat, wherein the other filaments form pile threads.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention now has for its object to provide an artificial turf mat of the above-mentioned type in which this disadvantage does not occur or at least occurs to a lesser extent. According to the invention, this object is achieved in such a mat: in the mat, the fabric backing comprises a leno fabric having warp and weft threads, wherein at least some of the threads are formed by fused threads, and wherein the artificial grass blades are woven into the fabric backing. By using a leno fabric, the reason why a leno fabric forms a stronger connection than conventional fabrics, is that the warp threads are twisted in pairs around the weft threads in a leno fabric, and here also by applying a melting thread for additional bonding, a fabric backing is formed which has sufficient intrinsic stability to be used in principle without a latex or other coating, and in which the co-woven artificial grass blades are bonded very well. Thus, an artificial turf mat having a very open structure and good drainage properties can be formed.

Since the artificial grass fibres are woven into the backing, for example as warp or weft threads forming pile threads, it is possible to form an artificial grass blade by locally cutting these fibres or pile threads. It is already possible to cut the fibres during weaving, for example in the manner described in WO 2010/120174. Here, it is conceivable to cut the artificial grass fibres such that the artificial grass blades thus formed have a pointed shape close to the shape of the natural blades of the grass.

When the artificial grass blades protrude from both sides of the backing, a double-sided artificial turf mat is obtained, which can also be placed vertically to serve as a screen or spacer, for example.

At least some of the warp threads may also be formed of fused threads and/or at least some of the weft threads may be formed of fused threads. In order to be able to suitably twist the warp threads around the weft threads to form a leno weave, it is preferred for the warp threads and/or the weft threads to have a substantially circular cross section.

In order to combine good bonding with sufficient strength, it is preferred for each melt wire to include a heat resistant wire core and a meltable coating surrounding the wire core. Here, the fused wire may be as welded to a nearby wire by melting of the coating.

To this end, the wire core may comprise a plastic having a relatively high melting temperature, in particular polypropylene, and the coating may comprise a plastic having a relatively low melting temperature, in particular polyethylene.

To further increase the stability of the fabric, at least some of the warp and/or weft yarns may be formed from shrink yarns. By shrinking the yarn after weaving, for example by heating the yarn, the surrounding thread is very firmly fixed.

At least some of the warp and/or weft yarns may additionally or alternatively be formed from helical yarns. Therefore, the surrounding thread can also be additionally fixed by crimping the yarn after knitting.

When at least some of the warp and/or weft threads are biodegradable, open spaces may be formed in the artificial turf mat through which natural grass may grow. A mixed turf can thus be formed.

At least some of the artificial grass blades may be manufactured from a biodegradable material. Thus, the artificial grass blades may first support the natural grass blades growing through the artificial turf mat. When the support is no longer needed, the biodegradable artificial grass blades decay and only the non-degradable artificial grass blades and the natural grass remain, which together form a mixed field.

When only a part of the backing is woven as a leno fabric, an easy-to-manufacture artificial turf mat is obtained. For stability, it is generally sufficient to locally fix the conventional knitted area by means of an area with a leno weave.

Thus, a larger number of conventionally woven warp threads can be arranged between two pairs of warp threads of a leno fabric.

In order to increase the stability of the artificial turf mat, at least one secondary backing connected to the fabric backing may be provided. The secondary backing may also be a fabric.

Here, the at least one secondary backing may be manufactured from a natural fiber material, in particular jute or viscose. Such natural fibre material will decay once the artificial turf mat has been laid, since stability is thus provided by the ground.

The artificial turf mat may even be provided with a plurality of secondary backings made of different materials. The outer secondary backing may here primarily serve to protect the other layers when the artificial turf mat is heated to melt the melt lines.

The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing an artificial turf mat. Conventional methods include the steps of weaving a backing and attaching a number of artificial grass blades to the backing.

The method according to the invention differs from conventional methods in that at least a part of the backing is woven by interweaving a number of warp and weft threads by means of a leno weave, wherein at least some of the interwoven threads are formed by fused threads, and wherein artificial grass blades are woven into the fabric backing.

Preferred application variants of the method according to the invention are described in the dependent claims 18 to 28.

Drawings

The invention will now be described on the basis of a number of embodiments, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of the artificial turf mat according to the first embodiment of the invention, on the ground, in which some of the artificial grass blades have been omitted,

figure 2 is a schematic top view of a leno fabric as applied in the backing of an artificial turf mat according to the invention,

figure 3 is a cross-section through a melt line for application in the artificial turf mat according to the invention,

figures 4A and 4B are side views and cross-sectional views taken through a weft thread and two warp threads of a leno fabric implemented as a melt thread before and after the melt thread is melted,

figures 5A and 5B are schematic perspective views showing the connection between the weft of a leno fabric and two warp threads implemented as shrink yarns before and after heating the shrink yarns,

fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the weft and two warp threads twisted around the weft of a leno fabric, in which many yarns are implemented as spiral yarns,

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the most important steps with respect to the method according to the invention, and

fig. 8 is a schematic bottom view of a backing of an artificial turf mat according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

The artificial grass mat 1 (fig. 1) comprises a fabric backing 2 and a number of artificial grass blades 3, which artificial grass blades 3 are connected to the backing 2 and protrude from the backing 2 on one side, the side which in use forms an upper side T. The backing 2 is woven from threads or yarns, which themselves may be made of plastic, just as the artificial grass blades 3. In order to form a very stable backing 2 without having to use a coating or latex layer made for this purpose, at least part of the fabric of the backing 2 is a leno fabric according to the invention. In this leno fabric, the

warp threads

7a, 7b are twisted in pairs around the weft threads 8 (fig. 2). Due to the twisted pair of

warp threads

7a, 7b, the weft thread 8 is tightly clamped between the

warp threads

7a, 7b, thus preventing slippage of the threads relative to each other and achieving a stronger connection in the fabric than can be achieved with conventional weaving techniques.

In order to make the backing 2 even more stable, the

warp threads

7a, 7b and/or the weft threads 8 are in any case partly formed by fused threads. By fusing the threads after weaving, the fabric is effectively "welded" and thus further strengthens the fabric. Thus, since the fabric of the backing 2 is inherently stable and can be used without a coating or a stable latex layer, the backing 2 is lighter and easier to handle than a conventional backing with a coating, while the final artificial turf mat will additionally have an open structure due to the absence of a coating or a latex layer, and thus the final artificial turf mat is for example air and water permeable.

Each melt wire may be formed of a heat resistant wire core 9 and a meltable coating 10 (fig. 3) surrounding the wire core 9. The meltable coating 10 is provided for bonding, while the wire core 9 will not melt and thus the strength and stability of the fabric is ensured. A plastic with a relatively high melting temperature, such as polypropylene, for example, is suitable as material for the wire core 9. A plastic with a relatively low melting temperature, such as, for example, polyethylene, may be selected for the coating 10. The difference in melting temperature between the wire core 9 and the coating 10 need not be particularly large otherwise, as long as it is sufficient to ensure that the mechanical properties of the wire core 9 are not or hardly affected when the backing 2 is heated to the point where the coating 10 of the molten wire melts. As can be seen, the melt threads here have a circular cross section, thus simplifying the leno fabric. In the case of other cross-sections, in particular flat cross-sections, the twisting of the

warp threads

7a, 7b around the weft threads 8 causes a deformation, so that an irregular weave is obtained.

Any desired heating technique may be used for heating the melt line, such as, for example, heating by irradiation with infrared radiation. It is also conceivable to guide the fabric along a heated roller and thus to heat the melt thread. In this case, it may be advantageous to protect the backing 2 on the side facing the heating cylinder with an additional backing made of non-meltable material, for example natural fibrous material or biodegradable material.

As can be seen by comparing fig. 4A and 4B, when the weft thread 8 is embodied as a fused thread, the warp threads 7a, 7B will be slightly recessed into the coating 10 of the weft thread 8, and when the coating 10 of the weft thread 8 is fused, the warp threads 7a, 7B tightly enclose the core 9. Here, the material of the meltable coating 10 will flow around the

warp threads

7a, 7b, so that the

warp threads

7a, 7b are fully or partially embedded in the coating 10. A very strong welded connection (shown in the form of a dashed line) will thus be established between the weft threads 8 and the

warp threads

7a, 7b when the temperature is reduced again and the meltable coating 10' is cured again.

Although in this example the weft threads 8 are embodied as fused threads, it is of course likewise conceivable for one of the

warp threads

7a, 7b or even both of the

warp threads

7a, 7b to be embodied as fused threads in addition to the weft threads 8 or instead of the weft threads 8.

In the case of some of these threads being formed by shrink yarns, a particularly firm connection between the warp threads 7 and the weft threads 8 can additionally or alternatively be achieved. When the warp threads 7a, 7B are formed, for example, of shrink yarns, the warp threads 7a, 7B can first be interwoven with the weft threads 8 in a twisted manner to thus form a leno weave (fig. 5A), after which the warp threads 7a, 7B can be shrunk by heating and thus be pulled tighter around the weft threads 8 (fig. 5B). An even stronger connection is formed when the weft thread 8 is here again embodied as a fusion thread.

Another way of achieving additional reinforcement of the leno fabric is shown in fig. 6, in which both the weft threads 8 and the

warp threads

7a, 7b are embodied as spiral yarns. Due to the spiral form of the warp threads 7 and/or the weft threads 8, the warp threads 7 and/or the weft threads 8 engage even more tightly with one another than in the case with smooth threads, since the spiral threads just as do hook into one another. This further hinders slippage of the wires relative to each other.

The backing 2 can be applied for the purpose of forming an artificial turf mat 1, which backing 2 is formed as a leno fabric and the warp threads 7 and/or the weft threads 8 of the backing 2 are embodied as fused threads. For this purpose, artificial grass blades 3 are woven into the backing 2. Some of the warp threads 7 or weft threads 8, 7, are led out in loops from the main plane of the fabric of the backing 2 to form the artificial grass blades 3 at the main plane of the fabric of the backing 2. The rings may optionally be cut off so that each ring forms two separate artificial grass blades 3. This cutting may already take place during weaving, as described in WO 2010/120174. A relatively large weave mesh width can be chosen, since the combination of leno weave and the use of fused threads results in a very stable backing 2 with artificial grass blades 3 co-woven in the backing 2. A relatively open structure is thus formed which has a good water permeability and thus results in an artificial turf field with good drainage properties. The structure is also air permeable and is therefore suitable for ventilation and/or heating of artificial turf fields.

It may be useful to make a leno fabric of the backing 2 based on shrinking yarns, since the artificial grass blades 3 are thereby very tightly enclosed or clamped. In that case, it may be more useful to apply a secondary backing 4 (fig. 1) to prevent deformation of the primary backing 2 upon shrinkage of the shrink yarns. The secondary backing 4 may ensure that the primary backing 2 remains flat. The secondary backing 4 may be made of a natural fibrous material such as jute or viscose. As mentioned, a further secondary backing (not shown here) may additionally be provided, which serves primarily to protect the primary backing 2 and the secondary backing 4 from overheating during heating of the melt line. The additional backing may be made of a biodegradable material so that it will eventually decay once the artificial turf mat 1 has been laid on the ground 5. The auxiliary backing 4 and/or the additional backing may also be used to support and secure a layer of infill (to be discussed below) when installing an artificial turf field based on the artificial turf mat 1.

The artificial grass mat 1 is suitable for vertical suspension, for example to form a screen or a spacer, because the artificial grass mat 1 already has sufficient strength and stability even without a coating, a latex layer or a secondary backing. In that case, the pile thread may be led out of the main plane of the fabric and cut on both sides, so that protruding artificial grass blades 3 are formed on both sides of the backing 2. Thus in practice forming a double-sided synthetic turf mat 1.

As can be seen in fig. 8, it is not necessary to embody the entire backing 2 as a leno fabric, but it suffices to use several regions 12 formed by leno fabric, in order to fix the region 13 with a conventional fabric and to stabilize the region 13. In the example shown, the backing is formed by a strip 13 of conventional fabric, which strip 13 has one or more pairs of

warp threads

7a, 7b on both sides, the

warp threads

7a, 7b being interwoven with the weft threads 8 in a twisted manner to form a partial leno fabric 12 for this purpose. These partial leno fabrics 12 hold in place the warp threads of the conventional fabric 13 arranged between these partial leno fabrics 12. In addition, in this example, a belt 14 is also formed between the fabric belts 12, 13, no warp threads being present in the belt 14 and the weft threads 8 therefore lying loosely. Thereby creating a very open backing 2.

In fig. 7, the different steps of the method according to the invention for manufacturing an artificial turf mat are shown. The method starts with providing warp threads 7 (step 100) and weft threads 8 (step 101). The warp threads (7) and/or the weft threads 8, or at least some of these threads, can here be embodied as fused threads. The warp threads 7 and the weft threads 8 or some of these threads can also be embodied as shrink threads and/or spiral threads.

In a subsequent step 102, the warp yarns 7 and the weft yarns 8 are interwoven by using a leno weaving technique, wherein the warp yarns 7 are entangled together. In step 103, the artificial grass blade 3 may then be connected to the fabric backing 2. Since the artificial grass blades 3 are here connected to the backing 2 by weaving,

steps

102 and 103 are practically identical, as schematically shown by the dashed box 102 a.

After the artificial grass blades 3 have been woven into the backing 2, an auxiliary backing 4 may optionally be attached to the leno fabric backing 2 (step 104). This step is optional and may be skipped. The secondary backing 4 may be glued to the primary backing 2, but it is also conceivable to connect these backings 2, 4 to each other by means of, for example, double weaving or any other type of connecting technique. As mentioned, in addition to the secondary backing 4 being made of natural fibrous material, another additional backing may be provided, for example a backing which acts as a protective layer during heating and which may be made of biodegradable material. The backing may also be attached to other backings in different ways.

In a subsequent step 105, the artificial turf mat 1 formed in the preceding step is fixed by being heated. The melting thread will here partly melt to form a welded connection with the surrounding thread which also comprises the pile thread forming the artificial grass blade 3. The heating may take place by means of radiation, for example infrared radiation, or by guiding the artificial turf mat 1 over a heated roller. The additional backing is particularly important in the case of guiding the artificial turf mat 1 over the heated roller.

Finally, the artificial turf mat 1 is wound onto a reel (step 106) and is ready to be transported to the location of the artificial turf field 11 where it has to be installed.

An artificial turf field 11 formed in a conventional manner using the artificial turf mat 1 described above comprises a ground surface 5 on which a backing 2 (with an auxiliary backing 4 located below the backing 2 in the example shown) is placed. The artificial grass blades 3 project above the backing 2 on the upper side T. The spaces between the artificial grass blades 3 may then be filled with a filler material or "infill" 6, which on the one hand ensures that the artificial grass blades are supported and otherwise serve for springing and damping. Rubber particles, cork and other materials, usually in combination with sand, are suitable as filler material 6. When the backing 2 and/or the artificial grass blades 3 are partly made of biodegradable material and the artificial grass mat 1 is thus intended to form a mixing field, the ground 5 may be sown with grass seeds (not shown here) before the artificial grass mat 1 is laid. In case the filler layer 6 comprises a natural material in which grass can grow, it is also conceivable to seed grass seeds in the filler material layer 6.

The invention thus provides an artificial turf mat which is lighter and cheaper and easier to handle than existing artificial turf mats. The artificial turf mat according to the invention also has greatly improved mechanical properties while in addition being able to have better drainage and ventilation than existing artificial turf mats.

Although the invention has been described above with reference to a number of embodiments, it will be evident that the invention is not limited thereto but can be varied in a number of ways. Thus, the warp threads 7 and the weft threads 8 may, for example, have a cross-sectional shape different from that shown here. In addition to synthetic fibers and natural fibers, materials not illustrated herein may also be used. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.

Claims

1. An artificial grass mat comprising a fabric backing and a number of artificial grass blades connected to the fabric backing, characterised in that the fabric backing comprises a leno fabric having warp and weft threads, wherein at least some of the threads are formed by fused threads, wherein the artificial grass blades are woven into the fabric backing.

2. The artificial grass mat according to claim 1, characterized in that the artificial grass blades protrude from both sides of the backing.

3. The artificial turf mat of claim 1 or 2, wherein at least some of the warp threads are formed from fused threads.

4. The artificial turf mat of any of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of the weft threads are formed from fused thread.

5. The artificial turf mat according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each melting wire comprises a heat-resistant wire core and a meltable coating surrounding the wire core.

6. Artificial turf mat as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the wire core comprises a plastic with a relatively high melting temperature, in particular polypropylene.

7. The artificial turf mat according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the coating comprises a plastic with a relatively low melting temperature, in particular polyethylene.

8. The artificial turf mat according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of the warp and/or weft threads are formed by shrink yarns.

9. The artificial turf mat according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of the warp and/or weft threads are formed by spiral yarns.

10. The artificial turf mat according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of the warp and/or weft threads are biodegradable.

11. The artificial grass mat according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of the artificial grass blades are manufactured from a biodegradable material.

12. The artificial turf mat according to any of the preceding claims, wherein only a part of the backing is woven as a leno fabric.

13. The artificial turf mat of claim 12 wherein a greater number of conventionally woven warp threads are provided between two pairs of leno woven warp threads.

14. The artificial turf mat according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by at least one secondary backing connected to the fabric backing.

15. The artificial turf mat according to claim 14, characterized in that the at least one secondary backing is manufactured from a natural fiber material, in particular jute or viscose.

16. The artificial turf mat according to claim 14 or 15, characterized by a plurality of secondary backings made of different materials.

17. A method for manufacturing an artificial grass mat by weaving a backing and connecting a number of artificial grass blades to the backing, characterized in that at least a part of the backing is woven by interlacing a number of warp and weft threads by means of a leno weave, wherein at least some of the interlaced threads are formed by fused threads, and wherein the artificial grass blades are woven into the fabric backing.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, characterized by weaving artificial grass fibres into the backing and locally cutting the artificial grass fibres to form the artificial grass blade.

19. A method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the artificial grass blades are woven into the backing so that they protrude from both sides of the backing.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the fused threads are interwoven as warp threads with the weft threads by a leno weave.

21. Method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that the warp threads are interwoven with the weft threads embodied as fused threads by means of a leno weave.

22. Method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that shrink yarns are interwoven with the warp and/or the weft by a leno weave.

23. Method according to any one of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that a spiral yarn is interwoven with the warp and/or the weft by a leno weave.

24. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 23, wherein at least some of the artificial grass blades are manufactured from a biodegradable material.

25. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 24, characterised in that a greater number of warp threads are interwoven with the weft threads between two pairs of leno-woven warp threads in a conventional manner.

26. The method of any of claims 17 to 25, wherein at least one secondary backing is attached to the fabric backing.

27. Method according to claim 26, characterized in that the at least one secondary backing is manufactured from a natural fibrous material, in particular jute or viscose.

28. The method of claim 26 or 27, wherein a plurality of secondary backings are attached to the fabric backing, wherein the secondary backings are made of different materials.