NL2005614C2 - COATING FOR PLASTIC GRASS MAT. - Google Patents

Description

Plastic grass cover

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a covering for plastic grass mats which uses a filler with larger particles than has been the case up to now, whereby various advantages are obtained, the most important of which is improved pile adhesion. The present invention relates in one aspect to plastic grass mats comprising such a filler. The present invention further relates in one aspect to a method for manufacturing such a covering for plastic grass mats and for producing plastic grass mats on sports fields. In one aspect the invention relates to the use of a covering with this new grain size profile for the manufacture of a plastic turf. Thanks to the improved pile bonding, these grass mats are particularly suitable for use on sports fields. The present invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of plastic grass mats, wherein the covering is made up of several layers. The present invention relates in one aspect to coatings suitable for use in the method. The present invention further relates to plastic grass mats which are produced by the method of the inventions. In a further aspect the invention relates to the use of the plastic grass mats, for example for the construction of sports fields.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally a turf consists of natural grass. However, natural grass must be regularly maintained, for example watered or mowed, and is very susceptible to damage with frequent use.

Synthetic or artificial grass mats are increasingly being used to replace natural grass mats as playing surfaces, in particular on sports fields such as fields for football, rugby, tennis, golf, hockey, baseball, etc. The use of synthetic grass is highly important because it requires less maintenance asks, can be used all year round and requires less care. In addition, synthetic grass has the appearance of natural grass.

Plastic grass mats are traditionally covered with grass backing compound. With the help of a compound, grass tufts that were tufted in a sling are anchored. Such compounds include a latex and a filler. The latex is usually a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex and the filler used is usually chalk.

In recent years, the production of plastic grass mats has been changed from polypropylene yarns to polyethylene yarns. The reason for this shift lies in the fact that polyethylene exhibits a lower frictional resistance when people come into contact with such plastic grass mats, and thus the risk of friction and / or burn wounds is considerably reduced.

The use of polyethylene monofilaments in tufting is increasing because of their more natural appearance and the lower frictional resistance that they give to a synthetic turf. However, these polyethylene monofilaments are more easily torn from a sling, resulting in damage to the turf. As a result, especially for sports fields, there is a need for improved pole adhesion of the tufts.

Plastic grass mats are already known: a method for manufacturing a grass mat is described, inter alia in document WO2008054613, wherein the backing compound consists of a bimodal latex. This latex can be supplemented with a filler. Increasing the amount of filler typically results in an improvement in the drying time, but also in a reduction in pile adhesion. It is, however, an object of the present invention to achieve improved pile bonding without significantly lengthening the drying time, and preferably even shortening the drying time. WO2008054613 does not recognize any effect of the amount of filler or the filler size towards the pile bond.

In the production process for plastic grass mats, a covering is applied to the back of the grass cover, in particular the sling that contains the tufts. The most important function of the covering is the anchoring of the tufts to the sling.

The present invention therefore has for its object to provide a new type of covering for a synthetic turf, which can be manufactured in an economically advantageous manner and which satisfies the requirement to have a sufficiently strong adhesion of the tufts for playing and sports grass and good to dry.

The present invention therefore has for its object to provide a covering with improved properties for use in the production of plastic grass mats.

The present invention therefore also has for its object to provide an improved method for use in the production of plastic grass mats. The method should be economically favorable and meet the requirement to show a sufficiently strong adhesion of the tufts for play and sports grass and to dry them well.

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SUMMARY

To this end, the invention provides an aspect in a plastic turf as defined by claim 1. In one aspect, the present invention provides a covering as defined by claim 6. In one aspect, the invention provides a use of a covering according to an embodiment of the invention. invention as defined by claim 9. In one aspect the invention provides for the use of a covering according to a preferred form of the invention for the manufacture of preferred form of a plastic turf of the invention, as determined by claim 10. In one aspect the invention provides invention in a method for the manufacture of a sports lawn, preferably for a soccer field.

In addition, the invention provides in one aspect a method for anchoring plastic grass fibers to a sling by means of a multi-layer latex coating. In one aspect, the invention provides a plastic turf made via this method. In one aspect, the present invention provides a latex coating. Finally, the invention provides a number of uses in one aspect.

Preferred forms of the invention have been elaborated in subsequent claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1: shows the influence of the degree of filling on the pile bond.

Figure 2: shows the influence of the chalk type used on the pole suture. 220 parts of chalk were used per 100 parts of dry latex.

Figure 3: shows the influence of the chalk type used on the pole suture. 400 parts of chalk were used per 100 parts of dry latex.

Figure 4: shows the influence of the chalk type used on the pole suture. 500 parts of chalk were used per 100 parts of dry latex.

Figure 5: shows the pile bond, both wet and dry, of a coating applied in two layers. The filler used was PL19.

Figure 6: shows the influence of the degree of filling on the pile adhesion of a plastic turf.

Figure 7: shows the pole bond of a plastic turf with two-layer cladding.

Figure 8: shows the pile bonding of a plastic turf with covering 35 built up of two layers, whereby the dry matter content was kept constant.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to the production of synthetic grass in the form of a plastic grass cover.

A plastic turf typically consists of tufts, a sling, a covering and possibly also a fill-in material.

Tufting are applied or tufted on a regular basis on the sling. The tufts preferably comprise polymer fibers, more preferably polymer fibers from polyethylene or polypropylene, most preferably polyethylene. Tufts of polyethylene or polypropylene can be made, for example, by extrusion of a thin film which is cut into threads and in which the threads are in turn processed into yarns. The yarn can be made by twisting threads together according to methods known in the carpet industry. The yarn can be processed into single-stranded or multi-stranded strands. Other suitable materials for polymer fibers are other polyolefins, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, viscose, cellulose acetate, nylon, polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane. The tufts are anchored to the sling by means of a covering.

A sling consists of a cloth into which the tufts are inserted. The sling can be made from jute, cord, cotton, woven or non-woven synthetic materials. Preferably the sling comprises polypropylene. More preferably, the sling is made of polypropylene.

A coating, also called a compound, consists of a composition comprising a latex and a filler. Synonyms for the term covering as meant in the present invention are: compound, backing compound or grassbacking compound. A covering can be applied as a coating on a sling with tufts.

The latex is preferably a synthetic latex. The term synthetic latex is understood to mean an aqueous dispersion of polymer particles obtained by an emulsion polymerization of a combination of monomers.

Examples of monomers suitable for the preparation of a latex are butadiene, styrene, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, alkyl acrylates, hydroxyalkyl acrylates, alkyl methacrylates, hydroxyalkyl methacrylates, acrylamide and n-methylolacrylamides, an ethylene unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, an a, ( 3-unsaturated carboxyl monomer Mixtures of monomers can be used.

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Coatings from the prior art based on latex and filler such as calcium carbonate have the drawback that when the amount of filler is increased, a decrease in properties occurs, in particular a decrease in the adhesion of the tufts in a grass cover. The inventors have succeeded in overcoming these disadvantages by using a filler with a special particle size profile. As a result, the pile bonding even increases instead of decreasing, while the drying time decreases.

More particularly, the invention provides in one aspect a plastic turf comprising a sling on which polymer fibers 10 are tufted in a regular manner and wherein the tufted polymer fibers, also called tufts, are anchored to the underside of the sling by means of a covering, which covering includes a latex and a filler, which filler is preferably calcium carbonate, and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler, preferably 15 volume%, more preferably 20 volume%, 25 volume% and 30 volume%, and most preferably preferably 35 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm. Preferred embodiments include 10-35 volume% filler with a particle size of at least 100 µm. The use of a filler with a particle size profile with more larger particles than has been used so far proved to be particularly advantageous. The inventors have unexpectedly determined that when using a coating based on the aforementioned filler, an improved pile adhesion was achieved when producing a plastic turf. A covering or plastic turf according to an embodiment of the invention has an attractive durability and usability, so that it can be used advantageously for surfaces that are heavily accessed.

Particularly suitable turned out to be a filler in which at least 15 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm. In a preferred form of a plastic turf according to the invention, at least 15 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

A type of filler for a coating according to the invention is a type of filler suitable for the production of a plastic turf. Examples of suitable filler types are mineral fillers or pigments, such as calcium carbonate, kaolin, talc, titanium dioxide, calcium aluminum pigment, satin white, synthetic polymer pigment, zinc oxide, barium sulfate, gypsum, fly ash, silica, alumininium trihydrate, mica, hollow polymer pigment and diatomaceous earth. In a coating according to the invention, the filler is preferably calcium carbonate. Synonyms for calcium carbonate are chalk, limestone, calcite. Preferably the filler is calcium carbonate.

In a preferred form of a synthetic turf according to the invention, the synthetic turf comprises a sling on which polymer fibers are regularly tufted and wherein the tufted polymer fibers are anchored to the underside of the sling by means of a coating, which coating comprises latex and calcium carbonate as filler and wherein at least 10 volume%, preferably 15 volume%, more preferably 20 volume%, most preferably 25 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

Particularly suitable as filler was found to be a calcium carbonate in which at least 15 volume% has a particle size greater than 100 µm. In a preferred form of a plastic turf according to the invention, at least 15 volume% of calcium carbonate has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

The inventors have unexpectedly determined that when using a coating based on the aforementioned filler, an improved pile adhesion was achieved when producing a plastic turf. Since the pile adhesion of a synthetic turf with such a covering is better, the thickness of the coating could be reduced to achieve a comparable adhesion to a synthetic turf with a traditional covering. Alternatively, the degree of filling of the coating could also be increased and in this way the dry matter. Both result in an improved drying speed when producing a plastic turf. Faster drying means an economic advantage. The production time can be shortened and / or the production capacity can be increased.

Particle sizes of particles such as filler particles can be measured by laser diffraction. A curve on which the grain size or particle size from laser diffraction measurements is plotted relative to the volume number of grains with a certain size yields the grain profile or the grain size distribution of a filler. A device that can be used for the measurement of particle sizes and for the preparation of a grain profile is for example the Mastersizer 2000 from the company Malvern Instruments Ltd. 30. UK.

In a preferred form of a plastic turf according to the invention, the filler has an average particle size, d (0.5), greater than 20 µm and more than 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm. By average particle size, d (0.5) is meant in the present invention that 50% by volume of the 7 particles has a particle size smaller or equal to a specific particle size, for example 20 µm.

With a laser diffraction measurement of the grain structure of a filler, the so-called specific surface area can also be measured. The specific surface gives an indication of the fineness of a filler. Preferably, a filler used in the present invention, preferably calcium carbonate, has a specific surface area lower than 1.0 m2 / g, more preferably lower than 0.9 m2 / g, most preferably lower than 0.8 m2 / g.

The amount of filler used can vary depending on the density of the filler and the desired properties of the coating. In a preferred form of the plastic turf according to the invention, the coating has a composition comprising per 100 parts of dry latex between 10 and 700 parts, preferably between 100 and 500 parts, more preferably between 200 and 400 parts filler, preferably calcium carbonate and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler 15 has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

In another preferred form according to the invention, the coating, and preferably the first layer of the coating, has a composition comprising between 200 and 400 parts of filler, preferably calcium carbonate, per 100 parts of dry latex and wherein at least 10% by volume of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

In a preferred form of a synthetic turf according to the invention, the synthetic turf has a pile bond, wet and / or dry, greater than 3 kg, preferably 4 kg, more preferably larger than 5 kg. In the present invention, pile bonding means the force required to remove a pile from the sling. The pile bonding of a turf can be determined with a routine method. A suitable measuring method is the measurement prescribed according to standard IS04919. Pile bonding of this size has the advantage that the tufted fibers adhere sufficiently to the sling so that the turf can be used for sporting and playing purposes. Another advantage is that the filler content can be increased in a covering for a turf without having to compromise on quality. This is 30 cost-saving. A plastic turf becomes feasible for a larger audience.

In a preferred form of a synthetic turf according to the invention, a synthetic turf has a wet adhesion, preferably greater than 3 kg, more preferably greater than 4 kg. The term wet pile adhesion means the pile adhesion after immersion of the plastic turf in water for a certain time. A plastic turf that is suitable for sporting purposes should also have a good pile bond in the wet state 8. A synthetic turf according to the invention has the advantage that even in wet conditions the adhesion of the tufts to the sling is sufficiently strong, so that sliding or sliding athletes, such as football players, loosen less fibers or tufts and thus do not irreparably damage the turf.

In one aspect the invention provides a covering suitable for anchoring artificial grass tufts to a sling. With artificial grass tufts is meant tufts suitable for being attached to a sling as threads.

In particular, the invention provides a coating suitable for anchoring artificial grass tufts to a sling, wherein tufts are anchored to the underside of the sling by a coating, characterized in that the coating essentially comprises a latex and calcium carbonate as filler, and wherein at least 10 volume%, preferably at least 15 volume%, more preferably at least 15 volume%, most preferably at least 25 volume%, of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

Preferably, as a calcium carbonate source, a finely ground limestone formulation is used comprising the following composition: (a) 92-97.3% by weight of calcium carbonate, (b) 0.04-0.2% by weight of Al 2 O 3, (c) 0.1-0.45% by weight of SiO 2, (d) 0.06-0.45 weight percent Fe 2 O 3, (e) 1-2.5 weight percent MgO, and (f) 0-0.5% weight percent water.

More preferably, as a calcium carbonate source, a finely ground limestone formulation is used comprising the following composition: (a) 92-97.3 weight percent of calcium carbonate, (b) 0.04-0.2 weight percent of Al 2 O 3, (c) 0.1-0.45 weight percent of SiO 2, 30 (d) 0.06 -0.45% by weight of Fe 2 O 3, (e) 1-2.5% by weight of MgO, and (f) 0-0.5% by weight of water; and following grain size distribution: 25-55 volume% particles with grain size of at least 40 µm, 35 18-32 volume% particles with grain size of at least 63 µm, 9 13-27 volume% particles with grain size of at least 80 µm, 10-20 volume% particles with grain size of at least 100 µm, 12-18 volume% particles with grain size of at least 125 µm, 5-15 volume% particles with grain size of at least 150 µm, 5 2-8 volume% particles with grain size of at least 250 µm, 1- 4 volume% particles with a grain size of at least 315 µm, 0-1 volume% particles with a grain size of at least 500 µm.

The use of calcium carbonate with the above grain size distribution has the advantage that the calcium carbonate content can be increased in a coating without adversely affecting the properties of the coating. The possibility of using increased amounts of calcium carbonate is advantageous since it is a cheap raw material that is widely available. It can reduce the cost price of a covering and therefore also of a plastic turf. Another advantage is that a coating can be dried faster.

Calcium carbonate suitable for making a coating or plastic turf according to the invention is commercially available. An example of a suitable commercially available product is a finely ground limestone comprising mainly calcium carbonate with the trade name PL02 or PL19, available from the company Calcaires de la Sambre. The composition of PL02 and PL19 is shown in Table 12. PL02 comprises 25-35 volume% particles with a grain size of at least 100 µm. PL19 comprises 10-25 volume% particles with a grain size of at least 100 µm.

In a preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the coating, and preferably the first layer of the coating, has a composition comprising a latex and a filler, and wherein this coating per 100 parts of dry latex is between 10 and 700 parts of filler, at preferably comprises between 100 and 500 parts of filler, more preferably between 200 and 400 parts of filler. In another preferred form of the coating according to the invention, the coating has a composition comprising per 100 parts of dry latex, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 or intermediate parts of filler.

In a more preferred preferred form of a coating according to the invention, a coating, and preferably the first layer of the coating, has a composition comprising between 200 and 700 parts per 100 parts of dry latex, preferably between 200 and 400 parts filler with following grain size distribution 25-55 volume% particles with grain size of at least 40 µm, 35 18-32 volume% particles with grain size of at least 63 µm, 10 13-27 volume% particles with grain size of at least 80 µm, 10-20 volume% particles with grain size of at least 100 µm, 12-18 volume% particles with grain size of at least 125 µm, 5-15 volume% particles with grain size of at least 150 µm, 5 2-8 volume% particles with grain size of at least 250 µm, 1-4 volume % particles with grain size of at least 315 µm, 0-1 volume% particles with grain size of at least 500 µm.

In addition to a filler, the coating further optionally comprises a dispersing agent, an antifoaming agent, an antioxidant and / or a coagulating agent.

A coagulating agent can prevent inflation of the coating upon drying. In the regular carpet industry only a thin layer of backing compound is laid for bonding the tufts, after which several reinforcement layers and / or anti-slip layers and / or connecting layers are applied. However, for a plastic grass field, and a sports field in particular, a much thicker layer of backing compound must be applied for the strength of the tufts and no layers for other purposes are usually added. If the top of such a thicker layer dries too quickly, the water in the underlying parts cannot evaporate. This leads to bubbles or blowing in the form of mushrooms on the coating. It is also noted here that further aspects of the invention explained in this application sometimes describe multiple layers of backing compound. The multiple layers of backing compound as highlighted in this application have the purpose of forming a global adhesive layer for improved pile adhesion, and are not comparable to the multiple layers such as from the carpet industry, where only 1 single adhesive layer is provided for pile adhesion.

In a preferred preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the coating, and preferably the first layer of the coating, comprises a composition comprising a latex and calcium carbonate as filler, said coating comprising between 100 and 500 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, further the coating optionally comprises a dispersing agent, an antifoaming agent, an antioxidant and / or a coagulating agent.

The coating may further contain additives such as inert particles or other fillers, pigments, dyes, antioxidants, dispersants, thickeners, anti-ozone agents, stabilizers, flow control agents, surfactants, complexing agents for free Ca- and Mg- ions.

In a preferred preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the coating, and preferably the first layer of the coating, comprises a composition comprising a latex and a filler, preferably calcium carbonate, said coating per 100 parts of dry latex being between 100 and 500 parts of filler, wherein the filler has a multimodal particle size distribution and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm and optionally one or more additives selected from a list of inert particles, fillers, pigments, antioxidants, dispersants, thickeners, antifoaming agents, colorants, anti-ozone agents, stabilizers, flow control agents, surfactants, complexing agents for free Ca and Mg ions.

Suitable fillers are, for example, chalk, magnesium carbonate, aluminum thrihydrate, TiO 2. Carbon black is, for example, suitable as a pigment. This is preferably used in the form of a suspension. Suitable as a colorant is, for example, iron oxide. Suitable as an antioxidant is, for example, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline. Suitable as dispersants are, for example, sodium hexametaphosphate, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, naphthalene sulfonic acid condensation products, polyacrylic acid dispersants. Suitable as thickeners are, for example, polyacrylate thickeners, xanthan gum.

A coating according to an embodiment of the invention preferably has a pH between 7 and 11, more preferably between 8 and 9. In a preferred preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the coating comprises a composition comprising a latex and a filler, namely calcium carbonate, wherein this coating comprises between 100 and 500 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, furthermore the coating optionally comprises a dispersant, an anti-foaming agent, an antioxidant and / or a coagulating agent; and the composition has a pH of about 8-9.

A coating according to an embodiment of the invention preferably has a viscosity between 1 and 15 N.s / m2 (Pa.s). The viscosity of a formulation can be brought to a desired viscosity using thickeners, such as polyacrylate thickeners or xanthan gum.

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Table 1 shows a typical composition of a coating according to the invention.

Table 1: Example of a typical composition of a coating according to the invention.

Formulation Number of parts wet (kg)

Latex 180-200

Water to desired dry matter

Dispersant 0-6

Anti-foaming agent 0-2

Chalk (calcium carbonate) 200-280

Antioxidant 0-2

Soap 0-2

Bactericide 0-2

Black dispersion 0-6

Coagulant 0-1

Thickener to desired viscosity

In a preferred preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the coating, and preferably the first layer of the coating, comprises a composition characterized in that the composition comprises 1-5 parts of wet dispersant, 0.1-1 parts of wet antifoam, 0.5-2 parts of wet antioxidant, and 0.03-0.1 parts of wet coagulant.

In a preferred preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the coating, and preferably the first layer of the coating, comprises the following composition, expressed in number of parts (kg): 100 parts of dry latex, preferably styrene-butadiene latex, more preferably carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex, 100 to 500 parts of dry filler, namely calcium carbonate, 1-5 parts of wet dispersant, 0.1-1 parts of wet antifoam, 0.5-2 parts of wet antioxidant, and 0.03-0.1 parts of wet coagulant.

In a preferred preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the coating, and preferably the first layer of the coating, comprises a composition comprising a latex and a filler, namely calcium carbonate, said coating per 100 parts of dry latex being between 100 and 500 parts filler, 13 wherein the filler has a multimodal particle size distribution and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, further the coating comprises the following composition, expressed in number of parts (kg): 100 parts of dry latex, preferably styrene-butadiene latex, more preferably carboxylated styrene-5 butadiene latex, 100 to 500 parts of dry filler, namely calcium carbonate, 1-5 parts of wet dispersant, 0.1-1 parts of wet antifoam, 0.5-2 parts of wet antioxidant, and 0.03 -0.1 parts of wet coagulant.

In a preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the dry matter of the latex is between 48% and 62%, preferably between 50% and 54%, more preferably between 52% and 53%. In another preferred form, the dry substance of the formulation is between 70% and 90%, preferably between 72% and 86%, more preferably between 74% and 80%.

In a preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the synthetic latex has a composition comprising: a) 30 to 80% by weight, preferably from 50 to 65% by weight, more preferably from 55 to 65% by weight of a vinyl substituted aromatic monomer, preferably styrene; b) 20 to 70% by weight, preferably from 30 to 50% by weight, more preferably from 30 to 45% by weight of a conjugated diene monomer, preferably 20 butadiene; c) 0 to 20% by weight, preferably from 0.2 to 3.5% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 2.5% by weight of at least one ethylene unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and / or an a, 3- unsaturated carboxyl monomer; and / or d) 0 to 20% by weight, preferably from 0 to 15% by weight, more preferably from 0 to 25% by weight, of other comonomers such as acrylates, methacrylates, acrylonitrile or amides.

The synthetic latex in a coating according to the invention is preferably a styrene-butadiene latex, more preferably carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex. In a preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the latex is a styrene-butadiene latex, more preferably carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex.

In a preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the synthetic latex has a composition comprising: a1) 30 to 80% by weight, preferably from 50 to 65% by weight, more preferably from 55 to 65% by weight of styrene; and 14 b1) 20 to 70% by weight, preferably from 30 to 50% by weight, more preferably from 30 to 45% by weight, butadiene; c) 0 to 20% by weight, preferably from 0.2 to 3.5% by weight, more preferably from 0.5 to 2.5% by weight of at least one ethylene unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and / or an a, (3) unsaturated carboxyl monomer, and d) 0 to 20% by weight, preferably from 0 to 15% by weight, more preferably from 0 to 10% by weight, of other co-monomers such as acrylates, methacrylates, acrylonitrile or amides.

The synthetic latex in a coating according to the invention is preferably a carboxylated latex, more preferably a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex. The term carboxylated latex is understood to mean a reaction product of styrene and butadiene monomer with an unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer.

Examples of suitable carboxylic acid monomers for obtaining a carboxylated synthetic latex include monomers such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid and fumaric acid. Mixtures of carboxylic acid monomers can be used to obtain the aforementioned synthetic latex. The amount of carboxylic acid monomer used to obtain a carboxylated synthetic latex is preferably between about 0.2 to about 3.5% by weight, based on the total amount of monomer employed, more preferably between about 0.5 to about 2.5% by weight, and most preferably between about 1 to about 2 weight%. Use of a carboxylated synthetic latex for preparing a coating according to the invention has the advantage that the colloidal stability of the latex particles in a coating is improved. This is especially the case when the coating is used as a coating formulation.

In another preferred form, the carboxylated synthetic styrene-butadiene latex in a coating according to the invention has a composition comprising: a1) 30 to 80% by weight, preferably from 50 to 65% by weight, more preferably from 55 to 65% by weight styrene; and b1) 20 to 70% by weight, preferably from 30 to 50% by weight, more preferably from 30 to 45% by weight, butadiene; c1) 0.2 to 3.5% by weight of at least one ethylene unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and / or an a, (3-unsaturated carboxylic monomer; d) 0 to 20% by weight, preferably from 0 to 15% by weight, more preferably preferably from 0 to 10% by weight of other comonomers such as acrylates, methacrylates, acrylonitrile or amides.

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The latex of the present invention can be a bimodal latex. The term bimodal latex means a latex with a population of large particles and a population of small particles. Preferably, the number of large particles (population 2) will be at least three times greater than the small particles (population 1), and the ratio of population 1 to population 2 will be between 5/95 and 30/70% by weight. This has the effect that the dry matter content in the latex can be increased. Consequently, less water needs to be evaporated in production and can therefore be produced faster.

In a preferred preferred form of the coating according to the invention, the coating comprises a composition comprising a bimodal latex and a filler, which filler is preferably calcium carbonate, and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm and wherein the bimodal latex has a bimodal particle size distribution wherein the ratio of a first population of particles, expressed in% by weight, to a second population of particles, expressed in% by weight, is between 5/95 and 30/70% by weight.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a use of a covering according to an embodiment of the invention for the manufacture of a plastic turf according to an embodiment of the invention.

A covering can be applied as a coating on a sling with tufts. After the coating has dried, the backing that is created ensures that the tufts are anchored to the sling. The tufts can be filled in at the top of the sling with fill-in material. Suitable filler material is, for example, silica sand or rubber granulate.

A covering according to the invention results in a plastic turf with improved adhesion. This has the advantage that the plastic turf is suitable for laying out sports lawns and sports fields. A plastic turf according to the invention is more robust because it is less likely to be damaged. It has an increased lifespan and durability. The less frequent need to replace a turf on frequently used sports fields is economically interesting.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for manufacturing a plastic turf according to a preferred form of the invention. In a preferred form, a method of the invention for the manufacture of a plastic turf according to a preferred form of the invention comprises the step of: 16 anchoring tufted fibers to a sling using a covering according to a preferred form of the invention wherein the covering is in one or multiple layers, preferably in 2 (two) layers.

In a preferred preferred form of the invention, a method further comprises the step of: applying a first layer with at least 200 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex and applying a second layer with at least 10 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex. Applying the coating in several layers, preferably with a different ratio of latex to filler, results in the drying time of the coating being improved. The application of the coating in layers results in a further improved adhesion. Applying a coating in two layers gave improved pile adhesion over a coating applied as one layer.

In a preferred preferred form of the invention, a method further comprises the step of: applying a first layer with coating weight between 700 g wet / m2 and 1500 g wet / m2 and a second layer with a coating weight of at least 300 g wet / m2 . The term coating weight means the amount of coating applied per square meter of grass carpet.

In a more preferred preferred form of the invention, a method comprises applying a first layer with at least 20 250 parts filler per 100 parts of dry latex and a coating weight between 1000 g wet / m2 and 1500 g wet / m2 and a second layer with per 100 parts of dry latex at least 10 parts of filler and a coating weight of at least 300 g wet / m2, the filler in this first and / or second layer, preferably calcium carbonate, and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

In another preferred form of the invention, a method comprises the step of: inserting a bimodal particle size distribution latex, preferably a styrene-butadiene latex, more preferably a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex. This has the effect that the dry matter content in the latex can be increased. Consequently, less water needs to be evaporated in production and can therefore be produced faster.

The present invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of synthetic grass in the form of a plastic grass cover.

Traditionally, a latex coating is applied to anchor tufting on a sling in a single layer. Coatings from the prior art based on latex and filler have the drawback that a reduction in properties occurs when the amount of filler 17 is increased. In particular, a reduced pile bond occurs.

The inventors have also succeeded in solving the problem of reduced pile adhesion by applying the latex coating in at least two layers. In particular, the invention provides in one aspect a method for anchoring plastic grass fibers to a carrier cloth for manufacturing a plastic grass mat on which the carrier cloth is tufted on top of the synthetic grass fibers which extend on the upper side of the carrier cloth and wherein a latex coating is provided on the underside of the tufted sling for the anchoring of synthetic grass fibers to the sling, the latex coating comprising a latex and filler and wherein the latex coating is applied to the underside in at least two layers of the sling. The latex coating is preferably applied in two times in the form of a first layer and a second layer. In another preferred form, the latex coating is applied in more than two times.

After applying a layer of latex coating on the sling with synthetic grass fibers, the whole is dried. A drying process can, for example, consist of drying at 90 ° C for 30 minutes on a laboratory scale. In an industrial installation, a drying step can be between 5 and 10 minutes at around 120 ° C. The drying step is repeated every time a new layer of latex coating has been applied.

When applying coating in one layer, the coated sling will be dried until almost all water has been removed. This means that a maximum of 1-2% of water is still present after the drying step. Although a small residual fraction of water may still be present, this is considered dry.

There are the following possibilities when applying the coating in two layers. After applying a first layer, this layer is not dried, either partially dried or completely dried. The second layer is then applied and dried until as little water as possible is still present.

By drying or removing virtually all water it is meant that preferably a maximum of up to 5%, more preferably a maximum of 2.5%, most preferably a maximum of 1% water is still present. Partial drying means that preferably at most 75%, more preferably at most 50%, most preferably at most 25% water is present.

18

In a preferred form of a method according to the invention, a drying step is carried out after applying a first layer of latex coating to the carrier and a drying step is carried out after applying a second layer of latex coating to the carrier.

Preferably, first a layer of latex coating with a high degree of filling is applied, followed by applying a layer of latex coating with a lower degree of filling than is the case in the first layer of latex coating. The term filling degree in the present invention means the amount of filler per amount of latex, or the number of parts filler per 100 parts of dry latex. In a preferred form of a method according to the invention, the number of filler parts per 100 parts of latex is higher in the first layer of latex coating than in the second layer of latex coating. This way of working results in better pile adhesion than with the standard formulation and has the advantage that less water must be evaporated in total during production, allowing shorter drying times and higher production speeds.

In a method according to the prior art, a latex coating is typically used with between 150-300 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex. In the present invention, the degree of filling of the first layer is preferably between 200 and 700 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex. The degree of filling of the second layer is preferably between 10 and 500 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex. In a preferred form of a method according to the invention, the method further comprises the steps of: applying a first layer of latex coating with at least 200 parts of filler per 100 parts of latex, and applying a second layer of latex coating with per 100 parts of dry latex between 10 and 500 parts of filler.

In the state of the art, a single layer of latex coating is typically applied to a sling for making a plastic turf. The amount of coating that is applied in the prior art is typically between 1200-1500 g of wet coating per square meter of sling. The amount of coating applied per square meter of sling is shown in the present invention as coating weight, expressed in g wet / m2. In the present invention, on a sling, preferably between 700-1300 g wet / m2 of a first layer of latex coating is applied. The first layer of latex coating is applied to the back of the sling to fix the tufts. In the present invention, on a sling, preferably between 10-700 g of wet / m2 of a second layer of latex coating is applied. The second layer is applied on top of the first layer, preferably after drying of the first layer. In a preferred form of a method 19 according to the invention, the method further comprises the steps of: applying a first layer of latex coating to the carrier with a coating weight between 700 g wet / m2 and 1300 g wet / m2 and applying a second layer latex coating on the first layer of latex coating with coating weight between 10 - 700 g wet / m2.

A method according to the invention may comprise the following method steps: use of a bimodal particle size distribution latex, preferably a styrene-butadiene latex, more preferably a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex. In a preferred form of a method according to the invention, the latex is a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex with bimodal particle size distribution.

In one aspect the present invention provides a plastic turf or a method for manufacturing a synthetic turf comprising a synthetic turf comprising a sling on which synthetic turf fibers are tufted in a regular manner and which extend at the top of the sling and at the bottom the tufted sling is provided with a latex coating for anchoring plastic grass fibers to the sling, the latex coating comprising a latex and filler and wherein the latex coating consists of at least two layers applied to the underside of the sling. A plastic turf with a latex covering made up of at least two layers has an attractive durability and usability. The use of a multi-layer system for applying the latex coating to anchor the fibers provides an improved pile bond.

Preferably the multi-layer system consists of a two-layer system with a first latex coating layer and a second latex coating layer.

The amount of filler used can vary depending on the density of the filler and the desired properties of the latex coating. The latex coating is preferably composed of at least two layers, the first layer of latex coating having a higher degree of filling than the second layer of latex coating.

In a preferred form of a plastic turf according to the invention, the first layer of latex coating comprises a higher number of parts of filler per 100 parts of latex than the second layer of latex coating. A plastic turf according to the present invention preferably comprises a latex coating with in a first layer per 100 parts of dry latex, preferably between 200 and 700 parts of filler, more preferably between 250 and 600 parts of filler, most preferably between 300 and 500 parts of filler . A plastic turf according to the present invention comprises in a second layer per 100 parts of dry latex, preferably between 10 and 500 parts of filler, more preferably between 100 and 400 parts of filler, most preferably between 150 and 350 parts of filler. In a preferred form, the present invention provides a plastic turf, characterized in that the latex coating comprises between 200 and 700 parts of filler in a first layer per 100 parts of dry latex and between 10 and 500 parts of filler in a second layer per 100 parts of dry latex includes.

The latex coating on a plastic turf according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a first layer with a coating weight of preferably between 700 and 1300 g wet / m2, more preferably between 750 and 1200 wet / m2, most preferably between 800 and 1100 wet / m2. The latex coating on a plastic turf according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a second layer with a coating weight of preferably between 10 and 700 g / m2, more preferably between 50 and 500 g / m2, most preferably between 100 and 400 g / m2. A plastic turf according to a preferred form of the invention, is a plastic turf wherein the latex coating comprises a first layer with a coating weight between 700 and 1300 g wet / m2 and a second layer with a coating weight between 10 and 700 g / m2 .

A plastic turf according to a preferred form of the invention is a synthetic turf where the filler is calcium carbonate in a first and / or second layer.

A plastic turf according to a preferred form of the invention is a synthetic turf wherein the latex comprises a filler, wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, which filler is preferably calcium carbonate.

In another preferred form of a plastic turf according to the invention, the turf comprises a latex coating with calcium carbonate in one or more layers as filler, wherein at least 10 volume%, preferably at least 15 volume%, more preferably at least 20 volume % of the calcium carbonate has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

In a preferred form of a plastic grass mat according to the invention, the plastic grass mat with 1 or more layers has a pile bond larger than 3 kg, preferably larger than 4 kg.

Pile bonding of this size has the advantage that the tufted fibers adhere sufficiently to the sling so that the turf can be used for sporting and playing purposes. An advantage is also that the filler content in a latex covering for a grass mat can be increased without having to compromise on quality. This is cost effective. A plastic turf becomes feasible for a larger audience.

In a preferred form of a synthetic turf according to the invention, a synthetic turf with 1 or more layers has a pile adhesion wet larger than 3 kg.

The inventors have unexpectedly determined that a grass mat in which the latex coating is made up of several layers has an improved pile adhesion. Since the pile adhesion of a synthetic turf can be improved by applying a latex coating in several layers, the yield of the coating could be reduced in order to obtain a comparable adhesion to a synthetic turf with a traditional coating. Alternatively, the degree of filling of the coating could also be increased and in this way the dry matter. Both result in an improved drying speed when producing a plastic turf. Faster drying means an economic advantage. The production time can be shortened and / or the production capacity can be increased.

Preferably the filler is used in one or more layers of the latex coating, calcium carbonate. In a preferred form of a plastic turf according to the invention, the filler is calcium carbonate in the first and / or second layer of latex coating.

Preferably, as filler in one or more layers of the latex coating, calcium carbonate is used in which at least 10 volume%, preferably at least 15 volume%, more preferably at least 20 volume%, most preferably at least 25 volume% has a particle size above 100 µm. In a preferred form of a plastic turf according to the invention, in the first and / or second layer of latex coating the filler is calcium carbonate wherein at least 10 volume%, preferably at least 15 volume%, more preferably at least 20 volume%, most preferably at least 25 volume%, of the calcium carbonate has a particle size above 100 µm; and wherein the first layer of latex coating per 100 parts of dry latex comprises between 200 and 700 parts of filler and the second layer of latex coating per 100 parts of dry latex comprises between 10 and 500 parts of filler.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a latex coating suitable for anchoring artificial grass tufts to a sling, comprising the following composition: between 100 and 500 parts of a filler per 100 parts of a dry latex, wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, and wherein the filler is preferably calcium carbonate, and optionally a dispersant, an antifoaming agent, an antioxidant and / or a coagulating agent. In a preferred form of a latex coating according to the invention, a latex coating suitable for anchoring artificial grass tufts to a sling, comprises the following composition: between 100 and 500 parts of a calcium carbonate filler per 100 parts of a dry latex, wherein at least 15 volume% of the filler has a particle size above 100 µm, and optionally a dispersant, an antifoaming agent, an antioxidant and / or a coagulating agent.

This covering is suitable for obtaining a synthetic turf according to a preferred form of the invention and is preferably used in a method according to a preferred form of the invention.

In a preferred preferred form of a latex coating according to the invention, the latex coating comprises a composition comprising a latex and calcium carbonate filler, wherein this coating comprises between 100 and 500 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, further the latex coating optionally comprises a dispersant, an antifoaming agent, an antioxidant and / or a coagulating agent.

The latex coating may further contain additives such as inert particles or other fillers, pigments, dyes, antioxidants, dispersants, thickeners, anti-ozone agents, stabilizers, flow control agents, capillary active agents, complexing agents for free Ca- and Mg ions.

In a preferred preferred form of a latex coating according to the invention, the latex coating comprises a composition comprising a latex and a filler, preferably calcium carbonate, wherein this coating comprises between 100 and 500 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex, the filler having a multimodal particle size Has a distribution and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm and optionally one or more additives selected from a list of inert particles, fillers, pigments, antioxidants, dispersants, thickeners, antifoaming agents, colorants, anti- ozone agents, stabilizers, flow control agents, surfactants, complexing agents for free Ca and Mg ions.

A silicone emulsion is suitable as an anti-foaming agent, for example. Suitable as thickeners or thickeners are, for example, polyacrylate thickeners, xanthan gum. Suitable as an anti-ozone agent is, for example, N- (1,3-Dimethylbutyl) -N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine. Propylene glycol is suitable as a stabilizer, for example. Suitable as a flow control agent is, for example, an associative polyurethane thickener. Suitable complexing agents for free Ca and Mg ions are, for example, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, often abbreviated as EDTA. Polyethylene imine, for example, is suitable as a coagulant or coagulant.

A latex coating according to an embodiment of the invention preferably has a pH between 7 and 11, preferably between 8 and 9. In a preferred preferred form of a latex coating according to the invention, the latex coating comprises a composition comprising a latex and a filler , namely calcium carbonate, wherein this coating comprises between 100 and 500 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, furthermore the latex coating optionally comprises a dispersant, an antifoaming agent, an antioxidant and / or a coagulating agent; and the composition has a pH of about 8-9.

In a preferred preferred form of a latex coating according to the invention, the latex coating comprises a composition characterized in that the composition comprises 1-5 parts of dispersant, 0.1-1 parts of antifoaming agent, 0.5-2 parts of antioxidant, and 0.03-0.1 parts of coagulant .

In a preferred preferred form of a latex coating according to the invention, the latex coating comprises the following composition, expressed in number of parts (kg): 100 parts of dry latex, preferably styrene-butadiene latex, most preferably styrene-butadiene latex, 100 to 500 parts filler, namely calcium carbonate, 1-5 parts wet dispersant, 0.1-1 parts wet antifoam, 0.5-2 parts wet antioxidant, and 0.03-0.1 parts wet coagulating agent.

In a preferred preferred form of a latex coating according to the invention, the latex coating comprises a composition comprising a latex and a filler, namely calcium carbonate, said coating comprising between 100 and 500 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex, the filler having a multimodal particle size distribution and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, furthermore the latex coating comprises the following composition, expressed in number of parts (kg): 100 parts of dry latex, preferably styrene-butadiene latex, most preferably preferred carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex, 100 to 500 parts of filler, namely calcium carbonate, 1-5 parts of wet dispersant, 0.1-1 parts of wet antifoam, 0.5-2 parts of wet antioxidant, and 0.03-0.1 parts of wet coagulant.

In a preferred form of a coating according to the invention, the dry matter of the latex is between 48% and 62%, preferably between 50% and 54%, more preferably 24 between 52% and 53%. In another preferred form, the dry substance of the formulation is between 70% and 90%, preferably between 72% and 88%, more preferably between 74% and 86%. In another preferred form, the dry substance of the formulation is between 70% and 90%, preferably between 72% and 88%, more preferably between 74% and 86%. The term dry matter and dry matter content in the present invention indicates how much water is present in a formulation.

In a preferred preferred form of the latex coating according to the invention, the latex coating comprises a composition comprising a bimodal latex and a filler, which filler is preferably calcium carbonate, and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm and wherein the bimodal latex has a bimodal particle size distribution wherein the ratio of a first population of particles expressed in% by weight to a second population of particles expressed in% by weight is between 5/95 and 30/70% by weight.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a use of a latex coating according to an embodiment of the invention for the manufacture of a plastic turf according to an embodiment of the invention. A latex coating can be applied as a coating on a sling with tufts. After the coating has dried, the backing that is created ensures that the tufts are anchored to the sling. The tufts can be filled in at the top of the sling 20 with fill-in material. Suitable filler material is, for example, silica sand or rubber granules.

A latex coating according to the invention results in a plastic turf with improved pile adhesion. The fact that the poles are better attached or adheres has the advantage that the synthetic turf is suitable for laying out sports lawns and sports fields. A plastic turf according to the invention is more robust because it is less likely to be damaged. It has an increased lifespan and durability. The less frequent need to replace a grass mat that is frequently used, such as is the case with sports fields, is economically interesting.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a use of a latex coating according to an embodiment of the invention for manufacturing a plastic turf according to an embodiment of the invention.

In one aspect, the present invention provides for the use of a method according to an embodiment of the invention for manufacturing a sports lawn, preferably for a soccer field. The preparation of a large surface of synthetic turf according to the present invention is suitable for laying out a football field or a lawn on which sports other than football are practiced such as, tennis, hockey, korfball, handball, volleyball, badminton. In a preferred form, a method according to an embodiment of the invention is used for manufacturing a plastic turf, preferably a sports lawn, more preferably a soccer field.

In one aspect, the present invention provides for the use of a multi-layer system, preferably a two-layer system to improve the pile adhesion of a plastic turf. With multi-layer system is meant a system made up of several layers. A first layer is applied to the back of a sling with tufts. The first layer is then dried. After drying, a second layer is applied on top of the first layer. This is then dried. The conditions and degree to which drying can be done were explained earlier. A system can be constructed in this way consisting of a desired number of layers. The result is a synthetic turf where the tufted fibers were fixed with a latex coating that was built up in layers. The inventors found that this improved pole adhesion even when a latex coating with a high dry matter content was used. In a preferred form of a use according to the invention, a two-layer system comprising a first layer of latex coating and a second latex coating is used for anchoring artificial grass tufts to a sling to improve the pile adhesion of a plastic turf.

In a preferred form of the invention, a multi-layer system is used to improve the pile adhesion of the tufted fibers in the grass cover in a plastic turf with a dry substance content above 70.

The inventors found that also when driving up the degree of filling, the pile adhesion could be improved by working with a multi-layer system. In another preferred form, a multi-layer system is used, preferably a two-layer system to improve the pile adhesion of a plastic turf, wherein a first layer applied to the back of a sling for attaching tufted fibers has a higher degree of filling than a second layer applied on top of the first layer.

In another preferred form, use is made of a multi-layer system, preferably a two-layer system, comprising a first layer of latex coating and a second latex coating, to improve the pole adhesion of a plastic turf, wherein a first layer of latex coating per 100 parts of dry latex comprises at least 26 200 parts of filler, and a second layer of latex coating per 100 parts of dry latex comprises between 10 and 500 parts of filler.

In another preferred form, use is made of a multi-layer system, preferably a two-layer system, comprising a first layer of latex coating and a second latex coating, to improve the pile adhesion of a plastic turf, wherein a first layer of latex coating per 100 parts of dry latex comprises at least 200 parts of filler, and a second layer of latex coating per 100 parts of dry latex comprises between 10 and 500 parts of filler; and wherein the filler is calcium carbonate and wherein at least 10 volume% of the calcium carbonate has a particle size above 100 µm.

The present invention also comprises a method for anchoring plastic grass fibers to a carrier cloth for manufacturing a plastic grass mat wherein synthetic grass fibers are tufted onto the carrier cloth and which extend on the upper side of the carrier cloth and wherein tufting provided on the lower side sling a latex coating is provided for anchoring plastic grass fibers to the sling, the latex coating comprising a latex and filler and wherein the latex coating is applied to the underside of the sling in at least two layers.

The present invention also comprises a method as described above, wherein a drying step is carried out after applying a first layer of latex coating to the carrier and wherein a drying step is carried out after applying a second layer of latex coating to the carrier.

The present invention also comprises a method as described above, wherein in the first layer of latex coating the number of filler parts per 100 parts of latex is higher than in the second layer of latex coating.

The present invention also comprises a method as described above, further comprising the steps of: applying a first layer of latex coating with at least 200 parts of filler per 100 parts of latex, and applying a second layer of latex coating with per 100 parts of latex between 10 and 500 parts of filler.

The present invention also comprises a method as described above, wherein the first layer of latex coating is applied to the sling with a coating weight between 700 g wet / m2 and 1300 g wet / m2 and the second layer of latex coating on the first layer of latex coating is applied with coating weight between 10 - 700 g wet / m2.

27

The present invention also includes a method as described above, wherein the latex is a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex with bimodal particle size distribution.

The present invention also describes a method as described above, wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size above 100 µm.

The present invention also comprises a synthetic turf comprising a sling on which synthetic grass fibers are tufted in a regular manner which extend at the top of the sling and wherein a latex coating is provided on the underside of the tufted sling for the anchoring of synthetic grass fibers on the sling, wherein the latex coating comprises a latex and filler and wherein the latex coating consists of at least two layers applied to the underside of the sling.

The present invention also comprises a synthetic turf as described above, wherein a first layer of latex coating per 100 parts of latex comprises a higher number of filler parts than in the second layer of latex coating.

The present invention also comprises a synthetic turf as described above, wherein the first layer of latex coating comprises between 200 and 700 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex and the second layer of latex coating comprises per 100 parts of dry latex between 10 and 500 parts of filler.

The present invention also comprises a plastic turf according to the above described, wherein the first layer of latex coating comprises a coating weight between 700 and 1300 g wet / m2 and a second layer of latex coating a coating weight between 10 and 700 g / m2.

The present invention also describes a plastic turf as described above, wherein in the first and / or second layer of latex coating the filler is calcium carbonate.

The present invention also includes a plastic turf as described above, wherein at least 10 volume% of the calcium carbonate filler has a particle size above 100 µm.

The present invention also includes a plastic turf as described above, with pile bonding greater than 3 kg.

The present invention also includes a plastic turf as described above, with pile adhesion wet larger than 3 kg.

28

The present invention also comprises a latex coating suitable for anchoring artificial grass tufts to a sling, comprising the following composition: between 100 and 500 parts of a calcium carbonate filler per 100 parts of a dry latex, wherein at least 15 volume% of the filler is a 5 has particle size above 100 µm, and optionally a dispersing agent, an antifoaming agent, an antioxidant and / or a coagulating agent.

The present invention also includes the use of a latex coating as described above for the manufacture of a plastic turf as described above.

The present invention also includes the use of a method as described above for manufacturing a sports lawn, preferably for a soccer field.

The present invention also includes the use of a two-layer system for anchoring artificial grass grooves to a sling to improve the pile adhesion of a plastic turf.

The present invention also includes the use of a two-layer system as described above, wherein the first layer of latex coating of the two-layer system comprises between 200 and 700 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex and the second layer of latex coating of the two -layer system per 100 parts of dry latex comprises between 10 and 500 parts of filler.

The present invention also includes a method as described above, wherein the multiple layers have a different distribution in grain size.

The present invention also comprises a plastic turf as described above, wherein the multiple layers have a different distribution in grain size.

The present invention also includes a latex coating as described above, wherein the multiple layers have a different distribution in grain size.

Other details and advantages of the invention become clear from the following description of a number of specific embodiments of the plastic turf according to the present invention.

29

Examples

Filler

A calcium carbonate filler that is extremely suitable for making a coating according to the invention is PL19. In this case this filler had 24 volume% particles larger than 100 µm. This number of volume% of particles larger than 100 µm was calculated by adding all measured values for particles above 100 µm in the grain size profile. The specific surface area for the PL19 used is 0.762, the average grain size is 30.9 µm.

Two fillers used for a coating according to the state of the art 10 (12000 and 10080) had a volume% percentage of particles larger than 100 µm of 6.2 and 7.6 respectively. This is significantly smaller than with PL19.

Coatings according to the invention

Coatings were prepared according to a composition as shown in Table 2. The chalk used in a formulation A-F is a calcium carbonate according to the state of the art, namely 12000, or according to a preferred form of the invention, namely PL02 or PL19. A styrene-butadiene latex was used as the latex. The latex has a pH of 7-8. The composition of a coating or compound has a pH 8-10. The desired pH is achieved by adding ammonia, if necessary. With the aid of a thickener, a composition was subsequently brought to a viscosity between 8.4 and 10 N.s / m2.

Table 2: composition of a coating (wet)

Composition A B C D E F

Latex 188.7 188.7 188.7 188.7 188.7 188.7

Water 7.5 0 0 0 0 0

Dispersant 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5

Anti-111111 foaming agent “Chalk 22Ö 2ÖÖ 3ÖÖ 4ÖÖ 5ÖÖ 6ÖÖ

Antioxidant 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8

Coagulating 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 agent

Total 423.6 396.1 496.1 596.1 696.1 796.1 30

Monofilament yarns made of polyethylene fibers are tufted onto a sling consisting of a woven polypropylene layer. A composition selected from Table 2 is then applied to the back of the sling. The composition, also called compound, is evenly distributed with a spatula. The whole is then dried at 90 ° C for 30 minutes. After drying, a composition is obtained from the coating as shown in Table 3. On an industrial scale, the composition can be applied using a lick roll or foam table.

Table 3: composition of a coating (dry)

Composition A B C D E F

"Latex ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ (adjusted to pH 7-8 with ammonia)

Water Ö Ö Ö Ö Ö Ö

Dispersant 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1

Anti- (TÏ OÏ Ö7Ï M M Ö7Ï foaming agent "Chalk 22Ö 2ÖÖ 3ÖÖ 4ÖÖ 5ÖÖ 6ÖÖ

Antioxidant 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7

Coagulating 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 agent

Total 321.9 301.9 401.9 501.9 601.9 701.9

Plastic grass mats according to the invention

The whole of polyethylene fibers tufted onto a sling where the tufted fibers were fixed by drying a coating applied to the back of the sling, forms a plastic turf.

A plastic turf obtained with a composition from the above tables has the properties as shown in Figures 1-5.

Figure 1 shows the influence of degree of filling on pile adhesion, wet and dry. The pile adhesion was measured on a plastic turf where tufted PE fibers were fixed with a coating of formulation B-F. The Figure shows that when increasing the filling degree of the coating (formulation B to F), or increasing 31 the filling degree of the coating from 200 parts filler per 100 parts dry latex to 600 parts filler per 100 parts dry latex , the pole attachment decreases. This can be observed for a wet and dry pile bond.

Figures 2 to 4 show the influence of different types of calcium carbonate 5 filler on pile adhesion, both wet and dry, with increasing amount of filler. Three different chalk products were used: 12000, PL02 and PL19. A grass mat from the state of the art is obtained with the chalk with the designation 12000. A grass mat according to a preferred form of the invention is obtained with the calcium carbonates PL02 and PL19. PL02 and PL19 and are a calcium carbonate filler in which at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm.

In Figure 2, the amount of filler is 220 parts per 100 parts of dry latex. In Figure 3, the amount of filler is 400 parts per 100 parts of dry latex. In Figure 4, the amount of filler is 500 parts per 100 parts of dry latex. Figures 2 to 4 show that a synthetic turf according to a preferred form of the invention has an improved pile adhesion compared to a synthetic turf of the prior art, shown with the left-hand bar on each of the figures. This improvement can be observed both wet and dry. An improvement in pole adhesion has been repeatedly observed with the use of PL19 as a filler in a formulation. Consequently, PL19 is preferred by the inventors for making a covering and / or synthetic turf according to the invention.

Table 4: overview of the dry matter of the different coatings Recipe A B C D E F

Ratio 76T) 76 ^ 2 8 842 86 ^ 5 88 ^ 2 dry / wet

Application of multi-layer coating The inventors found that pile adhesion could be further improved by applying a multi-layer coating, one or more layers of filler comprising PL02 or PL19.

Figure 5 shows measurement results of a covering made up of one or two layers. The coating comprises a formulation with the filler PL19.

Steel 1 proposes a synthetic turf with a covering built from one layer. To obtain sample 1, polyethylene fibers were tufted onto a sling. Tufts were recorded by applying one layer of a coating 32 of formulation E on the back of the sling in an amount of 1500 g wet / m2. Sample 2 was obtained by fixing polyethylene fibers tufted onto a sling on the back of the sling by applying a coating consisting of two layers. First, a first coating of a formulation E was applied in an amount of 1200 g of wet / m2. This was dried. Subsequently, a formulation B was applied to the first layer in an amount of 300 g of wet / m2. Sample 3 was obtained by fixing polyethylene fibers tufted on a sling on the back of the sling by applying a coating consisting of two layers. First, a first coating of a formulation E was applied in an amount of 1000 g of wet / m2. This was dried. Formulation B was then applied to the first layer in an amount of 500 g wet / m2. Steel 4 is again a synthetic turf with a covering built from one layer. To obtain sample 4, polyethylene fibers were tufted onto a sling. Tufts were recorded by applying to the back of the sling one layer of a coating of formulation F in an amount of 1500 g wet / m2. Sample 5 was obtained by fixing polyethylene fibers tufted on a sling on the back of the sling by applying a coating consisting of two layers. First, a first coating of a formulation F was applied in an amount of 1200 g of wet / m2. This was dried. Subsequently, a formulation B was applied to the first layer in an amount of 300 g wet / m2. Sample 6 was obtained by fixing polyethylene fibers tufted on a sling on the back of the sling by applying a coating consisting of two layers. First, a first coating of a formulation F was applied in an amount of 1000 g of wet / m2. This was dried. Subsequently, a formulation B was applied to the first layer in an amount of 500 g wet / m2.

It appears from Figure 5 that the pile bonding, both wet and dry, can be further optimized by applying a coating in layers, one or more of the layers comprising PL19.

30 Coverings for a synthetic turf with improved pile adhesion and improved drying time by means of multiple layers

Formulations suitable for obtaining a latex coating according to an embodiment of the invention are shown in Tables 5 to 7. Latex, preferably carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex is mixed with water, dispersant, antifoam, chalk, antioxidant and coagulant. The whole is 33 adjusted to a pH between 6 and 10, for example with the aid of ammonia. The whole is brought to a desired viscosity with the aid of a thickener, typically between 8 and 10 N.s / m2.

Table 5: Composition for a layer of a latex coating (wet)

Composition A ’B’ C ’D’ E ’

Latex 188.7 188.7 188.7 188.7 188.7

Water 7.5 0 0 0 0

Dispersant 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5

Antifoam agent 11111 “Chalk 22Ö 3ÖÖ 4ÖÖ 5ÖÖ 6ÖÖ

Antioxidant Öï T8 1 ^ 8 Öï ^ 8

Coagulant (TÏ ÖTÏ M Öï Öï

Total 423.6 496.1 596.1 696.1 796.1

Table 6: composition for a layer of a latex coating (dry)

Recipe A ’B’ C ’D’ E ’

Latex ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ

Water 0 0 0 0

Dispersant 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1

Antifoaming agent 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 “Chalk 22Ö 3ÖÖ 400 5ÖÖ 6ÖÖ

Antioxidant 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7

Coagulant 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03

Total 321.9 401.9 501.9 601.9 701.9

Table 7: overview of the dry matter of different compositions. Recipe A ’B’ C ’D’ E ’

Ratio 76.0 81.0 84.2 86.5 88.2 dry / wet 10

Synthetic grass mats with a latex covering comprising a formulation from the B’E series

Monofilament yarns made of polyethylene fibers are tufted onto a sling consisting of a woven polypropylene layer. Next, a first layer 34 coating with composition as shown in Table 6 is applied to the back of the sling. The composition is evenly distributed over the sling with a spatula. The whole is then dried at 90 ° C for 30 minutes. After drying, a second layer of coating with composition as shown in Table 6 is applied on top of the first layer. The whole is then dried at 90 ° C for 30 minutes. After drying, a composition is obtained from the latex coating as shown in Table 7. On an industrial scale, the composition can be applied using a lick roll or foam table. The whole of polyethylene fibers tufted onto a sling where the tufted fibers were fixed by drying a latex coating applied to the back of the sling, forms a plastic turf.

Table 8 gives an overview of a number of plastic grass mats made up of one (prior art) or several layers (invention). The formulation used is displayed for each layer. The detailed composition of the formulation is as shown in Tables 5 to 7. Table 8 also shows the amount of coating applied, expressed as coating weights or amount of wet / m2. A plastic turf according to the state of the art was obtained by applying a coating weight of 1500 g wet / m2 in one layer on a carrier cloth with tufted fibers and drying it completely. This is shown in Table 8 under Formulation A ". A two-layer system was used to make a plastic turf according to the invention. This is shown in Table 8 under Formulation B '+ Formulation A', Formulation C '+ Formulation A', Formulation C '+ Formulation B', Formulation D '+ Formulation A', Formulation D '+ Formulation B', Formulation D ' + formulation C 'and formulation E' + formulation A '.

A plastic turf obtained with a composition from the above tables shows the properties as shown in Figures 6-8.

Figure 6 shows the pole bond for a plastic turf where the latex coating was applied in one layer. It can clearly be seen that the pile adhesion decreases when the degree of filling and the dry matter of the standard formulation A ’30 are increased to a level as in formulations B’ to E ’and only one layer is used.

Figure 7 shows the results of a multi-layer latex coating compared to a single-layer latex coating (Formulation A ’). Formulation A ’was applied with a wet yield of 1500 35 g / m2, being a dry yield of 1140 g / m2. When applying the latex coating in two layers, the yield of each layer was chosen such that the total drying yield was about 1140 g / m2. The yield of the first layer was always higher than the yield of the second layer.

Table 8: overview of the applied coating weights on a sling for obtaining a turf.

first layer second layer

Formulation A '1500 8 tomulalie A' -

Formulation B '+ Formulation A ’930 9 nal / m' Formula B '500 g wet / m ^ Formulation A'

Formulation C '+ formulate A 900 9 nal, m "formula c' 500 g wet / m * formulation A '

Formulation C "+ Formulation B" 900 9 nal / m "Formulation C" 470 g wet / m ^ Formulation B "

Formulation D '+ Formulation A' 870 9 nal / m 'Formula D ’500 g wet / m ^ Formulation A'

Formulation D '+ Formulation B' 870 9 nal / m 'Formula D' 470 g wet / m ^ Formulation B '

Formulation D '+ Formulation C' 870 9 nal / m "Formula D '450 g wet / m ^ Formulation C'" Formulation E '+ Formulation A' I 860 9 nal / m 'Formula E' | 500 9 nal / m 'Emulation A'

Figure 7 shows that from formulation D "+ formulation C" the dry pile bonding is even better than with the standard formulation (only formulation A "), but the wet pile bonding is less. From formulation E "+ formulation A", both the dry and wet adhesion is less than with the standard formulation (only formulation A ").

Plastic grass coverings with improved pile adhesion and constant drying time In a second series of experiments, compositions were prepared as shown in Table 9 (wet) and Table 10 (dry), under the name composition F ", G", H ". As can be seen from Table 11, these compositions exhibit a constant dry matter content compared to the standard formulation, namely Composition A '.

20 36

Table 9: Composition for a layer of a latex coating (wet)

Composition A ’F’ G ’H’

Latex 188.7 188.7 188.7 188.7

Water 7d5 3Z8 64 ^ 3 95 ^ 9

Dispersant 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5

Antifoam agent 1111 "Chalk 22Ö 3ÖÖ 400 5ÖÖ

Antioxidant 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8

Coagulant 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

Total 423.6 528.9 660.4 792.0

Table 10: composition for a layer of a latex coating (dry)

Recipe A ’F’ G ’H’

Latex ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ ÏÖÖ

Water 0 0 0

Dispersant 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1

Antifoaming agent 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 “Chalk 22Ö 3ÖÖ 400 5ÖÖ

Antioxidant 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7

Coagulant 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03

Total 321.9 401.9 501.9 601.9 5 Table 11: overview of the dry matter of the different compositions Recipe A ’F’ G ’H’

Ratio 76X) 76iÖ 76iÖ 76iÖ dry / wet

Plastic grass mats with a latex covering comprising a formulation from the F’H series

Results for plastic grass mats constructed with a latex coating of two layers using two formulations selected from the list F ', G' and H ', are shown in Figure 8. The results are shown with respect to a plastic turf composed of a latex coating with formulation A ', made up of one layer. Standard formulation A ’was applied with a wet yield of 1500 g / m2. For comparison, coatings were constructed from two layers. These 37 experiments are shown in Figure 8 as combinations F "+ A", G "+ A", G "+ F", H "+ A", H "+ F" and H "+ G". When applying a latex coating in two layers, the first layer was applied with a wet yield of 1000 g / m2 and the second layer with 500 g / m2.

It can be deduced from Figure 8 that when the filler degree is increased but the dry matter is kept constant at the level of the standard formulation (= formulation A), an improvement of the pile adhesion of plastic grass mats is possible. However, there is no longer an additional advantage in terms of drying speed for the production of plastic grass mats since the amount of water to be evaporated remained constant.

From the above description of a number of preferred embodiments of the covering and synthetic turf according to the invention, it is clear that further modifications can be applied thereto, on condition that they fall within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims.

Table 12: composition of PL02 and PL19

Assay [%] minimum typical maximum CaO 51.5 52.5 54.5

CaCO3 92 93.8 97.3 Al2 O3 0.04 0.1 0.2

SiO 2 0.1 0.3 0.45

Fe203 0.06 0.1 0.15

MgO 1 2 2.5 humidity 0.5

Claims (13)

A synthetic turf comprising a sling on which polymer fibers are tufted in a regular manner and in which tufts are anchored to the underside of the sling by a coating, which coating comprises a latex and a filler, which filler is preferably calcium carbonate, and wherein least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm. Plastic turf according to claim 1, characterized in that at least 15 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm. Plastic grass mat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the coating comprises between 100 and 500 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex. 15 A plastic turf according to any one of the preceding claims 1-3, characterized in that the pile bond is greater than 3 kg, preferably greater than 4 kg. 5. Synthetic turf according to any one of the preceding claims 1-4, characterized in that the pile adhesion wet is greater than 3 kg. 6. A covering suitable for anchoring artificial grass tufts to a sling, wherein tufts are anchored to the underside of the sling, characterized in that the coating has a composition comprising a latex and a filler, and wherein this coating per 100 parts of dry latex comprises between 100 and 500 parts of filler, and wherein at least 10 volume% of the filler has a particle size greater than 100 µm, furthermore the coating comprises a coagulant and optionally a dispersant, an antifoaming agent, and / or an antioxidant. 30 The coating according to claim 6, characterized in that the latex is a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex. A coating according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the composition comprises 1-5 parts of dispersant, 0.1-1 parts of antifoam, 0.5-2 parts of antioxidant and 0.03-0.1 parts of coagulant. Use of a covering according to any one of the preceding claims 6-8 for the manufacture of a plastic turf according to one of the claims 1-5. 10. Method for the manufacture of a plastic turf according to any one of claims 1-5, comprising the steps of: anchoring tufted fibers to a sling using a covering according to any one of claims 6-8 wherein the covering in one or more layers, preferably in 2 (two) layers. 11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the first layer comprises at least 200 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex, and wherein the second layer comprises at least 10 parts of filler per 100 parts of dry latex. 12. Method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising the step of: applying a first layer with coating weight between 700 g wet / m2 and 1500 g wet / m2 and a second layer with coating weight of at least 300 g wet / m2. The method of any one of the preceding claims 10-12, further comprising the step of deploying a bimodal particle size distribution latex, wherein the latex is a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex.