Method

Surface hardness was measured using a Clegg Impact Soil Tester (CIST) equipped with a 2.25 kg (5 lb) missile and a drop height of 455 mm (American Society for Testing and Materials, 2000b) and the F355 method equipped with a 9.1 kg (20 lb) missile and a drop height of 610 mm (American Society for Testing and Materials, 2000a) (Fig 15). Impact attenuation, as measured by an accelerometer mounted on the missiles, was used to indicate surface hardness and is reported as Gmax, which is the ratio of maximum negative acceleration on impact in units of gravities to the acceleration due to gravity. The average of six CIST and three F355 measurements taken in different locations on each subplot was used to represent the surface hardness of that subplot. A single F355 measurement consists of dropping the missile three times in the same location with a three minute interval between each drop. The value reported as Gmax is the average of the second and third drop in the same location. When using the CIST we report the Gmax value we obtained with the first drop on the surface. Measurements were taken when the surface was free of moisture from dew or precipitation.

Figure 15, CIST

The experimental design was a completely random split-plot statistical design with three replications. The split was wear and no wear. The means of the six CIST and three F355 measurements were analyzed using analysis of variance and Fisher's least significant difference test at the 0.05 level. A LSD was not calculated when the F ratio was not significant at the 0.05 level.

Results and Discussion

For all results in this section it should be noted that this data is from the first two years of a long term study and represent only that time frame. These results will be updated as more data is collected during subsequent years.

F355

The Gmax, Severity Index, and Head Injury Criteria (HIC) for data collected during 2003 and 2004 are shown in Table 1 and 1a. We found that Gmax had a high correlation with the severity index (0.97) and head injury criteria (0.96). For this reason, we are currently suggesting that Gmax should be the main focus when comparing surface hardness values.

Table 1. Surface hardness (Gmax), Head Injury Criterion (HIC), Severity Index (SI), subsurface temperature, and infill depth of ten synthetic turf products.
Treatment 28-31 Jul 2003 8-12 Sep 2003
Gmax¹ HIC² SI 3 Sub. temp (°F) 4 Infill depth (cm) Gmax HIC SI Sub temp (°F) Infill depth (cm)
  • 1Surface hardness was measured according to ASTM standard F355.
  • 2HIC = Head Injury Index
  • 3SI = Severity Index
  • 4Subsurface temperature was measured 0.5 inch below the pile backing.
  • 5July testing performed after wear simulating 36 games. Septemeber testing performed after wear simulating 88 games.
No Wear
Astroplay 75.0 173.5 201.1 78.9 4.2 79.7 183.8 231.3 73.0 4.0
Astroturf 113.3 244.7 293.1 82.2 0.7 102.1 244.0 285.9 78.2 NA
Experimental 81.1 182.2 211.7 76.5 3.6 83.1 195.9 227.9 75.4 3.5
Fieldturf 93.1 203.4 237.2 83.5 4.3 94.4 223.1 259.6 74.8 4.3
Geoturf 101.6 240.2 282.5 96.6 2.8 101.1 234.7 273.7 70.0 3.3
Nexturf 62.1 130.5 152.5 74.7 2.3 70.2 158.2 184.5 80.9 2.2
Omnigrass 41 83.3 198.2 229.7 83.4 4.0 87.7 208.6 241.9 69.2 3.9
Omnigrass 51 72.5 170.2 196.5 78.1 4.9 95.0 234.9 272.6 71.1 4.9
Sofsport 88.8 204.6 238.7 88.4 3.2 105.0 258.1 305.6 72.7 3.3
Sprinturf 101.9 235.3 276.0 79.2 2.6 102.8 236.7 278.7 73.6 2.8
Wear 5
Astroplay 75.7 174.4 202.2 79.3 4.2 82.1 196.5 227.5 72.0 4.0
Astroturf 109.6 227.1 274.1 81.9 0.7 108.3 258.9 305.0 79.0 NA
Experimental 86.9 207.2 240.3 76.0 3.5 81.1 190.1 221.2 75.4 3.2
Fieldturf 95.3 214.2 250.3 79.2 4.2 95.1 225.5 261.9 75.8 4.2
Geoturf 95.4 217.9 254.5 88.7 3.1 100.6 239.7 279.3 71.3 3.1
Nexturf 64.8 139.4 164.1 75.0 2.2 68.7 152.0 177.6 87.3 1.8
Omnigrass 41 89.0 221.5 256.7 82.7 3.8 93.2 228.9 264.9 69.2 3.7
Omnigrass 51 78.3 193.0 222.8 82.1 4.8 90.9 219.9 255.3 71.7 4.6
Sofsport 88.9 209.8 244.2 86.8 3.1 103.8 252.8 299.7 72.6 3.1
Sprinturf 106.6 253.6 296.7 78.1 2.5 99.2 232.0 273.1 73.2 2.7
LSD (p=0.05) 6.1 24.1 28.0 4.5 0.3 8.0 29.2 33.8 2.5 0.2
Table 1a. Surface hardness (Gmax), Head Injury Criterion (HIC), Severity Index (SI), and pad temperature of ten synthetic turf products.
Treatment 1-9 Jul 2004 10-25 Aug 2004
Gmax¹ HIC² SI 3 Sub. temp (°F) 4 Gmax HIC SI Pad temp (°F)
  • 1Surface hardness was measured according to ASTM standard F355.
  • 2HIC = Head Injury Index
  • 3SI = Severity Index
  • 4Pad temperature was measured 0.5 inch below the pile backing.
  • 5F355 testing performed after wear simulating 96 games. Grooming of plots occurred on 4 and 5 Aug 2004.
No Wear
Astroplay 79.4 194.5 225.2 75.2 78.9 187.3 216.8 70.4
Astroturf 129.1 307.8 371.3 84.6 129.7 305.9 376.6 77.9
Experimental 80.4 176.6 204.6 79.2 87.6 201.7 234.3 76.5
Fieldturf 97.7 222.2 258.6 82.0 97.3 217.7 253.3 77.6
Geoturf 103.1 254.6 296.7 92.1 105.8 256.3 299.1 79.1
Nexturf 68.1 156.1 182.2 76.9 68.2 151.8 178.2 73.1
Omnigrass 41 90.4 231.9 268.6 83.0 95.5 250.4 289.7 79.0
Omnigrass 51 78.4 197.1 227.4 81.1 81.7 205.5 237.1 75.6
Sofsport 91.3 232.5 269.9 82.5 93.6 228.3 265.7 78.1
Sprinturf 112.0 275.2 323.3 82.3 113.6 261.1 306.8 74.1
Wear 5
Astroplay 84.4 213.9 246.2 75.2 84.2 204.9 235.9 70.2
Astroturf 128.5 296.4 359.0 86.8 126.0 282.9 342.2 78.1
Experimental 94.9 217.9 254.8 79.8 96.0 230.9 268.6 76.5
Fieldturf 106.9 259.9 303.0 81.3 106.6 247.3 288.8 81.0
Geoturf 107.7 269.4 314.5 77.9 110.2 267.6 312.9 83.9
Nexturf 72.0 172.6 201.4 77.7 69.0 154.1 180.6 71.1
Omnigrass 41 101.3 275.5 319.2 83.3 102.0 273.9 316.8 78.0
Omnigrass 51 88.2 236.7 272.9 80.3 89.2 234.0 269.9 75.7
Sofsport 95.8 244.1 283.9 79.8 96.7 240.1 279.0 76.0
Sprinturf 126.3 316.2 373.3 83.7 126.2 289.8 341.4 75.1
LSD (p=0.05) 10.2 38.8 45.6 - 9.7 35.5 42.3 -

The question remains: how hard is too hard? The following information is taken from ASTM 1936 (American Society for Testing and Materials, 2000d).

"The need for a systematic means of evaluating the impact attenuation of an installed North American football playing system has been amply demonstrated by the current difficulty in establishing the shock absorbing properties of new and aging systems. The aim of this specification is to provide a uniform means and relatively transportable method of establishing this characteristic in the field based on historical data. According to historical data, the value of 200 G is considered to be a maximum threshold to provide an acceptable level of protection to users."

"The test method used in this specification (Procedure A of Test Method F 355), has been documented, through "unofficial" use for testing impact in fields for over 20 years. The development of this 2 ft fall height method can be traced back to the Ford and General Motors crash dummy tests of the 1960's, medical research papers from the 1960's and 1970's, and a Northwestern University study in which an accelerometer was fixed to the helmet of a middle linebacker to measure the impact received during actual play. This study found the impact to be 40 ft/lb that translates to the 20 lb at a height of 2 ft used in Procedure A of Test Method F 355. The maximum impact level of 200 average Gmax, as accepted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, was adopted for use here."

All of the surfaces measured were well below the maximum level of 200 Gmax even after the equivalent of 296 games of simulated traffic over two years. While open to debate, I suggest the upper limit should be set to 175 Gmax using the F355 method A. After two years of simulated wear, all synthetic surfaces in this study measured well below the suggested upper limit for surface hardness.

Clegg Impact Soil Tester (CIST)

The CIST is the standard method to measure the surface hardness of natural turfgrass playing surfaces (American Society for Testing and Materials, 2000b). The device is similar to the F355 method. Both systems have a weighted missile that is dropped through a guide tube and impacts the playing surface. Each missile contains an accelerometer that measures how quickly the missile stops upon impact. This impact attenuation is representative of surface hardness. The two devices use different weights. The F355 method uses a 20 lb weight and the CIST uses a 5 lb weight but has a smaller impact surface area. The impact energy of both devices is very similar; however, the CIST results in a lower Gmax reading compared to the F355. The F355 method also has a velocimeter that measures the velocity of the missile just prior to impact. This gives the F355 method an added measure of accuracy since the velocity of the missile is actually measured during each drop. When using the CIST, the velocity of the missile is assumed. The velocity of the CIST missile has been measured, but for any individual drop, the user must assume that the missile is traveling at the calculated velocity and nothing has interfered with that velocity.

In a previous study, McNitt and Landschoot (2004) reported that under the conditions of their study the relationship between the Gmax values generated by the first drop of the F355 method can be compared to the values generated by the CIST using the regression equation (F355 x 0.66) − 9.3 = CIST. The regression coefficient for this equation was 0.95. Although this study was limited to the Sofsport infill system, the high regression coefficient would indicate that the CIST would be a suitable device to measure the surface hardness of Sofsport installations. After two years of data on varying infill systems at varying levels of wear we have generated the following regression equation:

(F355 x 0.81) − 27.1 = CIST with an R squared value of 0.81.

This equation is applicable to the average of the second and third drop in the same location using the F355.

Using the above regression equation a Gmax of 200 measured with the F355 would be equivalent to a Gmax of 135 measured with the CIST and a 2.25 kg missile. None of the treatments in this study exceeded the 200 Gmax limit measured with the F355 or the 135 Gmax measured with the CIST (Table 2).

Table 2. Surface hardness (Gmax) of infill systems in 2003 determined with the Clegg Impact Tester prior to and after grooming¹.
Treatment Gmax²
4 Aug 27 Aug 20 Nov
  • ¹ Grooming of wear and no wear plots occurred on 9-10 Oct 2003.
  • ² Surface hardness was measured using a Clegg Impact Tester equipped with a 2.25 kg hammer.
  • ³ 4 Aug testing performed after wear simulating 44 games. 27 Aug testing performed after wear simulating 84 games. 20 Nov testing performed after wear simulating 92 games and immediately after grooming.
No Wear
Astroplay 51.6 52.1 37.2
Astroturf 97.0 99.3 70.9
Experimental 61.6 64.8 41.5
Fieldturf 66.7 65.5 48.1
Geoturf 82.0 84.0 59.6
Nexturf 48.6 51.2 51.4
Omnigrass 41 61.3 62.6 42.9
Omnigrass 51 45.1 48.4 29.7
Sofsport 68.8 69.6 54.1
Sprinturf 86.3 90.2 60.4
Wear³
Astroplay 53.9 58.1 44.0
Astroturf 113.5 118.6 78.5
Experimental 65.3 70.8 47.9
Fieldturf 68.5 78.4 57.4
Geoturf 79.7 83.7 65.3
Nexturf 52.9 53.7 52.3
Omnigrass 41 65.8 70.6 50.4
Omnigrass 51 50.3 53.4 38.8
Sofsport 74.2 78.5 56.4
Sprinturf 93.7 101.2 65.2
LSD (p=0.05) 10.1 10.2 3.5

We connected the CIST to a laptop computer and generated both the HIC and SI. The HIC and SI generated with the CIST were highly correlated to the Gmax value suggesting that Gmax is a sufficient measure of surface hardness (Table 3, 4 and 5).

Table 3. Severity Index (SI) and Head Injury Criterion (HIC) of infill systems determined in 2003 with the Clegg Impact Tester prior to and after grooming¹.
Treatment Severity Index² Head Injury Criterion²
4 Aug 27 Aug 4 Aug 27 Aug
¹Grooming of wear and no wear plots occurred on 9-10 Oct 2003.
²Severity Index and Head Injury Criterion were measured using a Clegg Impact Tester equipped with a 2.25 kg hammer.
³4 Aug Testing performed on 4 Aug after wear simulating 44 games. 27 Aug testing performed after wear simulating 84 games
No Wear
Astroplay 93.7 97.6 80.2 82.1
Astroturf 254.6 261.6 217.9 224.0
Experimental 130.6 137.5 112.5 118.4
Fieldturf 147.9 140.8 128.3 121.9
Geoturf 196.4 204.0 169.1 175.8
Nexturf 102.3 105.1 86.5 91.5
Omnigrass 41 131.9 135.1 113.5 116.3
Omnigrass 51 78.9 86.8 66.3 74.1
Sofsport 159.2 161.9 137.5 140.2
Sprinturf 207.3 220.3 177.7 189.4
Wear³
Astroplay 104.6 122.3 90.3 105.8
Astroturf 314.1 327.1 265.8 275.4
Experimental 140.9 162.6 121.0 139.8
Fieldturf 152.6 190.0 132.3 164.6
Geoturf 189.9 207.5 163.5 178.8
Nexturf 111.1 114.2 96.5 100.3
Omnigrass 41 150.9 166.9 130.2 143.8
Omnigrass 51 101.7 111.3 88.3 96.6
Sofsport 180.9 195.4 156.2 168.4
Sprinturf 231.4 256.2 197.4 218.8
LSD (p=0.05) 21.3 37.4 18.4 31.4
Table 4. Severity Index (SI) of infill systems in 2004 determined with the Clegg Impact Tester prior to and after grooming¹.
Treatment Severity Index (SI)²
25 May 20 Jul 6 Aug 3 Sep 7 Sep 13 Sep 16 Sep 29 Sep 5 Oct 14 Oct 21 Oct 28 Oct
  • ¹Grooming of wear and no wear plots occurred on 4-5 Aug 2004.
  • ²Surface hardness was measured using a Clegg Impact Tester equipped with a 2.25 kg hammer.
  • ³25 May testing performed after wear simulating 32 games. 20 Jul testing performed after wear simulating 96 games. 6 Aug testing performed after grooming. 3 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 4 games after grooming. 7 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 8 games after grooming. 13 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 12 games after grooming. 16 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 20 games after grooming. 29 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 36 games after grooming. 5 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 48 games after grooming. 14 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 64 games after grooming. 21 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 80 games after grooming. 28 Oct testing performed after 92 games after grooming.
No Wear
Astroplay 39.0 46.7 52.2 57.9 62.3 72.9 58.2 55.3 57.9 54.2 55.3 58.8
Astroturf 137.6 135.3 139.8 156.4 138.0 149.5 141.7 138.4 148.2 144.4 148.0 145.5
Experimental 58.6 59.1 74.1 83.0 91.5 77.7 77.1 64.3 79.2 76.8 68.7 75.4
Fieldturf 71.9 71.9 84.5 90.0 105.8 94.6 91.1 81.6 97.0 76.9 89.2 101.5
Geoturf 94.1 95.2 105.3 103.7 108.9 108.6 105.8 109.0 106.5 111.0 110.8 113.3
Nexturf 45.7 54.2 53.0 56.8 53.5 58.2 61.2 58.0 58.5 63.6 72.2 58.7
Omnigrass 41 62.0 62.0 64.6 79.3 85.1 82.5 70.6 66.3 75.5 71.5 65.3 72.3
Omnigrass 51 31.4 40.2 41.9 49.7 56.2 58.9 46.4 40.8 50.0 42.8 40.3 42.2
Sofsport 84.3 81.0 90.6 105.0 108.3 109.3 93.1 94.1 98.6 90.2 95.2 96.3
Sprinturf 80.9 91.6 111.5 125.3 124.0 112.8 112.8 100.5 116.7 111.5 108.4 116.2
Wear³
Astroplay 62.3 65.6 78.7 74.4 75.9 78.1 75.5 70.6 76.3 74.2 75.1 80.6
Astroturf 157.2 148.6 161.0 175.1 150.9 164.2 150.0 147.6 161.2 146.9 157.3 156.3
Experimental 80.7 75.9 84.1 88.5 98.1 78.4 89.2 72.9 90.2 89.6 86.2 95.5
Fieldturf 94.2 95.1 101.2 100.0 104.0 100.0 103.3 103.1 108.1 112.6 107.8 114.9
Geoturf 111.4 109.9 113.9 112.9 118.0 110.1 117.6 120.6 120.8 121.4 122.8 118.2
Nexturf 55.8 58.6 61.7 64.1 64.1 64.8 63.4 67.8 70.7 72.6 79.8 69.9
Omnigrass 41 83.3 77.4 82.6 100.4 96.5 97.9 83.1 80.2 90.0 86.7 88.5 90.6
Omnigrass 51 55.3 57.1 59.1 68.4 72.4 71.1 62.9 60.8 66.5 66.3 66.6 68.3
Sofsport 98.1 92.1 99.4 109.2 112.6 115.3 101.4 95.4 105.6 100.4 102.9 106.5
Sprinturf 120.2 102.8 124.3 142.8 140.2 122.7 126.9 106.6 125.5 123.6 117.8 135.4
LSD (p=0.05) 13.8 13.3 18.3 19.4 16.8 12.8 13.3 16.5 13.8 13.3 17.0 15.7
Table 5. Head injury criterion (HIC) of infill systems determined in 2004 with the Clegg Impact Tester prior to and after grooming¹.
Treatment Head Injury Criterion (HIC)²
25 May 20 Jul 6 Aug 3 Sep 7 Sep 13 Sep 16 Sep 29 Sep 5 Oct 14 Oct 21 Oct 28 Oct
  • ¹Grooming of wear and no wear plots occurred on 4-5 Aug 2004.
  • ²Surface hardness was measured using a Clegg Impact Tester equipped with a 2.25 kg hammer.
  • ³25 May testing performed after wear simulating 32 games. 20 Jul testing performed after wear simulating 96 games. 6 Aug testing performed after grooming. 3 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 4 games after grooming. 7 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 8 games after grooming. 13 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 12 games after grooming. 16 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 20 games after grooming. 29 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 36 games after grooming. 5 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 48 games after grooming. 14 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 64 games after grooming. 21 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 80 games after grooming. 28 Oct testing performed after 92 games after grooming.
No Wear
Astroplay 33.5 40.6 45.0 50.0 52.4 58.6 48.9 47.1 46.8 47.1 48.1 51.2
Astroturf 116.7 116.0 118.5 131.1 116.6 124.4 121.5 118.6 121.8 124.7 130.0 125.1
Experimental 50.9 51.2 63.4 71.0 77.5 65.7 66.0 61.9 64.5 66.7 59.6 65.0
Fieldturf 62.8 62.7 73.6 78.4 91.6 80.4 78.6 70.9 81.5 86.9 77.8 88.5
Geoturf 80.9 81.6 89.9 87.2 92.0 87.3 88.0 91.7 88.8 92.3 95.0 97.4
Nexturf 40.0 45.2 42.4 45.6 44.2 47.7 47.9 49.8 49.7 56.6 63.5 51.7
Omnigrass 41 53.9 53.8 54.6 67.3 73.1 68.1 57.6 55.9 63.7 61.3 56.6 62.6
Omnigrass 51 26.8 31.8 34.1 40.3 47.9 46.5 35.5 33.5 41.3 35.0 35.2 36.9
Sofsport 72.2 70.3 78.5 90.4 91.8 92.3 78.7 80.1 83.7 77.7 82.6 83.5
Sprinturf 69.9 88.1 95.7 106.8 104.3 94.5 93.1 84.4 96.5 95.9 92.9 99.8
Wear³
Astroplay 54.2 57.1 68.6 63.3 64.3 64.5 64.5 58.8 62.0 64.5 65.3 70.1
Astroturf 132.5 126.5 135.9 146.9 126.6 135.1 127.8 125.9 132.4 125.2 137.6 133.5
Experimental 69.9 46.5 72.3 75.9 82.5 66.5 75.6 61.9 74.4 77.6 74.7 82.7
Fieldturf 81.7 82.7 87.9 86.6 90.0 84.1 88.0 87.9 90.0 96.8 93.4 99.5
Geoturf 95.8 94.3 97.9 95.2 101.3 90.6 98.9 101.3 100.3 101.6 104.7 101.2
Nexturf 48.7 51.8 53.2 55.3 53.8 54.2 54.1 57.4 59.5 64.6 71.0 61.1
Omnigrass 41 72.2 67.2 71.2 85.2 83.4 83.4 69.2 67.0 74.3 72.7 75.5 78.5
Omnigrass 51 48.4 49.8 51.6 58.4 61.6 59.9 51.2 33.5 55.7 56.1 57.4 59.6
Sofsport 84.8 79.6 85.6 94.2 94.7 95.4 84.7 80.1 87.2 84.7 88.4 92.0
Sprinturf 102.9 88.1 106.7 120.7 117.0 103.3 108.0 89.3 103.4 105.8 101.0 115.4
LSD (p=0.05) 11.8 16.8 15.4 16.8 13.9 10.7 11.6 14.2 12.2 10.8 14.3 13.3

The lower half of the first two columns of data in Tables 2 and 3 is after simulated traffic equaling 44 and 84 games, respectively. The top half of the table is data collected from the half of the plot not receiving traffic. The third column (20 Nov) is data collected immediately after grooming. It is apparent from this data that grooming significantly reduced the surface hardness of all treatments in 2003. This was not the case in 2004 as grooming seemed to have little consistent affect on surface hardness (Table 6). This may be due to the aging of the systems or due to the unseasonably cold wet summer we experienced in 2004. Weekly Gmax measurements were collected using the CIST. The results are shown in Table 6. This was done in an attempt to monitor the duration of the effect of grooming on Gmax values. Our results indicate that the Gmax values of these surfaces remained relatively consistent from fall of 2003 through October 2004. It is unlikely that the effects of grooming last this long. In fact, the F355 data indicates that the surfaces trended higher in Gmax values in 2004 compared to 2003.

Table 6. Surface hardness (gmax) of infill systems determined in 2004 with the Clegg Impact Tester prior to and after grooming¹ but were not consistent.
Treatment Gmax²
25 May 20 Jul 6 Aug 3 Sep 7 Sep 13 Sep 16 Sep 29 Sep 5 Oct 14 Oct 21 Oct 28 Oct
  • ¹Grooming of wear and no wear plots occurred on 4-5 Aug 2004.
  • ²Surface hardness was measured using a Clegg Impact Tester equipped with a 2.25 kg hammer.
  • ³25 May testing performed after wear simulating 32 games. 20 Jul testing performed after wear simulating 96 games. 6 Aug testing performed after grooming. 3 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 4 games after grooming. 7 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 8 games after grooming. 13 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 12 games after grooming. 16 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 20 games after grooming. 29 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 36 games after grooming. 5 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 48 games after grooming. 14 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 64 games after grooming. 21 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 80 games after grooming. 28 Oct testing performed after 92 games after grooming.
No Wear
Astroplay 33.8 36.5 38.3 40.0 41.5 44.2 40.1 39.2 43.9 39.3 39.8 41.2
Astroturf 73.6 72.8 74.2 79.6 74.2 77.3 75.0 73.0 76.4 74.8 79.3 75.9
Experimental 41.2 42.3 47.6 49.3 52.8 47.9 47.7 48.0 55.2 48.8 46.6 48.1
Fieldturf 47.7 48.0 52.6 53.8 60.1 55.7 54.6 51.9 65.2 58.3 55.1 59.4
Geoturf 58.2 58.3 62.0 60.9 63.3 60.7 61.4 62.5 61.8 62.8 63.4 64.6
Nexturf 35.3 36.9 35.6 36.9 36.7 38.0 38.4 39.2 42.4 42.9 46.4 40.4
Omnigrass 41 42.5 42.4 42.8 47.7 50.1 48.4 44.4 44.1 47.0 46.6 44.3 47.1
Omnigrass 51 29.9 31.3 32.1 34.6 38.5 37.4 34.1 32.3 36.6 32.7 33.4 33.6
Sofsport 51.2 50.3 53.6 58.2 58.8 59.7 53.7 54.5 56.9 53.7 55.8 56.5
Sprinturf 52.0 58.1 65.4 67.6 66.2 62.7 64.5 61.5 65.7 65.7 65.0 66.6
Wear³
Astroplay 42.4 43.8 48.2 45.4 46.0 46.7 46.3 44.4 54.9 46.6 47.1 48.8
Astroturf 82.4 78.6 82.4 87.7 74.2 82.5 78.6 76.9 82.0 75.4 79.3 80.5
Experimental 49.8 49.2 51.7 52.0 54.9 47.9 52.2 48.0 58.8 53.8 53.3 55.6
Fieldturf 56.4 57.1 58.9 57.9 59.8 57.2 59.3 59.9 64.1 63.4 62.2 64.4
Geoturf 64.2 63.7 64.5 64.3 66.4 62.0 66.0 66.8 66.2 67.0 68.6 66.7
Nexturf 38.5 39.2 39.6 40.2 40.0 40.2 40.2 41.5 55.7 45.2 48.1 43.9
Omnigrass 41 50.5 48.8 50.5 55.1 55.1 55.1 49.6 49.2 51.5 51.6 44.3 53.8
Omnigrass 51 38.5 39.1 39.8 42.6 43.9 43.5 39.5 38.6 41.8 42.2 33.4 43.7
Sofsport 56.7 54.6 56.7 60.3 60.7 61.7 56.8 55.2 59.1 57.2 58.7 59.9
Sprinturf 68.3 64.4 71.3 74.1 72.1 67.8 71.6 65.5 69.8 71.2 69.8 74.3
LSD (p=0.05) 5.5 5.8 6.9 7.0 6.4 5.1 5.8 7.2 8.6 5.9 6.7 6.2

These data may be a result of the cool wet conditions that prevailed in 2004. Another possibility is that as these systems age and become less resilient, the heavier missile of the F355 method, which takes the average of the second and third successive drop in the same location, is experiencing a higher Gmax due to the heavier load at impact. After maximum impact attenuation of the infill and fiber system is reached, the accelerometer in these devices will begin to be affected by the impact attenuation of the surface below the backing. Henderson (1986) found that a rock can be sensed by the F355 method when it is four inches below the surface of a natural turfgrass playing field. The reason for this difference will likely become clearer as successive years of data are collected. Currently, we are suggesting the CIST as a tool for grounds managers to monitor their field throughout the season and recommending the F355 device be employed at least annually.

The following data is provided to give some reference points for the Gmax values generated using the CIST.

Table 7. Impact values for high school fields vs. impact values for other surfaces.
Surface Hammer
2.25 kg
Gmax
Gmax = maximum deceleration
High school fields 33-167
Frozen practice field 303
Tiled, concrete basement floor 1,280
Carpet and pad on tiled concrete floor 190
Carpet and pad on hardwood floor 134

During 2004, we applied simulated foot traffic to a very well established Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis , L.) turfgrass (33% Liberator, 33% Washington and 33% Touchdown) at the same rate and intensity as we applied it to the synthetic turf systems.

A significant amount of turfgrass cover was lost. On the 9 Jul 205 rating date, the average turf cover was 65% (Fig. 16). In order to coincide with grooming of the synthetic turf, the natural turf area was aerated in August using ¾ inch tines on 3 x 2 in. center and rested for about one month. The plots recovered to about 90% turf cover (Fig. 17). Wear continued and by 8 Nov 2004 the plot area averaged 40-45% turf cover (Fig. 18). This turf area was well maintained. During the 2004 growing season nitrogen fertilization on this plot area was 3.5 lbs N per thousand feet squared and irrigation was applied to prevent drought stress. The soil was a Hagerstown silt loam. Prior to the beginning of simulated wear, the thatch thickness of the plot area averaged ¾ in. The data listed in Table 8 indicate that the surface hardness of the natural turf area was the same or higher than most of the infill systems' Gmax values listed in Table 2. On a native soil turfgrass surface, Gmax is greatly affected by soil moisture. Soil moisture values for some rating dates are listed and were high for 2004 as it was a very wet summer and fall. During dry conditions, we would expect these values to increase.

Wear figures, 16, 17, and 18

Table 8. Surface hardness (Gmax) and soil moisture content in 2004 of a natural turfgrass test area.
Gmax
Clegg¹ F355³
25 May 20 Jul 7 Sep 13 Sep 16 Sep 29 Sep 5 Oct 14 Oct 21 Oct 28 Oct 2 Jul
  • ¹Surface hardness was measured using a Clegg Impact Tester equipped with a 2.25 kg hammer. 25 May testing performed after wear simulating 32 games. 20 Jul testing performed after wear simulating 96 games. Aerification of wear and no wear areas occurred on 6 Aug 2004. The area was aerified with 0.75" hollow tines. 7 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 8 games after aerification. 13 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 12 games after aerification. 16 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 20 games after aerification. 29 Sep testing performed after wear simulating 36 games after aerification. 5 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 48 games after aerification. 14 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 64 games after aerification. 21 Oct testing performed after wear simulating 80 games after aerification. 28 Oct testing performed after 92 games after aerification.
  • ²Plots receiving wear treatments were exposed to wear as eight passes three times per week with the Brinkman Traffic simulator beginning on 21 Apr and ending on 8 Nov.
  • ³Surface hardness was measured according to ASTM standard F355. 2 Jul testing performed after wear simulating 96 games.
Wear² 50.4 70.1 74.8 68.4 84.1 70.3 83.6 79.3 56.3 61.0 88.3
No Wear 50.4 55.5 66.9 66.2 67.4 59.3 67.9 69.7 53.7 54.9 83.3
% Moisture 4
2 Jul 20 Jul 16 Sep 29 Sep 28 Oct
  • 4Percent soil moisture (M³M-3) was determined using a Dynamax Theta Meter Type HH1 at the same time gmax readings were collected.
Wear 29.9 36.0 23.8 35.1 36.1
No Wear 30.7 34.9 30.2 33.7 34.2

2005-2009 Data