What are Alternative Base Systems and why might they be appropriate for your project?

1. Brock Education Seminar 2013Synthetic Sports FieldsTrends, Technology and how Science Meets Mother NatureALTERNATIVE BASE SYSTEMSbyJohn J. Amato, P.E.

2. What are Alternative Base Systems and why might they be appropriate for your project?

3. Alternative Base Systems are synthetic turf field section components which provide: structural support and or resilient performance and or drainage capacity and or improved planarityfor the synthetic turf cross-section.They can be pre-manufactured or manufactured in the field.

4. Alternative Base Systems are manufactured in many shapes, sizes and made from many different materials which include materials such as: bound SBR rubber closed-cell polyethylene injection molded polypropylene injection molded copolymer polypropylene molded closed-cell cross linked polyethylene  injection molded copolymer polypropylene injection molded HDPE

5. These products depending on there material composition and cross-section provide varying degrees of resilient characteristics and drainage performance.Some provide high drainage capacity and limited impact attenuation.Some provide great impact attenuation and limited drainage performance.Few provide a solid balance of both impact attenuation and drainage performance.

6. Many of these products were originally manufactured to provide different functions, such as closed cell polyethylene floor and sound padding, when perforated was used as one of the earliest base systems for Astroturf.Another example are foundation drainage products now used as drainage base products providing limited impact attenuation.The most important products in Alternative Base Systems are the Engineered Alternative Base Systems designed and manufactured with specific cross-sections and materials in order to provide consistent, uniform and predicable performance.

7. Many Alternative Base System products are Green Products. Comprised of repurposed or recycled materials. For example: bound SBR rubber is manufactured for recycled crumb rubber from car, truck and industrial sources recycled injection molded HDPE repurposed closed-cell cross linked polyethylene Some products can be reused for multiple synthetic turf surface installations. This decreases net material disposal and new material needs.Some products such as Brock Power Base can be recycled at the end of life into new uses.

8. Why might a designer or Owner want to consider one?Sometimes it starts here.“Of course I’ve built a turf field before. Lot’s of them!”

9. And ends here.

10. Or worse, here.

11. Unfortunately it is far more complex than contractor inexperience, low bid procurement laws, and less than honest contractors.

12. The need for Alternative Base Systems starts here.

13. Or maybe here.

14. And here.

15. And ends here with poor material selection, installed in thicknesses that are inappropriate, contaminated with unsuitable soils, and over compacted.

16. Not all rocks and minerals are the same.

17. Most engineers and designers have a handle on the definition of the Mohs Scale:Mohs Scale: a scale of hardness used in classifying minerals. It runs from 1 to 10 using a series of reference minerals, and a position on the scale depends on the ability to scratch minerals rated lower.Few even know of Fracture Toughness:Fracture Toughness : the ability of a material containing a crack to resist fracture when loaded or worked.

18. Rocks all also have different shape, crushing characteristics, weather characteristic and varying resistance to different environmental chemicals.These affect their performance and have the potential to add Riskto a project.

19. Stone and minerals that have flat elongated plate like structure tend to cause layering and also are more apt to crush or break under loading

20. Some materials have different physical characteristics within differing aggregate size ranges.

21. Stone with minerals such as mica, feldspar and biotite tend to be platy and weak and crush or break under low loading

22. Available material within a region, designer knowledge, contractor experience, existing site soils, groundwater, permit requirements, schedules, and performance requirements can all contribute to the need or advantage in using an engineered Resilient/Drainage pad in your project.

23. Generally Engineered Resilient/Drainage Pads replace the top inch of the base stone system with a consistent reliable and predictable surface. Positive physical characteristics include: Provides a uniform section with measurable drainage performance Provides uniform supplemental resiliency to the infill allowing a suitable and reliable player/surface performance With an impermeable liner provides the ability to use less costly stone base material Provides the potential to allow for a less costly replacement at end of life

24. Pre-manufactured resilient drainage pads have factory installed perforations, channels and or pores that allow a consistent measureable flow per liner foot at a given slope:

25. Provides uniform supplemental resiliency to the infill allowing a decrease in pile height and infill depth :

26. With an impermeable liner placed directly below the pad subsurface moisture content can be controlled and less expensive stone base materials can be used:

27. Provides the option for less material in the turf system above the pad the potential to allow for a less costly replacement at end of life, A GREENER solution:

28. Biomechanically a good quality pad system with a properly designed infill synthetic turf system will have a positive impact on physical characteristics such as: G-max values more in-line with high quality natural turf: 80 to 100 Force reduction values within FIFA 2 Star range: 60 to 70 Deformation values within FIFA 2 Star range: 4mm to 10mm

29. Industry innovations are providing more opportunities for designers to streamline installation. New system combines the function of a trench drain and collector into a single unit:

30. Infill Turf Systems with Engineered Resilient/Drainage Pad Bases provide the Engineer, Owner and Turf Vendor with: product quality control reliable and predictable impact attenuation reliable and predictable drainage performance efficient use of materials and the elimination expensive base stone improved life cycle and system efficiencies improved player surface performance characteristics

31. Thank you.