SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/49194
seaming which requires a certain skill and dexterity that can be compromised by lower temperatures. "As it relates to adhesives versus sewing, each have their own issues with tempera- ture extremes. Clearly the chemistry of a particular adhesive can be affected by colder temperatures and or rapid swings in temperature from cold to warm or warm to cold," he says. "These can affect cure time and the ultimate long-term strength of the bond. It is critical that the right glue be used for the particular situation. "Sewing is not immune however. I have seen needles get brittle and break in cold temperatures. This could be attributable to the metal getting cold, or the carpet materi- als getting harder as the temperature drops. There is nothing that slows a job down like a broken sewing machine. "The answer to what is recommended really comes down to the selected system and the particular installer. Different carpet and backing systems are meant to work with chemical bonds and certain systems are meant to have mechanical bonds. In a perfect world the answer is really a combi- nation of the two. Given the choice I really like a butt-sewn seam with a heat activated or other adhesive and cordura fabric," says Maguire. Darren Gill is vice president of global marketing for FieldTurf. He says, "Field- Turf operates in over 40 countries around the world with some of the harshest cli- mates. We have taken every possible step to ensure that we can install our product, no matter the temperature. Specifically, Field- Turf utilizes "hot melt" adhesion and bond- ing technology; the adhesive is heated and applied at 300-350 degrees F . . . virtually there is no limit to ambient temperatures for successful adhesion. Regarding how cold weather can affect installation time lines, Gill says, "Other than the human resource factor, requiring additional personal protection equipment (gloves, coats, foul weather gear) there are no limits. "From a base construction stand point, freezing is the threshold for concrete place- ment, grading of earthen materials and ag- gregate moisture content for long term performance," he says. "From an adhesive stand point, the FieldTurf fully sewn and hot melt adhesive technology has no limits other than precipitation. "Many other turf companies use 'cold applied' adhesive; these products are highly susceptible to failure due to ambient tem- peratures, humidity, moisture, freeze/ thaw and other variables from nature," Gill says. "It is not advisable to use 'cold adhesives' in ambient temperatures less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit, high humidity or wet condi- tions. "Sewing seams in cold weather [below freezing] can be challenging as the sew nee- dles break more often; a properly sewn seam will virtually never release in any weather conditions. When applied in cold/wet weather cold adhesives have had issues with bonding and are not recom- mended for use below 45 degrees," Gill says. "We believe that fields that are not sewn and are glued in their entirety have more than 1 mile or 5,280 feet of seams, the long term performance and risk is cer- tainly compromised." ■ www.stma.org SportsTurf 21