Old car tyres can give artificial sports pitches more bounce. Players find
many of today’s artificial pitches too hard. Now Fieldturf Holdings of Montreal
has developed an artificial turf made from a sheet of plastic peppered with
plastic ribbons—to simulate blades of grass—with smooth,
breadcrumb-link rubber particles in between (GB 2348890). The rubber particles
are made by grinding up old tyres at very low temperatures. The new pitch is
said to reduce abrasions and shock injuries when players fall.
Technology
Tyred footballers
By Barry Fox
24 February 2001
