A playing field surface for active running and body contact type sports, such as football and the like, is formed of a stabilized, flat base surface covered by an underpad, over which is laid a synthetic pile fiber carpet. A covering of sand-like granules is applied upon the carpet to substantially fill the spaces between the fibers. The underpad is made of reclaimed rubber, sliver-like small particles which are bonded together into a thick, water pervious mat. The lower surface of the underpad is formed with widely and regularly spaced apart, dimple-like indentations and downwardly extending, rounded hills that contact the base surface. The hills are separated by rounded indented ridges which are of a lesser depth than the indentations. Each of the indentations is surrounded by a number of hills and ridges to provide resilient dome-like, interconnected, downwardly open pockets in the bottom surface of the underpad. The piles are formed of U-shaped, double bent fibers having bights looped through and extending downwardly beneath a carpet base sheet to form numerous welts. The welts are aligned in parallel serpentine rows and dig into and frictionally interlock with the particles forming the upper surface of the underpad. The playing field surface provides good support for lateral foot movements and resiliently absorbs and disperses the forces of foot and body impacts.
A golf practice mat includes a relatively thick base pad formed of a resilient elastomeric material, e.g. foam rubber, and an artificial grass carpet slidably positioned on the base pad. An elastic biasing mechanism is provided for positioning the carpet on the pad. When a golf ball on the carpet surface is forcibly struck, the carpet can slide a limited distance to absorb the club force, so as to lessen the reaction force onto the golfer's hands and arms. The elastic biasing mechanism then returns the carpet to its original position.
In a method for manufacturing a web of a ground covering having a web of pile fabric forming the upper side and cushion elements attached to its underside in grating-type configuration, in order to simplify the manufacturing process, plastic agglomerates corresponding to the cushion elements are produced from a pasty plastics material from which an elastomer is formable by curing, and are deposited in grating-type configuration on an endless conveyer belt; first a reinforcement web with openings therein and next the underside of the web of pile fabric are then placed on the plastic agglomerates such that the plastics material penetrates the openings in the reinforcement web and wets the underside of the web of pile fabric; the plastics material is subsequently cured by heat treatment and the web of pile fabric, the reinforcement web and the cushion elements are thereby firmly bonded to one another.
A floor covering comprising a floor covering face layer having a thermoplastic lower backing layer and a thermoplastic contact layer that is fusibly compatible with the lower backing layer is disclosed. The upper surface of the contact layer is fused to the lower backing layer and the lower surface of the contact layer includes a plurality of shallow thermoplastic projections which extend away from the floor covering face layer and which are sufficiently elastic to impart skid resistance to the floor covering.
A surface suitable for equestrian and other use such as ball games is formed using a sand mixture which comprises a selected sand within which is distributed in a homogeneous and randomly oriented manner a relatively small percentage by weight of straight (uncrimped) polymeric fibres, the fibres serving to hold the sand together under the weight of the horses hooves or players feet or other users such as wheeled vehicles or implements.
A simulated clay tennis surface has a first region tufted with synthetic ribbons of a first height, and a second region tufted with synthetic ribbons higher than those of the first region. A granular infill material is applied to a depth which covers the ribbons in the first region, but leaves the tips of the ribbons of the second region visible to form court markings of a contrasting color to the infill material.
