Geocell-Based Drainage Base for Synthetic Turf
A drainage base system for a synthetic turf includes a geotextile liner disposed above a prepared subgrade, a first geocell layer having a plurality of interconnected open geometrically-shaped cells installed above the geotextile liner, the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells being filled with a drainage aggregate, a shock absorbing layer disposed above the first geocell layer, and an artificial turf layer installed above the shock absorbing layer.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/039,358 filed on Jun. 15, 2020, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELDThe present disclosure relates to a geocell-based drainage base for a synthetic turf.
BACKGROUNDA geocell layer (also known as a cellular confinement system or CCS) is a layer of material composed of a matrix of interconnected open honeycomb-shaped (or other geometric shaped) cells has been used to provide a stable base for pavement, roadway, and retaining walls, as well as for soil erosion prevention and lining the sloped embankment of a channel. One example of geocell product is one manufactured by Industrial Fabrics, Inc. under the trademark BASELOK™.
The geocell-based drainage base embodiment 40 shown in
In yet another geocell-based drainage base embodiment 60 shown in
In an alternate embodiment, all or a selected subset of cells may be filled with a native soil may be filled to, for example, 30% of each cell to stabilize the subgrade, and then a mixture of free draining stone and shock absorbing material may to be added to these same cells the rest of the volume to meet the draining and shock absorbency requirements. In this embodiment, layers of different kinds of media can be used in all or some of the cells to achieve the drainage, shock attenuation, and stabilization objectives, and the cell plugs can be used to strategically fill selected open cells in the geocell.
The geocell layer is a structural layer fabricated from a polyethylene material that incorporates arrays of interconnected open cells of a particular geometric shape (e.g., square, triangle, hexagon, etc.) that have tensile and compression strength when filled with some type of aggregate such as native soil or gravel. The infill material for the geocell layer may be cohesionless soil, sand, gravel, or any other type of aggregate that allows free-drainage. Other suitable types of fill are contemplated such as synthetic polymer particulates. The geocell layer may be fabricated in any suitable thickness for the particular application and installed in panels or strips. The infill particulate for the artificial/synthetic turf may comprise any type of elastomeric material such as styrene-butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, cis-polyisoprene rubber, neoprene rubber, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer, polyurethane, elastomeric polyester and other similar materials. The proposed structure provides a stable drainage base for a region of interest such as a sports field that allows rainwater to easily drain and be conducted away from the area. It should be noted that although the focus herein has been on a drainage base for a sports field, this system can be used as a substrate for many other applications, such as parks, recreational areas, and parking lots.
The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth below with particularity in the appended claims. However, modifications, variations, and changes to the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the geocell-based drainage base for a synthetic turf described herein thus encompasses such modifications, variations, and changes and are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein.
Claims
1. A drainage base system for a synthetic turf comprising:
- a first geocell layer having a plurality of interconnected open geometrically-shaped cells installed above a subgrade, the open geometrically-shaped cells being filled with a first aggregate; and
- an artificial turf layer installed above the first geocell layer.
2. The drainage base system of claim 1, further comprising a geotextile liner disposed between the subgrade and first geocell layer.
3. The drainage base system of claim 1, further comprising a shock absorbing layer disposed between the first geocell layer and the artificial turf layer.
4. The drainage base system of claim 1, further comprising a geotextile layer and a second geocell layer with a second plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells filled with a second aggregate disposed between the first geocell layer and the subgrade.
5. The drainage base system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells of the first geocell layer incorporates a drainage pipe.
6. The drainage base system of claim 1, wherein a first selected ones of the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells of at least one of the first and second geocell layers are filled with a first type of aggregate, and a second selected ones of the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells of at least one of the first and second geocell layers are filled with a second type of aggregate.
7. A method of installing a drainage base for a synthetic turf, comprising:
- installing a first geocell layer having a plurality of interconnected open geometrically-shaped cells above a subgrade;
- filling the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells with an aggregate with excellent drainage properties; and
- installing an artificial turf layer above the first geocell layer.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising installing a geotextile liner between the subgrade and the first geocell layer.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising installing a shock absorbing layer between the first geocell layer and the artificial turf layer.
10. The method of claim 7, further comprising installing a geotextile layer and a second geocell layer having a plurality of interconnected open geometrically-shaped cells filled with native soil between the first geocell layer and the subgrade.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein installing the first geocell layer comprises installing a drainage pipe.
12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
- blocking selected ones of the plurality of the open geometrically-shaped cells in the geocell layer;
- filling remaining unblocked open geometrically-shaped cells in the geocell layer with a first type of aggregate;
- unblocking the selected ones of the plurality of the open geometrically-shaped cells in the geocell layer; and
- filling the now unblocked open geometrically-shaped cells in the geocell layer with a second type of aggregate;
13. The method of claim 12, wherein blocking selected ones of the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells in the geocell layer comprises inserting a plurality of cell plugs in the selected cells.
14. A drainage base system comprising:
- a geotextile liner disposed above a prepared subgrade;
- a first geocell layer having a plurality of interconnected open geometrically-shaped cells installed above the geotextile liner, the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells being filled with a drainage aggregate;
- a shock absorbing layer disposed above the first geocell layer; and
- an artificial turf layer installed above the shock absorbing layer.
15. The drainage base system of claim 14, further comprising a second geocell layer having a plurality of interconnected open geometrically-shaped cells filled with native soil disposed between the first geocell layer and the geotextile liner.
16. The drainage base system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of interconnected open geometrically-shaped cells of the first geocell layer incorporates a drainage structure.
17. The drainage base system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of interconnected open geometrically-shaped cells of the first geocell layer incorporates a network of drainage pipes.
18. The drainage base system of claim 14, wherein a first selected ones of the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells of at least one of the first geocell layer are filled with a first type of aggregate, and a second selected ones of the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells of the first geocell layer are filled with a second type of aggregate.
19. The drainage base system of claim 15, wherein a first selected ones of the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells of at least one of the first and second geocell layers are filled with a first type of aggregate, and a second selected ones of the plurality of open geometrically-shaped cells of at least one of the first and second geocell layers are filled with a second type of aggregate.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 23, 2021
Publication Date: Dec 16, 2021
Inventors: Jason Warren Bell (Mount Pleasant, TX), Kelly Clark (Mount Pleasant, TX)
Application Number: 17/239,517