Testing
We select and conduct tests that best suit your needs and those of your product, utilizing our wide range of equipment to ensure its quality and safety.
Objective. Knowing the performance of an synthetic grass after 20 years.
Our customer wants to know the quality of different types of synthetic grass and see how they will perform in a real environment over time to ensure their quality throughout their lifetime. They ask us to know how they are going to perform in 20 years, but in an accelerated way so that they can bring their products to market as soon as possible.
Solution. Tests for friction wear, solar radiation, temperature and humidity changes, chlorine resistance, color and dimensions.
In this project, the solution we proposed was to carry out accelerated aging tests. First of all, we carried out a review of the most important ISO standards, as well as the working conditions according to the climate of the area where these synthetic grass were to be installed in the future.
We began with a detailed characterization of the synthetic grass fibers, to identify the differences in their composition and properties when compared to a standard reference. For that purpose, we carried out the following analyses:
- Espectroscopía Infrarroja (IR)
- Observación y medición de anchura mediante microscopía.
We perform accelerated aging tests, in some cases according to ISO standards and in others according to internal specifications provided by the client. In addition, we develop ad-hoc tests to simulate more accurately the specific conditions to which the synthetic grass will be exposed during its useful life.
In the solar radiation aging test, we used UV exposure equipment to subject the fibers to ultraviolet radiation for a controlled period of time. This procedure allowed us to evaluate the wear and deterioration of the fibers caused by sunlight.
In the friction wear test, we used a TABER abrasion tester, which allows us to standardize parameters such as applied pressure, number of cycles and type of abrasive agent. This provided us with an accurate assessment of the resistance to mechanical frictional wear.
For temperature and humidity resistance tests, we use a climatic chamber designed to simulate extreme environmental conditions, such as high temperatures and high humidity.
In thermal shock tests, we evaluate resistance to sudden changes in temperature and use a thermal shock machine that subjects fibers to rapid transitions between extreme temperature and temperature extremes.
Other tests we subjected the fibers to included chlorine, hot water and slip resistance.
A key aspect of this project was the thorough documentation of each test with images and the analysis of color changes before and after the evaluations.
