An article by Kelsey Mullins on brockusa.com says
after years of research and testing, a wood-based infill emerged as the natural
next step for artificial turf fields.
“Wood may seem like an unconventional choice for
an infill material. And it is! Other organic infills have been made from cork,
coconut husk, and walnut shells, but BrockFILL’s design makes it the first
artificial turf infill derived from wood.
“We expected using wood as an infill material
would raise some questions. Many people are concerned about splinters or chips
that could harm athletes when they slide or fall. However, BrockFILL was
specifically engineered using special equipment during the manufacturing
process to remove long particles that could become splinters. A successive
conditioning process also buffs and smooths particles into a non-abrasive
infill.
“Splinters normally occur when contact is made
with fixed, rough wood particles such as lumber. BrockFILL particles are mobile
and move on contact to prevent splintering and reduce abrasion. Abrasion is one
of the most common complaints from athletes who play on artificial turf fields,
because an abrasive surface can cause injuries when sliding or diving.
BrockFILL was designed to be less abrasive that crumb rubber or other organic
infills.
“Independent testing from Labosport, shown above, uses a machine to mimic the velocity and weight of a sliding athlete. The machine measures the heat generated by this contact, since heat and friction are related. BrockFILL generated the lowest temperature (and therefore the lowest friction) of any tested infill. Infills that generate less friction have a lower risk of causing skin abrasions.
“BrockFILL also tackles another common complaint athletes have about playing on synthetic surfaces: heat. Artificial fields with crumb rubber infill can reach temperatures of 175+ degrees Fahrenheit. This is dangerous for athletes, and can cause burns, blisters, or heat exhaustion.” See more here
