{"66233":{"#nid":"66233","#data":{"type":"event","title":"MSE Ph.D. Proposal - Richard Eugene Harper","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThird generation of synthetic turf field (3G STF)is a\nhighly technical, pliable composite of polymeric grass tufts, woven flexible\nbacking, and elastomeric infill particles that were designed for high impact\nsports activities, e.g., American football.\u0026nbsp;\nThe infill is typically granulated crumb rubber (GCRI) that is milled\nfrom only the outer two tread layers of used tires.\u0026nbsp; The elastomeric GCRI addressed important\nsafety aspects of the sports field and sparked a renaissance in STF\nconstruction.\u0026nbsp; However, issues concerning\nplayer exposure to the GCRI particles and their contents (volatile organic\ncompounds (VOC\u0027s), lead and lethal pathogens such as MRSA), landfill disposal\nof the left-over tire carcasses and overall costs of the GCRI production\nprocess have become concerns.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETo alleviate these concerns, an alternate infill must\nmatch safety and performance while alleviating environmental and health\nconcerns associated with GCRI.\u0026nbsp; Plus, a\ncandidate could come from other sources of benign waste streams, such as\nrecycled PET from drink bottles to non-salvaged components of post-consumer\ncarpet (both broadloom and selected tiles), to remain economical.\u0026nbsp; In addition, the infill\u0027s properties such the\nshape and size could be optimized by statistical modeling to reduce the amount\nof required material while maintaining performance and safety levels in the\nfilled turf.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis proposal outlines two topics of the dissertation\nresearch.\u0026nbsp; First, compare the\ncomposition, bulk properties and impact performance of several waste material\nstreams to the properties of GCRI.\u0026nbsp;\nSecond, determine important infill properties by modeling to optimize\nthe infill itself and possibly use polymer particles with controlled size,\nshape, and other factors.\u0026nbsp; Ideally this\nwork will define specifications for raw material that leads to ideal\nperformance of the final product.\u0026nbsp;\nUltimately, the selected infill candidate will replace GCRI without\nincreased cost, reduced performance or impaired impact safety while remaining\nbeneficial to health and environment.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDissertation Title: DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL SYNTHETIC TURF\nINFILL MATERIALS\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ph.D Proposal presentation by Richard Eugene Harper"}],"uid":"27388","created_gmt":"2011-05-19 12:57:14","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 01:55:03","author":"Bill Miller","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2011-05-31T16:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2011-05-31T18:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2011-05-31T18:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2011-05-31 20:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2011-05-31 22:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2011-05-31 22:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1238","name":"School of Materials Science and Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"10802","name":"MSE_Interal_Event"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1795","name":"Seminar\/Lecture\/Colloquium"}],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}