2. Sand Mick Higgins Technical Sales Manager
Gresskurs
Seminar 11th January 2015
Mick Higgins
Technical Sales Manager
Sports & Leisure (Northern Europe)

3. Mick Higgins
Engineering / metal fabrication / foundry Technical and Quality Manager (Competitor sand quarry) Introduced “Dunlop Sports Sands” in UK Technical and Quality Manager (Rufford) Technical Manager Sports & Leisure (Sibelco) UK Technical Manager Sports & Leisure (Sibelco) N Europe Russia – Australia – USA – Brazil – Asia ….

4. Selection of rebuild projects UK
St Andrews – (Castle Course) St Andrews Bay Loch Lomond The Belfry Queenwood Wentworth (West Course) Royal Mid Surrey St Mellion Long Ashton Roehampton Astbury Hall Okehampton

5. Selection of rebuild projects UK
Manchester United FC – (Old Trafford) – main pitch and training facility
Manchester City FC – (Etihad Stadium) - main pitch and new +£250M training facility
Arsenal FC – (Emirates Stadium) – main pitch and training facility
Wembley Stadium - main pitch
London Olympics 2012
Twickenham RFU – main pitch
Milton Keynes FC – (MK Dons) - main pitch
Burnley FC – (Turf Moor) - main pitch
Aston Villa FC – (Villa Park) main pitch and training facility
Huddersfield Town FC – (John Smiths’s Stadium) main pitch
West Bromwich Albion FC – (The Hawthorns) main pitch and training facility
Leicester City FC – (King Power Stadium) main pitch
Tottenham Hotspur FC – (White Hart Lane) - main pitch + Training facility
Chelsea FC (Stamford Bridge) – Main pitch and Cobham training facility
Newcastle United FC - training pitches
Everton FC – (Goodison Park) main pitch and training pitches
Liverpool FC - training pitches
QPR FC – (Loftus Road) – main pitch and training facility
Hamilton Academical FC – (New Douglas Park) main pitch
Celtic FC – (Celtic Park) main pitch
Rangers FC – (Ibrox Stadium) main pitch
Hull Kingston Rovers – (Craven Park Stadium) main pitch

6. 230 Sibelco manufacturing sites worldwide

7. Sands are not all the same

8. Sand

9. Sand Beer glass / beer bottle / windows Bricks Concrete
Cement manufacture
Roads (Asphalt)
Airport runways
Foundry (metal casting)
Water filtration
Electrical cables
Fibreglass
Insulation
Paint
Toothpaste
Train and trams
Oil and gas extraction
Sports & Leisure

10. What is sand? Inorganic mineral fraction 2.0mm and 0.063mm
(irrespective of mineral composition)
2.0mm and 0.063mm
Gravel > 2.0mm
Sand < 2.0mm and > 0.063mm
Silt < 0.063mm and > 0.001mm
Clay < 0.001mm
Specification = 0 - 2mm ?

11. Sand, silt and clay Sand (2.0mm - 0.063mm)
Increasing sand content can :
Reduce water retention, increases water movement, help in achieving firm stable surface and reduce compaction
Silt (0.063mm mm)
Increasing silt content can :
Increase water retention, reduce water movement and increase compaction
Clay (< 0.001mm)
Increasing clay content can :
Greatly increase water retention, severely reduce water movement and increase compaction

12. Sand grains under a microscope

13. Sand grains under a microscope

14. Grain shape

15. Particle Size Distribution Analysis
Category size (mm) Very coarse sand mm Coarse sand mm Medium sand mm Fine sand mm ( ) Very fine sand mm ( ) Silt/clay mm (0.053) If sample contains clay and/or organic material then it must be washed before sieving

16. Sand grain sizes
Reducing diameter by half
reduces volume by 8 times

17. Finer particles control performance
The pore spaces are all connected to form tunnels or channels
It is these channels which allow water and air to move through a rootzone

18. Sand particle distribution
uniform distribution mixed particle distribution
This can be measured using “D” Values
Lower values = more uniform

19. D Value
D90 = 0.440mm
D10 = 0.187mm
D90/D10 = 2.4

20. Number of sand particles in 1g
category size particles
Very coarse sand 1.000mm
Coarse sand mm 720
Medium sand mm ,700
Fine sand mm ,000
Very fine sand mm ,000
Silt mm 5,766,000
Clay < 0.002mm ,260,853,000

21. Porosity (volume of space between particles)
Which has the highest porosity?
Gravel
Fine Sand

22. Importance of porosity size
Macropores (>75 microns) air-filled Micropores (<75 microns) water-filled It is important to have the correct balance of air filled to water filled porosity Grain size and particle distribution will dictate pore size

23. Golf putting green rootzones

24. What is the ideal rootzone mix ?
90/10, 80/20, 70/30, USGA ??
Coarse Sand, Medium Sand, etc…
Physical properties to meet expectations
Maintenance budgets
Compatibility / consistency
Other amendments…

25. Golf Putting Green - Rootzone
Construction method - gravel carpet - drain lines USGA Rootzone Alternative Rootzone mixes Types of organic amendment - Peat - Compost - Soil

26. Importance of correct pH
pH range 1 to 14
- below 7 is acidic
- above 7 is alkaline
- 7 is neutral
Microbial activity is reduced when pH is outside
“ideal range” for fine turf - approx
Thatch will take longer to breakdown if pH is outside ideal range
Most common turf diseases are more active at higher pH levels
- Take-all Patch Disease (Gaeumannomyces graminis)
- Fusarium Patch Disease (Microdochium nivale)
Lime (Calcium) will increase pH
Plant nutrient availability is affected by pH

27. pH and nutrient availability

28. Summary The smaller the pore size the more tightly water is held
Reduction in rootzone depth increases water filled porosity at the surface
It is the grain size and distribution of sizes which effects the porosity
Compaction reduces pore size
Blend ratio should not be relied upon to determine suitability for use
Proper maintenance is essential
A typical USGA golf green can hold over 60 tonnes of water when saturated