Labosport has presented the first results of their research on the brittleness of synthetic turf yarn in different colours to the FIFA Technical Advisory Group. The testing institute took 30 yarns (11 green, 11 associated white and 8 yarns in blue, yellow, and red, respectively) and subjected these to a total of 600 tests to establish their brittleness after extensive exposure to UV light.

The results show that, on average, green yarns exhibited a negligible increase in stiffness post-UVA (longwave) aging (<1%); conversely, white yarns exhibited a significant increase in stiffness post-UVA aging (13%). Yellow, blue, and red yarns also exhibited significant increases in stiffness post-UVA aging.

As brittleness is multifactorial, in the context of yarns, it appears that stiffness and failure extensions are the dominant characteristics.

Further research has been proposed on how to combine these measurements to calculate an objective ‘brittleness factor’. This factor can be used to assess change after UVA aging. The option of making ‘brittleness’ a performance specification was brought up for discussion.