UpScapers, the sole approved distributor of InstaTurf for the commercial design build community is excited to announce the first erosion control product designed for both performance and pedestrian-friendliness. Pedestrians can walk and sit on the hybrid turf design without worrying about discomfort, injury, or damaging the product. Unlike rock erosion control products, people can safely walk and mow over InstaTurf without compromising on soil protection.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- UpScaper's InstaTurf is a permanent rolled erosion control product (RECP) unlike anything else on the market. To the uninitiated, however, InstaTurf may appear like many other Turf Reinforcement Mats (TRMs) and rolled erosion products available.
"Choosing an erosion control solution used to mean the choice between premium soil protection and a pleasing, people-friendly appearance. Now you can have the best of both worlds." - Jackie Wiener, Principal UpScapers
InstaTurf is a lightweight permanent erosion control mat that takes a cue from nature to protect soil in the same manner natural vegetation and grasses do. It combines the light weight and simple installation of traditional TRMs with the superior soil protection of hard armor solutions like rock riprap.
InstaTurf started when erosion control industry expert, Tim Lancaster, sought to mimic the soil protection of real vegetation. After finding an artificial turf doormat in a local hardware store, Tim experimented with the material, and the results were promising. It was important that the mat act like vegetation but also allow natural vegetation to grow through the material. Tim began working with the St. Louis-based producer of the mat, Grassworx LLC. The collaboration produced a design specially engineered to protect soil from erosive forces.
The first product, ShearForce10, was designed to be a multi-purpose, general use permanent erosion control mat with a permissible shear stress rating of 10lbs/sf or more. The collaboration also produced a heavier duty product called ShearForce12 to be used in particularly turbulent, high-flow applications such as pipe and culvert outfalls. As you can imagine, ShearForce12 is made to withstand shear stresses of 12lbs/sf or greater by utilizing a heavy rubber core as a ballast and soil-retaining material. Typically, ShearForce10 will be used over a far greater area than ShearForce12, and ShearForce12 will be reserved for the few highly turbulent areas on the site.
How Does InstaTurf Work?
InstaTurf prevents soil loss in a similar way to natural vegetation. The vertical turf structure raises the shear plane above the level of the soil so the simulated grass turf is subjected to the hydraulic forces rather than the soil taking the brunt of the punishment. Underneath the simulated turf structure lies a permeable geotextile fabric that provides filtration so soil is not pulled through the simulated turf. This geotextile is fine enough that soil stays in place, but permeable so natural vegetation can grow through the fabric to encourage local flora development and further protect the soil through the natural mechanisms of root/rhizome development and elevated shear plane.
ShearForce12 works in precisely the same manner, but the soil is further protected by the aforementioned rubber core ballast. In applications where ShearForce12 is necessary, turbulent water flow creates uplift in multiple directions, necessitating further soil protection and weighted anchoring.
How does InstaTurf Compare to Traditional Turf Reinforcement Mats (TRMs)?
InstaTurf is a rolled erosion control product (RECP) similar to conventional TRMs, but with a crucial functional difference: InstaTurf is designed to be as effective as hard armor materials (30-inch rock riprap, in particular) immediately upon installation. Both InstaTurf and traditional TRMs are permanent installations designed to promote real vegetation growth to lend more soil protection and longevity over the course of their respective lifetimes. Traditional TRMs are designed to reach full effectiveness when natural vegetation is integrated with the material, but the crucial grow-in period is treated as a secondary concern. No contractor, developer, engineer, or distributor wants to get the call that the product they recommended, installed, specified, or purchased has failed. Starting over at square one simply isn't an option for industry professionals. With today's more frequent high-intensity storm events, there's no telling what kind of abuse mother nature will throw at your erosion control product.
InstaTurf's biggest design departure from traditional TRMs is in its use of a 3-dimensional simulated turf matrix. Like real vegetation, this 'turf' construction raises the hydraulic shear plane as noted above, but it also serves to differentiate it from the many conventional TRMs on the market. Traditional TRMs are usually composed of fibers woven longitudinally, or planar, to the flow of water. InstaTurf, on the other hand, is composed of vertically oriented simulated turf, more perpendicular to water flow. Where traditional TRMs rely on vegetation establishment to become effective and robust, InstaTurf takes a cue from nature and mimics the soil-protecting attributes of natural vegetation right away while also promoting the growth of real vegetation to further protect the soil.
In short, InstaTurf retains the benefits of TRMs—lightweight, easy to install, compatible with local vegetation, easy long-term maintenance, and affordable relative to other permanent solutions—but InstaTurf manages to circumvent the problems associated with traditional TRMs: a 6-12+ month failure-prone period before vegetation fully establishes, inadequate immediate soil protection in high-flow applications, and poor site aesthetics.
How does InstaTurf Compare to Hard Armor Solutions like Rock Riprap?
Though InstaTurf is an RECP, it can go toe to toe with heavy, expensive erosion control materials like rock riprap and other forms of hard armor. During ASTM D6460 large-scale channel testing of ShearForce10 and ShearForce12 without any vegetation, we found that both products had permissible shear stress ratings equivalent to 30-inch diameter rock riprap and neither failed at the maximum shear stresses applied. Furthermore, as you can see by the ASTM D6460 results below, both ShearForce10 and ShearForce12 performed on par with the much heavier and more expensive tied concrete block mat product. When it comes to immediate, day-one performance, InstaTurf more closely resembles hard armor solutions than TRMs. In the field, though, you'll notice just how much easier it is to install and maintain.
Media Contact
JACQUELINE SUZANNE WIENER, UpScapers, 866-710-1303, [email protected]
SOURCE UpScapers
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