A polyethylene composition for preparing filaments and fibers, made from or containing: A) from 65% to 97% by weight of a copolymer of ethylene having: 1) a density of 0.925 g/cm.sup.3 or higher; and 2) a MI.sub.2 value of 0.5 g/10 min. or greater; and B) from 3% to 35% by weight of a polyolefin composition made from or containing: B.sup.I) from 5% to 35% by weight of a propylene homopolymer; B.sup.II) from 20% to 50% by weight of an ethylene homopolymer or a copolymer of ethylene with up to 5% by weight of alpha-olefin comonomers, containing 5% by weight or less of a fraction soluble in xylene at 25° C.; and B.sup.III) from 30% to 60% by weight of a terpolymer of ethylene, propylene, and 1-butene containing from 30% to 85% by weight of a fraction soluble in xylene at 25° C.

A method of manufacturing an artificial turf includes creating fluid polyurethane mass. The creation including reacting first and second polyols with an isocyanate. The first polyol is a polyether polyol and/or a polyester polyol having at least 2 hydroxyl groups per molecule, the second polyol being polybutadien diol. The isocyanate including isocyanate monomers, isocyanate polymers or isocyanate prepolymers or a mixture thereof, the isocyanate monomers, isocyanate polymers and the isocyanate prepolymers having two or more isocyanate groups per molecule. The method further includes incorporating an artificial turf fiber into a carrier such that a first portion of the fiber protrudes to the front side of the carrier and that a second portion of the fiber is located at the back side of the carrier, adding the fluid polyurethane mass on the back side of the carrier, and hardening the fluid polyurethane mass.

This invention provides an artificial turf infill material including a microporous zeolite mineral having a selected gain size smaller than 5 mm and a porosity between 15% and 30%, where the microporous zeolite mineral has a grain size distribution as follows: 90% to 100% of the grains have a size in the range 0.4 mm to 5.0 mm.

A method of manufacturing artificial turf creating a liquid polymer mixture, wherein the polymer mixture is at least a two-phase system. A first one of the phases includes a first polymer and a first dye, and a second one of the phases of the polymer mixture includes a second polymer and a second dye. The second dye has a different color than the first dye, the second polymer being of the same or of a different type as the first polymer. The first and the second phase are immiscible, the first phase forming polymer beads within the second phase. The method further includes extruding the polymer mixture into a monofilament including a marbled pattern of the first and second color; quenching the monofilament; reheating the monofilament; stretching the reheated monofilament to deform the polymer beads into threadlike regions and to form the monofilament into an artificial turf fiber; and incorporating the artificial turf fiber into an artificial turf backing.

A method for producing an artificial turf fiber, comprising: preparing a core polymer mixture from a core polymer and a thread polymer forming beads within the core polymer; coextruding the core polymer mixture with a cladding polymer component into a monofilament, the core polymer mixture forming a cylindrical core, The cladding polymer component forming a cladding encompassing the core with a non-circular profile; quenching the monofilament; reheating the quenched monofilament; stretching the reheated monofilament to deform the beads into threadlike regions; and providing one or more of the stretched monofilaments as the artificial turf fiber.

A method of manufacturing an artificial turf includes creating fluid polyurethane mass. The creation including reacting first and second polyols with an isocyanate. The first polyol is a polyether polyol and/or a polyester polyol having at least 2 hydroxyl groups per molecule, the second polyol being polybutadien diol. The isocyanate including isocyanate monomers, isocyanate polymers or isocyanate prepolymers or a mixture thereof, the isocyanate monomers, isocyanate polymers and the isocyanate prepolymers having two or more isocyanate groups per molecule. The method further includes incorporating an artificial turf fiber into a carrier such that a first portion of the fiber protrudes to the front side of the carrier and that a second portion of the fiber is located at the back side of the carrier, adding the fluid polyurethane mass on the back side of the carrier, and hardening the fluid polyurethane mass.

A polyethylene composition made from or containing: A) from 75% to 97% by weight of a copolymer of ethylene having: 1) a density of 0.925 g/cm.sup.3 or higher; and 2) a MI.sub.2 value of 0.5 g/10 min. or greater; and B) from 3% to 25% by weight of a polyolefin composition made from or containing: B.sup.I) from 5% to 35% by weight of a propylene homopolymer or a propylene copolymer; B.sup.II) from 20% to 50% by weight of a copolymer of ethylene containing from 1.0% to 20.0% by weight of alpha-olefin units and 25.0% by weight or less of a fraction soluble in xylene at 25° C.; and B.sup.III) from 30% to 60% by weight of a copolymer of ethylene and propylene containing from 25.0% to 75.0% by weight of ethylene derived units and from 40.0% to 95.0% by weight of a fraction soluble in xylene at 25° C.

Artificial grass (100, 200, 320) with good fire-retardant performance including its manufacturing process (300) is disclosed, particularly to be used for indoor applications. The fire retardant, particularly of halogen-based type (311), is incorporated within the artificial fiber filaments (101, 201, 301). The backing (102, 202, 302) onto which the artificial fiber filaments (101, 201, 301) are attached, may also be provided with a fire retardant.

A method for producing an artificial turf fiber, comprising: preparing a core polymer mixture from a core polymer and a thread polymer forming beads within the core polymer; coextruding the core polymer mixture with a cladding polymer component into a monofilament, the core polymer mixture forming a cylindrical core, The cladding polymer component forming a cladding encompassing the core with a non-circular profile; quenching the monofilament; reheating the quenched monofilament; stretching the reheated monofilament to deform the beads into threadlike regions; and providing one or more of the stretched monofilaments as the artificial turf fiber.

A method of manufacturing artificial turf creating a liquid polymer mixture, wherein the polymer mixture is at least a two-phase system. A first one of the phases includes a first polymer and a first dye, and a second one of the phases of the polymer mixture includes a second polymer and a second dye of a different color than the first dye. The first and the second phase are immiscible, the first phase forming polymer beads within the second phase. The method further includes extruding the polymer mixture into a monofilament including a marbled pattern of the first and second color; quenching the monofilament; reheating the monofilament; stretching the reheated monofilament to deform the polymer beads into threadlike regions and to form the monofilament into an artificial turf fiber; and incorporating the artificial turf fiber into an artificial turf backing.