Patent ID: 8263203

Claim:
An artificial turf for an athletic field, comprising: a base; a porous foam sheet residing on the base; a porous backing residing on the foam sheet, the backing including pile tufts having a length of 0.25″ to 4″ secured to and extending upwardly therefrom; and a filler evenly distributed over the backing at between 4 and 6 lbs/sq ft. and supporting the pile tufts, the filler consisting essentially of non-porous, substantially round beads of restricted size profile, wherein the beads resist mounding, repel water, resist compacting, present no damaging sharp edges when incorporated with the turf, and are environmentally safe, the beads having an angle of repose no more than about 30 degrees; wherein the artificial turf retains a relatively constant G-max throughout extended use, and wherein the beads are glass beads coated with at least one of: epoxy, acrylic, urethane, and polytetrafluoroethylene.