Patent ID: 8043689

Claim:
A turf reinforcement mat, comprising: two sets of tri-lobal filament yarns interwoven in substantially perpendicular direction to each other, each of the tri-lobal filament yarns having heat shrinkage characteristics such that, upon heating, the turf reinforcement mat forms a three-dimensional, cuspated profile, wherein respective ones of the tri-lobal filament yarns have a denier of between about 1200 and about 2000 and a cross-sectional geometry consisting essentially of: a substantially circular, substantially uniform core region, three substantially convex and smoothly curved elongated lobes substantially equally spaced about a circumference of the core region, each elongated lobe consisting of a single, substantially symmetrical half-ellipse shaped convex member disposed along a portion of the circumference of the core region, a shortest distance between a geometrical apex of the convex member and the portion of the circumference of the core region being substantially equal to a longest width of the convex member along a geometrical axis perpendicular to a geometrical axis defined by the shortest distance between the apex and the portion of the circumference of the core region, and three substantially concave and smoothly curved channels separating the elongated lobes, a portion of each smoothly curved channel comprising a plurality of points along the circumference of the core region, each smoothly curved channel being configured to capture sediment to prevent erosion.