Sand Particle Size

See Sand.

  Sand Placement

Narrow slits of sand, typically 18mm wide and up to 230mm in depth. They will typically be spaced at up to 1-metre centres.

  Sand Profile

An area that has been excavated, pipe-drained, a 100mm or so gravel base or raft installed; then it is overlaid with a sandy grit blinding layer to a depth of 50mm; and then finally topped with about 250mm of firmed sand.

  Sand Roundness

A description of a sand grain according to how round are its edges and corners. Roundness is typically described as either: 1. Very Angular: These have distinctly sharp edges and sharp corners; being exposed to minimal weathering. These particles can interlock very tightly, providing a very stable which can be suitable for inclusion in sub-bases which require to be well compacted to minimise movement. 2. Angular: These have sharp edges and corners, but less so than very angular particles; being exposed to some weathering. These will have a similar interlocking capability to very angular

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  Sand Shape

This usually refers to the degree of roundness of a sand. Sphericity might be considered a sub-class of shape. The chart given below helps to visualise the different shapes.

  Sand Slit

A narrow channel formed into a turf surface to aid the removal of surface water to sub-surface drains. The slit may be formed by excavating soil and filling with sand or may have sand injected into a channel without soil excavation. The width and depth of a sand slit will vary according to the design specification. A width of up to 50mm might be typical for a sand only slit where the soil is excavated; but 20 to 35mm width where it is injected into the existing soil; this narrower slit is typically called surface banding. Spacings between slits will typically be between 0.25 and 0.5 metres. Sa

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  Sand Soil Class

A soil with a very high percentage of sand, with very few fine particles, makes this type of soil suitable for high specification surface, which may often be 100% sand. An example of a sand soil is one that contains the following: 88% sand, 8% silt, 4% clay. This soil class can bring problems and difficult challenges when trying to maintain them to a very high standard. Sand is prone to drying out very quickly, losing surface stability where vegetation is thin or exposed, is nutrient poor, yet does warm up very quickly in spring. Ideally a small percentage of fines, along with organic matter,

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  Sand Sphericity

A description of a sand grain according to how similar the grain is to a sphere. The nearer a particle is to a perfect sphere then the better the drainage potential and reduced likelihood of compaction due to maintaining a higher air-pore ratio between particles (in theory). This is typically described as either 1. High Sphericity is where the sand grains are very close to a perfect ball (sphere) shape, although the outer surface can range from very smooth like a ball to having irregularities, depending on the category of roundness (very angular to well rounded). 2. Medium Sphericity

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  Sand Top

A layer of sand, which is typically 25mm in depth, but in practice might be from 18mm to 30mm, and which is overlaid on a slit-drained or sand-banded surface. This increases costs but also further reduces chances of waterlogging, surface ponding and occasions when the area, especially sports pitches, are unusable.

  Sand: Benefits of Use

Except for tennis court and cricket square surfaces, which require clay loam soils, sand can provide many benefits in the maintenance of turfgrass surfaces, including: Creating a drier surface;