The key element for one of the most popular sports in the world, soccer balls come in different designs, sizes and weights. Plus, the materials used for the construction of the soccer balls are also very diverse, directly influencing the features of the finite products as well as the price. Consider the following technical details that few people know about the structure of the soccer balls.
Several covering layers are included in the surface structure of the soccer balls and they are not made of natural leather as it seems at first sight but rather from synthetic materials that keep the balls lightweight even when it’s damp outside. Synthetic leather is the most commonly used, being made of poly vinyl chloride or PVC and polyurethane. Even the types of artificial leather that soccer balls are manufactured of are too many in number to know and differentiate.
The specific features in the exterior cover of soccer balls consist of several segments known as panels. There can be 32, 26 or 16 panels with the mention that 32-panel variant is normally used in the majority of official games. Yet, the others are encountered with some leagues in Scotland and England. After being sewn together and inflated, the panels create the nearly perfect sphere that we call soccer ball.
A special material called the lining is used between the internal bladder that holds the air and the outer covering. These intermediary layer can be made of polyester or laminated cotton, thus contributing to the strength and the bounce properties of the finite product. For professional soccer balls, up to four or five linings are used, while promotional items and practice balls contain fewer such structures.
Differences of material do exist in the structure of the bladders as well. Soccer balls can be manufactured either from latex or butyl. While the surface tension brought by latex or natural rubber is unparalleled, the tiny pores allow deflation over a certain period of time.
This means that you’ll have to re-inflate the ball at least once a week to maintain pressure and keep the ball practical. Butyl soccer balls on the other hand have an excellent air retention capacity and rely on valves for this process.
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Tags: league, soccer, soccer_ball, soccer_field, sport