The construction industry is always on the hunt for better alternatives to traditionally used materials like wood, steel, and aluminum. Emerging as a viable alternative for a variety of infrastructure and building projects is a composite material known as fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) or fiberglass.
A FRP product is created when reinforced fibers and liquid resin are combined to form and then shaped into bars of various shapes and sizes. The result is a consolidated, stronger composite.
FRP composite profiles are made in a pultrusion process. Pultrusion is an uninterrupted process for producing cross-sectional materials using fiber reinforcements or other resin matrices.
A combination of two terms, pultrusion is a manufacturing method involving ‘pull’ and ‘extrusion’. The process involves pulling the raw materials, unlike extrusion, which pushes.
How Are FRPs Manufactured?
It comes down to how FRP composites are manufactured. The fiber rovings are fed into the pultrusion machine, with the strength level maintained throughout the product.
Fabrics, mats, and other rolled goods, as reinforcements, along with rovings, are pulled through the machine. This combination of reinforcing materials, along with the polymer, is the building block to form the composite. The rovings, along with some or all of the other reinforcing materials, then pass through the “wet-out” stage, where they are soaked in a liquid resin.
As the rovings submerge, they are soaked with resin, which improves the product's composition. Prior to this point in the process, different colors and additives can be added and mixed into the resin. Finally, the product will be formed and cured: the resulting composite can be resistant to impact, ultraviolet rays, corrosion, and heat.
It is possible to tailor the FRP composition by varying resin systems and glass content to produce pultruded fiberglass bars with properties tailored to specific requirements. And, companies are able to tailor the pultruded profiles by requesting customized colors to be added to the resin or produced for outdoor applications by applying a UV-resistant treatment during the pultrusion process.
Advantages Of Pultruded Fiberglass Profiles
Pultruded profiles offer several benefits. Here are the top 7:
1. FRP bars have exceptional tensile strength. The continuous length of reinforcing fibers gives the pultruded product exceptional tensile strength.
2. Pultruded fiberglass bars maintain their shapes in humid or high-heat conditions. FRP bars can be up to 30% lighter than aluminum and 70% lighter than steel. At equal weight, it is just as strong, if not stronger than steel, and is significantly less likely to be dented or deformed than metals used in construction. As pultruded fiberglass bars are lightweight and durable, they are easy to handle and transport.
3. Pultruded products will require less heavy equipment than steel or wood during transportation and storage. In addition, they are impact-resistant and can retain their shapes upon impact.
4. FRP products are resistant to a wide range of chemicals and are not affected by oxidation or corrosion. For instance, fiberglass rebar can withstand harsh weather conditions, including continuous rain and water immersion. Corrosion is caused by oxidation and chloride ion-based chemical attacks.
5. Fiberglass bars are an effective barrier for hot or electrically-charged components. Fiberglass-reinforced composites can have a high Glass Transition Temperature (Tg) of about 575°F (302°C). As the highest-ranking Tg pultruded material ever tested, FRP composites are non-conductive, chemical-resistant, and corrosion-resistant at extremely high temperatures.
In the event of a fire inside the building, the support structures made of appropriately designed FRP composites will not buckle under extreme heat and pressure.
Often used as crossbars, poles, beams, posts, and other structural supports, pultruded fiberglass profiles help maintain a building's integrity in the event of a fire. It can also help retard the spread of that fire.
6. FRP composite pieces do not need to be coated with toxic chemical coatings to FRP composite pieces, and they require little to no maintenance.
7. FRP is EMI/RFI transparent, suitable for specialized applications where metal parts can't be used due to possible interference.
With a service life of 75-150 years, FRPs require minimal maintenance.
Going Green
The manufacturing and installation of pultruded FRP products are energy-efficient, require less heat, produce less wastage, and cause less pollution. In addition, they can be recycled or added to other plastic-based products.
While composites are stronger than metals, they are lighter. This translates into fuel savings across all stages of transport. Because the coating for the end product is unnecessary, pultruded material has relatively low CO2 emissions.
In addition, pultrusion uses less heat than metal manufacturing, significantly reducing the water required for cooling.
Pultruded Fiberglass Bar Applications
The FRP rebar ─ a spiral wrapped fiberglass rod ─ is light in weight and easy to transport and handle. Used in concrete reinforcement, the FRP rebar is a non-corrosive alternative to steel rebar. It comprises two elements, namely a fiber and a matrix resin.
The fiber used is typically carbon, aramid, basalt, or glass, while the matrix resin is typically polyester, epoxy, or vinyl ester. Pultruded fiberglass bars are corrosion-resistant, low-maintenance, durable, and lightweight. As an effective alternative to steel, aluminum, and wood, it offers strength and versatility, particularly useful in construction and infrastructure.
And, FRP's durability makes it a preferred choice for many outdoor construction projects, as it is easy to cut, shape, and install. Their minimal maintenance requirements lower overall construction costs.
In addition, project managers can request that unique shapes be created for specific purposes: for example, pultruded fiberglass I-bars can be used to construct strong and corrosion-resistant walking surfaces, while flat beams are a suitable structural component for many construction projects. Other applications for FRP bars include bridge components, corrosion-resistant guardrails, railway crossing arms, and highway sound barriers.
Also, it is electrically non-conductive and thermally non-expensive. It efficiently resists heat transfer and possesses greater tensile strength than steel. On a global basis, the primary drivers of the use of composites are that FRP rebars are non-corrosive and have a longer service life than traditional rebars.
The pultruded fiberglass market is expected to grow over the next 5 years as it gains popularity. According to market research company Industry Arc, the FRP Rebar market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1% from 2020-2025, reaching $1.1 billion by 2025.
Around the globe, many advanced countries are now relying on green construction methods to conserve resources and ensure buildings have a long service life. Pultruded profiles are becoming increasingly popular in constructing infrastructure, large structures, bridges, and commercial buildings.
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