Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) went from non-existent to being an important material used in an amazing variety of applications in a relatively short time.
Leo Baekeland created the first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, in 1905, and not long after, added asbestos fiber for reinforcement. Today, FRP is used in everything from aircraft to sporting goods to patio furniture.
If so much change happened in the last hundred or so years, what can we expect to see with FRP in the decades ahead? It is always a bit difficult to predict the future with any success, but in this article, we’re going to give an overview of where we expect the industry to go. It makes sense to divide this into two distinct areas. First, how we think the technology of FRP will change, and second, how the uses of the material might shift.
Changing FRP Technology
One of the primary reasons FRP has become so important is its high adaptability. The properties of a particular FRP can be adjusted depending upon the particular fibers used (whether glass, carbon, Kevlar, or something else) as well as the polymer (epoxy, polyester, etc.). The final product is also influenced by the additives used and the manufacturing process.
This means that there will remain substantial room for experimentation and innovation in each of these areas (fibers, polymers, additives, and fabrication processes). We expect developments that will build on the particular strengths FRPs already possess, such as durability and strength.
We want to highlight two recent technological developments that we expect to become increasingly important in the years ahead.
Pultruded Reinforced Thermoplastics
Pultrusion is a widely used manufacturing process for producing FRPs with continuous fiber reinforcement. It involves drawing strands of reinforcing fiber through a liquid resin, which is formed into a particular profile and cured. It is a continuous process that allows for the creation of custom profiles of any desired length.
The resins typically used for pultrusion are thermosets; that is, once cured, they cannot again be melted and reformed. While these resins yield high-quality pultrusion with desirable properties, their primary drawback is that they are not readily recyclable.
Thermoplastics, on the other hand, are polymers that can be remelted and thus recycled much more easily. Ideally, it would be possible to fabricate FRP from these polymers rather than thermosets for applications that permit this. (And not all would. Thermosets have a much greater operational temperature than thermoplastics.)
To date, however, manufacturers have struggled to produce pultruded reinforced thermoplastics of sufficient quality. This is because melted thermoplastic has a relatively high viscosity, and it is difficult to get the polymer to impregnate the reinforcing fibers sufficiently. Moreover, even after this problem is resolved, adhesion to the reinforcing fibers remains a challenge.
As a result, most reinforced thermoplastics currently in use contain only relatively short fibers and don’t have the strength of pultruded, continuous fiber reinforcement. (Confusingly, these types of thermoplastics are called “long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic.”)
Recent advances, however, show great promise in producing continuous-fiber pultruded reinforced thermoplastics with strong adhesion between the matrix and the reinforcing fibers. We expect that it is just a matter of time before these techniques are perfected. This is a significant development, as it could enable FRPs that combine the strength of traditional FRPs with the recyclability of thermoplastics.
High-Temperature FRPs
There are certain applications (and potential applications) of FRP where the ability to withstand extreme heat is desirable. For example, materials used in buildings, transportation, or infrastructure must be selected with fire risk in mind. In the worst-case scenarios, we want to know that materials that work great under normal circumstances won’t catastrophically fail.
The temperatures in a fire can be hotter than most materials (including metal) can withstand for very long, so we're not talking about FRP that is fireproof. However, how materials behave when exposed to elevated temperatures around fires or other sources of heat is important.
Polyimides are a class of polymers known for their thermal stability. They are already widely used in electronic applications (e.g., around components that get hot in computers) as well as in the automotive and aerospace industries. They can briefly withstand temperatures up to 500°F.
A recent study reported a novel polyamide manufacturing process that yielded a material capable of withstanding significantly higher temperatures. These developments will facilitate the increased use of FRP in the industries mentioned above. We expect that even new areas of use will open up as the operating temperature range of these materials continues to expand.
Shifting Uses of FRP
When we consider how FRP will be used over the next several decades, we expect the range of applications to continue to expand rapidly, as it has over the past several decades. But there are a few areas where we predict we’ll see particularly strong growth.
Building Materials
FRP is already being used in this area, but there is substantial untapped potential. In construction, particularly residential construction, wood remains the material of choice. However, FRP has several advantages over wood. It is stronger, it is impervious to moisture and rot, and insects won’t bother it.
For this reason, we expect to see FRP increasingly used for things like exterior trim, siding, and structural elements. It also makes great sense as an alternative to wooden posts that come into contact with the ground.
We also see growth potential in the use of pultruded FRP as a reinforcing material for various structural elements made of engineered wood. We’ve written elsewhere in this blog about the fascinating development of skyscrapers built using engineered wood framing. FRP can make these structural elements even stronger, so we expect to see it increasingly incorporated into such products.
Aircraft
When the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was launched, it was somewhat revolutionary in its use of materials. It is 80% FRP by volume and, as a result, much lighter and more fuel-efficient.
There are already large aircraft being built for military purposes that are completely made of reinforced polymers. We see no reason why this will not eventually become the norm for commercial aircraft as well. Along with technological advances in the composites used, this should lead to even more efficient (and safer) aircraft designs.
Wind Power Generation
We recently wrote about the use of FRP in the increasingly large blades that generate electricity from wind power. This industry has been growing fast and is predicted to continue to do so. Advanced reinforced polymers will remain a crucial component here.
Your Partner in Future Developments
At Tencom, FRP is our business, and we’re obviously interested in where the market is headed. One thing we are confident about is growth. There are still so many potential uses for pultruded FRP, and we’re excited to see the market continue to develop.
Maybe you have a great idea about how FRP might be used to improve a product you work with. If so, we’d love the opportunity to talk about how we can part
ner with you to make it happen. You can contact us here.
