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Industrial Applications For GFRP Composite

By Lelia Hall


When polymer is fused with a non-woven fabric composed of fibers, it produces a stronger material than the sum of the strengths of either of the individual substances. Such a material is GFRP composite, in which the non-woven fabric is composed fiberglass. It is used in a number of industries, including construction, ballistic armor, the automotive industry and aerospace.

In other types of reinforced polymer using other materials in place of fiber. These include aramid, carbon and basalt. Aramid is a synthetic, fiber that is resistant to heat. Occasionally, asbestos, paper or wood may be used. The polymer component of the material is generally a polyester thermosetting plastic, epoxy, or vinylester. A thermoset plastic is one that is a liquid or malleable solid at normal temperatures and irreversibly solidifies when exposed to high temperatures.

GFRP materials are used where light weight and strength are necessary, as in the aerospace industry. The Aloha Airlines incident that occurred in April of 1988 is an example where a material failed. A flight attendant was killed when she was swept overboard by an explosive decompression that tore a section off roof of the plane on the short hop between Hilo, Hawaii, and Honolulu. The incident caused injury to 65 passengers and crew.

At sea, GFRPs were mostly confined to recreational water craft. It was not until three decades later that larger boats started to incorporate the material. They are particularly useful in this industry because they may be crafted into sometimes complicated configurations. They are lightweight, cheap, resistant to both impact and corrosion, and are vibration-damping.

Because of the same properties that make it favorable for marine use, GFRP is useful in the manufacture of high-performance automobiles. Incorporated into fiberglass trucks, its light weight means that a bigger payload may be transported. Fiberglass is also preferable to steel in a car crash. Fiberglass will contain the vibrations to a localized area, while steel will transfer the vibration, and hence the shock, throughout the vehicle.

In law enforcement, military and civilian sectors, fiberglass is an important component of ballistic armor, or bullet-proof vests and other types of armor. Armor is used to protect a number of different assets, including personnel, but also building components and vehicles. A major advantage of fiberglass over steel armor is that it components may be fashioned in the field using commonly available power tools.

GFRB ballistic armor can sometimes protect rooms like courtrooms from the tendency of bullets to richocet. It is not unknown for a disgruntled hot head to shoot up the courthouse. This happens regularly on courtroom dramas like Medium, CSI and Law and Order, for example. It also happens in real life, as an incident in Tyler, Texas in 2005 shows.

One of the best-known uses for reinforced polymers is in bullet-proof vests, generally in law enforcement and the military. A ballistic vest saved the life of Kate Todd, only to have her shot in the head by a sniper moments later. There have been several television episodes featuring cowboy vendors who sell defective armor to soldiers.




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