We have many customers in the construction industry who come to us looking for alternatives for things like their bridge or walkway structures. They are often looking for an alternative to wood, so it doesn’t rot, or something that is robust like metal, but won’t rust.
Pultruded composites
Pultruded composites sections are manufactured by combining various resins with pure glass fibre reinforcement; they are pultruded in a continuous process creating a product of extraordinary strength and resilience.
The resultant profiles of I and H Beams, Square Box, Rectangular Box, Tube, U-Channel, Angle, and Handrail systems offer a combination of benefits and mechanical properties exceeding those of metal.
Why use pultruded composites?
The use of GRP is growing. As more and more industries discover the desirable properties of this material, its use is expanding. GRP is beginning to replace materials including steel and wood. It is a safe material to use where electricity, chemicals, corrosive substances or heavy loads are regularly in the vicinity. These composites have generated exciting results in bridges, buildings, structures and retrofitting protective profiles because they are lighter, stronger and quicker to build.
On a weight to weight basis, pultrusions are stronger than structural steel. Weighing almost up to 80% less than steel and 30% less than aluminium, these profiles offer equivalent performance for considerably less weight. This attracts a major weight saving, lower install cost, lower transportation cost, and easier handling.
The high strength to weight ratio has particular relevance for many applications including walkways, sub-floor platforms, gantries, bridges, structural applications, cooling towers, waste water treatment and oil and gas installations.
Pultrusions are:
- Maintenance Free – The use of these profiles eliminates future maintenance costs. No painting needed, and UV Inhibitors protect against solar degradation.
- Corrosion Free – The profiles guard against deterioration from industrial chemicals and environmental factors making it a logical and cost effective alternative to carbon steel, aluminium, wood or other conventional materials. They can even be exposed to continuous submersion splash, spills, fumes, or gases, and will outperform all other mediums.
- Non- Magnetic – The non-magnetic properties allow these profiles to be used in sensitive installations where the inherent magnetic properties of metallic materials would prove unsuitable.
- Impact resistance – Allows repeated deflection without permanent deformation.
- Non-sparking – Ideally suited where Hydrogen or other combustible gases exist and which may explode or cause a fire from sparks produced from accidental tools dropping.
- Lightweight – No need for hoists, pulleys or heavy lifting equipment).
- Design – The design procedures allows deflection instead of ultimate loading used with steel or aluminium. The inherent elasticity of fibreglass material permits a greater deflection than steel, without the danger of structural failure.
- Long Life Cycle – They have zero maintenance and a 25+ year life span.
- Non-Conductive – Ideally suited in electricity hazardous locations.
Metal rusts, concrete crumbles, wood rots out – but GRP Composites do not behave in the same way. In fact, they do nothing but remain in the same way as the day they were installed.
GRP composite that can replace conventional building materials as they offer a longer life cycle and far more cost effective in the short and long term.
If you would like more information on Mechanical, Physical and Electrical Properties (Data), this is available on request.
Give us a call on 023 8040 6796 or email us at enquiries@gripclad.co.uk to see how we can help.