What is GFRP? All About Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers
What does GFRP stand for?
GFRP stands for Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer. Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer is a variant of traditional fiber reinforced polymers that when blended with a fiber matrix, forms fiberglass or glass reinforced polymer.
What is GFRP used for?
GFRP is used in similar practices like regular fiber reinforced polymers but there are certain cases in which an engineer may opt to use glass fiber reinforced polymers instead of the more traditional product because of its high strength to weight ratio.
Just like regular fiber reinforced polymers, GFRP is gaining popularity in infrastructure and construction systems. They are a great addition to traditional methods of construction, such as concrete and steel because of their lightweight, noncorrosive properties. GFRP is also being widely used for rehabilitation of many structures, including bridge decks, modular structures, concrete structures, and precast structures.
What are the advantages of GFRP?
There are many benefits to using glass fiber reinforced polymers over more traditional reinforcement methods. Some of these reasons include cost, their resistance to corrosion, and their flexible application methods. Below, we elaborate on each benefit.
Cost - Compared to carbon fiber reinforced polymer, glass fiber reinforced polymers can be less expensive in some applications. This can be a large benefit when completing large projects, such as entire bridge decks or large concrete structures.
Corrosion Resistant – Glass fiber reinforced polymers are inherently anti corrosive. This makes them a great option for environments that are particularly harsh, such as coastlines structures. This aversion to corrosion helps structure owners save on maintenance and corrosion preventing procedures.
Application – Since fiber reinforced polymers are much more flexible than traditional steel and concrete reinforcement methods, they can be used on a much wider array of solution designs.
What are the disadvantages of using GFRP?
While there are many advantages to using glass fiber reinforced polymers, there are a few drawbacks to think about when opting to use this material. There are some temperature restrictions and finding an experienced engineer to design your solution.
Temperature Restrictions – Because the base fiber of GFRP is glass, there are some temperature restrictions to keep in mind when thinking about your structural solution. GFRP should not be the first choice in environments that experience substantially low temperatures, as the material does not have data to support its performance in extreme low temperature environments.
Finding An Experienced Engineer – Since GFRP is a relatively new rehabilitation solution for construction professional, finding an expert to guide your project can be challenging. Our solution experts have a depth of knowledge of all FRP applications, types, and designs.
How is GFRP made?
Glass fiber reinforced polymers are made in similar ways to other fiber reinforced polymers, through a process known as fiberisation. This involves a combination of extruding the molten glass through a bushing typically made of an erosion resistant platinum allow with very, very fine openings. Once they exit the extruding phase they are cooled using water jets and are onto the next phase of manufacturing.
After fiberisation, the fibers go through attenuation. This is the process of collecting the extruded streams of molten glass into a fibrous element, called filaments. A very high-speed winder catches the molten streams of glass and applies tension to draw them into a thin filament. After this process, the filament can get coated to prevent breakage, then collected into a bundle and wound onto a drum for distribution.