Fibre-reinforced plastics applications

The various corrosion challenges which the industries are facing undoubtedly and frustratingly make them look for materials to protect their plant and equipment from the attacks due to corrosive media. While they search, rubber comes in to the forefront offering to face their corrosion challenges, in preference to costly metallic alternatives like titanium, manganese, stainless steel, etc. Non-metallics, such as fibre-reinforced plastics and specialty plastics, have limited application in critical areas. 

Current applications of CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics) at Alenia Spazio include optical benches (Figure 6, following page), truss adapters (Figure 7, following page) and spectrometer frames. 

Aramid fibres absorb about 5% water, which can sometimes affect then-performance in aqueous liquids [24]. Some reinforced plastics applications involve repeated soak-dry cycles and it can be the drying stage, rather than absorption that causes damage. If the second absorption cycle produces more absorption in a given time than the first cycle did, it usually indicates permanent damage. 

Favourable specific mechanical properties of continuous fibre-reinforced plastics have made them attractive materials for application to many engineering structures. 

Most carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) used and investigated to date are produced from preimpregnated continuous carbon fibre prepregs. Polymers reinforced with aligned short carbon fibres have certain advantages as materials for structural components, because they can easily be formed into complicated shapes with satisfactory mechanical properties. Woven fabrics produced from carbon fibres find increasing application in the aerospace and many other industries, because they are easy to handle, they have the ability to conform to complicated shapes and the in-plane properties are more isotropic than those of equivalent unidirectional materials. 

The stress corrosion, that is the corrosion as a result of the combined action of chemical and mechanical action, of glass fibre reinforced plastics in aqueous media has been reviewed by Roberts [73], Hogg and Hull [74] and Menges and Lutterbeck [75], although none of the work referenced is specific to sea water exposure. The subject of the corrosion of FRP under static loading is discussed in some detail in Chapter 3, and cyclic loading or fatigue is the subject of Chapters 5 and 11 in this book, but both these topics will be briefly mentioned here in the context of marine applications. 

The Japanese are also active in the application of fibre reinforced plastics to reinforced concrete structures to improve their earthquake resistance. Kabatake et al [22] reported on 14 cases in which chimneys were retrofitted with fibre reinforced plastics and were judged by the Building Disaster Prevention Association of Japan to be one of the most effective retrofitting methods. In this retrofitting programme, carbon fibre tapes impregnated with an epoxy resin were wound and adhered to the exterior of the chimney. Sumida et al [ 23] have described experiences with aramid reinforced... 

The experiences made have shown that biocomposites can be excellently processed to make structural material. The weight-related mechanical properties make it possible to strive for application areas that are still dominated by glass fibre-reinforced plastics. At this time, limitations must be accepted in areas with extreme environmental conditions. Main target groups therefore are, for example, panelling elements in automobile and freight car manufacturing, the furniture industry and the entire market of the sports and leisure industry. 

Abbasi, A. and P. J. Hogg (2004). Fire testing of concrete beams with fibre reinforced plastic rebar. In Advanced Polymer Composites for Structural Applications in Construction, ed. L. C. Hollaway, Cambridge, UK, Woodhead Publishing, pp. 445-456. 

This chapter first gives an overview of cellulose raw materials and their molecular and supermolecular structures. The principles of shaping cellulose into fibres, films, and nonwovens by means of solution techniques are then outlined followed by a section on properties and market applications of these materials. Derivatives of cellulose are presented with special emphasis on thermoplastic cellulose esters, typical plasticizers, and promising reinforcing materials. Finally, recent developments and future prospects of cellulose materials are reviewed as far as the above applications are concerned. This book does not cover the important applications of cellulose and ligno cellulose fibres for reinforcing thermoplastics, like wood plastic composites (WPC) and natural fibre reinforced plastics (NFRP), since in these cases cellulose does not substitute a thermoplastic. 

Bishop SM, Curtis PT. An assessment of the potential of woven carbon fibre reinforced plastics for high performance applications. Composites 1984 15 259-65. 

Thus, substrates such as aluminium and its alloys, alloys of titanium, low- and high-carbon steels, nickel, copper, fibre-reinforced plastics (containing both thermoplastic and thermosetting matrices - in the latter case, the matrix might well also be a formnlated epoxy-based system), glass, concrete and wood are all encountered. This means that they can be, and indeed are, widely used in construction, aerospace, automotive (both original equipment and aftermarket), electrical and electronics, furnimre, foundry, consumer and abrasives applications. 

Below a certain size of vessel, it becomes apparent that the design effort is excessive in relation to the overall cost of the vessel, more so when the need for individual foundation designs is considered. It becomes economical to standardize, and it is reasonable to expect that a number of standard designs should be available for most applications. This is often particularly important for fibre-reinforced plastic vessels, where special tooling may be obviated. Often this is inadvertently thwarted by the process designers, who size vessels by standard formulae, usually based on residence time. This can be remedied by communication and consultation at an early stage of design. 

Applications of glass fibre reinforced plastics are reviewed in Table 2.4. 

S. Faza and H. GangaRao, Fibre-Reinforced-Plastic (FRP) Reinforcement for Concrete Structures Properties and Applications, Ed., A. Nanni, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1993, p.167-188. 

Bossi, R. H., K D. FriddeU, and A. R. Lowrey. Computed Tomography. In Non-destructive Testing of Fibre-reinforced Plastics Composites, edited by John Summerscales. New York Elsevier Science, 1990. Covers various applications of CT in relation to composite material. Provides a basic review of various CT concepts important to nondestructive testing of materials, as well as various illustrations and data on CT measurements in fiber-reinforced plastics. 

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