Fibre reinforced polymer composites design

Fibre-reinforced polymer composites (FRP) are lightweight and very durable, but their initial cost is higher than that of steel. However, these materials compare well on the basis of their lower construction and long-term maintenance costs. FRP have not realised their potential in construction applications. Contributing factors include the perceived expense and a lack of confidence on the part of clients and designers. 

The benefits offered by fibre-reinforced composites vary depending on the choice of resin, fibre and manufacturing process. Therefore there is a strong need to optimize the design of the composite since not all of the best properties can be achieved at the same time. By way of summary, the main advantages of fibre-reinforced polymer composites are usually oue or more of the following ... 

The theme of the twelve chapters which comprise this book is information which can be used for designing a fibre composite article or structure. The data cover a wide range. There is information on the short- and long-term thermomechanical and electrical properties and behaviour of fibre-reinforced polymer composites, plus their response to fire and environmental effects. Finally the influence of processing on properties and the quality assurance of the final product are also considered. 

Abstract Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have become essential materials for maintaining and strengthening existing infrastructure. Many new innovative types of hybrid material and structural systems have been developed using FRP composite materials. Increased utilisation of FRP requires that structural engineers and practitioners be able to understand the behaviour of FRP materials and design composite structures. This book provides an overview of different advanced FRP composites and the use of these materials in a variety of application areas. This chapter specifically covers a brief review on FRP applications and gives an outline of the book. 

Creative Pultrusion Inc. use a compression process to manufacture parts of bridges and other products, including cables, plates, Bethlehem beams and wooden panels, and even platform coverings for public transport have been manufactured and tested. A new product has been developed, known as SuperLoc composite plate pier, which has a unique ball-and-stock connection between the panels. The main application areas for this new product are in swimming pools, pedestrian walkways, docks, shipyards, and so on. Another new product is DuraSpan, which is designed for use in fibre-reinforced polymers for bridge construction [32]. 

The same materials can be used as in long-fibre reinforced polymer matrix composites. Short-fibre reinforced polymers are useful in many applications where unreinforced polymers are not sufficient. The design of injection moulded components made of short-fibre reinforced polymers is complicated by the fact that the orientation of the fibre is determined by the fluid flow (see section 9.1.1) and can be irregular within the material. 

The appeal of continuous fibre-reinforced polymers, or composite materials, is based on their properties, on the freedom they give the designer to tailor these properties to suit a specific situation and the relative ease with which composites can be fabricated. 

Foldi, A.P., Design and applications of short fibre reinforced rubbers, in Short Fiber-Polymer Composites, De, S.K. and White, J.R. (Eds.), Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, 1996, Chapter 9. 

Polymer composites are plastics within which fibres are embedded. The plastic is known as the matrix (resin) and the fibres dispersed witbin it are known as the reinforcement Thermosetting matrix materials include polyester, vinyl ester and epoxy resins. For higher temperature and extreme environments, bismaleimlde, polyimide and phenolic resins are used. Composites can be used to replace metal parts but care must be taken during design. Most engineering materials have similar properties in any direction (called isotropic) where composites have not This can however be offset by arranging the reinforcement layers in varying directions. 

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