Fibreglass reinforced polymers

Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are among the increasingly used composites in the industry. FRPs are composite materials made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres. The polymer matrix is either a thermosetting or a thermoplastic resin while the fibres are usually fibreglass. 

In the literature, several polymers have been used as absorber in flat-plate collectors. P. T. Tsilingiriss reported upon the use of the groups of polyolefin and EDPM, to overcome the undesirable effects of the poor thermal conductivity, he had exploited the design of the solar collector [4]. Polycarbonate selectively coated has been used as solar absorber plate double walled, by A. I. Kudish et al [5]. In another case, K. Sopian had developed a solar collector system using black fibreglass reinforced polyester (GFRP) [6]. 

A typical automobile tyre consists of several parts (Fig. 5). The tread and sidewall make up the outside of the tyre. The tread is the portion of the tyre that comes into contact with the road, whereas the sidewall, or wall, is the side of the tyre that connects the tread and the bead. The tread is reinforced from underneath by the belt, which comprises a set of fabrics and/or wires. The plies, found in association with the belt, are layers of rubber-coated cords, which are typically made of fabric, polymer, fibreglass, or steel. The set of belts and plies is often collectively referred to as the cord, or cord body, of the tyre. The cords of the tyre wrap around the bead, the part of the tyre that rests on the tyre rim. The bead consists of both mbber bead filler and a series of steel bead wires. The last major part of the tyre, the innerliner, is a low-permeability... 

Fibrous reinforcement in popular usage is almost synonymous with fibreglass, although other fibrous materials (carbon, boron, metals, aramid polymers) are also used. Glass fiber is supplied as mats of randomly oriented microfibrils, as woven cloth, and as continuous or discontinuous filaments. Hand lay-up is a versatile method employed in the construction of large structures such as tanks, pools, and boat hulls. 

Polymer modified bitumen (Modbit) was developed in Italy around 1960 using atactic PP. The use of such composite systems in USA began during the mid 1970s. These systems based on PP or styrene-butadiene-styrene (S-B-S) block copolymer have used, as reinforcement non-woven fibreglass or PET... 

With TG it is also possible to determine glass fibres in polymer systems. Fava [261] recorded TG/DTG curves of PP filled with carbonate and fibreglass. TG is an ideal analytical tool for the control of the glass fibre content in composite materials. Since the glass fibre is thermally inert, there is no problem resolving the weight from the resin (by simple subtraction from 100%). Gibbons [151] has analysed additives such as plasticisers, antioxidants, fillers, and reinforcements for PAll, PE, PP and epoxy resins both qualitatively and quantitatively by DSC and thermomechanical analysis. Fig-... 

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