Glass-reinforced Plastic Fiberglass

1. Matt Bobinski Karen Cariaga Zane Gravino Glass-reinforced Plastic Fiberglass HIGH FIBER

2. Matt Bobinski • Karen Cariaga • Zane Gravino Glass-reinforced plastics: What it takes • Glass fibers contained with in a plastic matrix • Fiberglass (or some other fiber) • Roving • Mat • Cloth • Woven roving • Pultruted products • Resin • Polymer • Epoxy

3. Matt Bobinski • Karen Cariaga • Zane Gravino Properties fiberglass Measures As single strands or as roving the diameter is used to determine the sizing Mats, cloth, and woven roving is measured in units of weight per area Ounces per square yard Ounces per square foot • Very high strength to diameter ration • Near crystal sized diameter • Substantial stronger then the bulk materialbecause there are few internal defects • Fibers act as the structure in thin plastic

4. Matt Bobinski • Karen Cariaga • Zane Gravino Fiber Production • Large furnaces are used to melt a sand/chemical mixture to liquid form also none as molten glass. • Extruded through a cluster of small holes or dies with diameters ranging from 17-25 micrometers. • The fibers produced are then bundled together to form larger strings called roving. • The roving can be turned in to several products including chopped strand mat, cloth, and pultruted products.

5. Matt Bobinski • Karen Cariaga • Zane Gravino Classes of glass • E glass is an alumino-borosilicate glass that is free of alkali. It was originally designed for electrical applications due to its continuous formation. • S glass has high strength formulation and is used for situations that require high tensile strength. • C glass was designed to resist chemical attacks. • A glass is a soda lime glass . It was the first type of glass used for fiber.

6. Chopped Strand Mat Woven Cloth • Chopped strands of fiberglass usually 2 inches in length in random directions • A bonding agent, typically a powder, holds the fibers in a mat • The random direction of the fibers provides strength in every direction. • Least expensive • Very versatile • Soaks up more resin than any other form of matting • Most waterproof do to the large quantity of resin required to saturate • Once wetted the fiber becomes easily workable and can be shaped into any configuration • Most common weights are 1.5-2 ounces per square foot • Fiberglass cloth provides strength in two directions do to the weave of the fabric. • Greatest strength but least thick which reduces stiffness • Requires least amount of resin • Not completely waterproof do to the small amount of resin • Woven in various weaves: plain weave, long satin weave, and unidirectional weave. • Most common weights are 4-10 ounces per square yard • More expensive then most mats

7. Matt Bobinski • Karen Cariaga • Zane Gravino Woven Roving • Similar to cloth but is much thicker (18-24 ounces per square yard) • Less common and used in larger applications where thickness and buildup are necessary • Often alternated with chopped strand mat in order to fill in all the gaps between the large strands • The price per weight is between that of mat and cloth • Does not provide a smooth finish as would chopped strand mat or cloth • Uses less resin than mat , similar to cloth

8. Pultrusion Process 1 4 2 3 Pultrusion is the process by which continuous roving (1) is pulled through a liquid resin(2) saturating the glass reinforcement. A die (3) is used to shape the saturated fibers and combine them in to a desired shape. A continuous pulling device keeps the process in motion. Heat (4) is used to permanently set the fibers and resin . The finished pieces can then be cut (5) and are ready to use. http://www.libertypultrusions.com/pultrusion-process-frp.htm 5

9. Matt Bobinski • Karen Cariaga • Zane Gravino Resins Polyester Epoxy Completely resist moisture Superior for reliability and multiple uses Better resists acidic liquids and conditions Response better in higher temperatures Able to bond to multiple types of surfaces, can bond dissimilar materials Best strength in tension and more flexible Superior epoxy resins have bonding strength of 2000 p.s.i. Variable catalyst can range a cure time of 30 minutes to 6 hours • Permeable to moisture • Mechanically, chemically and electrically stable properties • Best suited for building light weight objects • Superior polyester resins have bonding strength of 100 p.s.i. • Average cure time of 20-30 minutes • Lower cost then that of epoxy resins Epoxy resin is the best resin for almost all cases. Marine and aircraft industries prefer epoxy.

11. Matt Bobinski • Karen Cariaga • Zane Gravino Sources • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass-reinforced_plastic • http://www.fiberglasssite.com/servlet/Detail?no=68 • http://www.libertypultrusions.com/pultrusion-process-frp.htm • The Textbook