Glass fiber reinforced polymer, or GFRP, is manufactured by combining reinforced fibers with a polymer matrix to yield a material that is stronger than its constituent parts. Known in the industry as GFRP composite in order to distinguish it from similar materials. There are a lot of industrial uses for it, including aerospace, the automotive industry, ballistic armor and construction, among others.
In other types of reinforced polymer using other materials in place of fiber. These include aramid, carbon and basalt. Aramid is a synthetic, fiber that is resistant to heat. Occasionally, asbestos, paper or wood may be used. The polymer component of the material is generally a polyester thermosetting plastic, epoxy, or vinylester. A thermoset plastic is one that is a liquid or malleable solid at normal temperatures and irreversibly solidifies when exposed to high temperatures.
Strong, lightweight materials have important applications in the aerospace industry. This was made obvious with an incident involving Aloha Airlines Flight 243 in the spring of 1988. The craft suffered an explosive decompression that resulted in the removal of a section of upper fuselage on the brief hop from Honolulu to Hilo. One soul was lost when a flight attendant was swept from the plane, while dozens of passengers and crew suffered injuries.
The first marine uses of FRPs were related to recreational boats. This remained the case for 30 years, until they became more widespread in larger marine applications. FRPs are ideally suited to the maritime industry because they are capable of being molded into complicated shapes, light weight, low cost, corrosion and impact resistance, and vibration damping.
Glass fiber is common in high-end sports cars for many of the same reasons people use it to make boats, because it is pliable and lightweight. It is also sometimes used in the manufacture of trucks, where the reduced weight of the vehicle means that the payload may be increased, along with profits. Fiberglass vehicles also fare better in collisions. A steel body will propagate the shockwave, whereas the fiberglass will contain it.
Ballistic armor, with a substantial content of GFRP, has a number of different uses in civilian as well as military sectors. Not only does it protect assets such as vehicles and buildings, it is also used to protect people. Unlike other materials, like steel armor, fiberglass may be re-engineered in the field using simple power tools that area readily available.
GFRP has the property of being able to stop bullets bouncing around, a useful feature in areas where gunfire is a potential hazard. Courtrooms are often armored in fiber-reinforced polymer. A real-life example of this occurred in the February 2005 courthouse shootout in Tyler, Texas, in which three people were killed and several others injured.
One of the best-known uses for reinforced polymers is in bullet-proof vests, generally in law enforcement and the military. A ballistic vest saved the life of Kate Todd, only to have her shot in the head by a sniper moments later. There have been several television episodes featuring cowboy vendors who sell defective armor to soldiers.
In other types of reinforced polymer using other materials in place of fiber. These include aramid, carbon and basalt. Aramid is a synthetic, fiber that is resistant to heat. Occasionally, asbestos, paper or wood may be used. The polymer component of the material is generally a polyester thermosetting plastic, epoxy, or vinylester. A thermoset plastic is one that is a liquid or malleable solid at normal temperatures and irreversibly solidifies when exposed to high temperatures.
Strong, lightweight materials have important applications in the aerospace industry. This was made obvious with an incident involving Aloha Airlines Flight 243 in the spring of 1988. The craft suffered an explosive decompression that resulted in the removal of a section of upper fuselage on the brief hop from Honolulu to Hilo. One soul was lost when a flight attendant was swept from the plane, while dozens of passengers and crew suffered injuries.
The first marine uses of FRPs were related to recreational boats. This remained the case for 30 years, until they became more widespread in larger marine applications. FRPs are ideally suited to the maritime industry because they are capable of being molded into complicated shapes, light weight, low cost, corrosion and impact resistance, and vibration damping.
Glass fiber is common in high-end sports cars for many of the same reasons people use it to make boats, because it is pliable and lightweight. It is also sometimes used in the manufacture of trucks, where the reduced weight of the vehicle means that the payload may be increased, along with profits. Fiberglass vehicles also fare better in collisions. A steel body will propagate the shockwave, whereas the fiberglass will contain it.
Ballistic armor, with a substantial content of GFRP, has a number of different uses in civilian as well as military sectors. Not only does it protect assets such as vehicles and buildings, it is also used to protect people. Unlike other materials, like steel armor, fiberglass may be re-engineered in the field using simple power tools that area readily available.
GFRP has the property of being able to stop bullets bouncing around, a useful feature in areas where gunfire is a potential hazard. Courtrooms are often armored in fiber-reinforced polymer. A real-life example of this occurred in the February 2005 courthouse shootout in Tyler, Texas, in which three people were killed and several others injured.
One of the best-known uses for reinforced polymers is in bullet-proof vests, generally in law enforcement and the military. A ballistic vest saved the life of Kate Todd, only to have her shot in the head by a sniper moments later. There have been several television episodes featuring cowboy vendors who sell defective armor to soldiers.
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