The term, GFRP, stands for glass fiber reinforced polymer. It is what is known as a composite material, consisting as it does of a matrix of polymer that has been reinforced with fibers to give it strength. GFRP composite is used in many industries, including marine, automotive, construction, ballistic armor and aerospace.
Other types fiber reinforced polymer exist, mainly and consist mainly of carbon, basalt, or aramid. Aramid is a strong and heat-resistant synthetic fiber. Rarely, other materials are used such as wood, asbestos, or paper. The polymer part of an FRP is usually a vinylester, epoxy, or a polyester thermosetting plastic. The term thermosetting refers to the property of plastic where it is a liquid or soft plastic at low temperatures but hardens irreversibly when exposed to high termperatures.
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.
In law enforcement, military and civilian sectors, fiberglass is an important component of ballistic armor, or bullet-proof vests and other types of armor. Armor is used to protect a number of different assets, including personnel, but also building components and vehicles. A major advantage of fiberglass over steel armor is that it components may be fashioned in the field using commonly available power tools.
Ballistic armor is used to protect courtrooms. This material resists richochet, which makes buildings that much safer when they encounter gun play. On television, at least, somebody or other is always shooting up a courtroom. Shows like Law and Order, Medium, CSi Las Vegas, and Special Victims Unit spring immediately to mind.
Lately, bullet-proof vests have been making the news and showing up on television dramas a lot. The series two finale of NCIS involved agent Kate Todd throwing herself, wearing a ballistic vest, to block a bullet meant for Special Agent Jethro Gibbs. The armor stopped the bullet, but moments later could not stop an assassin's bullet meant for her head. A couple of shows have had a similar theme when entrepreneurs peddle defective armor to the armed forces, only to be discovered by the heroes of the television programs. No doubt, more applications of GFRPs will be revealed in years to come.
Other types fiber reinforced polymer exist, mainly and consist mainly of carbon, basalt, or aramid. Aramid is a strong and heat-resistant synthetic fiber. Rarely, other materials are used such as wood, asbestos, or paper. The polymer part of an FRP is usually a vinylester, epoxy, or a polyester thermosetting plastic. The term thermosetting refers to the property of plastic where it is a liquid or soft plastic at low temperatures but hardens irreversibly when exposed to high termperatures.
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.
In law enforcement, military and civilian sectors, fiberglass is an important component of ballistic armor, or bullet-proof vests and other types of armor. Armor is used to protect a number of different assets, including personnel, but also building components and vehicles. A major advantage of fiberglass over steel armor is that it components may be fashioned in the field using commonly available power tools.
Ballistic armor is used to protect courtrooms. This material resists richochet, which makes buildings that much safer when they encounter gun play. On television, at least, somebody or other is always shooting up a courtroom. Shows like Law and Order, Medium, CSi Las Vegas, and Special Victims Unit spring immediately to mind.
Lately, bullet-proof vests have been making the news and showing up on television dramas a lot. The series two finale of NCIS involved agent Kate Todd throwing herself, wearing a ballistic vest, to block a bullet meant for Special Agent Jethro Gibbs. The armor stopped the bullet, but moments later could not stop an assassin's bullet meant for her head. A couple of shows have had a similar theme when entrepreneurs peddle defective armor to the armed forces, only to be discovered by the heroes of the television programs. No doubt, more applications of GFRPs will be revealed in years to come.
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