Glass Reinforced plastics can be made to any specifications - By: Gareth Hoyle1

From the Stone Age to the Iron Age man has always managed to manipulate his environment to his advantage. Today in the 21st century it is evident that we have clearly mastered this technique – the world is full of extremely advanced materials all formed into a variety of shapes and sizes for our convenience. Although it may seem like we have ‘completed’ our resource mastering task, our modern world is still finding ways to create new and improved materials. One of these materials is glass-reinforced plastic.

Despite being known about for a long time, the use of GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) is actually a fairly recent addition to our manufacturing arsenal. It is a composite material which is made up of fine fibers of glass. It boasts the following properties:

Lightweight – Unlike some of the heaviest materials in our world, GRP has the advantage of being made up of glass fibers. This makes it extremely light weight, as the glass fibers host an extremely low density ratio.

Strong – Each individual glass fiber remains both strong and stiff in tension and compression. Although glass fibers are stereotypically known for being weak, when permanently placed together the fibers allow for an efficient control over the durability of the material.

Versatile – It’s a material with a whole range of uses including boats, roofing, pipes, and even gliders. It is renowned for being weather resistant and so it seems to have no trouble in being a part of seemingly anything!

So how is GRP produced?

Large furnaces are used to gradually melt the initial mixture, (made up of sands and chemicals), and then the results are squeezed through extremely small holes (typically only 25 micrometers wide). These individual filaments are now bundled together in part of a process called roving. The number and diameter of the filaments in the roving determine its weight. Depending on what the glass fiber is evnentually needed for our roving could take many different routes of production, but they are usually used directly in a composite application.

The real question is can GRP help you. Well due to its incredible versatility it probably can. Whether you need hand rails, steps, walkways or even ladders, GRP could be of great use to you.

Let’s take a hand rail for example. It’s a device that will always be outside, being open to all types of weather, and it may even be leaned and sat on by passers by. GRP, as previously mentioned, is famously weather resistance and tough. No matter how many bodies lumber over it the structure of the fibers will be able to stand rigid against them. It’s a fantastic investment that won’t let you down.

When looking for a company to supply you with GRP materials, opt for one that has been around for a long time. The production and manipulation of GRP is not an easy one, and so you need a supplier that has an experienced and reliable team.

About the Author

Did you know that glass reinforced plastics can be fabricated to your specific requirements, including GRP gratings , available from HR Kilns & Fibreglass?

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