GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) composites have properties that metals do not have. They are generally more economical than carbon alloy steels, stainless steels, high nickel alloys or titanium materials.

The density of GRP is about one quarter of the steel material. This means that in many cases it can be carried manually, rather than renting a crane and taking the material to the field of application. GRPs are easy to repair and, as in the case of metal materials, cooling towers do not require the use of arc welding in elevated and hazardous areas, such as areas near fuel tanks.

The dielectric properties of GRP means that the electrical conductivity can be safely used where it cannot be tolerated.

Unrivaled Properties of Glass Reinforced Plastics

The anisotropic nature of FRP (the different physical properties of a material in different directions) allows the production engineer to align the fiber reinforcement with the main strain area. This makes the equipment even stronger and lighter in the construction of equivalent steel.
The applications of composites are not limited with fiber and glass reinforced plastics.

It cannot be used in any other important application or other equivalent composite and metal material, but also provides the coating application areas such as fiber, glass reinforced plastics, concrete bridges, decks, or road pavements, while providing both walking and road adhesion quality and protecting the reinforcement steel from chloride.

Thanks to the corrosion resistance of the material itself, these advantages, in combination with the coating applications, provide better mechanical properties to other materials that are used, converting them to better designed and less cost-effective systems.

In order to be used in the proper application areas of GRPs, it requires a good understanding of the physical and corrosion resistant properties of metals and other building materials to be used jointly.

The properties of GRPs vary according to the type of resin used for the matrix and the reinforcement structure.

Similarly, the properties of the metals can vary significantly depending on the specific alloy or the tempering or treatment of the metals

Reinforced composites are not as hard as most metals, and are clearly more successful in applications requiring a high modulus of elasticity. GRP does not show other positive properties of metals such as malleability, softening. On the other hand, GRP has a low density which provides good strength against the weight ratio, which is very important in the transportation industry and in many building construction applications.

The GRP also exhibits relatively good thermal properties as well as an electrical insulator. Manufacturing or repair work can be done easily without the need for arc welding in hazardous areas.

The table below compares the basic material properties of GRPs with those of various metals. Despite its lightweight and density, it shows that the GRPs have a clear advantage over the weight / transport and strength ratios.

Its thermal conductivity is also a clear advantage for storing, handling and handling liquids at high temperatures.

Thermal conductivity is lower than carbon steel and aluminum. Heat loss is much less and the dangers of hot equipment for workers are reduced.

The reduced tensile strength, the coefficient of thermal expansion (twice the carbon steel) and the modulus of elasticity may initially appear to be disadvantages for design engineers who are more familiar with steel.
However, it has actually revealed the design elements that have advantages. The coefficient of thermal expansion (approximately two-times of compared with carbon steel) can be seen as a disadvantage, for example when a GRP primer is applied to a steel substrate.

However, the resulting thermal forces are about 1/15 of the carbon steel due to the low elastic modulus of the GRPs. Measuring this advantage for pressure blocks in pipe systems in restricted areas requires more detailed calculations.

Of course, glass-reinforced composites and other application areas in which the metals will be used are subject to more precise calculations. Many factors, from the thickness of materials to the content of the composite, will affect the application.

Nevertheless, it is obvious that there are areas of applications still to be explored by thousands of GRPs, either alone or in combination with metals, according to the clear views and creativity of the engineers.