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Composite rollers for RNLI craft
Reinforced Plastics Volume 61, Number 2 March/April 2017
APPLICATIONS
Applications Exel supplies composites for interlocking wall system Exel Composites has supplied composite profiles for Australian Composite Walls, a continuous, inter-locking composite seawall flood defense system developed by Comtec in Australia. The wall system is made up of sheet sections that are fixed to piles. The walls reportedly give good protection against flooding, protect the shoreline and stop erosion. Composite profiles help improve corrosion resistance in demanding environments, and provide high strength and stiffness and are lightweight, Exel says. ‘We are very excited to be part of this innovative solution which is utilizing well the unique characteristics of composites,’ said Kari Loukola, SVP sales & marketing at Exel Composites.
The Australian Composite Walls flood defense system.
‘First installations were made earlier this year and we expect these full-scale tests to confirm the performance of
composites in the most demanding environments.’ Exel Composites; www.exelcomposites.com
SGL Group provides carbon fiber for fuel cell project SGL Group is to provide carbon fiber components for a project aimed at developing higher performance fuel cells. The s7 million joint development project INSPIRE, will run for three years and intends to develop a new generation of fuel cells with higher performance and longer lifetime, which will play a major role in the electromobility of the future. SGL Group is responsible for the development of the gas diffusion layers (GDL),
which will be manufactured based on carbon fibers. The GDL allows a steady supply of gas to the catalyst layers, which are located on both sides of the ion exchange membrane and which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy and water. ‘INSPIRE, with high-profile partners from the fields of science and industry, offers an excellent platform to accelerate the utilization of fuel cell technology with its innovative materials and components,’ said
Dr Gerd Wingefeld, CTO at SGL Group. ‘For SGL Group, it highlights our entrepreneurial claim to play a key role in shaping developments in the megatrends of mobility and energy supply. These include not only graphite anode material for lithium ion batteries and carbon fiber composites for lightweight-construction passenger compartments, but also our gas diffusion layers for alternative drive technologies based on hydrogen.’ SGL; www.sglgroup.com
specialist Custom Composites, part of the Attwater Group to provide the rollers to
help launch its Shannon Class All Weather Lifeboat.
Composite rollers for RNLI craft The UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has called upon composite tube
0034-3617/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.repl.2017.01.009
64
The rollers have been designed specifically to withstand the 18 tonne weight of the craft and remain unaffected by the harsh marine environment. The rollers will form part of a modular launch and recovery system that carries the Shannonclass craft from the lifeboat house to the sea. ‘Attwater are extremely proud to be involved in such an important project, working with a charitable organisation whose primary focus is saving lives,’ said sales Director Rachael Kennedy.
The UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has called upon composite tube specialist Custom Composites to provide the rollers to help launch its Shannon Class All Weather Lifeboat.
APPLICATIONS
‘The rollers needed to remain free from stress fractures or voids, and required a manufacturer with our level of experience and quality assurance to meet their demands,’ said Andy States, general manager at Custom Composites. ‘Our composite rollers will not corrode in seawater or deform like some rubbers do under such stresses and in such demanding environments.’ APPLICATIONS
Reinforced Plastics Volume 61, Number 2 March/April 2017
Attwater & Sons Ltd; www.attwater.com
FiberSystems supplies composite pile jackets FRP manufacturer Composite Advantage has commissioned FiberSystems to supply fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) pile jackets for a waterfront application. ‘We specialize in very large FRP composite parts up to 100 ft for bridge and waterfront infrastructures,’ said Composite Advantage president Scott Reeve. ‘This was an application where the best approach was to source a pipe expert like FiberSystems.’ The New Zealand waterfront structure’s circular piers were eroding due to salt water, air and sun exposure. Concrete stay-inplace forms were used to repair the piers but corrosive conditions dictated the need for pile jackets for each of the piers. Twenty-four oz fabric knitted from carbon and glass fibers, 50 in wide by 17 ft long, was hand laid up in two sections around mandrels 18 in, 20 in, and 24 in, in diameter. Once the sleeves were custom fabricated, they were removed and split lengthwise. The outer edge of one side of the cut and the inner edge of the opposing cut were pre-sanded for easier bonding. Once installed, a special mortar was used to fill the space between the FRP jacket and the concrete pillar, creating a
FiberSystems supplied fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) pile jackets for a waterfront application.
corrosion resistant armor against the elements. used unpigmented FiberSystems vinylester resin to produce a total of 17 18-in, inside diameter, five 20-in, inside
diameter, and seven 24-in inside diameter pile jackets. The FRP sleeves were shipped to New Zealand in October. Composite Advantage; www.compositeadvantage.com
Composite stair treads win design award Dura Composites, a UK supplier of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) products, says that its Dura Slab stair treads have won an award for Innovation in Composite Design at the Composites UK awards. The structural stair treads are lightweight, meaning that the treads and landings can be easily fixed into position thanks to their sin-
gle unit construction, the company says. They feature a built-in riser for rapid installation and an in-built fall to assist with drainage and reduce pooling on stair surfaces. To ensure safety and ease of access for people with limited vision, Dura Slab Structural Stair Treads have DDA and Equality Act compliant contrasting colored nosings, and provide
a slip resistant surface, particularly when wet. Available in 65 mm or 90 mm thicknesses, Dura Slab stair treads can span up to 2.1 m clear open span, achieving 5 kN/ m2 at L/300 deflection, meaning that additional supports can be avoided in most scenarios. The 65 mm and 90 mm sizes 65
APPLICATIONS
Applications Exel supplies composites for interlocking wall system Exel Composites has supplied composite profiles for Australian Composite Walls, a continuous, inter-locking composite seawall flood defense system developed by Comtec in Australia. The wall system is made up of sheet sections that are fixed to piles. The walls reportedly give good protection against flooding, protect the shoreline and stop erosion. Composite profiles help improve corrosion resistance in demanding environments, and provide high strength and stiffness and are lightweight, Exel says. ‘We are very excited to be part of this innovative solution which is utilizing well the unique characteristics of composites,’ said Kari Loukola, SVP sales & marketing at Exel Composites.
The Australian Composite Walls flood defense system.
‘First installations were made earlier this year and we expect these full-scale tests to confirm the performance of
composites in the most demanding environments.’ Exel Composites; www.exelcomposites.com
SGL Group provides carbon fiber for fuel cell project SGL Group is to provide carbon fiber components for a project aimed at developing higher performance fuel cells. The s7 million joint development project INSPIRE, will run for three years and intends to develop a new generation of fuel cells with higher performance and longer lifetime, which will play a major role in the electromobility of the future. SGL Group is responsible for the development of the gas diffusion layers (GDL),
which will be manufactured based on carbon fibers. The GDL allows a steady supply of gas to the catalyst layers, which are located on both sides of the ion exchange membrane and which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy and water. ‘INSPIRE, with high-profile partners from the fields of science and industry, offers an excellent platform to accelerate the utilization of fuel cell technology with its innovative materials and components,’ said
Dr Gerd Wingefeld, CTO at SGL Group. ‘For SGL Group, it highlights our entrepreneurial claim to play a key role in shaping developments in the megatrends of mobility and energy supply. These include not only graphite anode material for lithium ion batteries and carbon fiber composites for lightweight-construction passenger compartments, but also our gas diffusion layers for alternative drive technologies based on hydrogen.’ SGL; www.sglgroup.com
specialist Custom Composites, part of the Attwater Group to provide the rollers to
help launch its Shannon Class All Weather Lifeboat.
Composite rollers for RNLI craft The UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has called upon composite tube
0034-3617/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.repl.2017.01.009
64
The rollers have been designed specifically to withstand the 18 tonne weight of the craft and remain unaffected by the harsh marine environment. The rollers will form part of a modular launch and recovery system that carries the Shannonclass craft from the lifeboat house to the sea. ‘Attwater are extremely proud to be involved in such an important project, working with a charitable organisation whose primary focus is saving lives,’ said sales Director Rachael Kennedy.
The UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has called upon composite tube specialist Custom Composites to provide the rollers to help launch its Shannon Class All Weather Lifeboat.
APPLICATIONS
‘The rollers needed to remain free from stress fractures or voids, and required a manufacturer with our level of experience and quality assurance to meet their demands,’ said Andy States, general manager at Custom Composites. ‘Our composite rollers will not corrode in seawater or deform like some rubbers do under such stresses and in such demanding environments.’ APPLICATIONS
Reinforced Plastics Volume 61, Number 2 March/April 2017
Attwater & Sons Ltd; www.attwater.com
FiberSystems supplies composite pile jackets FRP manufacturer Composite Advantage has commissioned FiberSystems to supply fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) pile jackets for a waterfront application. ‘We specialize in very large FRP composite parts up to 100 ft for bridge and waterfront infrastructures,’ said Composite Advantage president Scott Reeve. ‘This was an application where the best approach was to source a pipe expert like FiberSystems.’ The New Zealand waterfront structure’s circular piers were eroding due to salt water, air and sun exposure. Concrete stay-inplace forms were used to repair the piers but corrosive conditions dictated the need for pile jackets for each of the piers. Twenty-four oz fabric knitted from carbon and glass fibers, 50 in wide by 17 ft long, was hand laid up in two sections around mandrels 18 in, 20 in, and 24 in, in diameter. Once the sleeves were custom fabricated, they were removed and split lengthwise. The outer edge of one side of the cut and the inner edge of the opposing cut were pre-sanded for easier bonding. Once installed, a special mortar was used to fill the space between the FRP jacket and the concrete pillar, creating a
FiberSystems supplied fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) pile jackets for a waterfront application.
corrosion resistant armor against the elements. used unpigmented FiberSystems vinylester resin to produce a total of 17 18-in, inside diameter, five 20-in, inside
diameter, and seven 24-in inside diameter pile jackets. The FRP sleeves were shipped to New Zealand in October. Composite Advantage; www.compositeadvantage.com
Composite stair treads win design award Dura Composites, a UK supplier of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) products, says that its Dura Slab stair treads have won an award for Innovation in Composite Design at the Composites UK awards. The structural stair treads are lightweight, meaning that the treads and landings can be easily fixed into position thanks to their sin-
gle unit construction, the company says. They feature a built-in riser for rapid installation and an in-built fall to assist with drainage and reduce pooling on stair surfaces. To ensure safety and ease of access for people with limited vision, Dura Slab Structural Stair Treads have DDA and Equality Act compliant contrasting colored nosings, and provide
a slip resistant surface, particularly when wet. Available in 65 mm or 90 mm thicknesses, Dura Slab stair treads can span up to 2.1 m clear open span, achieving 5 kN/ m2 at L/300 deflection, meaning that additional supports can be avoided in most scenarios. The 65 mm and 90 mm sizes 65