Flashback

4Oyearsago In January

1958

2Oyearsago

Reinforced

reported that the number of reinforced

Plastics

and tonnage

plastic

hulls

at the

National Boat Show in London exceeded most expectations. One application being

seen

although

was

plastic

boats

scored

Reinforced

on maintenance

and fire resistance, and according to the report it was clear that timber lifeboats were obsolescent.

Some

conservative

shipping lines were trying out composite lifeboats

on their

cargo

vessels

before deciding whether to adopt them for their new passenger vessels.

materials such

entire production

and

GRI’ as its major customers,

properties

Lower equipment of GRP

be two of the

turning

growing demand

poles

main

plas-

investment resistant

were said to

factors

for this

for corro-

cils, favoured the economics

behind

the launch

but GRP’s low weight resulted in tranportation and installation advantages while its corrosion and weather resistant properties

A project in which a New Zealand firm had

including

fabricated fan stacks for cooling towers at

stacks with more aerodynamically

a large petrochemical

fibre

plant was presented

The cooling

towers at the Montonui

Synthetic

Fuels Corp were

with 18 identical

reinforced

made by Ceilcote

in January 1988’s Reinfirced Pkzh. plant of N.Z.

replacing

cells was

consisted

layer of roving

The

methods

out

with

surfacing

mat.

to give structural strength, and preassem-

tions

bly on the ground to speed cell turnaround.

were made

after

commissioning

wound

The

end man-

drel by spray-up using roving. For the inside surface, a bisphenol polyester

resin

A fumarate

was used,

while

the

main part of the tank and the outer surface were made from an isophthalic polyester

resistant

to both

acid and

alkali soils. The tanks were said to be able to handle a variety of chemicals including those used in pulp and paper processing, water treatment,

production

of food

and drugs, fertilizer, textiles and paint.

Reinforced Plastics January 1998

the

to give lowest air resistance, external ribs

inside and

domes were made on a rotating

used to fabricate

thermal efficiency a number of modifica-

construc-

of a filament

towers,

228 m long and I6 m wide. To improve

Fiberglas

reinforced

(FRP)

(NZ) Ltd. Each tower

towers allowed a mould finish internally

tion with capacities up to 45 000 litres. They

plastic

fan

shaped

had a diameter of 8.8 m and stood 6.2 m

Corp in 1968. The tanks had a ribbed

the wooden

tall.

chemical stor-

age tanks by Owens-Corning

costs.

10 years ago

of a new line of

underground

local counof GRI? The

original equipment could be more expensive,

sion resistant bulk storage was said to be composite

capacity from steel to

virtually eliminated maintenance

change.

ing structure

Industry’s

manufacturer

traditional

originally built of wood. The single cool-

3Oyearsago

pole

concrete,

and

cost and the excellent corrosion

the same price.

light

was reported to have converted its

to be rejecting

ships’

more expensive than a light

Vi&an

as steel

towards the use of glass reinforced

alloy hull, a 10 m version worked out at about

were reported

tics (GRP).

the 7 m lifeboat was reported

to be 20%

ing pole manufacturers

where progress was lifeboats:

German

In 1978 some of Europe’s leading light-

One of the fan stacksfor the cooling towers of the Montonui

plant.