Application opportunities and challenges of glass fiber and composite materials in the field of infrastructure

Today I want to share an article with you:

A decade ago, discussions about infrastructure revolved around how much extra money was needed to fix it. But today there is an increasing emphasis on sustainability and durability in projects involving the construction or repair of national roads, bridges, ports, power grids, and more.

The composites industry can provide sustainable solutions that U.S. states are looking for. With increased funding, as proposed in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, U.S. state agencies will have more funding and opportunities to experiment with innovative technologies and building techniques.

Greg Nadeau, Chairman and CEO of Infrastructure Ventures, said, “There are many examples across the United States where the use of composite innovations has proven to be effective, whether it’s bridges or reinforced building structures. The massive impact on the Bridge Infrastructure Act on top of regular appropriations The investment does provide an opportunity for states to use these funds to expand the use and understanding of these alternative materials. They are not experimental, they are proven to work.”

Composite materials have been used to build more impact-resilient bridges. Bridges in U.S. coastal and northern states that use road salt during the winter have rotted due to steel corrosion in reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete structures. Using non-corrosive materials such as composite ribs can reduce the amount of money that U.S. Departments of Transportation (DOTs) must spend on bridge maintenance and repairs.

Nadeau said: “Typically, conventional bridges with a rated life of 75 years have to be substantially treated over a period of 40 or 50 years. Using non-corrosive materials based on your material selection can extend service life and reduce long-term life cycles. cost.”

There are other cost savings as well. “If we had a material that wouldn’t corrode, the composition of the concrete might be different. For example, we wouldn’t have to use corrosion inhibitors, which cost about $50 per cubic yard,” said University of Miami Professor and Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering Director Antonio Nanni said.

Bridges built with composite materials can be designed with more streamlined support structures. Ken Sweeney, President and Principal Engineer of Advanced Infrastructure Technologies (AIT), said: “If you were using concrete, you would spend a lot of money and resources building the bridge to support its weight, not its function, Namely carrying traffic. If you could reduce the weight of it and have a higher strength-to-weight ratio, that would be a huge benefit: it would be cheaper to build.”

Because composite bars are much lighter than steel, fewer trucks are required to transport composite bars (or bridge components made from composite bars) to the jobsite. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Contractors can use smaller, lower-cost cranes to lift composite bridge components into place, and it’s easier and safer for construction workers to carry them.