Development, Manufacturing and Applications of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composite Materials

Research Area Overview
Development, Manufacturing and

Applications of Fiber Reinforced Polymer
(FRP) Composite Materials
September 20, 2002
Ray F. Liang, Ph.D., Chem Eng

Hota GangaRao, Ph.D., P.E., Civil Eng
Constructed Facilities Center (CFC)
Recent Research Activities at CFC
Advances in composite and hybrid materials for high

volume applications such as structural components;
Value-added, high volume product development;
utilizing recycled engineering polymers;
Manufacturing methods with industry;
Nondestructive evaluation techniques and tools;
Technology transfer in coop. with industry and
government agencies.
General R& D Objectives:
To foster and conduct R & D vital to the rehabilitation
of our nation's constructed facilities
To promote and advance FRP composites for civil
infrastructure applications
Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP)

Composites
R&D Objective
To develop and implement continuous and chopped
fiber reinforced composites for structural
components and systems with better strength,
serviceability, durability and cost-effectiveness
FRP Design
Fabric reinforcements (Glass, Carbon, Aramid, PP)
Resin / Matrix (Thermoplastics and thermosets)
Thermoplastic Resins
Characteristics:
Soften, melt and flow upon heating, e.g., HDPE, PP, PC, ABS
Advantages:
Unlimited shelf life
Easy to handle (no tackiness)
Recyclable
Postformable
Higher fracture toughness than epoxy
Disadvantages:
Lower creep resistance than thermosets
High viscosity ~ 1,000,000 cP
PP
Thermoset Resins
Characteristics:
Liquid resin gets cured into crosslinked network structure that
will not melt upon reheating, e.g. Polyester, Epoxy, Vinyl ester,
Urethane, Phenolics
Advantages:
Lower resin viscosity (~20 500cP)
Better fiber wet-out
Better creep resistance
Excellent thermal stability after cure
Disadvantages:
Brittle (low strain-at-break)
Limited storage life at room temperature
Non-recyclable via standard techniques
Molding in the shape of a final part
Polyester
Manufacturing Methods for

FRP Composites
Hand lay-up
Compression molding
Pultrusion
Resin transfer molding
Injection molding
Filament winding
Hand Lay-up
A manual fabrication process. It involves building

up layers of chopped glass or woven glass mat
impregnated with catalyzed resin around a
suitable mold. The reinforcement is then rolled
for better wet-out and removing trapped air.
Used for
large diameter structure;
custom shapes like
asymmetric shapes;
bonding two or more modules.
Compression Molding
For thermosets or thermoplastics. The
process consisting of placing a charge
in the mold, which is subsequently
closed and held at a high pressure, and
then heating the mold to initiate cure
reaction.
Available with CFC:
PHI hydraulic presses with electrically
heated platens and water cooling
30 and 50 ton capacity
Platen size: 12.5"x18.5"
0
Max mold temp: 315 C
Two-stage hydraulic pump
Pultrusion Process
A highly automated production process that continuously draws resinimpregnated fiber reinforcements, at speeds ranging from 1 to 5 feet
per minute, through a heated die which forms and cures to the desired
cross-section with no part length limitation. Pultrusion produces:
4high strength structural shapes
4with High volume reinforcements
4at moderate tooling and capital equipment cost.
Pultrusion Machine
Available with CFC:

A resin-injected pultrusion process is under development at CFC in
cooperation with industry.
Resin Transfer Molding Process
Vacuum-Assisted Resin
Transfer Molding (VARTM)
Seeman's Composite
Resin Injection Molding
Process (SCRIMP)
Hybrid of VARTM and
Vacuum bagging
One-sided tooling
Large-scale parts
Low void content
Resin Transfer Molding Machine

Available with CFC:
Plastech Megaject Sprint RTM
MPG mold protection guard
Vacuum assisted infusion
Automatic control
Output 150g - 6kg/min
Mix Ratio- 0.5% - 4.5%
Tool w. electric heater
Injection Molding
For thermoplastic resins
commonly with short glass
fibers as reinforcements. No
chemical reaction occurs
during the molding process.
Available with CFC:
Battenfeld BA 1000/315 CDC
with B4 controls
-Clamp force (US tons) 110
-Tie bar distance (in)16.54 x 16.54
-Screw diameter (in) 1.18 and 1.77
-Injection capacity (oz)3.6 and 8.17
-Wear resistant barrel / screw sets
-High speed injection
Filament Winding
A process where continuous fiber filaments called rovings,

are saturated with catalyzed resin and helically wound
around a mandrel. The fibers are fed through a device
which moves up and down the length of rotating mandrel.
High fiber-to-resin ratio (high strength-to-weight ratio)
CFC is developing high

volume products using
filament winding at WVU
and thru interactions
with industry.
Available with FMW

Composite Systems Inc in
Bridgeport, WV.
Markets and Applications
U.S. FRP composites: 3.59 billion pounds in 1998
FRP Composite Structural

Components
FRP
Rebars
FRP Beams
FRP Column Wraps
FRP Tension Members
FRP Laminates
FRP Bridge Decks
Top: Katy Truss bridge, Marion Co, WV
Bottom: Martha Queens bridge, Lewis Co, WV
FRP Composite Bridges

FRP bridge deck
FRP stringers
FRP abutment panels
FRP rebars for concrete
bridge decks, parapets,
retaining structures
Strengthening of steel
girders using carbon
laminates
Top: FRP deck over beams, Laurel Lick Bridge, Lewis Co, WV
Middle: Deck GFRP rebar, McKinleyville bridge, Brooks Co, WV
Bottom: GFRP in abutment, Martha Queens, Lewis Co, WV
GFRP Reinforcements for

Pavements
FRP reinforcement
including FRP dowel bars
for concrete pavements
Reinforcing asphalt
pavements using FRP grids
Polymer concrete wearing
surface
FRP Composites in Highway

Structures
FRP sign boards and posts
FRP guardrail system
FRP sound barriers
FRP drainage systems (pipes,
culverts)
Composite building - FRP

panels and shapes
FRP Composites for Structural

Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation of concrete bridge
components using FRP wraps
Replacement of deteriorated bridge
truss members using FRP shapes
WV Preston Co. Muddy Creek bridge
Carbon wrap concrete beam
FRP Wrapping (Wet Lay-up) of

Structural Members
Left: GFRP wrapped rail

road tie.
Right top: GFRP wrapped
guide rail post.
Right bottom: Piers with
GFRP wrap, Pond Creek
Bridge, Wood County, WV
FRP Rehabilitation of Railroad

Bridge 568, Moorefield, WV
Rehabilitation includes (1)
wrapping the pile cap
together with the piles
using GFRP fabrics to
prevent the timber cap
from dropping off the
piles due to flood debris
and (2) repairing a
decayed pile using GFRP
fabric and resin/hardener
filler.
Static & Dynamic Testing and

Evaluation of Rehabilitated Members
D1 & D4 Detected by Tap Testing & IR Thermography

D2 & D3 Detected by IR Thermography Only
Bridge 568 IR Thermography testing of wrapped pile cap

(Samer Petro et al 2002)
Utility Poles
130 million utility poles

in-service in USA
98% chemically treated
wood poles
~4 million poles need
replacement per year
~90,000 poles in WV
$4 billion treated wood

poles annually
$2.8 billion for
replacement
$1.2 billion for new
construction
FRP Poles
Conventional materials*
40' long
40' long
Class 4
Class 4
Cedar
steel pole
wood pole
Existing FRP composite poles**
40' long
Class 4
concrete
pole
40' long
40' long
80' long
40' long
40' long
Class 4
Class 1
Class 1
Class 4
Class 1
FRP pole FRP pole FRP pole FRP pole FRP pole
ANSI O5.1
Cantilever
load, lbs
2400
2400
2400
2400
4500
Weight, lbs
~900
~600
~3000
~415
~600
~300+35
~370
~350
~900
~1500
~30-40
~80
~80
~80
~80
Cost, $
Lifespan,
years
Proposed FRP composite poles
4500
2400
80' long
Class 1
FRP pole
4500
4500
~1350 ~200-225 ~250-300
~800-900
~4000 ~450-500 ~650-700 ~2500-3000
~80
~100
~100
* Data from Feldman & Shistar, 1997. Penta treated Cedar wood pole has a maintenance cost of $35 per pole.
** Data from Shakespeare Product Datasheets and Strongwell Ebert Product Information.
~100
Vinyl Ester / Clay Nanocomposites for

Improved Durability
Moisture diffusion coefficient as a function of clay loading

(Shah, Gupta and GangaRao, 2002)
Vinyl Ester Urethane Heteropolymeric

Resin for Improved Performance
Mechanical properties of carbon reinforced pultruded profiles
ILLS: Interlaminar shear strength, reflecting the adhesion of fiber/matrix;
Fatigue test: three point bending for one million cycles (Klumperman, 2002).
Flexural
strength,
MPa
Flexural
modulus,
GPa
ILLS,
MPa
Fatigue
strength,
MPa
Fatigue
strength,
%
Vinyl ester resin
1200
110
42
860
72
Vinyl ester -urethane

heteropolymeric resin
1570
115
86
1180
80
Epoxy
1400
110
80
1100
80
Carbon fiber reinforced vinyl ester urethane heteropolymeric resin

as an alternative to epoxy-carbon composite systems
New Applications
Technology Transfer Programs

Conferences on Polymer Composites organized by CFC
(1992; 1996; 1999; 2001; 2004)

Short Courses to industry engineers
Technology Transfer Programs through WVDOT, USDOT,
FHWA, and other agencies
Hands-on Training (on our facility) to small manufacturers
Training graduate and undergraduate students
Presentations and Seminars at conferences
Development of manuals and specifications for inspection
What CFC Offers

Technology Training
New Product Development
Material Characterization
Structural Evaluation
Field Monitoring
Design and Prototype Manufacturing of
Polymer, Composite and Hybrid Materials

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Research Area Overview

Development, Manufacturing and

September 20, 2002

Ray F. Liang, Ph.D., Chem Eng

Recent Research Activities at CFC

Advances in composite and hybrid materials for high

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP)

Manufacturing Methods for

Resin transfer molding

A manual fabrication process. It involves building

Available with CFC:

Resin Transfer Molding Process

Resin Transfer Molding Machine

MPG mold protection guard

Vacuum assisted infusion

Output 150g - 6kg/min

Mix Ratio- 0.5% - 4.5%

Tool w. electric heater

A process where continuous fiber filaments called rovings,

CFC is developing high

Available with FMW

Markets and Applications

U.S. FRP composites: 3.59 billion pounds in 1998

FRP Composite Structural

FRP Composite Bridges

GFRP Reinforcements for

FRP Composites in Highway

Composite building - FRP

FRP Composites for Structural

WV Preston Co. Muddy Creek bridge

Carbon wrap concrete beam

FRP Wrapping (Wet Lay-up) of

Left: GFRP wrapped rail

FRP Rehabilitation of Railroad

Static & Dynamic Testing and

D1 & D4 Detected by Tap Testing & IR Thermography

Bridge 568 IR Thermography testing of wrapped pile cap

130 million utility poles

$4 billion treated wood

Existing FRP composite poles**

Proposed FRP composite poles

~1350 ~200-225 ~250-300

~4000 ~450-500 ~650-700 ~2500-3000

Vinyl Ester / Clay Nanocomposites for

Moisture diffusion coefficient as a function of clay loading

Vinyl Ester Urethane Heteropolymeric

Vinyl ester resin

Vinyl ester -urethane

Carbon fiber reinforced vinyl ester urethane heteropolymeric resin

Technology Transfer Programs

(1992; 1996; 1999; 2001; 2004)

What CFC Offers

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