How Heavy is FRP?

FRP is light. Very light.

Most FRP structural shapes like beams and angle only weigh 25% of the weight of steel and 70% of the weight of aluminum. Steel and wood are far heavier than FRP.

This makes FRP an excellent choice when weight is an important factor when designing a structure.

You'll often see FRP used in children's play structures and for pedestrian bridges in cases where an all-steel design would be too heavy.

FRP has the added benefit of being non-corrosive, which makes FRP preferable over a wood design in wet environments, like over a stream.

How Light is FRP?

Here's a fun video we made of our young fabricator, Russ Jarvis, curling a 20 foot 6" by 1/4" FRP
wide flange beam.

 

If this beam were made of steel, it would weigh over 500 pounds. (Even Russ might have a little trouble with that!)

This beam is made of  FRP so it 'only' weighs 150 lbs. No problem for FIBERMAN! 

 Call Fiberman at 1-877-984-7788 for a quote on your next FRP project.

Non-Conductive Fiberglass Railing

COAST MOUNTAIN BUS COMPANY
Vancouver, BC

Coast Mountain Bus Company in Vancouver, BC uses fiberglass FRP railing for their elevating platforms on the trucks used to maintain electric trolley wires.

As FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) does not conduct electricity, it provides a strong, safe, light-weight alternative to steel or aluminum.

The railing was manufactured and designed by Fiberman in Burnaby, BC. A removable HD Plastic strip was added to the top of the railing for added protection for the railing.

Custom modifications were designed to reinforce the strength of the posts.

Call Fiberman at 1-877-984-7788 for an estimate on non-conductive FRP Railing.

FRP Grating in Children's Play Area

DISCOVERY CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
International Play. Las Vegas, NV

Earlier this year, Langley BC based International Play Co. designed and installed a 7 - story children’s play center at the Discovery Children's Museum in Las Vegas.

The platforms and stairs used T-1800 pultruted grating. The 53 triangular stairs were fabricated at the Southwell Corp facility in Burnaby, BC Canada and dropped into a metal frame onsite.

The 1.5” deep platforms were supplied in 4’ x 8’ panels with rectangular nosing along both 8’ sides, providing a child-safe connection between panels.




 All S.S. insert clips were installed under the grating where there is no contact with children’s feet. Cut-outs for water pipes were done on-site.

Molded FRP Grating Versus Pultruded Grating

We are often asked to explain the difference between Molded fiberglass grating and Pultruded fiberglass grating.

MOLDED FRP GRATING

• Molded Grating has a square or mesh pattern similar to a checker board. The squares are typically 1.5” on center. It is also available with a 1” x 4” rectangular mesh Pattern.
• Molded Grating is equally strong in both directions so the panels can be rotated 90 degrees and have the same support characteristics. 
• Molded Grating is available in 1”, 1.5” and 2” thick panels. 
• Molded Grating comes in 3’ x 10’, 4’ x 8’ and 4’ x 12’ panels.

For Pricing and availability click on: Molded FRP Grating.

PULTRUDED FRP GRATING

• Pultruded Grating consists of a series of parallel bars. The bearing bars typically have a ‘T’ or ‘I’ profile as in T-Bar or I-Bar. 
• The bearing pars are kept parallel with a series of cross-rods 6” apart that run at 90 degrees though the bearing bars. Cross-rods are not intended to be applied in the span direction.
• Pultruded grating can only support weight in the direction of the bearing bars. The bearing bars must traverse from support to support. 

For Pricing and Availabilty visit: Pultruded FRP Grating.

FRP Pedestrian Overpass

9th Street FRP Pedestrian Bridge

New York City

Just blocks from Ground Zero, thousands of New York pedestrians walk over a stretch of Bedford fiberglass-reinforced deckboard on their daily commute. It all started with one contractor's search for a long-lasting alternative material.

Challenge Architects and municipal leaders charged Tully Construction with finding a decking material that would last - one that wouldn't rot or corrode. They also didn't want it to shrink or swell, causing nails and screws to pop up and pose a tripping hazard. And the surface needed to provide good traction for safety. Tully discovered FRP and Bedford responded promptly with samples and quotes. That response ultimately won Bedford the job.

Bedford supplied fiberglass-reinforced deckboard that snaps together without a lot of additional time-consuming fabrication. Tully had never worked with FRP before, so they were surprised at how easy it was to work with and install. The contractor was so impressed with the material, they say they'll use it again.

Custom FRP Trellis

In partnership with Trellis Growing Systems, Bedford Reinforced Plastics manufacturers a specialized FRP trellising that allows blackberries to grow successfully in colder climate zones. Bedford believed in the system so much they invested in 20 acres of their own. The operation is called BlackBerry Bottom Farms!

FRP Ramp for YMCA Pool

The Family YMCA in Bristol, Tennessee was outfitted with Strongwell’s fiberglass SAFDECK® decking, EXTREN® 500 Series tube and angle for a handicap pool ramp access in their outdoor center.

The Family YMCA needed a light-weight high-strength product which was able to withstand constant exposure to UV light, chlorinated water, and constant usage. Strongwell’s pultruded fiberglass products met the pool’s needs perfectly due to its corrosion resistant qualities which maintain an attractive appearance while reducing maintenance costs.

Strongwell’s SAFDECK® pultruded fiberglass decking, EXTREN® tubes and angles were selected by the pool’s property manager based upon previous applications. SAFDECK® was installed to serve as flooring and EXTREN® 500 series tubes and angles served as posts and railings. In addition to corrosion resistance, Strongwell’s materials also provided much needed skid resistance. SAFDECK®‘s fine grit surface provides a safe skid resistant walking surface in wet conditions.

 “The pool environment is highly corrosive and the aluminum ramp in the indoor pool required excessive maintenance after only seven years of use. FRP is the right solution for this type of application”

said Gary McGeough, Property Manager of Bristol’s Family YMCA.