Fiberglass - Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP)

Fiberglass or the fibreglass is known to be one type of fiber reinforced plastic. The reinforcement is in form of glass fiber that might be arranged randomly. The most common arrangement is the glass fiber will be woven into the form of a mat. In the fiberglass, the plastic matrix might be thermoplastic as well as the thermosetting plastic such as polyester resin or epoxy. Depending on the usages of the fiberglass, there will be various types of glass fibers that can be used. These types of glass fibers will all contain silicate or silica with the various oxides amounts of magnesium, calcium and sometimes also includes boron.

Types of Fiberglass

When the glass fibers will be used, these fibers will be usually made to have very low level of defects. The fiberglass is known to be tough despite of the lightweight. There are various types of fiberglass with five of them being the major ones.

• A-glass or alkali glass has the good resistance towards chemicals.
• C-glass or known as chemical glass has very high resistance towards chemicals.
• D-glass or dielectric glass is known as the fiberglass with best electrical properties but somehow lacks of mechanical properties when being compares to E-glass or S-glass.
• E-glass or the electric glass is one excellent insulator and capable of resisting attacks from water.
• S-glass or also known as the structural glass is the one optimized to be used as mechanical properties.

Amongst all of the types of fiberglass, E-glass and S-glass are the ones often used by many people. The E-glass is known to be more economics. Meanwhile, the S-glass is known to be more reliable to be used for mechanical performance.

The Usage of Fiberglass

The lightweight of fiberglass makes it an easy material to be used in the various things. On top of that, fiberglass is very sturdy. However, it is not as stiff or as composite as carbon fiber. It is also less brittle. The materials used in fiberglass will also be more affordable. Fiberglass will be easily molded into the various shapes. Fiberglass has been used for tvarious purposes such as the followings:

• Automotive: 1953 Chevrolet Corvette is known as the first car with the body made fully of fiberglass. That being said, it never surpasses the success of metal auto bodies for the larger volumes of production. The fiberglass is still being used widely in various auto parts.
• Aerospace and Aviation: The usage of fiberglass is considerably extensive although that not for the primary construction of airframe. Usually, the fiberglass is used on luggage racks, bulkheads, engine cowlings, instrument enclosures, ducting and others.
• Electronics: The manufacturers of circuit boards widely use fiberglass in TVs, computers and other electronic products.
• Home: Almost every home has the products made of fiberglass. Check bathtubs or the shower trays. Other things will include the spa tubs as well as the other furniture.
• Leisure: The usage of fiberglass is undeniable here. Check the rides and attractions inside of themed parks. There will be things made of fiberglass such as the cars on the rides, towers and many others.
• Marine and Boats: The usage of fiberglass is highly felt in this area since 1942. Fiberglass is really suitable for boat building although some problems might still come.
• Medical: Many medical instruments can be made of fiberglass such as the X-ray beds and the other medical instruments.

Where to Get Fiberglass?

The materials to make fiberglass or the fiberglass itself can be easily acquired from the material shops. There are a lot of them including the ones selling the materials online. It is wide to check them one by one before deciding to get the fiberglass.