Practical Tips for Molding Long Fiber Reinforced Polymers

 

  The formation of Fibreglass chopped strand matting is formed by chop glass fiber, which settles in a disorderly manner on a stainless steel mesh belt to form a felt. The chopped strands are bonded together by spraying binder + or water spraying, and powdered binder is removed, and then dried at high temperature and shaped. Form emulsion chopped strand mat or powder chopped strand mat.

1. Raw materials
  The glass commonly used in FRP products is a calcium-alumina borosilicate with an alkali content of less than one percent. It is often referred to as "E" type glass because it was developed for use in electrical insulation systems.

  Fiberglass woven mat is produced by transporting molten glass from a melting furnace through a platinum jacket containing a large number of small holes, where it is drawn into glass filaments. Filaments for commercial use are typically between 9 and 15 microns in diameter. Before the filaments are aggregated into fibers, the emulsion is attached. The fibers are very strong - the tensile strength is exceptionally high. They also show good chemical and moisture resistance, have excellent electrical properties, are immune to biological attack, and do not burn, with a melting point of 1500°C - excellent performance in plastic reinforcements.

  Fiberglass can be used in a variety of ways, chopped into short lengths ("chop fiberglass"); aggregated into loosely bound ropes ("roving fibre"); woven into various fabrics, continuous through yarn twisting and doubling yarn strands. In the UK, a widely used fibreglass material is chopped strand mat, which consists of strands of fibreglass chopped to about 50mm, held together in mat form using a polyvinyl acetate or polyester binder. The fiberglass chopped strand mat can range in weight from 100 gsm to 1200 gsm and is useful for general reinforcement.

 

 

2. Sizing section
  The glass fiber is applied from the settling section to the conveying process of the conveyor belt, and the adhesive is applied. The settling section needs to be kept clean and dry. Combining the powders is carried out by two applicators of powder binders, and a series of demineralized (distilled) water sprays.
On the Fiberglass matt，the upper and lower sides, lightly spray with distilled water, this operation is a necessary step for better adhesion of the adhesive. Special powder applicator ensures powder distribution. A vibrator between the two applicators enables powder transfer to the underside of the felt.

 

 

This system allows air to be carried away through the pad and adhesive. The binder will be evenly distributed and excess binder will also be eliminated. Obviously, the adhesive can be reused after filtering the dirt.

  The binder is stored in a container in the mixing chamber and transported from a small tank near the felt factory through low pressure piping.
Special devices will keep the tank level constant. The recycled adhesive is also delivered to the tank. The pump transports the adhesive from the storage tank to the gluing section.

 

4. Production
  Fibre glass matting is a non-woven fabric made of filaments chopped into 25-50 mm long, randomly laid in a horizontal plane, and held together by a suitable adhesive. There are two types of binders, powder and emulsion. While the physical properties of composites are determined by the composition of fiber diameter, the choice and amount of binder, and the use of felt and formability.

The production material for chopped strand mat is fiberglass mat manufacturers' strand cake, but there are also some that often use roving, in part to save space.Very important for the quality of the mat are good fiber cut-off properties and low static electrical load and low glue usage.

 

 

  Cars: Structures and bumpers, from cars to heavy commercial construction equipment, beds for vans, and even armored vehicles. All these parts that are often exposed to the most severe weather and are subject to wear and tear.

  Boats: 95% of boats are made of fibrer mat for its ability to withstand cold and heat. Its resistance to corrosion, salt water and atmospheric pollution.

  Steel Construction: Bridge decking steel bars are replaced by fiberglass, which has the strength of steel and resists corrosion at the same time. For suspension bridges with wide spans, if they were made of steel, they would collapse under their own weight. It has been proven that fiberglass road rails are stronger than their steel counterparts. Water and electricity transmission towers, to street light poles, and street manhole covers are widely used because of their strength, light weight and durability.