FRP Wraps & Linings Enable Flexible Repairs

As of March 2012, there were approximately 587,000 underground storage tanks that were used to store petroleum and other hazardous substances. Since these substances cannot be allowed to leak into nearby groundwater, these tanks have been double-walled since 2005. A double-walled tank is similar to double-walled hulls on oil tankers and includes a secondary wall with a space between both walls. If the inner wall is damaged and begins to leak, the substance inside the tank will only fill the space between the walls instead of leaking into the ground where it can contaminate nearby groundwater. The leaked material drains to the centerline of the tank bottom where it can be safely removed by a pump or through other means. Read more »

Water Tank liners  Using FRP for Tank Repairs & Protection

Steel and concrete tanks have always been used to store potable water and other liquids, which means corrosion has always been an issue. In the past, companies have tried to prevent corrosion and avoid costly water tank repairs by lining tanks with materials such as lead-based paint, vinyl, and coal tar epoxies. These days, most companies use fiberglass-reinforced polymer, or FRP, for their water tank liners. FRP was introduced in the 1950s as a way to repair tank bottoms that had corroded. The material could not only bridge gaps that had formed in the bottoms of tanks, but they provided protection from internal corrosion as well. This made FRP wraps useful in tanks that were being used to contain more caustic chemicals. Read more »

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Fiberglass reinforced plastic – or FRP – is a state-of-the-art material that has countless industrial applications. FRP wraps are highly resistant to corrosion and can be used as liners storage tanks, while an FRP duct can withstand extreme temperatures with little trouble. FRP also requires little maintenance and is relatively inexpensive compared to steel and similar materials. This also means that FRP repairs are simple and easy to complete. Let’s take a look at some of the more common industrial uses of FRP. Read more »

Fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) is a material that consists of glass fiber and industrial resins, making it strong and durable. FRP repairs are common in commercial water tanks and linings, but the material has many more applications across industrial commercial industries including FRP ducts. Because of its long service life, durability and design flexibility, FRP is widely used in sewage, oil and gas, urban water supply and the chemical industry. Read more »

Save Time and Extend Storage Tank Life with FRP Wraps

Repairing aging concrete infrastructure requires the striking of a delicate balance: The repairs need to be done in a reliable fashion, yet if they become too expensive, they can wreck the budget of an industrial or municipal project. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites can help strike that balance, delivering successful results at an affordable rate. Read more »

FRP Repairs and Fabrication Make Residential Power More Reliable

Utility poles have not changed a whole lot over the years in the United States. They are still primarily made from wood, which makes them sustainable and easy to manufacture. They aren’t perfect, however. As reliable as a wooden utility pole can be, it is still made from a substance that breaks down over time and is vulnerable to the elements. Standard electrical poles will sustain damage when they reach the end of their 30-year lifespan and need to be replaced. Maintaining and replacing utility poles is a significant job.

While wooden utility poles are still the norm throughout the United States, there are other options that have proven to be much more useful and reliable, chief among them is fiberglass-reinforced plastic, or FRP. Using fiberglass repairs like FRP wraps and even utility poles fabricated with fiber reinforced plastic can improve reliability and reduce repair frequency and cost.

What is FRP?

Fiberglass-reinforced plastic is a composite material made from a polymer that is reinforced with fibers, think carbon fiber. FRP was first used in utility poles in Maui in the 1960s, but it didn’t become widely used until relatively recently when modern manufacturing technology enabled lower cost FRP utility pole construction and improved techniques for FRP repairs in the field.

What are the Advantages of FRP Over Wooden Utility Poles

The biggest advantage that FRP has over wood is its durability and longevity. While wooden utility poles generally have a lifespan of 30 years, FRP poles and FRP wraps can last as long as 80 years before they need to be replaced. Wooden utility poles are also vulnerable to rot as well as birds and insects that bore into them, something that cannot be said for an FRP pole. FRP is also becoming much cheaper to manufacture, and the poles themselves can be installed quickly and easily. FRP may not have the sustainability of wood, but it really is the next best thing. With time, the FRP manufacturing process will become easy enough that FRP utility poles could become more convenient and cost effective than wood.

If the process of replacing a wooden utility pole with an FRP pole seems like too much unnecessary work, you might be happy to learn that fiberglass repairs using FRP wraps can be used to repair or protect wooden utility poles and provide similar benefits of an FRP pole by protecting the wood pole with a coating of fiber reinforced plastic, particularly around compromised areas of the poles. FRP wraps are easier to manufacture than an entire pole, and they can be used to extend the life of an existing wooden pole by installing an FRP wrap in the field as needed or as a preventative measure.

FRP Repairs and FRP Wraps May Give Way to Full FRP Utility Poles

Even though wooden utility poles still vastly outnumber FRP poles, FRP might still represent the future of our country’s energy grid. As FRP becomes easier and more cost-effective to manufacture, we will almost certainly begin seeing more of it in our utility poles in the future. Picon FRP is a local FRP expert serving the San Francisco Bay Area, if your aging infrastructure needs inspection, repairs, or replacement we can help provide solutions for you including FRP wraps, industrial coatings, tank linings, trailer linings, and much more. Contact us online or by phone at 510-232-0065