fiberglass
Also known as glass-reinforced plastic, fibreglass, GRP, glass-fiber reinforced plastic, GFRP, glass fiber laminate, Fiber-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth. The plastic matrix may be a thermoset polymer matrix—most often based on thermosetting polymers such as epoxy, polyester resin, or vinyl ester resin—or a thermoplastic.
Key facts
- Material.name
- Fiberglass
- Material.image_caption
- Woven fiberglass fabric
- Material.category
- Composite material
- Material.type
- Fiber-reinforced plastic
- Material.invented
- 1932
- Material.inventor
- Games Slayter (Owens-Illinois)
- Material.composition
- Glass fibers in a resin matrix
- Material.common_names
- Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), Glass-fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP), Fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP)
- Material.density
- 1.5–2.5 g/cm³
- Material.tensile_strength
- 2,000–3,500 MPa
- Material.thermal_conductivity
- 0.035–0.045 W/m·K
- Material.applications
Article
28 sectionsContents
- History
- Fiber
- Production
- Chopped strand mat
- Sizing
- Properties
- Types
- Table of some common fiberglass types
- Applications
- Storage tanks
- House building
- Oil and gas artificial lift systems
- Piping
- Boating
- Armour
- Construction methods
- Filament winding
- Fiberglass hand lay-up operation
- Fiberglass spray lay-up operation
- Pultrusion operation
- Health hazards
- Exposure
- Symptoms and signs, health effects
- Pathophysiology
- Regulation, exposure limits
- See also
- References
- External links
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth. The plastic matrix may be a thermoset polymer matrix—most often based on thermosetting polymers such as epoxy, polyester resin, or vinyl ester resin—or a thermoplastic.
Cheaper and more flexible than carbon fiber, it is stronger than many metals by weight, non-magnetic, non-conductive, transparent to electromagnetic radiation, can be molded into complex shapes, and is chemically inert under many circumstances. Applications include aircraft, boats, automobiles, bath tubs and enclosures, swimming pools, hot tubs, septic tanks, water tanks, roofing, pipes, cladding, orthopedic casts, surfboards, and external door skins.