Fiberglass is a well-known material that is used in many areas of industry, shipbuilding and automotive industry. Its most famous and popular type is structural fiberglass. It is especially often used for gluing.
Features
Such material can be different, due to its mechanical properties. Structural fiberglass can be of different thickness and density. The most dense material gives high strength to the finished product, however, it should allow the resin to easily penetrate into the fabric structure and envelop the fiberglass well. This is what makes it possible to obtain non-separable whole material, which has many positive properties.
For the purpose of higher resin impregnation, structural fiberglass is preliminarily impregnated with special agents - sizing agents that improve adhesion with different types of resins, especially epoxy and polyester. In the case where the requirements for the strength of the products are not too high, non-woven glass materials bearing the names of glass fibers can be used to obtain fiberglass parts. They consist of randomly arranged parts of glass roving, that is, a bundle of glass fibers. These materials are characterized by substantially high absorbency with respect to the resin. Thanks to them, it is possible to more easily obtain a homogeneous material.
Among structural fiberglass according to GOST there is a novelty - this is a material from hollow fiberglass. Each fiber is a tube of microscopic diameter, not a rod. As a result, the material has a similar strength, but it is lighter by 20-30%. The scope of such material is vast. It is needed everywhere where weight plays a large role, especially in sports automobile construction, aviation, and so on.
Benefits
Structural fiberglass according to GOST, in comparison with standard fiberglass, is primarily distinguished by stability and flexibility. It also has the following properties:
- fire safety;
- long operational period;
- chemical and corrosion resistance;
- environmental friendliness;
- possibility of use at temperatures from –200 ° to +550 ° ;
- resistance to wear.
Fields of application
Structural fiberglass due to its technical properties has a reasonable cost. This material is equally often used:
- on production lines that require high accuracy and strength - technical parts for space equipment and aircraft construction products;
- in the domestic field - vehicle tuning, construction and pipeline channels.
The fabric, which is made of glass threads of categories E and C, direct sizing and paraffin emulsion, has found its application in the manufacture of products that must have a high strength level and resistance to corrosion. These include boats, tanks and pipes. The use of structural fiberglass is justified in all kinds of areas of human activity, since it increases the insulating characteristics of structures and parts, and guarantees reliable sealing of technical containers.
Cloth fiberglass
Structural fiberglass fabric consists of fibers that are intertwined at any intersection of the weft and the warp. The intersection of the threads is carried out at an angle of 90 ° and looks like a chessboard. These fiberglass fabrics are considered the most durable, tough and dense. For this reason, they found their application in the reinforcement of especially loaded sections. However, on the other hand, this material is forbidden to operate with the purpose of reinforcing zones of complex shapes, as it is poorly bent and stretched. This type of weaving is characteristic of structural fiberglass T 13 and T 23.
Twill fiberglass
They consist of fibers that are interlaced in a special way. The weft thread crosses the main threads through one. On the surface of the fabric, a pattern of diagonal lines at an angle of 45 ° is clearly visible, which occurs due to the alternation of intersections of warp and weft threads. The main characteristic of structural fiberglass fabrics is its high ductility, in comparison with plain weaving materials. They have a minimum density and maximum tensile ability. Twill fiberglass fabrics can be used for reinforcement purposes. They are convenient to use when creating designs of complex configurations, with bends, protrusions and corners.
Satin fiberglass
This type is made thanks to loose interweaving of fibers. Moreover, on one side there are more weft threads, on the other - warp threads. If you look closely, you can see diagonal stripes that run at an angle that differs from the standard angle for twill weaving at an angle of 45 °. Such fabrics are characterized by increased flexibility at low density. You need to select them if you plan to create products of complex configuration.
This type of weaving refers to the brand of structural fiberglass T 11. But it should be noted that it has an increased density, so attention is often paid to it due to its strength rather than its ability to form.