Fiberglass Materials Essay

1104 Words5 Pages
Fiberglass and Composite Material Design Guide The purpose of this design guide is to provide some general information on fiberglass and composite materials and how to design products with these materials. If you have more specific questions, please contact our engineers at Performance Composites and they will gladly assist you. Composite Materials Composites materials are made by combining two materials where one of the materials is a reinforcement (fiber) and the other material is a matrix (resin). The combination of the fiber and matrix provide characteristics superior to either of the materials alone. Some examples of composite materials are plywood, reinforced concrete, fiberglass & polyester resin, and graphite & epoxy resin. Composite materials are very versatile and are utilized in a wide variety of applications. The most widely used composite material is fiberglass in polyester resin, which is commonly referred to as just fiberglass. Fiberglass is lightweight, corrosion resistant, economical, easily processed, has good mechanical properties, and has over 50 years of history. It is the dominant material in industries such as boat building and corrosion equipment, and it plays a major role in industries such as architectural, automotive, medical, recreational, and industrial equipment. Please see table 1 for a comparison of cost and properties of commercial grade composite materials to aluminum, steel and wood. TABLE 1 Fiberglass & polyester Cost $/LB Strength, yield (psi) Stiffness (psi) Density (lb/in3) $1.80 30,000 1.2 x 106 .055 Graphite & epoxy $8.00 60,000 8 x 106 .065 Wood (Douglas fir) $0.60 2,400 1.8 x 106 .02 Aluminu m 6061 T-6 $4 35,000 10 x 106 .10 Steel, Mild $.50 60,000 30 x 106 .30 www.performancecomposites.com 1418 S. Alameda St. Compton, CA 90221 (310) 328-6661 FAX (310) 782-3578 Manufacturing process The most common manufacturing

More about Fiberglass Materials Essay

Open Document