FRP profiles are made of glass fiber and its products (such as glass cloth, tape, felt, etc.) as reinforcing materials, and synthetic resin (such as unsaturated polyester resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, etc.) as the matrix material. After certain molding A high-performance composite product made of composite technology. Here is a more detailed introduction about it:

Raw material composition

Reinforcement material - fiberglass:

Glass fiber is the key reinforcing component of FRP profiles. It has high strength and modulus and can significantly improve the overall mechanical properties of the material. Common glass fibers have different forms such as continuous fibers and chopped fibers. For example, when making FRP profiles through the pultrusion process, continuous glass fibers are often used to arrange them along the length of the profile, so that the profile has a lot of properties in this direction. Strong tensile strength.

Glass fibers can also be formed into various fabric forms by weaving, such as glass cloth, etc. This can better control the distribution and direction of fibers according to the specific needs of the profile, and achieve an optimized combination of mechanical properties in different directions.

Base material - synthetic resin:

Synthetic resin plays an important role in bonding glass fibers in FRP profiles, transmitting loads, and giving the profiles other properties (such as corrosion resistance, insulation, etc.). Different types of synthetic resins will have different characteristics of profiles. For example, unsaturated polyester resin has relatively low cost, good process performance, and can be quickly cured and molded, so it is widely used; epoxy resin has strong adhesiveness and mechanical properties. It has excellent performance and chemical corrosion resistance and is often used in the production of fiberglass profiles with high performance requirements. Phenolic resin has excellent high temperature resistance and flame retardant properties and is suitable for use in situations where fire protection is required.

Molding process

Hand lay-up: This is a more traditional and relatively simple process method. Apply the prepared resin glue on the surface of the mold, then lay the fiberglass products on it according to the design requirements, and then use tools to repeatedly apply and compact the resin to fully infiltrate the glass fiber. Finally, after solidification and demoulding, the fiberglass profile is obtained. However, the production efficiency of this process is low, and product quality is greatly affected by manual operations. It is generally suitable for producing profile products with complex shapes and small output, such as some customized artistic modeling components, small experimental profiles, etc.

Injection molding: Through special injection equipment, resin and chopped glass fibers are sprayed onto the surface of the mold at the same time, forming a uniform mixture on the mold, and then solidified to obtain the profile. Its advantage is that it can be quickly operated on the surface of large molds, and is suitable for making some large-scale fiberglass profiles with a certain thickness and less complex shapes, such as large ship hulls, large-scale building decoration components, etc. However, this process has great impact on the operating environment. and equipment requirements are relatively high.

Molding: Put pre-cut raw materials such as glass fiber and resin into a special mold, and press them under certain temperature and pressure conditions, so that the raw materials can fully flow and solidify in the mold, and finally form a profile that conforms to the shape of the mold. This process has high production efficiency, high product dimensional accuracy, and stable quality. It is often used for mass production of small fiberglass profiles with relatively fixed shapes and strict size requirements, such as auto parts, electrical casings, etc.

Pultrusion: After continuous glass fibers are impregnated with resin, they are pulled through a mold with a specific shape, heated and solidified to continuously produce various shapes of FRP profiles, such as FRP rods, pipes, angles, and channels. wait. The profiles produced by the pultrusion process have stable quality and extremely high production efficiency, and the length of the profiles can be customized on demand. They are widely used in construction, electric power, transportation and other industries where there is a large demand for standardized profiles.

Common types and shapes

Classification by shape:

Rod: Generally a round solid profile with high axial strength, it can be used to manufacture some structural components that need to withstand axial tension or pressure, such as tent support poles, transmission rods of some simple machines, etc.

Pipes: There are various cross-sectional shapes such as round, square, rectangular, etc. They are hollow inside and light in weight. While ensuring a certain strength, they can be used to transport fluids (provided that the corresponding corrosion resistance and sealing requirements are met), or As an integral part of the structural frame, such as outdoor railings, support frames of simple buildings, etc.

Plate: including flat plate and corrugated plate. Flat plate can be used to make partitions, desktops, etc.; corrugated plate, because of its unique shape, not only increases the strength of the plate, but also has good drainage, lighting and other functions, and is often used in industrial plants. Roof and wall lighting strips, etc.

Special profiles: refers to those profiles with irregular shapes that are custom-designed according to specific application requirements, such as profiles with special slots, dovetail grooves or complex cross-sectional shapes, which can be used to achieve special connection and assembly functions. They are common in some high-end customized products. Building decoration, industrial equipment components, etc.

Classified by function and application areas:

Structural profiles: Mainly used to bear loads, build frame structures, etc., with an emphasis on mechanical properties. They are usually used as support components in the fields of construction, bridges, machinery, etc., such as fiberglass profiles used in beams, columns, etc. in buildings.

Functional profiles: focus on specific functions, such as insulation, corrosion resistance, light transmission and other functions. Fiberglass profiles such as insulating brackets used in electrical equipment and corrosion-resistant pipes in the chemical industry fall into this category.

Performance characteristics

FRP profiles combine the advantages of glass fiber and synthetic resin, and have many performance characteristics such as light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, good insulation, and strong designability (these characteristics have been elaborated in the introduction of its advantages). These characteristics make it suitable for It can replace traditional metal, wood and other materials in many industries and fields, giving full play to its unique advantages to meet diverse usage needs.