Pulwell manufactures composite R-bars by combining the pultrusion process and an in-line winding & coating process for the outside sand surface. The FRP composite rebar is made from high strength glass fibers along with an extremely durable vinyl ester resin. The glass fibers impart strength to the rod while the vinyl ester resin imparts excellent corrosion resistance properties in harsh chemical and alkaline environments. For improved stiffness and mechanical properties a carbon/vinyl ester product is available. FRP rebar significantly improves the longevity of civil engineering structures where corrosion is a major factor.
The pultruded CFRP laminate reinforcing consists of bonding the CFRP strip with the concrete structure using a high-strength epoxy resin as the adhesive. The CFRP strips are manufactured using a pultrusion process. The pultrusion principle is comparable with a continuous press. Normally 24,000 parallel filaments are pulled through the impregnated bath, formed into strips under heat, and hardened. These strips are uni-directional; the fibers are oriented only in the longitudinal direction. Correspondingly, the strip strength in this direction is proportional to the fiber strength and, thus, very high. Strips are produced with strengths of approximately 3,000 MPa in the longitudinal direction, and with a thickness of up to 1.5 mm and widths of up to 150 mm. |
