Fiberglass is a composite material made of glass fibers set in a resin matrix. It combines light weight with strength, providing a weather-resistant and robust material. There are four main methods to produce fiberglass: hand lay-up, spray lay-up, filament winding, and pultrusion. Fiberglass has applications in industries like telecommunications, construction, automotive, boats, and water/waste systems due to its properties of strength, corrosion resistance, and insulation.

1. FIBRE GLASS

2. FIBRE GLASS
 Composite material using resin as matrix
and glass fiber as reinforcement
 Fiberglass is a lightweight, extremely
strong, and robust material. Fiberglass
combines its light weight with an inherent
strength to provide a weather resistant
finish with a variety of surface textures.
 There are 4 methods by which
fiberglass can be made. They are:
Fiberglass hand lay-up operation
Fiberglass spray lay-up operation

3. Applications
•Telecommunications
•Making storage tanks
• Septic tanks
•House building, door
surrounds
•Automotive industry
•Small watercrafts
•Fire water, sewage,
wastewater and drinking
water systems.
•Gas system

4. Glass Fiber
Reinforcement
 Properties
◦ Mechanical Properties
 similar to glass but
different strength
value
◦ Chemical Stability
 Susceptible to
alkaline solutions and
hot water
◦ Thermal Properties
 High heat resistance
◦ Electrical Properties
 insulator
Glass Fiber
Processing

5. Glass Fiber Processing
Raw Materials
 Major
◦ Silica
◦ Limestone
◦ Soda Ash
◦ Waste glass
 Others
◦ Calcined Alumina
◦ Borax
◦ Magnesite

6. Glass Fiber Processing
Batching
 Batching - exact quantities of raw
materials are mixed together before
being melted.
 Materials are added to lower the
working temperature and add
additional properties like
strength,increase melting temperature
and are alkali resistant.

7. Glass Fiber Processing
Melting
 Common furnaces has three sections:
◦ Receiver
 The batch is melted and uniformly. Bubbles are also
removed
 High temperature (1400oC or 2552oF)
◦ Refiner-High temperature (1370oC or 2500oF)
◦ Fore hearth – beneath this is are bushings

8. Glass Fiber Processing
Fiberization
 Extrusion
◦ Extruded through
200-8000 bushings
made of alloys.
◦ Bushings are heated
electronically to
maintain
temperature and
consequently, glass
viscosity and
thickness
 Attenuation
◦ Drawing extruded
molten glass into
filaments using high-
speed winder
◦ High-speed winding
applies tension.

9. Glass Fiber Processing
Coating
3 common types:
◦ Lubricants – Protect filaments from
abrading and breaking
◦ Binders – binds resin to glass fiber
◦ Coupling agents – increase affinity for
specific resins

10. Glass Fiber Processing
Drying
Sized filaments are
collected
The strand is wound onto a drum
Dried in an oven

11. Glass Fiber Processing
Packaging
 Continuous-filament
◦ Rolled in drums and formed into yarns
 Staple-fiber
◦ while cooling, jets of air break filaments into
lengths of 8-15 inches
 Chopped fiber
◦ Yarns are chopped into short, uniform
lengths
 Glass wool
◦ Cooling involves a downward jet of (hot) air,
making the fibers fall randomly onto a
conveyor belt, forming a fleecy mass

12. Resins
Matrix
 Three major types of resin: Polyester,
Epoxy, and Vinyl, all of which are
thermosets.

13. Resin Processing
 Essentially polymerization in a large
scale
Raw Materials
Polymerization
Processing
Purification

14. FIBERGLASS
Combining the resin and glass fiber

15. Fiberglass
 Common types of
fiberglass products
◦ Roving
◦ Chopped Strand Mat
◦ Cloth
◦ Woven Roving

16. Fiberglass Processing
Molding
Plug
Mold release agent
Gelcoat
Lay-up
Cure
Removal from mold
Finish

17. Fiberglass Processing
Molding
 Plug
◦ Object with desired shape
◦ Can be formed with foams, wood, plaster,
etc.
 Mold
◦ Supports glass fibers during resin curing
 Mold release agent
◦ E.g. Polyvinyl alcohol
 Gelcoat
◦ Pigmented resin, harder, more durable finish
◦ Followed by a coating of a fiberglass

18. Fiberglass Processing
Molding
 Lay-up
◦ Hand lay-up
 Hand pressure/vacuum/rollers used to ensure
even resin application
◦ Spray lay-up
 Resin and reinforcements are sprayed onto the
vertical mold
◦ Vacuum bag
 Fiber and resin are sucked to conform to the
mold using a vacuum

19. Fiberglass Processing
Molding
 Cure
◦ Longer curing time = greater shrinkage
 Removal from mold
 Finish