Material of Glass Fiber Chopped Strand Mat

The Glass used commonly for GRP is a calcium-alumina borosilicate with an alkali content of less than one per cent. It is commonly known as ‘E’ type glass, since it was originally developed for use in electrical insulation systems.

Glass Fibers are produced by running molten glass from a direct melt furnace into a platinum alloy bushing containing a large number of small holes, from each of which a glass filament is drawn. Filaments for commercial use are normally between 9 and 15 microns in diameter. The filaments are “dressed” with an emulsion before being gathered into fibres. The fibres are remarkably strong-the tensile strength being particularly high. They also exhibit good chemical and moisture resistance, have excellent electrical properties, are not subject to biological attack and are non-combustible with a melting point around 1500oC-all excellent qualities in a plastic reinforcement for Fiberglass Chopped Strand Mat.

The glass fibers can be used in a variety of ways-chopped into short lengths(“chopped strands”); gathered together into loosely bound ropes (“rovings”); woven into a variety of fabrics, produced from yarn made by twisting and doubling continuous strands. In the UK, the most widely used Glass Fiber material is chopped strand mat, which consists of glass strands chopped together in short lengths (approx. 50mm) and held together in mat form by a polyvinyl acetate or polyester binder. The mat is available in a range of weights, from 225gm2 to 1200gm2, and is a useful general purpose reinforcement.