Pultruded fiberglass sills and their thermal insulation properties

Newscomposite materials, Pultruded fiberglass sills, thermal insulation propertiesSaimex

Nov 2016

Today pultruded fiberglass sills represent an innovative and cost-effective solution for private buildings and not only. The reasons which have determined their merited success are several and also involve the thermal insulation, a typical property of composite materials.

This is an aspect which should not be overlooked within comfortable built environments, but also as far as the value of the property is concerned, where there are windows and doors with pultruded fiberglass sills, a choice that contributes to obtain CasaClima certifications: this is a guarantee to environmental sustainability of buildings.

The pultruded fiberglass sills allow to appreciate a significantly higher thermal insulation than aluminium, a metal with which we produce profiles that have greater physical dimensions and need more treatments to optimize the lifespan of windows and doors.

If you also consider that pultruded sills do not require any maintenance and do not need a double and triple chamber to obtain an optimal thermal insulation, you’ll quickly understand that if you choose them a number of advantages are offered from a practical point of view, but also from the aesthetic one: two fundamental aspects for the end user.

Thanks to pultruded fiberglass sills is possible to obtain an excellent conciliation between the energy saving, living comfort, lifespan of the product and final aesthetics.

In this respect it is recalled that the importance of thermal insulation, referred to as the central criterion for different realities where pultruded sills are installed in different contexts, offers a really interesting picture of the situation.

All this is a sign of changed times in relation to the awareness of the value of sustainable constructions, an excellence in this sector that has still a lot to say about to those who want to find out the advantages thanks to products, such as pultruded fiberglass sills.

Pultruded fiberglass sills with non-slip finish

Newsnon-slip finish, Pultruded fiberglass, pultrusion processSaimex

Nov 2016

The production of windows and doors is very important when designing a house. Aesthetics and usability should be put in the foreground and fulfil their aim is necessary to find the right solutions from a technical point of view, such as for example the pultruded fiberglass sills with non-slip finish.

The use of pultruded fiberglass sills with non-slip finish is particularly suitable for sliding windows and doors of large sizes. Thanks to composite materials produced by the pultrusion process is possible to provide a very interesting and even smoother aesthetic aspect compared to that of aluminium which requires a double or triple chamber.

The advantage of pultruded fiberglass sills with non-slip finish is not limited to this aspect. We also remember the need for a little maintenance, which however does not happen with aluminium.

The pultruded fiberglass sills with non-slip finish represent a congenial solution, above all in living environments with windows exposed to the atmospheric agents. This means that, for example, pultruded fiberglass sills with non-slip finish can be a very good alternative for sliding windows and doors facing the garden to open them without criticality risks in case of rain or snow.

Therefore, choosing pultruded fiberglass sills with non-slip finish constitutes an advantageous alternative first of all from the usability point of view , very important for indoor environments made on a human scale and able to ensure maximum comfort.

Secondly, it is possible to save time and money thanks to low maintenance requirements. This is essential for living space management.

Choosing pultruded fiberglass sills with non-slip finish, the value of a dwelling depends greatly on details, such as sills for windows and doors, and it can become even more sustainable – these are solutions that provide thermal insulation – and aesthetically valuable.

Pultruded fiberglass sills and resistance to atmospheric agents

Newsaluminium, corrosion, high temperatures, industrial applications, Pultruded fiberglass sillsSaimex

Nov 2016

Pultruded fiberglass sills represent a most viable solution for civil construction and not only. By now, energy savings serve as an essential reference point for all sectors, the reason why choosing pultruded fiberglass sills confers additional advantage, it also involves living comfort, as well as the efficiency of industrial buildings.

Pultruded fiberglass sills are an excellent solution in both cases, first of all, because they are resistant to atmospheric agents. The comparison with metal elements leave no doubt: fiberglass sills are resistant to greater numbers of atmospheric agents.

Just think about the fact that fiberglass is a material both resistant to acids and bases, but also to high temperatures. In this way pultruded sills are even more congenial in the context of industrial applications.

It is extremely important to remember that pultruded fiberglass sills are resistant to corrosion processes which are typical of stray currents and have an effect on keeping alive aluminium sills. As far as data on aging are concerned, studies have been conducted in fiberglass sills for more than thirty years.

The results have revealed that aging is considered minimum for sills made of pultruded fiberglass.

Another outstanding feature for pultruded fiberglass sills concerns the fact that no maintenance is required. By virtue of an excellent resistance to atmospheric agents it can be said with certainty that the use of pultruded fiberglass sills for industrial applications and others do not compel to carry out external and internal periodic painting operations.

The peculiarity of reduced weight provides a whole range of benefits associated with their use, which is still more performing thanks to a greater ease that can be found during handling operations.

Mechanical testing of pultruded composite materials

Newspultruded composite, pultruded materialsSaimex

Giu 2015

Pultruded materials present remarkable features. Even though Saimex Srl is already operating under certified conditions, it was decided to further test the capacity of their product. Therefore, flexural and pull tests were commissioned to the Technical University of Milan and performed by a technology bearing the company’s logo: Deck System, a special deck in composite material, which is light and extremely versatile. Its applications range from pedestrian bridge to pedestrian paths.

Flexural test

It was performed on sampled panels Deck System HD supplied by Saimex Srl. The single elements had the following sizes: 501.9 mm x 1,800 mm x 40 mm (Figure 2).

The promotion campaign has planned to perform three flexural load-controlled tests in a four-point static scheme and a clear distance between the supports of 1,500 mm (Figure 3). The purpose of this test is to verify if the elements are shifted towards the mid-span using the working load.

Test no. 1:

– maximum deflection limit per working load Pe = 3.10 kN kept for 10 minutes: 7 mm;

– maximum load applied: Pu = 20 kN

Results:

no breakage or failure due to Pu;
minimum residual deformation of post-discharge (u = 0.940 mm).

Test no. 2:

– maximum deflection limit per working load P_e = 3.10 kN kept for 10 minutes: 7 mm;

– maximum load applied: P_u = 25 kN

Results:

no breakage or failure due to P_u;
minimum residual deformation of post-discharge (u = 1.759 mm).

Test no. 3:

– maximum deflection limit per working load P_e = 3.10 kN kept for 10 minutes: 7 mm;

– maximum load applied: P_u = 25 kN

Results:

no breakage or failure due to P_u;
minimum residual deformation of post-discharge (u = 1.790 mm).

The maximum arrows were reached at mid-span for a maximum load applied respectively in all the three tests and are, as follows:

Test no.	f_mid-span [mm]
1	5,221
2	5,015
3	5,562

Table 1: maximum mid-span deflection of the samples

Therefore the tests give evidence to the considerable ability of Pultruded composite materials produced by Saimex Srl, which not only confirm, but also overcome by far the expectations of the Technical University of Milan and of the company and the values prescribed by the current regulations relating to composite materials (UNI EN 13706).

[Coming up the second part of ‘Mechanical testing of pultruded composite materials’]

Behaviour of pultruded FRP fiberglass profiles – part 2

Newsfiberglass profilesSaimex

Mag 2015

[To be continued…]

The overall mechanical behavior shows elastic-brittle features until reaching an ultimate strength and, therefore, a sudden collapse without further deformative contributions.

Figure 1 – A comparative stress-strain graph (www.saimex.it)

Features and advantages:

lightness;
high mechanical resistance;
thermal insulation/thermal break;
fire-resistant;
recommended maximum operating temperature 60°÷90° (using high-performance resins);
maximum temperature range – 40°C ÷ 180°C;
corrosion resistance;
maintenance-free;
radiolucent;
profiles based on customer’s drawings.

If the temperature range is low, the pultruded material doesn’t show any decay of mechanical performance; on the contrary it is possible observe an increase in the strength parameters.
The material leaves a wide margin of designing in relation to its thermal and electrical properties; the longitudinal extension in the direction of fibers is limited, whereas the same doesn’t happen along the two transverse directions. The material takes on a similar behaviour, even when the thermal conductivity is concerned with small changes depending on the fiber used. The response to electromagnetic stresses is on the whole good, although it is rather moderate against the carbon fiber composite materials.
Hereunder you find a comparative table of the key features of Pultruded Materials and of the major competitive materials:

Properties	Pultruded Material	Steel	Aluminium	PVC
Density [g/cm³]	1.8	7.8	2.8	1.4
Tensile strength [MPa]	350 – 400	370 – 500	200 – 400	40 – 60
Pull elongation [%]	1.5 – 2.0	13 – 35	5 – 35	10 – 80
Flexural strength [MPa]	400 – 450	330 – 500	200 – 400	70 – 100
Elastic modulus [10³ MPa]	25 – 30	210	70	2.8 – 3.3
Flexural modulus

[10³ MPa]15 – 20210702.8 – 3.3Impact resistance [MPa/m²]20040020085 – 95Thermal conductivity [W/m°C]0.25 – 0.35100 – 230100 – 2300.15 – 0.25Coefficient of thermal expansion [10⁶ MPa/m°C]5 – 2010 – 1420 – 2550-100Dielectric capacity [KV/mm]5 – 15–40 – 50Volume resistivity [wcm]10¹⁰ – 10¹⁴0.2 – 0.80.028> 10¹⁶

Table 1 – comparative table of mechanical features of materials under consideration (www.saimex.it)

[Coming up ‘Tests performed at the Technical University of Milan’]

Behaviour of pultruded FRP fiberglass profiles

NewsSaimex

Mag 2015

Fibers usually used for structural elements in FRP profiles are made of long continuous fiber glass. It is noted that fibers having a tensile strength show the same elasto-brittle behavior, without any impact on work hardening and softening sections. On the contrary, if they are compressed, the response is inadequate against the previous one. It exhibits a homogeneous and symmetric behavior (isotropic) compared to steel.

FRP production methods

Newspultruded profiles, pultrusionSaimex

Mar 2015

[to be continued ‘production methods’]

SMC (Sheet Molding Compound)

a molding composition, is much more similar to automated and continuous processes. It is characterized by medium-high production rates, a stable section and precise and codified tolerances. It originates from a resin impregnated mat (prepregs) formed of short free-fall fibers. The composite is placed inside an aluminium mold under forming press. In this way it undergoes a process of polymerization (‘curing’) that changes the physicality of the material. Therefore a controlled and repetitive process is generated, by which it is always possible to obtain the same result. Then the mold is closed and sealed under pressure and air is drawn in during the curing. It is destined for the production of medium sized elements.

BMC (Bulk Molding Compound)

is similar to the previous process, in which the composite is used in the form of ‘prepreg paste mass’; it can be processed using processing methods, such as, moulding, transfer or direct injection inside the mold. This technique is also destined for the production of small-medium sized elements.

Pultrusion

a system for the continuous pull extrusion of profiles with a stable section and straight axis, with subsequent curing in the heated closed die. The use of long fibers provides resistance to the product and mechanical responses similar to those which are typical for steel, except for the isotropy of material (the Pultruded Profile is highly orthotropic). Therefore the production is steady and automated; the dies used are made of hardened steel and ensure high production rates, thanks to their very high resistance. At the end of the process the product is cut to the desired length. Examples: IPE profiles, squared profiles, round profiles and profiles with complex shapes.

[Coming up ‘Behaviour of the GFRP composite material’]

FRP production methods – composite materials

NewsSaimex

Mar 2015

It is not possible to decouple the design of materials from geometry and from the most suitable production process in the field of composite materials. Aspects to be taken into account when choosing a certain type of product are manifold:

structural performances;
costs;
morphological constraints.

FRP composites: production systems, characteristics and technology

NewsPultruded ProfileSaimex

Feb 2015

To date the use of FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymers) for structural reinforcement and seismic retrofit of the building stock is largely spread both at national and international level.

Fiberglass pedestrian bridges

NewsSaimex

Feb 2015

After the construction of one of the most important pedestrian bridges, completely made of fiberglass (more information on fiberglass) in Prato – in Tuscany, Saimex, a leading company in the production of composite materials, has acquired a new contract to pave the pedestrian bridge at the railway station in Cesano Maderno and in Belluno.

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SMC (Sheet Molding Compound)

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Pultrusion