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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Pultruded fiberglass reinforced polyester: The material of choice for cooling towers

Book ·
OSTI ID:5147618

This paper discussed the biggest opportunities for pultruded fiberglass which are the cooling tower internal components such as supports, structural systems, fill and drift eliminators. The pultrusion process can be used to produce profiles ranging from one-half and three-quarter inch thick structural I-beams, angles, channels, and square tubes, to the thin, complicated, intricate shapes which require precise angles, tolerances and surface smoothness. The only deficiency of pultruded fiberglass which requires careful design consideration is it's relatively low modulus when compared to it's metal counterparts. Each application for innovative use of pultruded fiberglass requires careful consideration by the cooling tower design engineer. There are only a few fiberglass structural design engineers who have both experience and direct input from the fiberglass design engineer. It will take all three working together in insure the success of pultruded fiberglass in the cooling tower environment.

Research Organization:
Enduro Fiberglass Systems, Div. of J.B.C. Enterprises, Inc.
OSTI ID:
5147618
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English