Dinith

“What truly sets Engineered Composites GRP apart is its remarkable characteristic of having a 30% lower density than aluminium, resulting in an exceptional strength-to- weight ratio.”

Dinith Ranaweera: PhD. Student (Kingston University London)

Case Study

GRP Materials in the Global Facade Market

Engineered Composites in exciting new collaboration with leading UK University testing the benefits of our GRP Materials.

The Global façade market is constantly changing with the need for stronger and more versatile material mainly due to the evolving architectural trends and the quest to build taller, large spanned glass façade panels with slimmer structural members which have become a growing trend in the façade industry.

Kingston University worked in collaboration with Engineered Composites with their GRP materials so the study could focus on the benefits of Engineered Composites GRP Pultruded Profiles.
kingston-lon
lab-tested

Why GRP ?

High Strength

GRP’s superior tensile strength is equal to or greater than equivalent steel profiles. Despite its lightweight properties, GRP offers impressive strength-to-weight load-bearing performance

Lightweight

75% lighter than steel equivalents, GRP significantly reduces transport costs and eliminates the need for heavy lifting equipment. As it can be easily cut and maneuvered onsite, the risk of manual handling injuries is mitigated.

Low Maintenance

GRP is an incredibly resilient and durable material that delivers outstanding cost benefits. GRP, in all its forms, offers a low-maintenance solution with little need for renovation or refurbishment during its fifty-year lifespan.

GRP vs Aluminium

The majority of the glass facades use aluminium frames to act as structural members, however aluminium is prone to corrosion specially when exposed to coastal environments for a prolong period. In the long run aluminium framed facades tend to be less energy efficient and require high maintenance.

In contrast, Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) offers a highly corrosion- resistant alternative while excelling as a thermal insulator. GRP also boasts superior tensile strength compared to the aluminium variants.
Let's Collaborate

" The bonded beams exhibited a staggering increase of over
300% in ultimate strength over their unbonded
counterparts.”

Dinith Ranaweera: PhD. Student (Kingston University London)

Engineered Composites are proud supporters of the UK research and development and construction industries.
Engineered Composites are the UK’s leading GRP supplier. With over 37 years of experience and a highly committed team, we are in a great position to be able to meet all your specific requirements.

GRP - Opening up new possibilities

The increase in structural rigidity results in other advantages for Engineered Composites GRP material – such as allowing for the reduction in size of both the frame and the glass face sheets. This, in turn, translates to a significant reduction in material usage and opens exciting possibilities for sleeker, more streamlined designs. Furthermore, this would produce facade systems capable of spanning considerably larger distances between frames, expanding the horizons of architectural possibilities.

Outcome of laboratory testing

In this study composite beams and panels fabricated using Engineered composite’s GRP hollow sections and toughened glass sheets were being tested under lab conditions to assess the structural behaviour and the feasibility of using composite façade panels.

Laboratory testing conducted has demonstrated exceptional structural efficiency in contrast to unbonded counterparts. The Engineered Composites bonded beams exhibited a staggering increase of over 300% in ultimate strength, accompanied by an impressive reduction of more than 500% in mid-span deflections compared to their unbonded counterparts

Summary

These findings underscore the immense potential and promise of GRP-Glass composite panels as a structural solution in architectural and construction contexts.
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