What Does
Glass-Reinforced Polymer Mortar Mean?
Glass-reinforced polymer mortar is used to manufacture pipes for use in trenchless installation methods such as pipe jacking. The pipes are manufactured using a centrifugal casting process where the pipe wall is built from the outside in within a rotating mold. This casting process ensures a high-quality pipe with consistent quality.
The mortar consists of:
- Resins
- Glass fiber reinforcements
- Silica sand fillers
- Additives such as thixotropic agents or coloring agents
Trenchlesspedia Explains Glass-Reinforced Polymer Mortar
Glass-reinforced polymer mortar is used to manufacture pipes suited to corrosive environments such as:
- Gravity sanitary sewers
- Raw water
- Seawater
- Industrial effluents
- Geothermal piping
- Potable water
The benefits of pipes made with these materials include:
- Corrosion resistance
- Long service life
- Low maintenance
- Good hydraulic properties
- Durability
These pipes can also be used to reline or rehabilitate old, corroded pipes using methods such as sliplining and pipe bursting.
The pipe wall structure is built within a mold that revolves at a slow speed. The raw materials for the pipe are distributed evenly and precisely in specific layers. The resin is specially formulated to prevent it from polymerizing during the filling process. When all the material is positioned, the speed of the mold is increased to produce a centrifugal force up to 75g while the resin starts polymerizing. The force compresses the composition against the mold, allowing for full compaction and deaeration. After curing, the pipe is removed from the mold.