Reinforce With GRIDFORM and SAFSTRIP

The sight of rebar reinforcing concrete is a staple of the construction site. Steel rebar provides support to the concrete form greatly increasing its strength. Fiberglass reinforced plastic as a structural material is starting to become more known; however, knowledge of FRP’s ability to reinforce other construction materials is lagging. However, two Redco™ products provide just such strength equaling or surpassing traditional alternatives.

GRIDFORM™ is a prefabricated reinforcement specially built for bridge decks. It consists of a double-layer of I-bars and reinforcing cross-rods. These are then bonded to a 1/8″ thick FRP plate. Redco™ GRIDFORM™ is light with panels that weigh only 4.7lbs/ft.sq and can be pultruded in very large segments. Concrete can then be poured over the GRIDFORM™. The benefit of an FRP bridge deck system is that our material does not corrode, like metals, and the expected lifespan of the bridge is increased many times over a steel-reinforced system.

It does not take long to find examples of bridges that are being used well beyond their expected lifespan. The cost of building a modern bridge is large and replacement is often slow if not outright prohibitive due to costs. Redco™ GRIDFORM™ aids in increasing the service life of a bridge: which just makes sense given the many bridges that need replacement – using FRP will reduce the financial burden on governments in the future.

But what if you have an older bridge already built?

Redco™ SAFSTRIP™ may be the answer. SAFSTRIP™ is a glass fiber reinforced strengthening strip that can be attached to existing concrete without much preparation or skilled labor. The material uses a premium vinyl ester resin. With its high bearing and longitudinal properties SAFSTRIP™ strengthens the flexural properties of concrete. There are other advantages to SAFSTRIP™ in that the structure is immediately usable and secure right after the product is installed.

So – what do you think about FRP reinforcement now?

Contact us:

E-MAIL: sales@redwoodplastics.com
CDN/USA: 1 604 607-6015