Sunday, October 26, 2014

How Fiberglass Insulation Is Used

By Barun Kumar


Fiberglass is a plastic that has been made through glass-fiber reinforcement to strengthen the final product. The fiberglass insulation can be defined as the manufacture of fiberglass plastics for domestic or industrial setting. Fiberglass, which can also be referred to as glass wool is a flexible and weather resistant material that is also very strong and lightweight. It is mainly used in plastic manufacturing industries and it comes in different textures and variations in composition.

Fiberglass can be subdivided into two groups based on the method of manufacture. There is the continuous fiber that is used in yawn and textiles and the discontinuous variety that is used as blankets, bats, boards for filtration and insulation. Fiberglass was developed to replace the molded plywood that was used in aircraft radomes. These are dome shaped and weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave such as radar.

A modern use of fiberglass is the manufacture of sports cars and boats bodies, where such models were developed in 1950s. This has made a big impact in the automotives industry. A variation of fiberglass referred to as carbon fiber is used in aviation industry. The material is strong and non-corrosive and possesses the required standards of weight and volume.

Fiberglass is also employed in shrouding the antennas in telecommunications industry. Shrouding is a coating process and fiberglass is a good choice as it is very permeable to radio frequency signals. The glass wool also has less signal attenuation or interruption meaning that signals are not lost during communication.

Fiberglass is also used to cover other equipment where signal reception is not a priority, especially in cabinets and steel support structures. The flexibility of the fiberglass where it can be molded or painted to blend with other surfaces makes it the best choice. It can also be included in making sheet-form electrical insulators normally found in power related products. The lightweight and durability factor makes it a good raw material in making protective gears such as helmets and masks.

In domestic usage, the fiberglass can be used in making storage tanks. These may come with different specifications based on the usage of the tank. Tanks with high volume capacities of even 300 tonnes can be derived for storing fluids such as commercial oil or chemicals. The tanks are however made from strong woven filament fiber to ensure durability.

Other domestic applications of the fiberglass are in making plastics for house building materials. These could include making sills, roofing laminate, door surrounds and window canopies. They are preferred to other materials like metals or wood because they are lightweight and easy to handle as well as install. Fiberglass can also be incorporated by the house panel industries to produce well-insulated panels, serving as acoustics and heat controllers.

The most common application of fiberglass is the piping industry where weather resistant and corrosion free pipes are made. The pipes can be erected in above- and below-ground systems to serve different functions. Fiberglass may also be made into yawn and woven into fabric, or used as reinforcement material commonly used in laminated and molded plastics. Fiberglass wool may also be used for sound absorption and thermal insulation.




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