Difference Between FRP and GRP

Nov 17th, 2012 | By admin

FRP vs GRP In modern engineering, materials play a vital role defining the design, structure, performance, and efficiency of the product. Sometimes, the naturally occurring engineering materials are not a le to satisfy the specifications of a product. !herefore, ne" materials "ere developed to accommodate a "ide variety of engineering re#uirements y com ining t"o or more materials together. !hese are $no"n as composite materials. %oncrete, ply"ood, &erogel, and car on fi re are reinforced polymers' all are composite materials. !his article focuses on a specific class of composite materials, "hich are $no"n as fi re reinforced polymers. !hese materials are light "eight, strong, and ro ust. What is Fibre Reinforced Plastic/Polymer (FRP)? (i re reinforced polymers are made of t"o primary constituents' fi res and a polymer matri). In (*+, the fi re is em edded in a polymer matri). !his structure gives completely different chemical and physical properties than the properties of the individual materials. In fact, these materials satisfy higher engineering re#uirements than the ordinary materials. ,ence composites are applied in less sophisticated to very sophisticate and demanding manufacturing tas$s. -echanical, civil, iomedical, marine, and the aerospace industries are main users of composite materials. !he primary role of fi res is to provide strength and stiffness to the material. But the fi re alone is rittle .e)/ glass0. !herefore, the fi res are encased in a coating of polymer materials. +olymer matri) holds the fi res in their position and transfers the loads et"een the fi res. It also contri utes to the inter1laminar shear strength. !he fi res used in composite are as follo"s' 21glass, S1glass, 3uart4, &ramid .5evlar 670, Spectra 1000, %ar on .&S60, %ar on .I-170, 8raphite .+11000, and Boron. +olyesters, 9inyl 2sters, 2po)ies, Bismaleimides, +olyimides, and +henolics are the polymers used. 2ach polymer has different chemical and physical properties' therefore, contri ute differently to the composite structure. &s a result, the composite properties are also different ased on the polymer. +olyester and vinyl are lo" cost materials, hence used e)tensively in commercial applications. 2po)ies are used for high performance continuous fi re matrices. It also performs etter than vinyl and polyester in high temperature conditions. Bismaleimides and +olyimides are high temperature resin matrices for use in temperature critical engineering applications. +henolics are high temperature resin systems "ith a good smo$e and fire resistance' therefore, used in aircraft interiors.

What is Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) / Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic (GFRP)? 8lass *einforced +lastic, commonly $no"n as fi erglass, is a fi re reinforced polymer "ith glass fi res in the composite structure. !he polymer is usually the epo)y, polyester, or the vinyl. (i reglass materials are commonly used in high performance leisure aircrafts and gliders, oats, automo iles, athtu s, hot tu s, "ater tan$s, roofing products, pipes, cladding, cast, Surf oards, and e)ternal door s$ins. What is the difference between FRP and GRP? : (*+ is a composite material, "here high strength fi res are included in a polymer matri). !hey are used in many commercial and engineering applications due to their high strength and light "eight. (*+ is "idely used as a su stitute for metal and "ood. Best e)ample is the use of car on fi re reinforced polymer .%(*+0 instead of aluminum and titanium or high grade steel in aircrafts. : (i reglass or 8*+ is a composite material made out of glass fi res and uses polyester, vinyl, or epo)y as the polymer. It is used to ma$e gliders, oats, and athtu s. (i reglass is used mainly for commercial applications. (i re glass is one type of (*+.

Re: Difference Between GRP and FRP

0;<;1<2011 2/;7 &,i &ll, Glass-reinforced lastic Glass-reinforced lastic .GRP0,=1> also $no"n as !lass fiber-reinforced lastic .GFRP0,=2> is a fi er reinforced polymer made of a plastic matri) reinforced y fine fi ers made of glass. It is also $no"n as GF" .for Glasfaserverstrkter Kunststoff0, or simply y the name of the reinforcing fi ers themselves/ fiber!lass. 8*+ is a light"eight, strong material "ith very many uses, including oats, automo iles, "ater tan$s, roofing, pipes and cladding. !he plastic matri) may e epo)y, a thermosetting plastic .most often polyester or vinylester0 or thermoplastic. Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRP) (i re1reinforced polymers<plastics is a recently developed material for strengthening of *% and masonry structure. !his is an advanced material and most of the development in its application in structural retrofitting has ta$en place in the last t"o decades. It has een found to e a replacement of steel plate onding and is very effective in strengthening of columns y e)terior "rapping. !he main advantage of (*+ is its high strength to "eight

ratio and high corrosion resistance. (*+ plates can e 2 to 10 times stronger than steel plates, "hile their "eight is ?ust 20@ of that of steel. ,o"ever, at present, their cost is high. (*+ composites are formed y em edding a continuous fi re matri) in a resin matri). !he resin matri) inds the fi re together and also provides ond et"een concrete and (*+. !he commonly used fi res are %ar on fi res, 8lass fi res and &ramid fi res and the commonly used resins are polyester, vinyl ester and epo)y. (*+ is named after the fi re used, e.g. %ar on (i re *einforced +olymer .%(*+0, 8lass (i re *einforced +olymer .8(*+0, and &ramid (i re *einforced +olymer .&(*+0. !he fi res are availa le in t"o forms .i0 Anidirectional to" sheet, and .ii0 .ii0 Boven fa ric. !he application of resin can e in1situ or in the form of prefa rication of (*+ plates and other shapes y pultrusion. !he in1situ application is y "et lay1up of a "oven fa ric or to" plate immersed in resin. !his method is more versatile as it can e used on any shape. Cn the other hand, prefa rication results in etter #uality control. !he manufacturers supply these materials as a pac$age and each rand has specific method of application, "hich is to e follo"ed carefully. Speciali4ed firms have developed in India also, "hich ta$e up the complete e)ecution "or$ and supply of material. It is important to note the difference et"een the properties of steel and (*+ and it should e understood that FRP cannot be treated as reinforcement in conventional R# desi!n methods

Fiber!lass .or fibre!lass0 .also called !lass-reinforced lastic, GRP,=1> !lass-fiber reinforced lastic, or GFRP=2>0 is a fi er reinforced polymer made of a plastic matri) reinforced y fine fi ers of glass. It is also $no"n as GF" .for 8erman/ Glasfaserverstrkter Kunststoff0. (i erglass is a light"eight, e)tremely strong, and ro ust material. &lthough strength properties are some"hat lo"er than car on fi er and it is less stiff, the material is typically far less rittle, and the ra" materials are much less e)pensive. Its ul$ strength and "eight properties are also very favora le "hen compared to metals, and it can e easily formed using molding processes. !he plastic matri) may e epo)y, a thermosetting plastic .most often polyester or vinylester0 or thermoplastic. %ommon uses of fi erglass include high performance aircraft .gliders0, oats, automo iles, aths, hot tu s, "ater tan$s, roofing, pipes, cladding, casts, surf oards and e)ternal door s$ins.

#ontents

1 (i er 1.1 +roduction 1.2 Si4ing 2 +roperties ; &pplications o ;.1 Storage tan$s o ;.2 ,ouse uilding o ;.; +iping 6 %onstruction methods o 6.1 (i erglass hand lay1up operation o 6.2 (i erglass spray lay1up operation o 6.; +ultrusion operation o 6.6 %hopped strand mat D Barping E ,ealth pro lems 7 2)amples of fi erglass use F See also 7 *eferences
o o

Fiber

8lass reinforcements used for fi erglass are supplied in different physical forms, microspheres, chopped or "oven. Anli$e glass fi ers used for insulation, for the final structure to e strong, the fi erGs surfaces must e almost entirely free of defects, as this permits the fi ers to reach gigapascal tensile strengths. If a ul$ piece of glass "ere to e defect free, then it "ould e e#ually as strong as glass fi ers' ho"ever, it is generally impractical to produce ul$ material in a defect1free state outside of la oratory conditions.=;>

Production
!he manufacturing process for glass fi ers suita le for reinforcement uses large furnaces to gradually melt the silica sand, limestone, $aolin clay, fluorspar, colemanite, dolomite and other minerals to li#uid form. !hen it is e)truded through ushings, "hich are undles of very small orifices .typically DH2D micrometres in diameter for 218lass, 7 micrometres for S18lass0. !hese filaments are then sized .coated0 "ith a chemical solution. !he individual filaments are no" undled together in large num ers to provide a roving. !he diameter of the filaments, as "ell as the num er of filaments in the roving determine its weight. !his is typically e)pressed in yield1yards per pound .ho" many yards of fi er in one pound of material, thus a smaller num er means a heavier roving, e)ample of standard yields are 22Dyield, 6D0yield, E7Dyield0 or in te)1grams per $m .ho" many grams 1 $m of roving "eighs, this is inverted from yield, thus a smaller num er means a lighter roving, e)amples of standard te) are 7D0te), 1100te), 2200te)0. !hese rovings are then either used directly in a composite application such as pultrusion, filament "inding .pipe0, gun roving .automated gun chops the glass into short lengths and drops it into a ?et of resin, pro?ected onto the surface of a mold0, or used in an intermediary step, to manufacture fa rics such as chopped strand mat .%S-0 .made of randomly oriented small cut lengths of fi er all onded together0, "oven fa rics, $nit fa rics or uni1directional fa rics.

Sizing
& sort of coating, or primer, is used "hich oth helps protect the glass filaments for processing<manipulation as "ell as ensure proper onding to the resin matri), thus allo"ing for transfer of shear loads from the glass fi ers to the thermoset plastic. Bithout this onding, the fi ers can GslipG in the matri) and localised failure "ould ensue.=citation needed> .

Pro erties
&n individual structural glass fi er is oth stiff and strong in tension and compressionI that is, along its a)is. &lthough it might e assumed that the fi er is "ea$ in compression, it is actually only the long aspect ratio of the fi er "hich ma$es it seem so' i.e., ecause a typical fi er is long and narro", it uc$les easily. =;> Cn the other hand, the glass fi er is "ea$ in shearIthat is, across its a)is. !herefore if a collection of fi ers can e arranged permanently in a preferred direction "ithin a material, and if the fi ers can e prevented from uc$ling in compression, then that material "ill ecome preferentially strong in that direction. (urthermore, y laying multiple layers of fi er on top of one another, "ith each layer oriented in various preferred directions, the stiffness and strength properties of the overall material can e controlled in an efficient manner. In the case of fi erglass, it is the plastic matri) "hich permanently constrains the structural glass fi ers to directions chosen y the designer. Bith chopped strand mat, this directionality is essentially an entire t"o

dimensional plane' "ith "oven fa rics or unidirectional layers, directionality of stiffness and strength can e more precisely controlled "ithin the plane. & fi erglass component is typically of a thin JshellJ construction, sometimes filled on the inside "ith structural foam, as in the case of surf oards. !he component may e of nearly ar itrary shape, limited only y the comple)ity and tolerances of the mold used for manufacturing the shell. $aterial % ecific &ensile stren!th #om ressive stren!th !ravity $Pa ('si) $Pa ('si) 1.2F DD .7.7F0 160 .20.;0 100 .16.D0 2D0 .;E.;0 ;00 .6;.D0 F00 .11E0 1,770 .2D70 2,;DF .;620 1D0 .21.F0 1D0 .21.F0 2D0 .;E.;0 ;D0 .D0.F0

+olyester resin .Not reinforced0=6> +olyester and %hopped Strand -at 1.6 Kaminate ;0@ 21glass=6> +olyester and Boven *ovings 1.E Kaminate 6D@ 21glass=6> +olyester and Satin Beave %loth 1.7 Kaminate DD@ 21glass=6> +olyester and %ontinuous *ovings 1.7 Kaminate 70@ 21glass=6> 218lass 2po)y composite=D> 1.77 =D> S18lass 2po)y composite 1.7D

lications

(i erglass is an immensely versatile material "hich com ines its light "eight "ith an inherent strength to provide a "eather resistant finish, "ith a variety of surface te)tures. !he development of fi er1reinforced plastic for commercial use "as eing e)tensively researched in the 17;0s. It "as particularly of interest to the aviation industry. -ass production of glass strands "as accidentally discovered in 17;2 "hen a researcher at the C"ens1Illinois directed a ?et of compressed air at a stream of molten glass and produced fi ers. C"ens ?oined up "ith the %orning company in 17;D and the method "as adapted y C"ens %orning to produce its patented J(i erglasJ .one JsJ0. & suita le resin for com ining the J(i erglasJ "ith a plastic "as developed in 17;E y du +ont. !he first ancestor of modern polyester resins is %yanamidGs of 1762. +ero)ide curing systems "ere used y then. Luring Borld Bar II, fi erglass "as developed as a replacement for the molded ply"ood used in aircraft radomes .fi erglass eing transparent to micro"aves0. Its first main civilian application "as for uilding of oats and sports1car odies, "here it gained acceptance in the 17D0s. Its use has roadened to the automotive and sport e#uipment sectors as "ell as aircraft, although its use there is no" partly eing ta$en over y car on fi er "hich "eighs less per given volume and is stronger oth y volume and y "eight. (i erglass uses also include hot tu s, pipes for drin$ing "ater and se"ers, office plant display containers and flat roof systems.

&dvanced manufacturing techni#ues such as pre1pregs and fi er rovings e)tend the applications and the tensile strength possi le "ith fi er1reinforced plastics. (i erglass is also used in the telecommunications industry for shrouding the visual appearance of antennas, due to its *( permea ility and lo" signal attenuation properties. It may also e used to shroud the visual appearance of other e#uipment "here no signal permea ility is re#uired, such as e#uipment ca inets and steel support structures, due to the ease "ith "hich it can e molded, manufactured and painted to custom designs, to lend in "ith e)isting structures or ric$"or$. Cther uses include sheet form made electrical insulators and other structural components commonly found in the po"er industries. Because of fi erglassGs light "eight and dura ility, it is often used in protective e#uipment, such as helmets. -any sports use fi erglass protective gear, such as modern goaltender mas$s and ne"er ase all catcherGs mas$s.

Storage tanks

Several large fi erglass tan$s at an airport Storage tan$s can e made of fi erglass "ith capacities up to a out ;00 tonnes. !he smaller tan$s can e made "ith chopped strand mat cast over a thermoplastic inner tan$ "hich acts as a preform during construction. -uch more relia le tan$s are made using "oven mat or filament "ound fi re "ith the fi re orientation at right angles to the hoop stress imposed in the side "all y the contents. !hey tend to e used for chemical storage ecause the plastic liner .often polypropylene0 is resistant to a "ide range of strong chemicals. (i erglass tan$s are also used for septic tan$s.

House building

& fi erglass dome house in Lavis, %alifornia 8lass reinforced plastics are also used in the house uilding mar$et for the production of roofing laminate, door surrounds, over1door canopies, "indo" canopies and dormers, chimneys, coping systems, heads "ith $eystones and sills. !he use of fi erglass for these applications provides for a much faster installation and due to the reduced "eight manual handling issues are reduced. Bith the advent of high volume manufacturing processes it is possi le to construct fi erglass ric$ effect panels "hich can e used in the construction of composite housing. !hese panels can e constructed "ith the appropriate insulation "hich reduces heat loss.

Piping
8*+ and 8*2 pipe systems can e used for a variety of applications, a ove and under the ground.

(ire"ater systems %ooling "ater systems Lrin$ing "ater systems Baste "ater systems<Se"age systems 8as systems

#onstr)ction methods
Fiberglass hand lay up operation
& release agent, usually in either "a) or li#uid form, is applied to the chosen mold. !his "ill allo" the finished product to e removed cleanly from the mold. *esinItypically a 21part polyester, vinyl or epo)yIis mi)ed "ith its hardener and applied to the surface. Sheets of fi reglass matting are laid into the mold, then more resin mi)ture is added using a rush or roller. !he material must conform to the mold, and air must not e trapped et"een the fi erglass and the mold. &dditional resin is applied and possi ly additional sheets of fi erglass. ,and pressure, vacuum or rollers are used to ma$e sure the resin saturates and fully "ets all layers, and any air poc$ets are removed. !he "or$ must e done #uic$ly enough to complete the ?o efore the resin starts to cure, unless high

temperature resins are used "hich "ill not cure until the part is "armed in an oven.=E> In some cases, the "or$ is covered "ith plastic sheets and vacuum is dra"n on the "or$ to remove air u les and press the fi erglass to the shape of the mold.=7>

Fiberglass spray lay up operation

!he fi erglass spray lay1up process is similar to the hand lay1up process ut the difference comes from the application of the fi er and resin material to the mold. Spray1 up is an open1molding composites fa rication process "here resin and reinforcements are sprayed onto a mold. !he resin and glass may e applied separately or simultaneously JchoppedJ in a com ined stream from a chopper gun. Bor$ers roll out the spray1up to compact the laminate. Bood, foam or other core material may then e added, and a secondary spray1up layer im eds the core et"een the laminates. !he part is then cured, cooled and removed from the reusa le mold.

Pultrusion operation

Liagram of the pultrusion process. +ultrusion is a manufacturing method used to ma$e strong light "eight composite materials, in this case fi erglass. (i ers .the glass material0 are pulled from spools through a device that coats them "ith a resin. !hey are then typically heat1treated and cut to length. +ultrusions can e made in a variety of shapes or cross1sections such as a B or S cross1section. !he "ord pultrusion descri es the method of moving the fi ers through the machinery. It is pulled through using either a hand over hand method or a continuous roller method. !his is opposed to an e)trusion, "hich "ould push the material through dies.

!hopped strand "at

#ho ed strand mat or #%$ is a form of reinforcement used in fi erglass. It consists of glass fi ers laid randomly across each other and held together y a inder. It is typically processed using the hand lay1up techni#ue, "here sheets of material are placed in a mold and rushed "ith resin. Because the inder dissolves in resin, the material easily conforms to different shapes "hen "etted out. &fter the resin cures, the hardened product can e ta$en from the mold and finished. Asing chopped strand mat gives a fi erglass "ith isotropic in1plane material properties.

War in!
Cne nota le feature of fi erglass is that the resins used are su ?ect to contraction during the curing process. (or polyester this contraction is often of the order of D1E@, and for epo)y it can e much lo"er, a out 2@. Bhen formed as part of fi erglass, ecause the fi ers donGt contract, the differential can create changes in the shape of the part during cure. Listortions "ill usually appear hours, days or "ee$s after the resin has set. Bhile this can e minimised y symmetric use of the fi ers in the design, nevertheless internal stresses are created, and if these ecome too great, then crac$s "ill form.

*ealth roblems

&ir flo" test for the e)traction and filtration of styrene vapors in a production hall for 8*+ yachts !he National !o)icology +rogram .JN!+J0, in Mune 2011, removed from its *eport on %arcinogens all iosolu le glass "ool used in home and uilding insulation and for non1 insulation products.=F> Similarly, %aliforniaGs Cffice of 2nvironmental ,ealth ,a4ard &ssessment .JC2,,&J0, in Novem er 2011, pu lished a modification to its +roposition ED listing to include only J8lass "ool fi ers .inhala le and iopersistent0.J=7> !he A.S. N!+ and %aliforniaGs C2,,& action means that a cancer "arning la el for iosolu le fi er glass home and uilding insulation is no longer re#uired under (ederal or %alifornia la". &ll fi er glass "ools commonly used for thermal and acoustical insulation "ere reclassified y the International &gency for *esearch on %ancer .JI&*%J0 in Ccto er 2001 as Not %lassifia le as to carcinogenicity to humans .8roup ;0.=10> !he 2uropean Anion and 8ermany classify synthetic vitreous fi ers as possi ly or pro a ly carcinogenic, ut fi ers can e e)empt from this classification if they pass specific tests. 2vidence for these classifications is primarily from studies on e)perimental animals and mechanisms of carcinogenesis. !he glass "ool epidemiology studies have

een revie"ed y a panel of international e)perts convened y the International &gency for *esearch on %ancer .JI&*%J0. !hese e)perts concluded/ J2pidemiologic studies pu lished during the 1D years since the previous I&*% monographs revie" of these fi res in 17FF provide no evidence of increased ris$s of lung cancer or mesothelioma .cancer of the lining of the ody cavities0 from occupational e)posures during the manufacture of these materials, and inade#uate evidence overall of any cancer ris$.J=10> Similar revie"s of the epidemiology studies have een conducted y the &gency for !o)ic Su stances and Lisease *egistry .J&!SL*J0,=11> the National !o)icology +rogram, =12> the National &cademy of Sciences=1;> and ,arvardGs -edical and +u lic ,ealth Schools=16> "hich reached the same conclusion as I&*% that there is no evidence of increased ris$ from occupational e)posure to glass "ool fi ers. (i erglass "ill irritate the eyes, s$in, and the respiratory system. +otential symptoms include irritation of eyes, s$in, nose, throat, dyspnea . reathing difficulty0' sore throat, hoarseness and cough.=1D> Scientific evidence demonstrates that fi er glass is safe to manufacture, install and use "hen recommended "or$ practices are follo"ed to reduce temporary mechanical irritation.=1E> (i erglass is resistant to mold ut gro"th can occur if fi erglass ecomes "et and contaminated "ith organic material. (i erglass insulation that has ecome "et should e inspected for evidence of residual moisture and contamination. %ontaminated fi erglass insulation should e promptly removed.=17> Bhile the resins are cured, styrene vapors are released. !hese are irritating to mucous mem ranes and respiratory tract. !herefore, the ,a4ardous Su stances Crdinance in 8ermany dictate a ma)imum occupational e)posure limit of FE mg<mN. In certain concentrations may even occur a potentially e)plosive mi)ture. (urther manufacture of 8*+ components .grinding, cutting, sa"ing0 goes along "ith the emission of fine dusts and chips containing glass filaments as "ell as of tac$y dust in su stantial #uantities. !hese affect peopleGs health and functionality of machines and e#uipment. !o ensure safety regulations are adhered to and efficiency can e sustained, the installation of effective e)traction and filtration e#uipment is needed.=1F>

Fiber
(rom Bi$ipedia, the free encyclopedia Mump to/ navigation, search !his article needs additional citations for verification. +lease help improve this article y adding citations to relia le sources. Ansourced material may e challenged and removed. (April 2009) (or other uses, see (i er .disam iguation0.
+art of a series on

Fiber

+at)ral fibers

&nimal=sho"> 9egeta le=sho"> -ineral=sho">

%ynthetic fibers

%ellulose=sho"> -ineral=sho"> +olymer =sho">

&griculture and &gronomy portal

2ngineering portal %ategory/ (i ers

v t e

& undle of optical fi ers Fiber .from the (rench fibre=1>0 is a rope or string used as a component of composite materials, or matted=disam iguation needed> into sheets to ma$e products such as paper or felt. (i ers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. !he strongest engineering materials are generally made as fi ers, for e)ample car on fi er and Altra1high1 molecular1"eight polyethylene. Synthetic fi ers can often e produced very cheaply and in large amounts compared to natural fi ers, ut for clothing natural fi ers can give some enefits, such as comfort, over their synthetic counterparts.

#ontents

1 !e)tile fi er 2 Natural fi ers ; Synthetic fi ers o ;.1 -etallic fi ers o ;.2 %ar on fi er o ;.; Silicon car ide fi er o ;.6 (i erglass o ;.D -ineral fi ers o ;.E %ellulose fi ers o ;.7 +olymer fi ers o ;.F -icrofi ers 6 See also D *eferences

&e,tile fiber
& unit in "hich many complicated te)tile structures are uilt up is said to e te)tile fi er.

+at)ral fibers
-ain article/ Natural fi er Natural fi ers include those produced y plants, animals, and geological processes. !hey are iodegrada le over time. !hey can e classified according to their origin/

9egeta le fi ers are generally ased on arrangements of cellulose, often "ith lignin/ e)amples include cotton, hemp, ?ute, fla), ramie, sisal and agasse. +lant fi ers are employed in the manufacture of paper and te)tile .cloth0, and dietary fi er is an important component of human nutrition. Bood fi er, distinguished from vegeta le fi er, is from tree sources. (orms include ground"ood, thermomechanical pulp .!-+0 and leached or un leached $raft or sulfite pulps. 5raft and sulfite, also called sulphite, refer to the type of pulping process used to remove the lignin onding the original "ood structure, thus freeing the fi ers for use in paper and engineered "ood products such as fi er oard. &nimal fi ers consist largely of particular proteins. Instances are sil$"orm sil$, spider sil$, sine", catgut, "ool, sea sil$ and hair such as cashmere "ool, mohair and angora, fur such as sheeps$in, ra it, min$, fo), eaver, etc. -ineral fi ers include the as estos group. &s estos is the only naturally occurring long mineral fi er. Si) minerals have een classified as Jas estosJ including chrysotile of the serpentine class and those elonging to the amphi ole class/ amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite. Short, fi er1li$e minerals include "ollastonite and palygors$ite.

%ynthetic fibers
-ain article/ Synthetic fi er Synthetic generally come from synthetic materials such as petrochemicals ut some types of synthetic fi ers are manufactured from natural cellulose, including rayon, modal, and Kyocell. %ellulose1 ased fi ers are of t"o types, regenerated or pure cellulose such as from the cupro1ammonium process and modified cellulose such as the cellulose acetates.
=2>

(i er classification in reinforced plastics falls into t"o classes/ .i0 short fi ers, also $no"n as discontinuous fi ers, "ith a general aspect ratio .defined as the ratio of fi er length to diameter0 et"een 20 to E0, and .ii0 long fi ers, also $no"n as continuous fi ers, the general aspect ratio is et"een 200 to D00.=;>

#etallic fibers
-etallic fi ers can e dra"n from ductile metals such as copper, gold or silver and e)truded or deposited from more rittle ones, such as nic$el, aluminum or iron. See also Stainless steel fi ers.

!arbon fiber
%ar on fi ers are often ased on o)ydi4ed and via pyrolysis car oni4ed polymers li$e +&N, ut the end product is almost pure car on.

Silicon carbide fiber

Silicon car ide fi ers, "here the asic polymers are not hydrocar ons ut polymers, "here a out D0@ of the car on atoms are replaced y silicon atoms, so1called poly1 car o1silanes. !he pyrolysis yields an amorphous silicon car ide, including mostly other elements li$e o)ygen, titanium, or aluminium, ut "ith mechanical properties very similar to those of car on fi ers.

Fiberglass
(i erglass, made from specific glass, and optical fi er, made from purified natural #uart4, are also man1made fi ers that come from natural ra" materials, silica fi er, made from sodium silicate ."ater glass0 and asalt fi er made from melted asalt.

#ineral fibers
-ineral fi ers can e particularly strong ecause they are formed "ith a lo" num er of surface defects, as estos is a common one.=6>

!ellulose fibers
%ellulose fi ers are a su set of man1made fi ers, regenerated from natural cellulose. !he cellulose comes from various sources. -odal is made from eech trees, am oo fi er is a cellulose fi er made from am oo, seacell is made from sea"eed, etc.

Poly"er fibers

+olymer fi ers are a su set of man1made fi ers, "hich are ased on synthetic chemicals .often from petrochemical sources0 rather than arising from natural materials y a purely physical process. !hese fi ers are made from/ o polyamide nylon o +2! or +B! polyester o phenol1formaldehyde .+(0 o polyvinyl chloride fi er .+9%0 vinyon o polyolefins .++ and +20 olefin fi er

o o o o

acrylic polyesters, pure polyester +&N fi ers are used to ma$e car on fi er y roasting them in a lo" o)ygen environment. !raditional acrylic fi er is used more often as a synthetic replacement for "ool. %ar on fi ers and +( fi ers are noted as t"o resin1 ased fi ers that are not thermoplastic, most others can e melted. aromatic polyamids .aramids0 such as !"aron, 5evlar and Nome) thermally degrade at high temperatures and do not melt. !hese fi ers have strong onding et"een polymer chains polyethylene .+20, eventually "ith e)tremely long chains < ,-+2 .e.g. Lyneema or Spectra0. 2lastomers can even e used, e.g. spande) although urethane fi ers are starting to replace spande) technology. polyurethane fi er 2lastolefin

%oe)truded fi ers have t"o distinct polymers forming the fi er, usually as a core1 sheath or side1 y1side. %oated fi ers e)ist such as nic$el1coated to provide static elimination, silver1coated to provide anti1 acterial properties and aluminum1 coated to provide *( deflection for radar chaff. *adar chaff is actually a spool of continuous glass to" that has een aluminum coated. &n aircraft1mounted high speed cutter chops it up as it spe"s from a moving aircraft to confuse radar signals.

#icrofibers
-icrofi ers in te)tiles refer to su 1denier fi er .such as polyester dra"n to 0.D dn0. Lenier and Lete) are t"o measurements of fi er yield ased on "eight and length. If the fi er density is $no"n you also have a fi er diameter, other"ise it is simpler to measure diameters in micrometers. -icrofi ers in technical fi ers refer to ultra fine fi ers .glass or melt lo"n thermoplastics0 often used in filtration. Ne"er fi er designs include e)truding fi er that splits into multiple finer fi ers. -ost synthetic fi ers are round in cross1section, ut special designs can e hollo", oval, star1shaped or trilo al. !he latter design provides more optically reflective properties. Synthetic te)tile fi ers are often crimped to provide ul$ in a "oven, non "oven or $nitted structure. (i er surfaces can also e dull or right. Lull surfaces reflect more light "hile right tends to transmit light and ma$e the fi er more transparent. 9ery short and<or irregular fi ers have een called fi rils. Natural cellulose, such as cotton or leached $raft, sho" smaller fi rils ?utting out and a"ay from the main fi er structure.=2