The Role of GRP - An Introductory Review

Glass reinforced thermosetting plastic pipes share with thermoplastic pipes the advantages of corrosion resistance and lightness. They are currently finding increasing market acceptance, especially for large diameter water distribution and sewerage applications where the alternatives of concrete, steel and asbestos cement often prove more expensive when a corrosion resis- tant liner has to be added. Much effort is being applied to the optimisa- tion of GRP pipe design, Accepted methods of analysis of flexible pipe behaviour are generally used, but the composite nature of GRP, although complicating design procedure, is advantageous because it enables the material properties to be tailored to meet the particular structural require ments .