Strongwell Corporation has introduced its GRIDFORM™ Design Guide to assist bridge engineers in determining if GRIDFORM™ is a better alternative for reinforced concrete bridge decks. With the help of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Engineering, the GRIDFORM™ Design Guide has been developed to demonstrate how GRIDFORM™ can be used as an alternative to steel rebar as the internal reinforcement system for concrete bridge decks. Engineers can enter the bridge’s specific load requirements and properties and the guide will provide design results for a GRIDFORM™ reinforced bridge deck.

Strongwell’s GRIDFORM™ is a prefabricated fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) double-layer grating grid system with an FRP plate bonded to the bottom grating layer as an integral stay-in-place (SIP) form. Degradation of the typical steel reinforcement in concrete bridges is caused by corrosion due to deicing salts and harsh environments. The anticipated lifespan of a GRIDFORM™ bridge deck is several times that of steel reinforced concrete bridge decks since FRP provides a corrosion-free reinforcement system for the concrete.

The amount of labor required to create formwork and tie in rebar associated with typical steel reinforced concrete decks is eliminated with GRIDFORM™. GRIDFORM™ comes in large prefabricated panels that can be lifted and set with a single pick of a crane, providing significant reduction in construction time of the bridge deck.

Click here to access the GRIDFORM™ Design Guide.

The Vintage Club is one of America’s most prestigious country club communities. Located at the base of Eisenhower Mountain in Indian Wells, California, the Vintage Club blends natural beauty with sophisticated architecture. Throughout the club, pyramid shaped screens accent rooftops and conceal the facility’s air-conditioning units. The dual purpose screenings were constructed from structural timber and required approximately $75,000 in maintenance costs, every other year.

The timber’s quick deterioration, caused by the desert’s thermal cycling, combined with the mounting maintenance costs were driving factors in the Vintage Club’s exploration for a cost effective, long-term replacement. Harrington Plastics, a distributor of Strongwell products, recognized the club’s situation as an ideal project for fiberglass. Harrington recommended Strongwell’s EXTREN^® structural shapes due to pultruded fiberglass’ significant structural and architectural advantages over wood.

Unlike timber, EXTREN^® does not rot or decay and EXTREN^® is not susceptible to insect attack. Strongwell’s EXTREN^® shapes are also stronger and more rigid than timber.

To read the complete Application Profile click here.

PEMEX, Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company, recently selected Strongwell’s fiberglass grating and handrail for the company’s new offshore living quarters platform, Cayo Arcas. Major factors for PEMEX’s selection of fiberglass involved safety, corrosion resistance, weight and difficulty of installation.

Strongwell’s two inch, square, SAFRAIL™ industrial handrail and DURADEK^® fiberglass grating were the products of choice. SAFRAIL™ and DURADEK^® are ideal replacements for steel or aluminum in corrosive environments or anywhere frequent grating and handrail maintenance costs are unacceptable. SAFRAIL™ handrail is standard in safety yellow, while the DURADEK^® grating was painted to match. DURADEK^® I-6000 was installed in the stairwells, while DURADEK^® I-4000 covered the perimeter walkways. Both gratings were one and one half inch deep.

To read the complete Application Profile click here.

Fortune 500 company, Duke Energy is one of one of the largest electric power companies in the United States. The company generates electricity in locations ranging from the Midwest to the Carolinas.

The company needed to construct new monitoring shelters to track flue gas emissions produced at the Gallagher Generating Station in New Albany, Indiana. The new buildings had to be lightweight to be assembled on top of existing structures. Strongwell’s DURASHIELD^® Foam Core Building Panels and EXTREN^® fiberglass structural shapes were the selected materials used to construct the shelters.

DURASHIELD^® is Strongwell’s tongue-and-groove fiberglass pultruded panel comprised of a pultruded skin over a foam core. DURASHIELD^® panels are designed to be used as walls, roofs and covers.

To read the complete Application Profile click here.

In 2002, Fort Lauderdale, Florida received the very first installation of Strongwell’s round SAFRAIL™ industrial handrail system. The SAFRAIL™ was added to a fender system located below the city’s 17th Street Bridge. A strong, corrosion resistant handrail system was required for workers’ safety while inspecting the fenders.

A round SAFRAIL™ fiberglass handrail system is ideal for any high traffic area where handrail is needed. The round rails are easy to grip and 90º molded corners eliminate sharp edges. The handrail system meets OSHA strength requirements with a 2:1 factor of safety with five foot maximum post spacing. After seven years of exposure to the Florida sun and the Atlantic Ocean, the photos shown here, taken in January of 2009, demonstrate the durability of the fiberglass system.

To read the complete Application Profile click here.

Strongwell distributor and fabricator Pipex Structural Composites selected EXTREN^® structural shapes, SAFPLATE^® gritted plate and SAFPLANK^® interlocking decking system for use in a 260 foot (80M) pedestrian footbridge over the River Leri in Wales, United Kingdom.

Pipex supplied and fabricated the footbridge for Network Rail. The footbridge provides a safe means to cross the River Leri alongside an existing railway crossing.

The use of Strongwell’s lightweight fiberglass components afforded Pipex the ability to fabricate the bridge in sections. Eleven sections of the footbridge were assembled and load tested at the Pipex fabrication facility in Plymouth, U.K., over an 18 week period. The largest section was 40 foot(12M) long and weighed 6,000 lbs.(2800kg), facilitating installation by roadrailer from the adjacent railway.

To read the complete Application Profile click here.

Because Strongwell’s products will not rust or rot, the pultruded fiberglass products are ideal alternatives to steel and wood for applications in wet and corrosive environments like those found in coastal areas. To better showcase Strongwell’s offerings in this environment, Strongwell.com has a new Coastal market page.

The new Coastal market page showcases a sampling of Strongwell applications including beachfront fiberglass decking, hurricane resistant handrail, corrosion resistant marina decking and saltwater pier supports. Also available is a photo gallery featuring additional applications of Strongwell products in the coastal market. Visit the Coastal market page.

Strongwell now features online videos ranging from how architectural solutions, to the pultrusion process itself. The videos are available to website visitors and are found on product and market pages, as well as being centrally located on the Videos page. From the Videos page, visitors can choose to use the Email Video feature, making it easy to send others a link to the videos. View Strongwell's Videos