Durability of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) pipes: increasing the quality of the bonds

The use of GRP (glass fibre reinforced plastic) pipes could be increased if the users can rely on the durability of the GRP network. In a GRP network the pipe bonds are the weakest link in the chain. Therefore, during the past eight years a research project was undertaken by the Dutch industry to improve the quality of adhesive bonds in GRP pipes. The twenty companies that joined the project varied from manufacturers of GRP pipes to inspecting companies and end users such as chemical industries and the Dutch government (Ministry of Defense). The main target of the project was to increase the reliability and reproducibility of adhesive bonds of GRP pipes.