Evolution of manufacturing processes for fiber-reinforced thermoset tanks, vessels, and silos: a review

Abstract

Since the first Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) material applications emerged in the 1950s, various industrial markets (from aerospace to consumer goods) have adopted FRP composites due to their attractive inherent mix of properties: FRP composites represent low density with elevated mechanical performance and display better environmental resistance than traditional materials such as steel and aluminum. As FRP composites gradually became more used in structural design, early manufacturing processes changed, were optimized, and became partly automated. The evolution in manufacturing processes was indeed necessary to keep pace with the increasing complexity of geometric designs, more demanding mechanical requirements, more stringent environmental regulations, and ever stronger market pressures concerning cost and production volume. This article aims to present a review of manufacturing processes for FRP applications through one of the most common products for the industrial environment: storage pressure tanks, vessels and silos.

Keywords:

• Fiber-reinforced polymer
• manufacturing
• injection molding
• filament winding
• fiber placement
• pressure vessel

Acknowledgments

The author wants to acknowledge the partial funding received from Poltank SAU and the Spanish government through the research project CICYT MAT2006-14159-C02-01.