Fibreglass for strength and durability

Fibreglass for strength and durability
In 1938, an employee of a leading glass products company "invented" a new substance. He invented it, in so far as no-one had ever formulated a material in this way before, though the technology for so doing had been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years before. The material was called Fibreglass, and its uses were quickly found to be almost limitless.
The actual name of the stuff, like other named brands that have become generic terms for a class of object, is a trademarked title for a patented product. The actual trademark name is spelled differently, but sounds and means the same: the word "fibreglass" originates not from an attempt to describe the material, but from an appropriation of this inventor's chosen trademark name for the stuff he had invented.
This revolutionary new material, which exists in much the same form today as it did when first formulated in 1938, allows manufacturers to build complex shells that are capable of withstanding immense force, pressure and even impact. The glass fibres in it act as tiny girders (like the steel rods in reinforced concrete), which take and dissipate the strains of any stress placed on the finished article. What that means is that fibreglass, while being extremely light, can be used to manufacture stuff that needs to retain an immense strength or resistance to outside forces.
As the technology has progressed (the glass fibre reinforced plastic moulding material, has made great leaps in company's abilities to process finer and finer fibres, and hence make stronger and stronger plastics), the applications for the stuff have become phenomenal. Fibreglass is used to construct the bodies of yachts, boats, sports cars and Formula 1 vehicles - its' light weight and superb strength making a perfect combination for creating objects that need to achieve speed without breaking up.
The material, despite its name, is actually a plastic. The industry name for the stuff is GRP - Glass Reinforced Plastic. It's extremely easy to identify: it's solid, usually moulded and one can trace the tiny glass fibres as raised edges on its inner surfaces. Because it's a plastic, it's extremely light, making it ideal for applications where weight is an issue and it's very easy to mould into any desired shape. If a model of a part can be made as a mould, then that part can be made in fibreglass. What this usually means is that tricky objects (UK based GRP experts Stuart Pease once built a whole roller coaster train out of the stuff), whose overall shape precludes ordinary material moulding, tend to get made out of it.
In the modern world, the applications of glass reinforced plastic are never ending. Science alone requires, practically daily, more and more complicated kit - usually very delicate and with that key dual requirement of strength and lightness. Fibreglass, with its ease of moulding and supreme durability, fits the bill completely.

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