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Continuous filament matCFM

A non woven reinforcement formed from continuous glass strands laid in a swirled pattern and bound into a mat. Because the fibres are continuous, the mat tolerates some flow and deep drawing during moulding, making it common in resin transfer moulding, pultrusion and glass mat thermoplastics.

Also known as: continuous strand mat, swirl mat

Related terms

Chopped strand mat

CSM

A non woven glass reinforcement made from chopped strands distributed randomly and held with a powder or emulsion binder that dissolves in styrene based resins. It gives roughly equal in plane properties in all directions, wets out readily by hand lay up and is the standard reinforcement in GRP flat roofing laminates. It is specified by areal weight.

Composites & laminatesReinforcements & fibresRoofing & waterproofingConstructionMarineIndustrialAutomotive

Resin transfer moulding

RTM

A closed-mould process in which a dry fibre preform is placed in a matched mould and liquid resin is injected under pressure before curing. It produces parts with two moulded faces, good dimensional control and repeatable quality at medium to high volumes.

Manufacturing processesComposites & laminatesAutomotiveAerospaceIndustrialMarineGreen energy

Pultrusion

A continuous process in which fibre reinforcement is drawn through a resin bath and a heated die, curing into a constant cross-section profile such as a rod, tube or structural section. It gives very high fibre alignment along the pull direction and suits long production runs.

Manufacturing processesComposites & laminatesConstructionIndustrialGreen energyAutomotive

Glass fibre

Fibre drawn from molten glass, the most widely used reinforcement for polymer composites. Different formulations, such as E-glass, E-CR glass, S-glass and AR glass, balance cost, strength, electrical performance and chemical resistance. It is the standard reinforcement in GRP laminates, including liquid applied GRP flat roofing systems.

Reinforcements & fibresComposites & laminatesRoofing & waterproofingMaterials science (general)AerospaceAutomotiveConstructionMarineGreen energyIndustrial

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