High Strength Pultruded Fiberglass Grating

Strongwell's DURAGRID® and DURADEK® are high strength pultruded bar type gratings that provide the intrinsic benefits of fiberglass and yet can be designed and utilized just like conventional metal grates.

These products serve as perfect substitutes for aluminum or steel gratings in corrosive environments, or in places where walkway replacement and frequent grating costs are not good enough (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Top: DURADEK^® and DURAGRID^® fiberglass grating provide safe, corrosion resistant walkways and work platforms in a broad range of markets and industries. Bottom: Manufactured with unique cross bar construction, DURADEK^® and DURAGRID^® fiberglass grating can be cut to any size like a solid sheet.

A standard product supplied by distributors nationwide, DURADEK^® comes with separate bearing bars in a 2" (51 mm) T-shape or 1" (25 mm) or 1-1/2" (38 mm) I-shapes. It is a flame retardant product that uses a vinyl ester or polyester resin. The bearing bars of DURADEK^® are configured into 12 panel sizes, such as 1 m (standard), 0.914 m, 1.219 m and 1.524 m widths in each of 6.10 m, 3.66 m, 3.05 m, and 2.44 m lengths. Standard panels are also provided with cross-rod spacings of 304 mm or 152 mm on center.

A standard fiberglass grating may not be suitable for certain applications. DURAGRID^® custom grid or grating systems are specifically designed to accommodate such applications. It provides customers with a number of options, including selection of bar shape, open space, custom fabrication, cross-rod placement, color, or custom resin.

Why Use DURADEK^® or DURAGRID^® Grating?

DURADEK^® and DURAGRID^® are light in weight, which means installation is made easier, and freight cost is saved.

Both DURADEK^® and DURAGRID^® have a special cross-bar construction that is easy to cut and alter the grating panels to accommodate just about any needs of the facility. The following features highlight the benefits of DURADEK^® and DURAGRID^® products:

• Structurally strong
• Corrosion resistant
• Lightweight
• High fatigue and impact strength
• Fire retardant
• Skid resistant
• Low conductivity
• Low maintenance
• Easy to fabricate and install
• Resistant to cracking /chipping
• Aesthetically pleasing appearance
• Rigid and non-sparking
• Low thermal conductivity

Materials of Construction

Fiberglass gratings, DURADEK^® and DURAGRID^®, are a composite of fiberglass reinforcements and a thermosetting resin system, created by the pultrusion process. Several unique properties of the product are produced by this pultrusion manufacturing process. The bearing bars have excellent corrosion resistance and strength through the use of multidirectional (glass mat) and longitudinal (glass roving) reinforcements, in addition to a synthetic surfacing veil. The continuous glass rovings have a thickly packed core that imparts strength and stiffness to the bar in the longitudinal direction, while the continuous glass mat offers strength in the transverse direction and eliminates cracking, chipping, and lineal fracturing. The synthetic surfacing veil offers a complete pure resin surface for additional UV protection and corrosion resistance.

Three-Piece Cross-Rod Assembly

In DURAGRID^® and DURADEK^® grating, the 3-piece cross-rod assembly is used that forms a unified, strong panel which can be easily cut and fabricated similar to a solid sheet. This specialized system includes a center core wedge and a pair of continuous, pultruded spacer bars. At each bearing bar, the spacers are nicked so that the bars are chemically bonded and mechanically locked to the web of individual bearing bars. With this approach, the bearing bars are separated and firmly fixed in position and the concentrated loads are distributed to the neighboring bars. The ensuing panel can then be fabricated using standard carpenters’ tools having abrasive cutting edges.

Bar Profiles and Grating Series

Based on the design needs, a range of bearing bar shapes as well as bending bar and murmurs cross-rod spacings are available. The standard "I" bar shape offers the highest flexibility in design and comes in 1" (25 mm), 1-1/4" (32 mm), and 1-1/2" (38 mm) depths. The unique "T" bar shape offers a more solid walking surface and avoids catching high heels and other similar objects between the bars. It is supplied in 1" (25 mm), 1-1/2" (38 mm) and 2" (51 mm) depths. A lighter weight bearing bar is provided in the Economy series.

The DURAGRID^® Heavy Duty (HD) solid bar grating from Strongwell can take heavy wheel traffic such as tow motors, forklifts, and truck traffic. Since different types of wheel types and loadings are available. Heavy duty grating is available in 1" (25 mm), 1-1/4" (32 mm), 1-1/2" (38 mm), 1-3/4" (44 mm), 2" (51 mm), 2-1/4" (57 mm) and 2-1/2" (64 mm) depths. Strongwell also supplies a 1" (25mm) "R" bar grating, a rectangular bar, in a number of different series.

Panel Sizes and Shape

Panels can be designed to accurate sizes to prevent fabrication costs and waste in the field. 227 kg is the maximum panel weight, with the maximum panel size of 1524 mm x 6096 mm.

UV Coatings

For more color stability and protection for outdoor applications, bearing bars can be UV coated.

Color

Yellow and gray are the two standard colors, but other colors are also available upon special request. A tiny inventory is also preserved for 1" (25 mm) and 1-1/2 (38 mm) "I" & "T" bars in white fire retardant polyester resin.

Resin Selection

Fire retardant is the usual polyester resin utilized in DURADEK^® that meets the needs for a Class 1 flame rating of 25 or less per ASTM E-84 and also meets the self-extinguishing needs of ASTM D-635. A UV inhibitor is also included in the resin. DURAGRID^® provides a broad selection of resin options such as phenolic, polyester, vinyl ester, modar and the likes. Other options include UV inhibitors, fire retardant, specialized additives, and various colors.

Surface Texture

Customers can order grids with or without an anti-skid grit surface. A range of grit material and textures are available for specific requirements.

Applications

DURAGRID^® and DURADEK^® grating systems can be used in a wide range of applications, such as:

• General industry
• Cellular communications
• Consumer/recreation
• Food and beverage operations
• Mining/processing
• Marine/offshore
• Transportation
• Water/wastewater treatment
• Pulp and paper plants
• Plating operations
• Agricultural
• Chemical plants
• Fire equipment
• Railroad - AAR approval
• Power plants
• Electrical

In the year 1979, DURADEK^® grating was installed on Shell’s offshore platform Ellen (owned by Beta Offshore). After three decades of exposure, the platform has had little to no effect on the 10,000 sq. ft. grating. Even accidental paint overspray and sandblasting have not affected the anti-skid surface (Figure 2). When queried in 2010 regarding the lifespan of the grating on the platform, Yohn Rosqui, Facility Superintendent, stated, “The grating looks to be in great shape. The surface shows very little wear and tear.”

Figure 2. In 1979, DURADEK^® grating was installed on Shell’s offshore platform Ellen.

When compared to traditional steel grating, DURAGRID^® Phenolic I-6000 38mm is designed to carry 1.75 times the load of corresponding steel grating. DURAGRID^® Phenolic, unlike metal gratings, returns to its original shape if there is excess design load (Figures 3 and 4).

Figure 3. DURAGRID^® Phenolic grating is used for fire integrity, weight savings and low maintenance and is U.S. Coast Guard approved.

Figure 4. Strongwell’s DURAGRID^® T-1700 pultruded grating was used for substituting wood planks on a large walkway at Dinner Key Marina in Miami, Florida. The grating allows for easy accessibility to utilities below the walkway and will not rot like the previous wooden walkway.

Figures 5 and 6 show the use of DURADEK^® I-6000 38 mm, and DURAGRID^® T-5000 51 mm with a custom polyester resin, respectively.

Figure 5. Copper processing facilities such as the Ammonia Leach/Solvent Extraction/Electrowinning plant for Minera Escondida Limitada in Chile found DURADEK^® I-6000 38 mm to be the perfect solution.

Figure 6. Chicago Transit maintenance walkways alongside elevated train tracks constitute one of the largest fiberglass grating installations in history. This project used DURAGRID^® T-5000 51 mm with a custom polyester resin.

Figures 7- 9 show the applications of DURADEK^® and DURAGRID^® fiberglass gratings.

Figure 7. Low maintenance fiberglass grating provides trouble free operations for the covers and walkways in the Lakewood, Colorado Wastewater Treatment Plant Headworks. DURADEK^® I-6000 38 mm was used.

Figure 8. MIll Ruins Park in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota utilized DURAGRID^® T- 1800 25mm for new pedestrian walkways in the beautiful historical district.

Figure 9. Strongwell DURADEK^® I-6000 grating was installed at this School of Business and Information Systems in Hong Kong as air-conditioning platforms when placed horizontally and as louver when placed vertically (as shown here).

After many years of continuous moisture and the steady beating of golf shoes, the wooden deck posed a safety risk and had to be replaced at the Muirfield Village Golf Club. Strongwell produced DURAGRID^® T-1800 by utilizing a custom-made pigmented resin to substitute the wooden deck and thus provide the structural and aesthetic benefits required by the club (Figure 10).

Figure 10. The Muirfield Village Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus, offers an outside patio deck for players to relax and have a snack between nines.

Accessories

Nosings for Stair Treads and Landings

Stair landings and treads are produced by joining a 51 mm deep nosing to the leading edge. This provides extra rigidity and strength to the area, which takes the maximum abuse and impact. The nosing offers increased surface area for wear, better visibility, and skid resistance. With an additional cost, gray stair treads with yellow nosing are also supplied.

Curb Angle

Fiberglass Curb Angle offers a firm and strong base for bearing bars. It is pultruded from the same material and in the same way as other DURAGRID^® and DURADEK^® products. Corrosion-resistant Fiberglass Curb Angles come in four sizes in gray fire retardant vinyl ester.

Options

Strongwell provides a variety of fiberglass flooring and decking materials. Figures 11 - 15 provide a short description of other flooring products available in the Strongwell industrial product line.

Figure 11. SAFPLANK^®, a system of interlocking planks, provides easy installation and superior corrosion resistance for applications requiring a solid deck or floor

Figure 12. SAFDECK^® is a high strength, one-piece, overlapping panel system. Low in conductivity and nonsparking, SAFDECK^® provides safe walkways in numerous applications.

Figure 13. DURAGRATE^® molded grating has a concave profile on the upper surface for skid resistance. Grit tops are optional.

Figure 14. COMPOSOLITE^® building panels are suitable for major load bearing structural applications and are particularly well-suited to outdoor use and corrosive environments.

Figure 15. SAFPLATE^®, a solid anti-skid flooring, helps reduce worker slips and falls in both wet and dry applications.

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Strongwell Corporation.

For more information on this source, please visit Strongwell Corporation.