Appealing Recent Trends of Glass/Carbon Fiber Replacing Conventional Materials

Abstract

Use of glass reinforced fiber plastic and carbon reinforced fiber plastic is well known in many industries and have significant impact for the industrial revolution. Researchers and manufactures across these industries are always searching for opportunities to use GFRP and CFRP for new components. Other industries are finding the prospects to use these material for possible future. Many properties of these materials are favored and attracting most of the industrial sectors to use it for new applications. This research paper is a primary focus to present some appealing applications of GFRP/CFRP in various industries replacing the traditional materials. The decision of replacing the traditional materials with GFRP/CFRP is very crucial and involves various factors such as weight reduction, achievement of forming complex shape and manufacturing aspects, performance enhancement, technological benefits, installation benefits, operational benefits, cost, future commercial viability, environmental benefit. This paper presents three appealing trends in which traditional materials are replaced by GFRP/CFRP and one application in which GFRP/CFRP is replaced by biocomposites. The various aspects as stated are discussed for these four replacements. This discussion may be useful as think tank for taking decision about replacement of traditional materials by GFRP/CFRP for other applications.