Engineered Composites Ltd (ECL), the Chester-based GRP manufacturer, has published four new volumes in its GRP Technical Guide Series, each written by Managing Director Gavin Williams. GRP in the UK Rail Industry, GRP in the Defence Industry, GRP Rebar: A Technical Guide and GRP in the Solar Industry follow GRP Pultruded Profiles: A Comprehensive Technical Guide for Engineers, Designers and Specifiers, the book that launched the series.
Where the first book set out the fundamentals of pultruded GRP, the new volumes take that knowledge into the sectors where engineers specify it. Each one explains the material, the relevant standards, the design methods and the site practice for its sector, supported by worked examples, model clauses, case studies and whole-life value guidance.
“The response to the first book told us something important. Engineers want to use GRP, but they want guidance written for the job in front of them,” said Gavin Williams, Managing Director. “A rail engineer, a defence estates team and a solar EPC are asking very different questions. These four books answer them in the language of each sector, with the standards, design methods and practical detail that give people the confidence to specify.”
GRP in the UK Rail Industry
The UK railway builds and renews thousands of walkways, platforms, stairs, handrails, fences and trough covers every year, and a growing share of them are made from GRP. Written for rail engineers, designers and specifiers, the guide compares GRP with steel, aluminium and timber in the railway environment and works through product ranges, standards and assurance routes, design methods with worked examples, and site practice.
GRP in the Defence Industry
Written for engineers, designers, specifiers and procurement professionals, the defence volume covers GRP pultrusions, gratings and composite structures across the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force and the wider defence estate. It sets out the sector’s requirements, approvals and specification guidance alongside installation, maintenance and inspection, with case studies drawn from across the estate.
GRP Rebar: A Technical Guide
The rebar guide is a technical reference for specifying glass-fibre reinforced polymer reinforcing bar in the UK market. It takes structural engineers, designers and procurement professionals through material behaviour, durability and service life, manufacturing methods, standards and testing, design and detailing, and installation practice on site.
GRP in the Solar Industry
Written for engineers, designers, EPCs and asset owners, the solar volume covers pultruded GRP mounting structures and GFRP reinforcing bar in photovoltaic projects. It looks at the UK solar market, the properties and performance of GRP in solar applications, engineering design for mounting structures and foundations, and installation, maintenance and inspection.
One sector at a time
Like the first book, each volume is written as a technical guide for practising engineers. The guides draw on four decades of GRP manufacturing at ECL’s Chester and Saltney site and on Gavin Williams’ own experience of more than 40 years across composites, coatings and design. Each includes product data, test evidence and checklists that engineers can take straight into a specification.
“GRP has a long and proven track record across UK infrastructure, but the knowledge has never been easy to find in one place,” Mr Williams added. “The aim of the series is to change that, one sector at a time, and to support wider adoption of a material that offers real long-term value.”
A sixth volume, GRP in Data Centres, is currently in production. All four new titles are available HERE.