Composites Outperform In High-Risk Environments

With civil works projects now having to meet demanding safety and longevity standards, traditional materials like steel, wood and concrete can no longer keep up. This is where modern composite materials, such as TerraGrate’s FRP from Terra Firma come into play.

Civil works projects are now under greater pressure than ever and it’s vital to get the best out of every aspect of every build. Modern projects need to meet ever-demanding safety and performance standards, they must save time and money, be quicker, safer and easier to build and they need to work longer and harder than ever before.

Once a project is handed over, the day-to-day running and ongoing maintenance need to meet all these pressures too. Add in the challenges of a high-risk, critical infrastructure project and it becomes even more vital to get things right.

With traditional materials like steel, wood and concrete having performance limitations, this is the time where modern composite materials such as fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) are coming into their own.

For the Blackmans Bay Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) upgrade, not only was it important to meet stringent slip-safety and performance standards on the site, the upgrade had to be durable, easy to install and had to deal with challenging corrosion and odour management issues.

As part of the STP upgrade, TasWater specified fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composite grating walkways and stair components for strong, durable, P5 rated non-slip access. The FRP walkways were complemented by a complex series of TerraGrate solid top FRP access covers to manage chemical and odour issues and complete the Bio-trickling filter odour control unit.

The numerous benefits of using TerraGrate FRP includes:

• The FRP components were fabricated off-site saving time and money.
• Specific fire, chemical and corrosion resistances were built directly into the materials using specialist resins
• P5 non-slip ratings were built into every component
• All components were strong, light, durable and quick and easy to install
• Any minor on-site modifications were made using common hand tools
• No ‘Hot Works’ were required to make modifications
• No heavy machinery was needed for lifting the FRP components
• Because TerraGrate FRP is half the weight and twice the strength of steel, OH&S and manual handling risks were also reduced

From complex structural and custom profiles to composite safety railing, non-slip products and walkway grating, TerraGrate FRP can be tailored to meet even the most demanding standards.

To find out more, watch our TerraGrate at Blackmans Bay video here. If you are ready to talk, contact Terra Firma Industries on 03 9357 1230 or visit TerraGrate for more information on how composites can work for you.