Fiberglass tanks are storage enclosures composed of glass reinforced polymer resins. Glass reinforced polymers are also known as glass reinforced plastics, fiberglass reinforced plastics or simply fiberglass. Fiberglass is a very important material and is used in the construction of countless industrial, commercial and consumer products. All kinds of boxes, cases, tubs and other enclosures can be made out of fiberglass.
Fiberglass is chosen as a construction material so frequently because of its strength, low weight, corrosion resistance, weather resistance and many other favorable characteristics. It is also relatively inexpensive and can be made to a wide range of specifications. It is particularly valuable as a tank construction material because of its strength and resistance to chemical-induced corrosion. Fiberglass tanks can be constructed in a wide range of shapes and sizes for the storage of all kinds of materials.
Some fiberglass storage tanks can feature storage capacities as high as 300 tons. They can be used to store water, granulated solid materials like fertilizer and grains, herbicides, pesticides and a wide variety of other materials. Fiberglass reinforced plastic resists compression and has a high tensile strength, and they can be expected to reliably store all kinds of products for extended periods of time. Fiberglass tanks are used in the petroleum, automotive, wastewater and many other industries.
Fiberglass fabricators offer their clients a range of fiberglass tank sizes, shapes and compositions. All fiberglass tanks are composed of glass fiber reinforcement that is inserted in thermosetting resin. Additives including pigments and dyes are also often involved in the construction of fiberglass tanks. The effectiveness of a fiberglass tank in a given situation depends on its constituent mixture of glass fibers, additives and resin in addition to the tank’s design.
Centrifugal molding is among the most common methods of fiberglass tank fabrication. In centrifugal molding, a gel coat is applied to the sides of a spinning cylindrical mold. Layer by layer, catalyzed resins saturated with short fibers are sprayed into the mold until the desired thickness is reached. Once the product has taken the appropriate shape, the heat that was applied to melt the thermoplastic is reduced, causing the product to harden. When the fiberglass reinforced plastic emerges from the mold, it is a newly-molded fiberglass tank. Such molding processes are also used in the fabrication of many other fiberglass products.
Fiberglass Tanks Informational Video