Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
16.8 QAFCO, Qatar, UAE
A good example of carbon fibre laminates (pre-cured systems) has been their
use to strengthen a Prill tower in the Middle East; 85 rings of MBrace carbon
fibre laminate were used in this application. The original design looked at
using steel plates or cast-in-situ concrete beams. After careful analysis of cost
and down time it was decided that carbon fibre was the only viable solution
for this project.
The problems associated with this project were high temperature, both air
and operating temperature, as well as difficult access.
A very tight programme was required, with the original shut-down being
only 20 days. The contract for the application of the carbon fibre laminates
was carried out in just 17 days, which is a credit to the supervising engineers,
the contractor as well as the material supplier.
The three-day saving in the application stage gave an overall cost saving
in extra production time for the Prill manufacture valued at over £1 million.
The specification for the laminates called for a peel ply to be used; this
helped in the mechanical adhesion of the laminates. The resin used was
developed for this project to take into consideration the temperature at the
time of the project. The choice of resin was very important for this project;
the resin and the laminate had to withstand a temperature of 60°C. Tests
carried out by Oxford Brookes University proved that the laminate and resin
would withstand the high temperature on this contract. The tests concluded
that the resin actually increased its glass transition temperature (
T
g
).
Figure 16.10
QAFCO Prill Tower, Qatar.
