From North America to Asia, from Europe to Oceania, new composite products are appearing in marine and offshore engineering, playing more and more roles. Pultron is a composite material company in Oceania and New Zealand. The company has cooperated with another wharf design and construction company to develop and produce a new composite material product waler.
The walers are structural beams mounted to the side of the quay section, spanning multiple concrete buoys, holding them together. Waler played a key structural role in the construction of the wharf.
It is connected to the floating dock by a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite thru-rod and nut system. These are long rods that are threaded at both ends and held in place by nuts. Beams and thru-bars are a key part of Bellingham's Unifloat® Concrete Dock System.
GFRP composites are known as smart materials for wharf construction. They have many advantages over wood, aluminum or steel and have a longer life cycle. And has high tensile strength: Composite materials have high tensile strength (twice that of steel) and are lighter than aluminum. Also resistant to bending and fatigue: GFRP coamings are extremely resistant to bending and fatigue, resisting tides, waves and the constant movement of the vessel.
GFRP composite products are more environmentally and ecologically friendly: piers are often home to various marine life. Composite materials do not impact marine ecosystems because they do not corrode or leach chemicals. This is one way to protect the environment. And cost-competitive: GFRP composites offer outstanding durability and life-cycle savings, especially when used in coastal and marine environments.
GFRP composites have a bright future in marine engineering: Bellingham has built piers in some of the most beautiful locations in the world. With the new composite system, there are no nasty rust leak marks or concrete cracks from corroded steel.
Keyway Innovation: A key innovation in the design is the keyway matching detail in the locking zone. Thus, the alignment between the floats is preserved and shear stress on the bolts is reduced. By ensuring alignment, you eliminate the risk of tripping hazards. This is a key feature for obtaining patent status.
Reduced maintenance costs: The maintenance of a terminal can incur significant expenses. Due to the constant motion, retightening the bolts is standard practice. As part of the Unifloat Concrete Dock System, composite hoardings reduce the need for retightening by working with a self-tightening thru rod system. This reduces maintenance costs and provides an estimated useful life of 75+ years.
DESIGNED FOR SAFETY: The GFRP Waller design has a single bore on the outside and a smaller bore on the inside surface of the central cavity. This allows the nut to be fully recessed for safety and to avoid damage to the boat.
10X Bending Strength: Ships hitting pontoons are a common hazard at docks. Composite Valle is highly impact resistant and has almost 10 times the flexural strength of wood. If a boat hits a pontoon, it's less likely to snap the transom at the junction between the pontoons. It provides even distribution of load.
Standards Compliant: Composite articles are engineered, engineered and manufactured under controlled conditions to meet stringent ISO 9001:2015, ASTM and specific performance standards.
Waler is the latest composite product innovation in the marina sector, following the success of Bellingham's award-winning GFRP composite thru-rod and nut system. Both components were developed and manufactured at Pultron using the pultrusion process.
The next major project to use this technology is the iconic Dana Point Harbor in California, USA. This is a landmark project and an exciting new chapter in the field of marina design. When complete, it will be the first pier in the United States to feature composite masts, composite beams and Mateenbar™ composite reinforcement.
Advances in composites technology over the past three decades are driving the growth of the composites industry. Performance improvements and manufacturing efficiencies have lowered prices to make them competitive compared to steel, wood, and other traditional materials.
Waler is a great example of GFRP composites and the pultrusion process. Composites have other applications in industries such as automotive, aerospace, civil/construction, defense, infrastructure, marine, recreational equipment, transportation and wind energy. Growing demand for corrosion-free, lightweight, and high-performance materials is driving the growth of composites globally.
According to a research report released by Grand View Research, Inc., the global composite materials market size is expected to reach USD 160.54 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast period. The growth rate of the pultrusion sub-sector is 2-3 times that of other composite materials sub-sectors.