CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/517026
JUNE 2015 50 CompositesWorld INSIDE MANUFACTURING ABOUT THE AUTHOR CW senior editor Ginger Gardiner has an engineering/materials background and more than 20 years in the composites industry. ginger@compositesworld.com Advanced carbon fber composite solutions for the most demanding applications ● Extreme thermal properties for high temperature applications ● Lightweight solutions providing a critical mass advantage ● High strength solutions for the toughest applications www.fbermaterialsinc.com C/C · CMC · Polymer Matrix Composites · Rigid Insulation Our materials can be found inside industrial furnaces, at the National Air and Space Museum, and on the surface of Mars. Success for the future As CW went to print, façade panel instal- lation was nearing completion. When the exterior envelope is closed, the building contractor will fnish the extension's interior for the museum's re-opening, scheduled for frst-quarter 2016. "Everyone is thrilled with how the project has turned out," says Kreysler. He notes that even Enclos, which bought in early to the FRP approach and has been an excellent partner throughout, neverthe- less "anticipated that our elevation would have the most problems. But ours [Kreysler & Associates and Enclos] has actually ended up having the least." Enclos VP and SFMOMA project manager Kevin Mannen applauded the subcontractor and the use of composites: "In my 27 years with Enclos Corp., I can honestly say that I'm most proud of the SFMOMA project and it's largely because of your FRP." Will this success change how compos- ites are viewed in large architectural projects? "I think this proves the poten- tial of composites to provide a solution," Kreysler replies. "But I worry that compa- nies will try to complete such projects without the signifcant construction experience required." He explains that this entails knowledge about not only FRP but also contracts, insurance, working with other subcontractors, pricing, codes and regulations, movement in buildings due to temperature and seismic events and how to allow for that, to name a few key areas. "You can't survive the cost of a serious mistake," he warns but sees opportunities for companies willing to start with smaller projects and progress slowly, step by step. "Tere are opportunities for new mate- rials," Kreysler sums up, "but they demand close cooperation with the building design team in order to move beyond traditional construction methods and mindsets." "we bought all of the sand for the whole job at once, paid to put it all in one hopper and tumbled it to mix out the color variation." Te sand was then bagged and inventoried, with color samples taken and recorded for every bag. Gel coat samples were made and recorded for every bag as well. Finally, the company took 10 spectrophotometer readings for each panel to measure color consistency. Tat data was entered into an Excel spreadsheet and graphed to monitor variation throughout the project. "Postcuring was similarly a matter of risk mitigation and insurance," Kreysler adds. "By taking that extra measure, we had confdence that the variation in the panel properties was minimized to the level needed."