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      01-07-2013, 09:31 AM   #1
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Fiber Reinforced Plastic bumper...?

I'm looking into getting this bumper that is made of "Fiber Reinforced Plastic"...

I dont know much about this material. Is it good, bad or better or the same as an OEM plastic bumper? Should i stay away from a bumper made in this material?

Advice please.

Thanks
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      01-07-2013, 09:39 AM   #2
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It's a hybrid of fiberglass and plastic making it both rigid AND flexible. It's a better option that just normal fiberglass.
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      01-07-2013, 09:45 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by THE TECH View Post
It's a hybrid of fiberglass and plastic making it both rigid AND flexible. It's a better option that just normal fiberglass.
Ironically you replied TECH...Im sure you know what Im getting at.
Deciding on going with the company that sells that bumper in plastic or in this Fiber Reinforced Plastic w/ the splitter for the same price...
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Last edited by aka_phox; 01-07-2013 at 09:53 AM..
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      01-07-2013, 10:14 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aka_phox View Post
Ironically you replied TECH...Im sure you know what Im getting at.
Deciding on going with the company that sells that bumper in plastic or in this Fiber Reinforced Plastic w/ the splitter for the same price...
Understood. If they sell in plastic though, I would do that over the FRP.
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      01-07-2013, 04:56 PM   #5
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Quote:
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It's a hybrid of fiberglass and plastic making it both rigid AND flexible. It's a better option that just normal fiberglass.
It actually can be called fiberglass...or carbon fiber, or what ever kind of fiber is reinforcing the plastic. The are numerous kinds of FRP...there is sheet molded compound (SMC), which has chopped fibers (again, the fibers can be of different kinds) in a plastic that comes in sheets and can be easily molded via a vacuum mold, there are injection molded FRPs with chopped fibers that are compatible with the molding equipment, there are traditional lay-ups, tape-laying, etc., etc.
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      01-07-2013, 06:33 PM   #6
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Agreed with above. Speaking a little less technically, in this case, it's just fiberglass basically. Maybe it has a fancier resin but I doubt it. Fiber reinforced = fiberglass and plastic = polyester resin.
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      01-07-2013, 11:37 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3PO View Post
Agreed with above. Speaking a little less technically, in this case, it's just fiberglass basically. Maybe it has a fancier resin but I doubt it. Fiber reinforced = fiberglass and plastic = polyester resin.
So its safe to buy a bumper made of this material?
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      01-08-2013, 06:32 AM   #8
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So its safe to buy a bumper made of this material?
The material alone won't let you know whether it is safe enough. Other factors include the thickness and where that thickness is located. Reinforcements of other materials at strategic locations may also be necessary. A lot of people still treat materials like carbon fiber as a "black aluminum," which is definitely not the case. While a discontinuous chopped fiber or whisker reinforced plastic may result in a quasi-isotropic structure, meaning the material properties are roughly the same in and around the X, Y, and Z axis' similar to metal, the properties of the plastic will not be adequate for high local stresses of joints and attachments. It is even worse with continuous reinforced composites (most people recognize these as the ones with a weave, but the fibers may be aligned in the same direction, which happens to be more efficient for stresses in that particular orientation). But continuously reinforced composites are really only good for transfering of shear load through the structure, and are not at all appropriate for mounting of fasteners (there should be an isotropic reinforcement at all of these locations) and need special design considerations at joints. Also, materials such as carbon and aluminum are at opposite ends of the galvanic scale and need a galvanic barrier, such as fiberglass, otherwise the materials will have signifcant corrosion in as little as 2 weeks.

So basically, ask around about the reputation of the company to see if they have quality products
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      01-09-2013, 05:16 PM   #9
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Agreed again. There are a lot of factors that can affect a FG or CF part. You really need to rely on the community's experience with that EXACT product.
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      01-13-2013, 06:35 AM   #10
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PU or PP are expensive to make. Cause they use metal molds to make the parts. Some Frp products out there are quite good too.
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