Atlantic Research Corporation Schedules Installation Ceremony Nov. 10.GAINESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 1999-- Atlantic Research Corporation Led Team under VDOT VDOT Virginia Department of Transportation Auspices to Install and Test the First All Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic Bridge Deck Built for Interstate Traffic A team led by Sequa's Atlantic Research Corporation (ARC) has developed a lightweight, easily installed, durable substitute for conventional reinforced concrete reinforced concrete Concrete in which steel is embedded in such a manner that the two materials act together in resisting forces. The reinforcing steel—rods, bars, or mesh—absorbs the tensile, shear, and sometimes the compressive stresses in a concrete bridge construction. The new decking product is scheduled to be installed for testing at the Troutville Scales on Interstate 81, north of Roanoke, at 11:00 a.m. on November 10, 1999. Atlantic Research Corporation and its subcontractors - Creative Pultrusions of Alum Bank, Pennsylvania, and FMW FMW Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (Japan) FMW Fusion Middleware FMW Frosted Mini Wheats (breakfast cereal) FMW Fanfare Media Works Inc. Rubber Products of Bridgeport, West Virginia Bridgeport is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 7,306 at the 2000 census. The town of Bridgeport had its beginning in pre-Revolutionary War times. In 1764, John Simpson entered the area and gave his name to Simpson Creek. - have produced 10 foot by 20 foot panels that are as stiff as steel reinforced concrete at one-fifth the weight. The decking is based on a design pioneered by the Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta, Ga.; coeducational; state supported; chartered 1885, opened 1888. It is a member school in the university system of Georgia. Significant among its facilities and programs are the Frank H. and funded by the Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," The Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway . The reduced installation time and improved corrosion resistance are expected to result in lower life-cycle costs for an entire bridge structure. In the Troutville test installation, a 20-foot by 20-foot section of reinforced concrete will be replaced by two 10 by 20-foot fiberglass panels. The installation will be performed by Shirley Construction Company under the auspices of the Virginia Department of Transportation's Salem District Salem District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Salem is the district headquarters. Other major towns in the district are Mettur, Omalur and Attur. The district is well connected by rail and road networks. and the Virginia Transportation Research Council. The decking will be visually inspected during testing, and fiber optic sensors built into the test sections by F&S, Inc. of Blacksburg, Virginia Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 39,573, making it one of Virginia's larger towns. will continuously report deflection data. Development of the lightweight deck began in 1995 when the Office of Naval Research The U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR), headquartered in Arlington, Virginia (Ballston), is the office within the U.S. Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S. (ONR ONR Office of Naval Research ONR Ontario Northland Railway ) contracted with ARC to build a rapid deployment causeway strong enough to carry heavy military traffic from Navy cargo ships to shore areas that lacked port facilities. Deck panels are built using Atlantic Research Corporation's Through-the-Thickness(R) braiding process to form three-dimensional fiberglass fabric. The fabric is then continuously impregnated im·preg·nate tr.v. im·preg·nat·ed, im·preg·nat·ing, im·preg·nates 1. To make pregnant; inseminate. 2. To fertilize (an ovum, for example). 3. with vinylester resin and cured into triangular beams that are cut to appropriate length. The triangles are bonded into trusses, which are then sandwiched between fiberglass plates. Georgia Tech extensively tested the resulting lightweight deck during the ONR program. Durability testing at Troutville is expected to last for one year, during which freight trucks of all sizes and configurations will drive over the panels in all kinds of weather. In the future, Atlantic Research Corporation anticipates entire bridges will be constructed or repaired with this material. This is a new market in which the ARC team, working under a memorandum of agreement A memorandum of agreement (MOA) or cooperative agreement is a document written between parties to cooperatively work together on an agreed upon project or meet an agreed upon objective. The purpose of an MOA is to have a written understanding of the agreement between parties. between the partners, expects to be a leading contender for an almost limitless requirement for construction and repair of bridges throughout the world. The Virginia Department of Transportation The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the government agency responsible for building, maintaining and operating Virginia's roads, bridges and tunnels. It is overseen by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which has the power to fund airports, seaports, rail (VDOT) is a national leader in using innovation and technology to develop and maintain its highway systems. By placing the experimental bridge deck in a high-volume, high-weight area of Interstate 81, VDOT researchers and engineers will be able to thoroughly test its capabilities. The weigh station in Botetourt County averages about 13,000 tractor-trailer trucks each day. Also, VDOT is committed to enhancing economic opportunities within the Commonwealth and is pleased to work with Virginia-based firms to test this product. For more information about the department's involvement in this project, call Malcolm Kerley, state structure and bridge engineer, at (804) 786-2635, or Jose Gomez, transportation research scientist, at (804) 293-1936. VDOT also provides information and contacts through its award-winning Web site at http://www.vdot.state.va.us . Atlantic Research Corporation, a unit of Sequa Corporation, is a leading developer and producer of solid propellant rocket motors, gas generators, advanced composite materials, liquid propulsion systems and automotive airbag inflators. ARC produces 3-D Through-the-Thickness(R) braided braid·ed adj. 1. a. Produced by or as if by braiding. b. Having braids. 2. Decorated with braid. 3. composites and textiles for defense and commercial applications. Please visit ARC's web site at http://www.atlanticresearchcorp.com . Sequa Corporation is a diversified industrial company whose other principal interests include the manufacture and repair of jet engine components, the coating of coiled steel and aluminum, and the production of specialty chemicals, can machinery, auxiliary press equipment, and automotive products. Visit Sequa's web site at http://www.sequa.com . Creative Pultrusions, Inc. is the world's most innovative leader in the fiber reinforced polymer composites industry. Established in 1973, the company operates in two manufacturing locations: Alum Bank, PA (Corporate Headquarters) and Roswell, NM. FMW Rubber Products, a West Virginia Company, is a provider of technology in industrial polymer composite design and manufacturing. FMW is the exclusive manufacturer of the Flexcel(TM), self-contained, rubberized liquid storage systems. Federal, state, and local officials are invited to attend the Press conference and Ribbon Cutting Event, at 11:00 a.m. on November 10, 1999, at the Troutville Scales, north bound lane on I-81 near Roanoke, VA. Bridge engineering firms and contractors who are interested in state of the art composite technology are encouraged to attend to witness the installation and the first tractor-trailer to cross the fiberglass decks. |
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