DETAILED COMPARISON - FRP vs HDPE

Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (FRP) High Density Poly-Ethylene (HDPE)

FRP is high in terms of Strength, making it much HDPE is comparatively lower in strength making
more suitable for manufacturing covers / vessels it less suitable for covers/ vessels / ducts
/ ducts than HDPE. manufacturing.

The lightweight-ness of the material makes it the To achieve better strength, the wall thickness
most viable option in terms of handling, should be increased (20 to 25 mm) which in
transport, site installations etc. turn increases the overall weight and material
cost by three to four times.
Mechanical Properties

FRP has 5 times the ultimate tensile strength than HDPE is lower in terms of ultimate tensile
any other thermoplastic which is available in the strength.
market.
FRP is an orthotropic composite material whose HDPE on the other hand is an isotropic material
strength is associated with the orientation and whose strength is the same throughout the
content of the Mat (Stranded/Woven Glass), body. This property doesn’t allow the
allowing the manufacturer to customize / manufacturer for any kind of strength
optimize the strength of the FRP body with customization as per loading condition making
respect to the load conditions. it an expensive material for small applications.
FRP shows nil or very less deflection due to its HDPE has higher ground deflection due to its
high modulus of elasticity providing a self- low modulus of elasticity that will arise the
standing design eliminating the need for any need to have additional steel structural
external supports. supports which in turn succumbs to corrosion
in harsh industrial applications.
The mechanical properties of FRP do not degrade The mechanical properties of HDPE become
Resistance Properties

/ fall until an operating temperature of 120OC unstable at even at temperatures such as 40OC.
thus making it a highly temperature resistant
material.
FRP is highly resistant to thermal expansion and HDPE is not resistant to thermal expansion and
contraction. contraction and almost changes 10 times in
length, which is not desirable in critical joints.
FRP has high chemical resistance towards toxic HDPE has lower chemical resistance when
gases, alkali and acids. compared to FRP.
Fabrication work of FRP can be done easily with Fabrication work of HPDE on the other hand,
high precision in the factory or on the site owing can only be done inside the factory as the work
Fabrication Works

to its material properties with usage of simple requires special tools and equipment.
tools and equipment.
The above property allows high flexibility in field Any modifications in HDPE fabrications are
fabrication activities reducing maintenance costs. expensive to make and is generally not
preferred.
Any leak caused in an FRP vessel/pipe can be Whereas any leak in a HDPE vessel will be
rectified in a matter of minutes. catastrophic and very complicated to repair.
FRP is highly reliable material due to its strength HDPE is comparatively lesser reliable.
to weight ratio compared to even steel or
concrete.
Conclusion

FRP is almost 5 times cost effective than HDPE HDPE is easily costlier for manufacturing the
making it one of the most affordable and effective same capacity of vessel when compared to the
solutions for anti-corrosive applications. FRP.
Longer life compared to any other Lower life compared to FRP.
thermoplastics.
 USAGE OF FRP AS A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

Every project / design is tailor made or non-standard according to our customer requirements. On the
contrary, numerous systems, variants have emerged in the construction. Using FRP brings considerable
benefits in industrial, municipal and domestic applications due to their chemical inertness, high strength-
to-weight ratio, fire resistance, and superior weather ability thereby becoming the best economical
alternative for steel/concrete. This material is can be used for constructing vessel, covering systems and
for ductwork as shown below.

FRP Vessels / Tanks

 Wall thickness is 6 to 8 mm
 High strength to weight ratio
 Highly durability with long life
 Modular construction is possible
 Circular / rectangular type construction
 High design flexibility
 Leak proof design for corrosive application
 Non-conductive, inert and UV resistant
 Lightweight construction for easy handling
 Easy Installation & field fabrication possible

FRP Tank Covering Systems

 Cover thickness is 6 mm to 12 mm
 Tanks sizes from 1,000 mm to 30,000 mm diameters
can be covered
 Suitable for both circular / rectangular tanks
 Self-standing half-barrel type
 No external supports required.
 Zero deflection
 Access manholes for maintenance works
 Modular design for easy installation
 Longer life than your civil tank

FRP Ducts / Pipes

 Pipe thickness is 3 to 8 mm depending on operating
pressure.
 Diameter from 100 mm to 3000 mm
 Zero deflection over long distance ducting
 Designed for harsh and corrosive application
 Leak proof construction
 Suitable for indoor / outdoor / underground
installations
 More economical solution compared to steel /
aluminium / cement pipes

Note: For more information, refer our source document “General Summary of FRP vs HDPE.pdf” attached
with this mail.
 TECHNO-COMMERCIAL COMPARISON BETWEEN TANK COVERS

For the purpose of a comparison only, we are taking a case study of 14 m diameter circular cover which
is required to close a tank in a Sewage Treatment Plant. The following tabulation maybe referred before
the selection of material of construction of STP Tank Covering Systems:

TECHNICAL COMPARISON
FRP COVERS HDPE COVERS CONCRETE SLABS
FRP Covers are the most viable HDPE covers are comparatively Concrete slabs are cheaper in
and economical of the three. 1.5 to 3 times higher than the price when compared to
prices of FRP depending on the thermoplastics but are lacking in
size of the tank covers. many ways as mentioned below.
Removable type. Removable type. Permanent type.
FRP cannot be corroded and it is HDPE cannot be corroded and it is Concrete / steel can easily
an anti-corrosive thermoplastic. an anti-corrosive thermoplastic. corrode / erode in a number of
But the external supports used for months / years depending upon
this cover will corrode and concentration of toxic gases in
ultimately cause failure. the tank.
Does not require any external Requires either external supports Requires concrete/steel
support due to zero deflection and (concrete/steel) or requires high supports which are laid during
self-standing half-barrel design. thickness to counter the the tank construction stage.
deflection which inflates the cost.
Can be manufactured in factory / Can be manufactured only in Can only be laid in site.
site and directly installed in site. factory and installed in site.
Transportation is easy. Transportation is easy. Transportation is difficult for
pre-cast slabs even for small
sizes.
Field modification is possible Field modifications are not Field modifications are possible
providing a low-cost maintenance. possible without special in site but comes with high cost.
equipment. This disables any form for access
hole requirements in the future.
FRP tank cover can be reused on HDPE tank cover can be reused on Concrete tanks can only be
another tank of same size. another tank of same size to some demolished and cannot be
extent. reused elsewhere.
Lifetime of FRP tank covers is Lifetime of HDPE is comparatively Concrete slabs life time is limited
more than 50+ years greater than lesser than that of the FRP’s. to 40 years depending on the
the lifetime of the civil tank itself. corrosion / erosion.

COMMERCIAL COMPARISON
FRP COVER HDPE COVER
(Self-Standing Design) (Incl. Steel Supports)
Rs. 15,000 / Sqm. Rs. 37,500 / Sqm.