Fiberglass fabrics play a critical role in the strength-to-weight ratio of composite components

Fiberglass fabrics play a critical role in the strength-to-weight ratio of composite components. They also increase tensile and abrasion resistance.
Before selecting a fabric, it is important to understand the needs of the finished part. Consider things like stiffness, abrasion resistance, damage tolerance and cost. Then compare to other alternatives.
Woven Fiberglass
Woven fiberglass is a fabric material with an extremely high tensile strength and impact resistance. It is also very lightweight, and can be molded into complex shapes that would be impossible to make from other composite materials. It is very durable and resists corrosion, electrical properties, and many chemical compounds.
Fiberglass is made up of glass fibers that are woven into different types of fabrics. These materials are then combined with a resin to create a strong, durable composite. Fiberglass can be made into almost any shape, and can be used in a variety of industrial applications.
Woven fiberglass is available in a number of weaves and thicknesses, with the most common being the plain weave. The most economical fiberglass cloth is woven roving, which can be used with polyester, epoxy or vinylester resin systems to build up layer thickness quickly. This roving fiberglass fabric wets out easily and is good for building a large laminate, or stiffening up a small part with extra strength.
Extruded Fiberglass
Glass fiber fabric offers a unique combination of properties that are useful in a wide range of industrial applications. These fabrics offer high strength, dimensional stability and design flexibility.
Fiberglass is used in many applications due to its lightweight and strong nature, including construction, swimming pools, marine vessels and sporting equipment. Its abrasion resistance is also an advantage.
In the automotive industry, fiberglass is utilized in a number of ways to reduce vehicle weight and improve strength-to-weight ratios. It is especially effective in reducing the weight of car doors, structural beams and other components without compromising physical integrity.
Fiberglass is also used in combination with carbon and aramid fibers to create specialty laminates and moldable fabrics for canoes, kayaks and other high-strength, low-weight applications. Additionally, pultruded fiberglass products are non-conductive and do not rust or corrode. They are also highly resistant to chemicals, weathering and temperature fluctuations. This resistance is crucial in many applications, where the materials will be exposed to aggressive environments or extreme temperatures.
Chopped Strand Mat (CSM)
Chopped Strand Mat, or fiberglass mat, is a non-woven reinforcement material used for laminate build-up and repair. It consists of randomly distributed strands of continuous fiberglass roving held together with powder or emulsion binder. The resulting product is available in a wide range of weights and widths to suit a specific application. This type of mat has a high level of dimensional stability and is compatible with polyester resins.
During the manufacturing process, raw materials are sampled at a number of locations to maintain quality control. These samples may include the batch of melted glass (known as cullet) before entering the electric melter; the molten glass in the bushing that feeds into the fiberizer machine; the short glass fiber that emerges from the end of the fiberizer machine; or the finished fiberglass insulation.
Lubricants and binders are also often added to the raw materials to reduce abrading during handling. These can be either sprayed directly onto the fiber or added into the binder. In addition, an anti-static composition is usually sprayed into the mat during cooling to minimize the generation of static electricity.
Roving
Roving fiberglass is a non-woven fabric that consists of short lengths of glass fiber strands that are randomly arranged and held together with a binder. This form of reinforcement is usually placed between layers of woven cloth or chopped strand mat to increase the strength of the laminate.
The specific tensile strength of glass fiber-based fabrics is typically greater than steel wire of the same diameter and they are much lighter in weight. These properties make fiberglass cloth suitable for many types of applications, especially those that require a high specific strength and good impact resistance.
The fabric is available in a wide range of sizes with different tensile strengths and elongation under load.  It has excellent warping and weaving properties and is easy to impregnate with epoxy, polyester or vinyl ester resin systems. It is also available as a biaxial fiberglass cloth which allows the fabric to conform to various directions and shapes.