FRC Materials and Manufacturing Processes Used in Overhead Power Line Products

Many products used by the electric power industry today are either made of, or incorporate, fiber-reinforced composites (FRC). Examples of such products include ladders, grating, construction tools, lift-truck booms, transformer pads, hot sticks, bus bar supports, insulators, crossarms, and pole structures for outdoor lighting and electric power lines. The growing use of FRC materials and products in the utility industry can be attributed to: (1) improvements in the cost and performance of FRC products due to advances in materials, product engineering and process technology, (2) a growing acceptance and use of FRC materials in general infrastructure, construction, industrial and electrical applications, and (3) inherent advantages with respect to weight, non-conductivity, and environmental impact. During the past 50 years, FRC materials have been successfully used across numerous industries in everything from aircraft to recreational products. To meet the requirements of such a broad range of applications, the composites industry has developed a variety of FRC materials and processes. It would be impractical to discuss in one brief writing all of the alternative FRC materials and processes available today, nor would that be of interest here. The purpose of this writing is to provide a general description of the FRC materials and processes commonly used to make composite products for transmission and distribution applications. It is not the intent of this writing to evaluate or qualify the materials or processes described, or disqualify any materials or processes not mentioned.