Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer bonds to steel pipe to enhance strength

Milliken Infrastructure Solutions LLC, a subsidiary of Milliken & Co., has partnered with Nippon Steel & Sumikin Materials Co. Ltd. Composites Co. to introduce Strand Sheet® carbon fiber technology to the North American market.

The product comprises hundreds of factory-made carbon fiber/epoxy strands woven into sheets. It is externally bonded to existing steel, concrete, and masonry structures to enhance their strength and stiffness. Suitable for bridges, railroad structures, pipes, and marine infrastructure, the product is installed using a nonsag paste adhesive that both encapsulates the individual carbon strands and bonds them to the surface of the structure in one step.