Renewal of the transportation infrastructure is estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars and cannot be accomplished with conventional structural materials and existing construction technology alone. This requires development and application of new materials and technologies, which can extend the service life of our constructed facilities with reduced maintenance and improved durability. Thus, applications of advanced composite materials such as glass, aramid or carbon fibers in polymer matrices are becoming increasingly important to extend the service life of our nation's transportation infrastructure into the 21 st century. It should be noted that these issues are not restricted to the U.S. alone, but are a pervasive problem throughout the world, leading to a dramatic rise in spending on renewal. Industrial facilities often operate in severely corrosive environments with stringent worker safety requirements for structural reliability, fire suppression and electrical isolation.
Composite materials can provide lightweight structures with high corrosion resistance.
Consequently, composites are already in limited use in industrial operations. The general category of the industrial facilities encompasses a wide range of functions and associated design and performance requirements. It could consist of refineries, chemical and processing plants, power generation and transmission facilities, and mining facilities. Although composites have been extensively developed and used in the aerospace industry, they need to be developed further in specific directions for use in civil infrastructure. It should be noted that the civil and construction industries are fragmented and, although willing to use and implement new technologies, have historically needed facilitation from other sectors.