Bomb and earthquake-resistant building wrap

A revolutionary building wrap that is both bomb and earthquake-resistant has been developed, according to The Straits Times.

This ready-to-stick film is made of glass fibre with a resin adhesive that hardens when exposed to light, forming a hard, protective layer after a few hours. It can be applied to walls or concrete pillars, and plastered and painted over.

It would be especially useful in repair and reinforcement works, especially for historical structures and essential infrastructure.

The Fast Wrapping Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FasRaP) was jointly developed by scientists and engineers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), as well as engineers from statutory board JTC and civil engineering consulting firm Prostruct Consulting.

“Besides reinforcing existing structures, we have also conducted blast tests and demonstrated that FasRaP is suitable for strengthening any walls and structures against blasts,” said Dr Ang Choon Keat, an engineer and certified blast consultant and founder of Prostruct Consulting.

Compared with current wraps used for reinforcing buildings, the scientists say the FasRaP can potentially halve the manpower needed to reinforce buildings, while being 30 per cent cheaper than conventional materials, such as steel.

“This will help (companies) to meet future building standards and prolong the life of older buildings and structures as Singapore and other urban cities age,” said Associate Professor Ng Kee Woei, from NTU’s School of Materials Science and Engineering, who is the lead project investigator on FasRaP.

The joint research team is now working to commercialise their technology.

The team also has a tie-in with JTC, which plans to use the material to reinforce some of its developments by the end of this year.

“The development of new advanced materials such as FasRaP will help us meet the growing demand for the repair and rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure in Singapore by significantly reducing the time and improving the quality of installation, and increasing productivity and cost efficiency,” said Calvin Chung, group director of engineering at JTC. — Construction+ Online