FAUSST - The union of fibre reinforced plastics and steel

Description

Although steel is the number one material for shipbuilding, Fibre-Reinforced-Plastics (FRP) become more attractive due to aspects in terms of cost and environmental footprint: less weight, higher loading capacity and less fuel consumption. However, shipbuilding underlies strict rules for safety and design based on the Titanic disaster: SOLAS. Here, only steel or equivalent materials are approved to use in shipbuilding. This leads to an extensive evaluation process for FRP and accompanied joining methods contrary to the short production processes in shipbuilding. FAUSST offers therefore an adhesive-free and pre-approved method based on a hybrid fabric and established processes. This presentation will give an overview of the development, properties and outlook of the further use.