Benefits of Using Fibreglass Sheet for Bus Roofs
Bus manufacturers use a variety of materials for cladding, the most common being steel and aluminium. While they are excellent materials, they have been surpassed by new innovations like flat fibreglass sheet. Fibreglass sheet has a number of beneficial characteristics which make it superior to aluminium and steel as a cladding material on buses and other vehicles.
By using fibreglass sheet, bus manufacturers achieve significant reductions in weight while maintaining a high level of durability and overall quality. Lighter roofs are especially important when designing large vehicles. However, it’s important to find materials that achieve the desired weight reductions while maintaining the required stability and strength as well as being resistant to moisture. fibreglass sheet meets all of these requirements.
Preventing Water Leaks
Water leaks inside a bus is a problem for many reasons. It can cause corrosion in parts, short circuit electrical wires, lead to mould and of course, result in wet seats and passengers. Leaks are expensive and can take a significant amount of effort and time to fix if it leads to other problems. When water leaks are a problem, the most common place of entry are the rivets and joints between the aluminium or steel cladding sheets.
Using fibreglass sheet avoids this as sheets can be cut to the required size and shape, eliminating the need for joints. Fibreglass sheet is waterproof, incredibly resistant to corrosion, easy to install, resistant to scratches and impacts, easy to repair and has a low thermal expansion coefficient. It’s the perfect, cost-effective solution for bus manufacturers.
Reducing Vehicle Weight
By replacing a heavier roof with lightweight fibreglass sheet, the potential savings in fuel costs are massive. Every kilo saved in the construction of any vehicle, whether a bus, truck or caravan, results in less energy needed over its lifetime. Using fibreglass sheet means your buses are more eco-friendly on top of providing huge cost savings over the lifespan of the vehicle.
Fibreglass sheet also enables a longer service life for your bodywork, tyres and vehicle parts. A lighter vehicle means you consume less fuel, the tyres wear less, and the bodywork is under less load and strain.
Brianza Plastica – The Experts in Fibreglass Sheet
Outstanding quality, lightness, strength, aesthetic appeal and a variety of finishes allow the Elycold and Elyplan fiberglass sheets by Brianza Plastica to be used widely in the construction of buses, commercial and recreational vehicles. The protective gelcoat protects against UV rays and yellowing, preserving quality and appearance over time.
A laminated sandwich panel that uses fibreglass as a face sheet boasts an incredibly impressive strength-to weight ratio, being able to withstand the compression, tension, bending and shear forces associated with vehicle movements. The outer composite laminate absorbs compressive and tensile forces from loading, while the core layer absorbs shear and dynamic forces created by wind, vibration and torsional stress during driving.
Fibreglass Sheets by Brianza Plastica Available From Liner
Italian company Brianza Plastica is one of the leading European manufacturers of fibreglass sheets for the vehicle and composite industries. Brianza Plastica employs both discontinuous cold-lamination and continuous hot-lamination processes for maximum production flexibility so they can reliably meet the unique needs of manufacturers operating in a variety of industries including the production of buses, commercial and recreational vehicles.
At Liner, we’re dedicated to supplying manufacturers with the highest quality materials from leading brands like Brianza Plastica. Contact us today for a quote, product sample, consultation or for more information about Brianza Plastica products.