Who we are •FIBERITE is a leading manufacturer and distributor of a wide range of high quality composite infrastructure products and is increasingly being recognised as a respected brand in the infrastructure products market place. •We became the first company in Africa to design and manufacture a composite manhole cover and frame for water, sewer, drainage, telecommunications and utility networks.
With advanced technology similar to the technology used in Formula One racing cars and luxury yachts, we shaped composite products that serve as the infrastructure of neighborhoods and cities.
As the pioneer and market leader, FIBERITE is supplying innovative new designs and continuing its expansion of the product range to meet the technical requirements of our customers.
FIBERITE products are certified under SANS 50124 by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) to carry their certification marks on our products. SANS 50124 also known as SABS EN 124 is a European Product Standard adopted by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) dealing specifically with Manhole Covers and Drainage Gratings. SANS 50124 stipulates the following: “This national standard is the identical implementation of EN 124:1994 and is adopted with the permission of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), in Brussels. SANS 50124 is technically identical to EN 124:1994. ”
Our products is the preferred alternative to traditional ductile cast iron, polymer concrete and precast concrete manhole covers. With properties that outperform ductile cast iron, polymer concrete and precast concrete manhole covers, FIBERITE composite manhole covers are the perfect replacement. With the continuing increase of cast iron and steel manhole cover theft in Africa, FIBERITE came with the permanent solution: DIFFERENT IS ALL YOU NEED.
What is composites • Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) is a composite material made of a specially formulated polymer matrix reinforced with fibers. • The fibers are usually E-glass, carbon or kevlar. • The polymer is usually a polyester, vinyl-ester or epoxy resin. • FRP are commonly used in the aerospace, automotive, marine, defense and construction industries. • FIBERITE Manhole Covers are NOT polymer concrete covers.
What is a Polymer Concrete? • Some cheap manholes on the South African market are manufactured from polymer concrete. • A polymer concrete is a composite material consisting of a resin which binds aggregates such as sand together to form a dense matrix. • As illustrated later in this presentation, a polymer concrete material has a tensile strength of only 30MPa, whereas a fibre reinforced polymer as used by Fiberite has a tensile strength of 400MPa (13x stronger). • Impact properties of polymer concrete is very poor. Shown below are broken polymer concrete manhole covers.
Why Composite Manhole Covers? • Statistics show that more than 60 000 manhole covers are missing in Gauteng alone. • Ductile Cast Iron and Heavy Duty precast concrete covers get stolen all the time and sold to the scrap metal market. • In some cases cast iron covers get stolen the very same day that they are replaced. • Transport and installation costs are reduced with composite manhole covers.
SANS 50124 Application Drawing Group Traffic description Class Proof load kN Areas which can only be used by pedestrians and 1 A15 15kN pedal cyclists. Footways, pedestrian areas and comparable parks 2 B125 125kN or car parking decks. For gully tops installed in the area of curbside 3 C250 250kN channels of roads. Carriageways of roads (including pedestrian 4 D400 400kN streets), hard shoulders and parking areas, for all types of road vehicles. Areas of imposing high wheel loads, e.g. dock and 5 E600 600kN aircraft pavements.
3D CAD Design
Drawings supplied
Analysis Before any manhole cover type is released into the market it is first analysed to ensure performance to the specification. Analysis is performed by advanced Finite Element Analysis. Finite element loading Finite element mesh Stress result Displacement result
Analysis CO600 Displacement 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Typical design curves obtained 0.0 -10.0 from analyses to determine -20.0 Displacement [mm] required manhole thickness -30.0 -40.0 for various loads. From these -50.0 curves the displacement and -60.0 maximum stress can be -70.0 -80.0 obtained. -90.0 Thickness [mm] 5ton 12.5ton 25ton 40ton CO600 Min bending stress 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0.0 -100.0 -200.0 Stress [MPa] -300.0 -400.0 -500.0 -600.0 Thickness [mm] 5ton 12.5ton 25ton 40ton
Strength Testing Each manhole type is fully tested to desctruction to verify the strength and stiffness of the product in accordance with the specification and analysis results.
Impact Testing Manhole covers are tested for typical use and abuse that it may encounter in its lifetime.
SABS Certification
Manhole materials comparison Modulus of Yield Tensile Compressive Flexural Specific Density elasticity stress strength strength strength strength Material type Source [kg/m 3 ] [Pa/(kg/m 3 )] [GPa] [MPa] [MPa] [MPa] [MPa] Greycast iron (ASTM class Introduction to Physical 6800-7200 137 - 362 1130 51714 50) Metalurgy Introduction to Physical White cast iron 6800-7200 - 172 24571 Metalurgy Introduction to Physical Maleable cast iron 6800-7200 172 275 400 39286 Metalurgy Introduction to Physical Ductile iron 6800-7200 158 365 482 52143 Metalurgy Concrete 2400 30-50 - 2-5 20-40 3-5 2083 Various sources Polymer concrete 1800-2200 20-35 - 30 85-150 15-30 15000 Reichold Sheet moulding 1500-1700 10-14 - 55-124 165-220 124-234 62500 Various sources compound Fiberite fibre reinforced 1900 27 - 404 351 435 212632 Tests by NCS polymer
Features and Benefits of FIBERITE Composite Manhole Covers: ● Easy and safe manual single person removal and replacement, ● Eliminates risk of theft due to no scrap or resale value, ● FIBERITE manhole covers comply with SANS 50124/EN 124, ● FIBERITE manhole covers are NOT polymer concrete covers, ● Stronger than SANS 558, SANS1882 and SANS1294, ● Fire resistant, ● Comes with option of a lock, ● Wide range of sizes available, ● Easy installation, ● Load ratings from A15 to D400 (SANS 50124/EN 124) ● A dynamic skid resistant surface pattern, ● No need for heavy lifting equipment i.e. Cranes etc. ● Composite is lightweight, strong and unlike concrete will not crumble or crack ● Non-metallic, non-corrosive, non-conductive and will not spark, ● Excellent insulator against heat, ● Unaffected by underground gases and most chemicals, ● Incredibly strong structure that will not delaminate, ● No hinges or mechanical parts which will seize up or fail and need replacement, ● Replacement of stolen lids in remaining frames possible.
Replacement of lids only. Typical stolen CO600 steel lid. Temporary solution by town counsil. Replacement Fiberite lid.
Fiberite manhole examples
Different is all you need
Different is all you need “The Rolls Royce of manhole covers” - City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
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