On June 30, 1953 the first corvette rolled off the assembly line from a factory in Bowling Green, KY. Just a few years, Hatteras Yachts introduced its first all fiberglass yacht and the world of boating took an incredible turn. In the last 50 years, manufacturing use of fiberglass and other composite materials has sky rocketed to in excess of $25 billion dollars. In fact, today it is rare to find a boat or an automobile that does not have parts made from revolutionary composite materials.

So exactly what is a composite?

In general, a composite is two or more dissimilar materials, which when combined are stronger than the sum of the individual materials. They are most often man made, but there are many examples of naturally occurring composites. Wood is probably one of the most common naturally occurring composites. It is composted of lignin and cellulose. Cellulose is the fibrous material in the wood and the lignin is a natural "glue" that holds the fibers together. In a common man made composite, plywood is an example of laminates of wood combined with the grain alternating and sandwiching together with an adhesive glue to hold it all together. As well, concrete is a man made composite, consisting of Portland cement, sand, stone, and metal rebar.

While many materials qualify as textbook examples of composites, the area of reinforced plastics is where the term gets the most use. While there are many different specific types of materials used in reinforced plastics, fiberglass combined with various polyester resins is by far the most common. Known within the industry as Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic, or FRP, the world has come to shorten this term to simply Fiberglass. To manufacture this product, glass is wetted with a resin and allowed to cure. During this curing phase the resin is transformed into a solid piece of plastic, which encases the fiberglass. Once cured, the polymer resin gains new physical properties and combined with the fiber reinforcement becomes extremely durable and strong. What is even more fascinating is that there are many different variations of polymer resins, which can impart vastly different chemical properties to the FRP part. This allows uses in such diverse applications as fishing pools, chemical storage tanks, automobiles, bathtubs, and of coarse swimming pools and spas.

So why would anyone choose fiberglass as a building material over other conventional methods? The answer is because fiberglass has very unique properties that give it a competitive edge over traditional building materials. As will be seen, the flexibility in manufacturing allows it to be easily formed into extremely complex shapes. It has high specific strength, in other words, when compared to other materials of similar weight, it is superior. For example, when fiberglass is compared side by side to a piece of steel having the same weight, the fiberglass is stronger. Fiberglass parts can therefore be made lighter and consequently see a lot of use in planes, automobiles and boats. In addition is the fact that unlike cement, wood, or steel, fiberglass is extremely durable when exposed to water. For this reason, fiberglass has grown to dominate the boating industry. As well, almost all chemical storage tanks are either made entirely, or lined with a fiberglass material.

How long might a fiberglass in a part last? The answer so far is that no one knows. The reason is that many parts built with fiberglass over 50 years ago are still in service. Corvettes are just as structurally sound today as when they were when they rolled off the factory in 1953. In fact, it turns out that many items that are retired are due to other mechanical failures such as corrosion of metal components or simply dated design.

How are these advanced composite structures manufactured? There are many different methods, but one of the widest used manufacturing processes is called open molding. In this case, a mold is covered with glass and uncured polymer resin and is allowed to cure. Once cured, the part has taken shape of the mold and can be removed to restart the process. In this way a mold can be used again and again until cosmetic flaws force that mold to be repaired or replaced. Reparability is where fiberglass really shines compared to other building materials. Fiberglass cannot only be easily repaired in the field; the repairs are as strong, if not stronger than the original part. Unlike patching a sidewalk with concrete, a properly repaired fiberglass part will never fail in the same place repaired. From a structural standpoint, that repaired portion is indistinguishable from the rest of the structure.

At Trilogy Pools, we use the same proven manufacturing techniques and materials to build our pool shell as many of these high-end products. We are active members of the largest composites trade organization, the American Composites Manufacturing Association (ACMA). Because of its tremendous design flexibility, outstanding corrosion resistance, and long lasting structural performance, we believe you can make no better choice in pool construction than with Trilogy's fiberglass composite construction. One thing that sets our company apart is the background of our staff. We don't leave quality to chance and sell on real composite science, not on fluff. With Trilogy, your pool truly can be Less Upkeep than the grass you'll replace...