Underwater Pipe Repair
An epoxy and fiberglass wrap can repair steel pipes while submerged underwater. Repairing small holes in pipes by wrapping them is sure to be much less expensive and disruptive than replacing bad sections of pipe. Divers must have access to the whole circumference of the pipe and the pipe must be free of its contents to prevent contamination and allow for the wrap to seal the leak.
As always, surface preparation is very important, and is demonstrated in the video with the grinder. The epoxy must form a good bond with the substrate material, not the rust and scale that is on the outside of the pipe.
Jeff Longmoore of TFT demonstrates how this repair is performed in a Youtube video, but does so in a dry environment rather than the actual underwater one. Very interesting.
Automotive Application: Pickup Box
Fiberglass Composites have been used for ages in the automotive industry. There are advantages to doing this, including corrosion resistance, impact resistance, and weight savings. Toyota pickup trucks from the late 1980′s were made with steel sheetmetal beds that are very rust-prone in winter climates, especially those with salted roads. The response was to use a material that did not rust–fiberglass!
Toyota Pickup Box
This Toyota pickup box has fiberglass sides to eliminate the corrosion problem. The floor and front bulkhead are steel, as well as the missing tailgate. Using composite surely eliminated the rust problems associated with these vehicles, especially since it was used in the most apparent cosmetic areas that are most visible.
This pickup bed is not on a truck, because the frames of these trucks were also extremely rust-prone as well.
Sponsor
