“We want things to be robust and well-built, but that shouldn’t mean just throwing more concrete and steel into our bridges, roads & railways.”
– Rob Stokes, Infrastructure Minister (via Sydney Morning Herald)
The New South Wales Government is looking for innovative solutions to reduce their carbon emissions whilst continuing to develop world-class infrastructure. While concrete and steel provide ease in the flexibility of design, Stokes warns that we need to begin utilising “innovative” and “recycled” materials to ensure TfNSW reaches its carbon-neutral 2050 targets.
Early this morning, we wrote to the Infrastructure Minister’s Office, supporting his comments. As many of our partners already know, this topic is important to us and the Master Builders Solutions + Bluey Technologies product portfolio.
One product, in particular, that is frequently used to replace steel in many infrastructure applications is BluGeo GRP60, our glass-fibre reinforced polymer continuously threaded bar.
BluGeo GRP60: An Innovative Solution for Ground Anchoring and Soil Nailing.
Below are the top five innovative advantages that BluGeo GRP60 offers over steel.
1) ¼ Weight of Steel – BluGeo GRP60 is strong, extremely lightweight, simple to handle & easy to cut.
2) 2x the Tensile Strength of Steel – Our innovative polymers allows BluGeo GRP60 to offer high tensile strengths for structures with 100-year design lives.
3) High Corrosion Resistance – Many ground environments across NSW exhibit high corrosive properties. Thanks to our local and global R&D teams, BluGeo GRP60 is 100% resistant acidic/corrosive environments, thus eliminating the need for Double Corrosion Protection (DCP).
4) Non-Conductive – BluGeo GRP60 is non-conductive, therefore eliminating all dangers surrounding high voltage, stray currents.
5) 100-Year Design Life – BluGeo GRP60 can be part of a permanent solution for face stabilisation and ground support projects.
Over the years, we’ve reimagined a number of products that have changed the way engineering and design is conducted in Australia. Looking ahead, we plan on continuing this spirit of innovation for years to come.
Below are links to other innovative/recycled products in our range:
MasterSuna RCT 323: Returned Concrete Recycling Admixture
BluCem ZeoGlass: Acid-resistant shotcrete containing >50% recycled glass aggregate.
If you’d like to learn more about how we’re continuing to innovate, or you’d like to know more about BluGeo GRP Systems and applications, contact us at 1300 0 BLUEY or email qld@bluey.com.au.
