108-442: A rigid inflatable boat ( RIB ), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat ( RHIB ), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are inflated with air to a high pressure so as to give the sides resilient rigidity along the boat's topsides . The design is stable, light, fast and seaworthy. The inflated collar acts as
216-424: A glass with no true melting point, can be used as a glass fiber for fiberglass but has the drawback that it must be worked at very high temperatures. In order to lower the necessary work temperature, other materials are introduced as "fluxing agents" (i.e., components to lower the melting point). Ordinary A-glass ("A" for "alkali-lime") or soda lime glass, crushed and ready to be remelted, as so-called cullet glass,
324-490: A plywood sheet glued to the inflatable tubes. This proved a successful modification but was rather uncomfortable at speed offshore, and so the hull was rebuilt with a shallow-vee bow entry transitioning to a nearly flat section stern. This boat was named Atlanta and later that year an Atlantic College RIB was displayed at the London Boat Show. By 1966 the students had built a further five rigid inflatable boats –
432-556: A 5 mg/m total limit. As of 2001, the Hazardous Substances Ordinance in Germany dictates a maximum occupational exposure limit of 86 mg/m . In certain concentrations, a potentially explosive mixture may occur. Further manufacture of GRP components (grinding, cutting, sawing) creates fine dust and chips containing glass filaments, as well as tacky dust, in quantities high enough to affect health and
540-621: A November, 2011 modification to its Proposition 65 listing to include only "Glass wool fibers (inhalable and biopersistent)." Therefore a cancer warning label for biosoluble fiber glass home and building insulation is no longer required under federal or California law. As of 2012, the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association stated that fiberglass is safe to manufacture, install and use when recommended work practices are followed to reduce temporary mechanical irritation. As of 2012,
648-439: A binder. It is typically processed using the hand lay-up technique, where sheets of material are placed on a mold and brushed with resin. Because the binder dissolves in resin, the material easily conforms to different shapes when wetted out. After the resin cures, the hardened product can be taken from the mold and finished. Using chopped strand mat gives the fiberglass isotropic in-plane material properties. A coating or primer
756-978: A boat is a vessel small enough to be carried aboard a ship. Boats vary in proportion and construction methods with their intended purpose, available materials, or local traditions. Canoes have been used since prehistoric times and remain in use throughout the world for transportation, fishing, and sport. Fishing boats vary widely in style partly to match local conditions. Pleasure craft used in recreational boating include ski boats, pontoon boats , and sailboats . House boats may be used for vacationing or long-term residence. Lighters are used to move cargo to and from large ships unable to get close to shore. Lifeboats have rescue and safety functions. Boats can be propelled by manpower (e.g. rowboats and paddle boats ), wind (e.g. sailboats ), and inboard / outboard motors (including gasoline , diesel , and electric ). The earliest watercraft are considered to have been rafts . These would have been used for voyages such as
864-489: A boat's hull and covered over with cement. Reinforced with bulkheads and other internal structures it is strong but heavy, easily repaired, and, if sealed properly, will not leak or corrode. As the forests of Britain and Europe continued to be over-harvested to supply the keels of larger wooden boats, and the Bessemer process ( patented in 1855) cheapened the cost of steel, steel ships and boats began to be more common. By
972-417: A chemical solution. The individual filaments are now bundled in large numbers to provide a roving . The diameter of the filaments, and the number of filaments in the roving, determine its weight , typically expressed in one of two measurement systems: These rovings are then either used directly in a composite application such as pultrusion , filament winding (pipe), gun roving (where an automated gun chops
1080-444: A chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth . The plastic matrix may be a thermoset polymer matrix —most often based on thermosetting polymers such as epoxy , polyester resin , or vinyl ester resin —or a thermoplastic . Cheaper and more flexible than carbon fiber , it is stronger than many metals by weight, non- magnetic , non- conductive , transparent to electromagnetic radiation , can be molded into complex shapes, and
1188-401: A combined stream from a chopper gun. Workers roll out the spray-up to compact the laminate. Wood, foam or other core material may then be added, and a secondary spray-up layer imbeds the core between the laminates. The part is then cured, cooled, and removed from the reusable mold. Pultrusion is a manufacturing method used to make strong, lightweight composite materials. In pultrusion, material
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#17327935799701296-409: A framework with animal skins, could be equally as old as logboats, but such a structure is much less likely to survive in an archaeological context. Plank-built boats are considered, in most cases, to have developed from the logboat. There are examples of logboats that have been expanded: by deforming the hull under the influence of heat, by raising up the sides with added planks, or by splitting down
1404-526: A hard hull form with an inflated fabric sponson lasted for over a decade. The RIB craft developed at Atlantic College served as an effective seafront activities safety and rescue boat for the college's fleet of sailing dinghies on the often challenging Bristol Channel , and the college went on to become an Inshore Lifeboat Station for the RNLI in 1963, carrying out countless rescues over the next 50 years. The RNLI's "B-Class Atlantic Inshore Lifeboat" (including
1512-549: A hull ( X10 ) from fiberglass , which was not a success due to lack of strength. However, that development led to the building of Psychedelic Surfer , a twin-engined 21 ft (6.4 m) RIB, built in three weeks by two college students (Willem de Vogel and Otto van Voorst, assisted by Roy Thomson, college carpenter) for John Caulcutt, Graeme Dillon and Simon de’Ath to race in the 1969 Round Britain Powerboat Race , in which it finished 19th (out of 65 starters) and became
1620-487: A life jacket, ensuring that the vessel retains its buoyancy , even if the boat is taking on water. The RIB is an evolutionary development of the inflatable boat with a rubberized fabric bottom that is stiffened with flat boards within the collar to form the deck or floor of the boat. The combination of rigid hull and large inflatable buoyancy tubes had been conceived by a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) team working under Inspector of Lifeboats Dag Pike in 1964 as
1728-430: A liner to prevent gas leakage or as a barrier to protect the composite from the fluid to be stored. Filament winding is well suited to automation, and there are many applications, such as pipe and small pressure vessels that are wound and cured without any human intervention. The controlled variables for winding are fiber type, resin content, wind angle, tow or bandwidth and thickness of the fiber bundle. The angle at which
1836-614: A means of reducing the wear and tear of the fabric bottoms of the existing inflatable inshore lifeboats. Although working versions were built, the plywood rigid hulls were not strong enough and broke up in waves. Development of the RIB was originally undertaken by students and staff at Atlantic College in South Wales, under the direction of retired Navy Admiral Desmond Hoare , who headed the school, which opened in 1962. A series of experimental and prototype solutions for effectively combining
1944-433: A modern context, empty oil drums). The key difference between a raft and a boat is that the former is a "flow through" structure, with waves able to pass up through it. Consequently, except for short river crossings, a raft is not a practical means of transport in colder regions of the world as the users would be at risk of hypothermia . Today that climatic limitation restricts rafts to between 40° north and 40° south, with, in
2052-441: A more uncomfortable ride. As with the design of most boat hulls they represent a compromise of different design characteristics. Modern "all round" RIB hulls combine a deep v hull at the bow which flattens out to present a broad planing pad. This is a flat area on the rear of the hull designed to allow the boat to have a stable surface to plane on. The tubes are usually constructed and then partitioned with separate chambers to reduce
2160-936: A post-exposure recovery period." Historic reviews of the epidemiology studies had been conducted by Harvard's Medical and Public Health Schools in 1995, the National Academy of Sciences in 2000, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ("ATSDR") in 2004, and the National Toxicology Program in 2011. which reached the same conclusion as IARC that there is no evidence of increased risk from occupational exposure to glass wool fibers. Genetic and toxic effects are exerted through production of reactive oxygen species , which can damage DNA, and cause chromosomal aberrations , nuclear abnormalities, mutations, gene amplification in proto-oncogenes , and cell transformation in mammalian cells. There
2268-467: A robust replaceable outer. These were held in place by tracks. This system allowed for easy removal of the outer or inner for repair or replacement. The other feature was the unusually deep variable V hull with extreme turned down chines aft. In 1978 the demand grew for more protection in the form of an integral cabin and outboard well to protect the crew in adverse conditions. Though basic to start with cabins soon became more sophisticated. Naiad were one of
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#17327935799702376-420: A speed between 40 and 70 knots (74 and 130 km/h), depending on the size and weight. Uses include work boats (supporting shore facilities or larger ships) in trades that operate on the water, military craft, where they are used in patrol roles and to transport troops between vessels or ashore, and lifeboats . RIBs and ordinary inflatable boats are often used by scuba divers to reach dive sites. The hull
2484-415: A thermoplastic inner tank which acts as a preform during construction. Much more reliable tanks are made using woven mat or filament wound fiber, with the fiber orientation at right angles to the hoop stress imposed in the sidewall by the contents. Such tanks tend to be used for chemical storage because the plastic liner (often polypropylene ) is resistant to a wide range of corrosive chemicals. Fiberglass
2592-402: Is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship , which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways such as rivers and lakes , or in protected coastal areas. However, some boats (such as whaleboats ) were intended for offshore use. In modern naval terms,
2700-427: Is a fabrication technique mainly used for manufacturing open (cylinders) or closed-end structures (pressure vessels or tanks). The process involves winding filaments under tension over a male mandrel. The mandrel rotates while a wind eye on a carriage moves horizontally, laying down fibers in the desired pattern. The most common filaments are carbon or glass fiber and are coated with synthetic resin as they are wound. Once
2808-410: Is a modern construction method, using wood as the structural component. In one cold molding process, very thin strips of wood are layered over a form. Each layer is coated with resin, followed by another directionally alternating layer laid on top. Subsequent layers may be stapled or otherwise mechanically fastened to the previous, or weighted or vacuum bagged to provide compression and stabilization until
2916-551: Is also indirect, inflammation-driven genotoxicity through reactive oxygen species by inflammatory cells . The longer and thinner as well as the more durable (biopersistent) fibers were, the more potent they were in damage. In the US, fine mineral fiber emissions have been regulated by the EPA , but respirable fibers (“particulates not otherwise regulated”) are regulated by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); OSHA has set
3024-494: Is also known as "GRP" (glass-reinforced plastic) in the UK, and "FRP" (for fiber-reinforced plastic) in the US. Fiberglass boats are strong and do not rust, corrode, or rot. Instead, they are susceptible to structural degradation from sunlight and extremes in temperature over their lifespan. Fiberglass structures can be made stiffer with sandwich panels, where the fiberglass encloses a lightweight core such as balsa or foam. Cold molding
3132-432: Is also used for septic tanks . Glass-reinforced plastics are also used to produce house building components such as roofing laminate, door surrounds, over-door canopies, window canopies and dormers, chimneys, coping systems, and heads with keystones and sills. The material's reduced weight and easier handling, compared to wood or metal, allows faster installation. Mass-produced fiberglass brick-effect panels can be used in
3240-401: Is applied to the chosen mold to allow the finished product to be cleanly removed from the mold. Resin—typically a 2-part thermoset polyester, vinyl, or epoxy—is mixed with its hardener and applied to the surface. Sheets of fiberglass matting are laid into the mold, then more resin mixture is added using a brush or roller. The material must conform to the mold, and air must not be trapped between
3348-479: Is applied to the roving to help protect the glass filaments for processing and manipulation and to ensure proper bonding to the resin matrix, thus allowing for the transfer of shear loads from the glass fibers to the thermoset plastic. Without this bonding, the fibers can 'slip' in the matrix causing localized failure. An individual structural glass fiber is both stiff and strong in tension and compression —that is, along its axis. Although it might be assumed that
Rigid inflatable boat - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-652: Is believed to be the Avon Rubber Searider which was launched at the January 1969 London Boat Show. The 108th Engineering Heritage Award by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers was presented to UWC Atlantic College on 30 July 2017 by Carolyn Griffiths, President of the IMeche, for its development of the X Alpha Rigid Inflatable Boat. In the mid-1970s Avon tubes for two 21-foot RHIBs were ordered by
3564-483: Is called pultrusion . The manufacturing process for glass fibers suitable for reinforcement uses large furnaces to gradually melt the silica sand, limestone , kaolin clay , fluorspar , colemanite , dolomite and other minerals until a liquid forms. It is then extruded through bushings ( spinneret ), which are bundles of very small orifices (typically 5–25 micrometres in diameter for E-Glass, 9 micrometres for S-Glass). These filaments are then sized (coated) with
3672-478: Is chemically inert under many circumstances. Applications include aircraft, boats, automobiles, bath tubs and enclosures, swimming pools , hot tubs , septic tanks , water tanks , roofing, pipes, cladding, orthopedic casts , surfboards , and external door skins. Other common names for fiberglass are glass-reinforced plastic ( GRP ), glass-fiber reinforced plastic ( GFRP ) or GFK (from German : Glasfaserverstärkter Kunststoff ). Because glass fiber itself
3780-592: Is credited with producing the first composite boat in 1937 but did not proceed further at the time because of the brittle nature of the plastic used. In 1939 Russia was reported to have constructed a passenger boat of plastic materials, and the United States a fuselage and wings of an aircraft. The first car to have a fiberglass body was a 1946 prototype of the Stout Scarab , but the model did not enter production. Unlike glass fibers used for insulation, for
3888-401: Is essentially an entire two-dimensional plane; with woven fabrics or unidirectional layers, directionality of stiffness and strength can be more precisely controlled within the plane. A fiberglass component is typically of a thin "shell" construction, sometimes filled on the inside with structural foam, as in the case of surfboards. The component may be of nearly arbitrary shape, limited only by
3996-589: Is made of steel , wood , aluminium , or more commonly, a combination of wood for the structure and glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) composite for the shaped and smooth surface. Some manufacturers also weave Kevlar into the GRP sheets for extra strength. The hull of a RIB is shaped to increase the performance of the boat in the water by optimising its hydroplaning characteristics. "Deep-V" hulls cut through waves easily but require greater engine power to start planing than "shallow-V" hulls, which plane at lower speed but with
4104-460: Is not airtight and so must be combined with neoprene (cr) when used to build tubes. Tubes made with Hypalon and Neoprene layers can last up to twice as long as PVC tubes and have been known to last over 20 years. Hypalon is probably the most popular material used for the construction of RIBs manufactured in the UK. As a material for building tubes, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has the disadvantage of lacking flexibility. To make it supple, an additive
4212-513: Is pulled through forming machinery using either a hand-over-hand method or a continuous-roller method (as opposed to extrusion , where the material is pushed through dies). In fiberglass pultrusion, fibers (the glass material) are pulled from spools through a device that coats them with a resin. They are then typically heat-treated and cut to length. Fiberglass produced this way can be made in a variety of shapes and cross-sections, such as W or S cross-sections. People can be exposed to fiberglass in
4320-639: Is required, such as equipment cabinets and steel support structures, due to the ease with which it can be molded and painted to blend with existing structures and surfaces. Other uses include sheet-form electrical insulators and structural components commonly found in power-industry products. Because of fiberglass's lightweight and durability, it is often used in protective equipment such as helmets. Many sports use fiberglass protective gear, such as goaltenders' and catchers' masks. Storage tanks can be made of fiberglass with capacities up to about 300 tonnes . Smaller tanks can be made with chopped strand mat cast over
4428-520: Is said to have a blackout layer on the inside to reduce UV damage to the adhesives usually used to fix tubes to the hulls and various other parts. Tubes made of polyurethane (PU) are difficult to manufacture and are consequently not often used for RHIB construction. PU has an advantage of being very tough, it can be made knife-proof or bulletproof . Earlier PU had a disadvantage of aging quickly, but newer types are much more resistant to degradation when exposed to ultraviolet -light. The issue with most of
Rigid inflatable boat - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-510: Is sometimes referred to as "fiberglass", the composite is also called fiberglass-reinforced plastic ( FRP ). This article uses "fiberglass" to refer to the complete fiber-reinforced composite material, rather than only to the glass fiber within it. Glass fibers have been produced for centuries, but the earliest patent was awarded to the Prussian inventor Hermann Hammesfahr (1845–1914) in the U.S. in 1880. Mass production of glass strands
4644-402: Is that the resins used are subject to contraction during the curing process. For polyester this contraction is often 5–6%; for epoxy, about 2%. Because the fibers do not contract, this differential can create changes in the shape of the part during curing. Distortions can appear hours, days, or weeks after the resin has set. While this distortion can be minimized by symmetric use of the fibers in
4752-490: Is the main, and in some cases only, structural component of a boat. It provides both capacity and buoyancy . The keel is a boat's "backbone", a lengthwise structural member to which the perpendicular frames are fixed. On some boats, a deck covers the hull, in part or whole. While a ship often has several decks, a boat is unlikely to have more than one. Above the deck are often lifelines connected to stanchions , bulwarks perhaps topped by gunnels , or some combination of
4860-464: Is used when tensile strength (high modulus) is important and is thus an important building and aircraft epoxy composite (it is called R-glass, "R" for "reinforcement" in Europe). C-glass ("C" for "chemical resistance") and T-glass ("T" is for "thermal insulator"—a North American variant of C-glass) are resistant to chemical attack; both are often found in insulation-grades of blown fiberglass. Fiberglass
4968-534: Is used with the polymer . This additive vaporizes as the material ages, making the PVC brittle and allowing it to crack. A PVC tube is the cheapest option and can last approximately 10–15 years. PVC does have some advantages, it is cheap, it can be welded, and it is guaranteed for longer than hypalon. PVC RIBs are usually very well made and with welded seams they are less prone to blowouts and leaks. A newer form of PVC has made its way into production. Known as valmex it
5076-433: Is versatile because it is lightweight, strong, weather-resistant, and can have a variety of surface textures. During World War II, fiberglass was developed as a replacement for the molded plywood used in aircraft radomes (fiberglass being transparent to microwaves ). Its first main civilian application was for the building of boats and sports car bodies, where it gained acceptance in the 1950s. Its use has broadened to
5184-425: Is where the old damaged or worn out tube is removed and new tubes are fitted, this is common practice and are known to be replaced with new hypalon, pvc and Polyurethane Tubes however most commonly hypalon unless the boat has a slide on tube rail, luff system implemented. A foldable rigid inflatable boat has a 3-section articulated folding rigid hull. The hull sections have interlocking tabs and slots, held together by
5292-561: The Atlantic 21 , the Atlantic 75 , and Atlantic 85 ) was named in honor of the college's role in its development. The Atlantic College Lifeboat Station was decommissioned by the RNLI in 2013. The video RIB History at UWC Atlantic College provides a visual historical summary. In 1964, Rear-Admiral Hoare and his students at Atlantic College replaced the torn bottom of their 12 ft (3.7 m) sailing activity rescue inflatable boat with
5400-629: The Baltic , the Plimsoll line was introduced to prevent overloading. Since 1998 all new leisure boats and barges built in Europe between 2.5m and 24m must comply with the EU 's Recreational Craft Directive (RCD). The Directive establishes four categories that permit the allowable wind and wave conditions for vessels in each class: Europe is the main producer of recreational boats (the second production in
5508-685: The Great Lakes were started up utilizing 5.4 metre (18 ft) Avon Seariders in the late 1970s. The CCG's inshore rescue boat crews included university students during the summer, in part due to the success of the student crews operating these ever-buoyant rescue craft at the Atlantic and Pearson Colleges. The first inflatable boat manufacturer in the Southern Hemisphere is Lancer Industries Ltd, of Auckland , New Zealand in 1971. The founder Chris Marks had visited Europe and brought
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#17327935799705616-573: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as "not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans" ( IARC group 3 ). "Epidemiologic studies published during the 15 years since the previous IARC monographs review of these fibers in 1988 provide no evidence of increased risks of lung cancer or mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the body cavities) from occupational exposures during the manufacture of these materials, and inadequate evidence overall of any cancer risk." In June 2011,
5724-462: The birch bark canoe , the animal hide-covered kayak and coracle and the dugout canoe made from a single log. By the mid-19th century, some boats had been built with iron or steel frames but still planked in wood. In 1855 ferro-cement boat construction was patented by the French, who coined the name "ferciment". This is a system by which a steel or iron wire framework is built in the shape of
5832-620: The 15 ft (4.6 m) Aphrodite and 16 ft (4.9 m) Triton for the college's own use, and the 16 ft (4.9 m) X1 and 22 ft (6.7 m) X2 which were made under a development agreement with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and were launched in 1965 by Queen Elizabeth II. They were taken by the RNLI for trials at Gorleston ( X1 ) and Great Yarmouth ( X2 ) from which they returned to Atlantic College in Spring 1967. X3
5940-401: The 1920s, but it was not until the mid-20th century that aluminium gained widespread popularity. Though much more expensive than steel, aluminum alloys exist that do not corrode in salt water, allowing a similar load carrying capacity to steel at much less weight. Around the mid-1960s, boats made of fiberglass (aka "glass fiber") became popular, especially for recreational boats. Fiberglass
6048-400: The 1930s boats built entirely of steel from frames to plating were seen replacing wooden boats in many industrial uses and fishing fleets. Private recreational boats of steel remain uncommon. In 1895 WH Mullins produced steel boats of galvanized iron and by 1930 became the world's largest producer of pleasure boats. Mullins also offered boats in aluminum from 1895 through 1899 and once again in
6156-543: The Americas Cup which were tubes by Lancer. In 1976 Steve Schmidt introduced the RHIB concept to New Zealand under the brand Naiad. While it was slow to be accepted for the first few years, it gained momentum with police, Rescue, marine farmers and Government agencies. The Naiad RHIB developed by Steve Schmidt differed from the existing RHIB designs in two ways. It had a twin skin, incorporating an air retaining inner and
6264-555: The European Union and Germany have classified synthetic glass fibers as possibly or probably carcinogenic, but fibers can be exempt from this classification if they pass specific tests. A 2012 health hazard review for the European Commission stated that inhalation of fiberglass at concentrations of 3, 16 and 30 mg/m3 "did not induce fibrosis nor tumours except transient lung inflammation that disappeared after
6372-573: The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) removed from its Report on Carcinogens all biosoluble glass wool used in home and building insulation and for non-insulation products. However, NTP still considers fibrous glass dust to be "reasonably anticipated [as] a human carcinogen (Certain Glass Wool Fibers (Inhalable))". Similarly, California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) published
6480-448: The air inside the tube expands, opening the pressure release valves. This prevents the tubes bursting from overpressure. Common materials for the tubes are Hypalon and PVC (Polyvinyl chloride), though some manufacturers use PU (Polyurethane). Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene(csm) registered under the trade name hypalon. Tubes made of hypalon (csm/cr) are easy to manufacture and can be repaired with simple puncture repair kits. Hypalon (csm)
6588-458: The air near manufacturing facilities or when they are near building fires or implosions . The American Lung Association advises that fiberglass insulation should never be left exposed in an occupied area. Since work practices are not always followed, and fiberglass is often left exposed in basements that later become occupied, people can get exposed. No readily usable biological or clinical indices of exposure exist. Fiberglass will irritate
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#17327935799706696-545: The application of RIBs as cruising craft. Seafari boats are set up to accommodate tourists for a typically smaller duration. Typical setups use jockey seating to accommodate passengers. Coding in the UK and the EU typically limits the number of passengers to 12 while in some countries, such as Poland, more seats are placed on the boat. Thrill rides are common with high speeds and turns adding to their lure. Often also known as tube replacement, collar replacement, retubing, re-tube, this
6804-599: The automotive and sport equipment sectors. In the production of some products, such as aircraft, carbon fiber is now used instead of fiberglass, which is stronger by volume and weight. Advanced manufacturing techniques such as pre-pregs and fiber rovings extend fiberglass's applications and the tensile strength possible with fiber-reinforced plastics. Fiberglass is also used in the telecommunications industry for shrouding antennas , due to its RF permeability and low signal attenuation properties. It may also be used to conceal other equipment where no signal permeability
6912-441: The balance above and below the surface equal. Boats have a natural or designed level of buoyancy. Exceeding it will cause the boat first to ride lower in the water, second to take on water more readily than when properly loaded, and ultimately, if overloaded by any combination of structure, cargo, and water, sink. As commercial vessels must be correctly loaded to be safe, and as the sea becomes less buoyant in brackish areas such as
7020-446: The college's responsibility as an inshore lifeboat station for the RNLI – a responsibility it discharged up until 2013. At the same time, work started on a smaller series of beach-launchable boats, 10 ft (3.0 m)–12 ft (3.7 m) ft long, designated MX1 – MX6 ) to support lifeguards on local beaches. All the above boats’ hulls were built from plywood. In summer 1968, student Paul Jefferies designed and constructed
7128-550: The complexity and tolerances of the mold used for manufacturing the shell. The mechanical functionality of materials is heavily reliant on the combined performances of both the resin (AKA matrix) and fibers. For example, in severe temperature conditions (over 180 °C), the resin component of the composite may lose its functionality, partially due to bond deterioration of resin and fiber. However, GFRPs can still show significant residual strength after experiencing high temperatures (200 °C). One notable feature of fiberglass
7236-408: The concept to NZ. He pioneered many of the initial inflatable boat construction and material methods. Lancers innovate designs and engineering approach to inflatable design still applies and the company holds many patents. Lancer is noted for manufacturing large RIBs, in 1987 it provided tubes for a 17m RIB and then 19 the late 1990s Protector (Rayglass) of New Zealand built two 20m RIB support boats for
7344-412: The construction of composite housing, and can include insulation to reduce heat loss. In rod pumping applications, fiberglass rods are often used for their high tensile strength to weight ratio. Fiberglass rods provide an advantage over steel rods because they stretch more elastically (lower Young's modulus ) than steel for a given weight, meaning more oil can be lifted from the hydrocarbon reservoir to
7452-707: The darling the fleet. From that time, the RNLI transferred development to its research centre in Cowes , who took the Atlantic College designs and developed from them the 21 ft (6.4 m) Atlantic 21 class of inshore lifeboats which entered service from 1970 through 2007. Atlantic 21-class lifeboat provides a class history of this vessel. The first commercially saleable RIB was introduced in 1967 by Tony and Edward Lee-Elliott of Flatacraft, and patented by Admiral Desmond Hoare in 1969 after research and development at Atlantic College. The first commercial RIB
7560-973: The design, a certain amount of internal stress is created; and if it becomes too great, cracks form. The most common types of glass fiber used in fiberglass is E-glass , which is alumino-borosilicate glass with less than 1% w/w alkali oxides, mainly used for glass-reinforced plastics. Other types of glass used are A-glass ( A lkali-lime glass with little or no boron oxide), E-CR-glass ( E lectrical/ C hemical R esistance; alumino-lime silicate with less than 1% w/w alkali oxides, with high acid resistance), C-glass (alkali-lime glass with high boron oxide content, used for glass staple fibers and insulation), D-glass (borosilicate glass, named for its low D ielectric constant), R-glass (alumino silicate glass without MgO and CaO with high mechanical requirements as R einforcement), and S-glass (alumino silicate glass without CaO but with high MgO content with high tensile strength). Pure silica (silicon dioxide), when cooled as fused quartz into
7668-433: The early 1940s, and many sailing vessels made after 1950 were built using the fiberglass lay-up process . As of 2022, boats continue to be made with fiberglass, though more advanced techniques such as vacuum bag moulding are used in the construction process. Though most bullet-resistant armours are made using different textiles, fiberglass composites have been shown to be effective as ballistic armor. Filament winding
7776-565: The early pioneers in designing RHIBs and models range from 2.5m to 23m. In the 2010s, the traditional RHIB was reimagined using High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) as the hull material. HDPE, an engineered polymer, possesses a number of properties which make it a superior marine construction material for RHIB's. Of note, it absorbs vibration leading to a quieter, more comfortable ride, with less slamming load transferred to operators. HDPE does not corrode, or suffer from electrolysis, reducing maintenance costs and increasing operational availability. It
7884-438: The effect of a puncture, each with a valve to add or remove air and more recently pressure release valves. Larger boats (7m+) have six or more chambers with a valve and pressure release for each chamber. If only one of these chambers is punctured, the rest of the chambers will still provide buoyancy, providing redundancy. In recent years, tubes tend to be fitted with both valves and pressure relief valves. As temperature increases,
7992-562: The eyes, skin, and the respiratory system. Hence, symptoms can include itchy eyes, skin, nose, sore throat, hoarseness, dyspnea (breathing difficulty) and cough. Peak alveolar deposition was observed in rodents and humans for fibers with diameters of 1 to 2 μm. In animal experiments, adverse lung effects such as lung inflammation and lung fibrosis have occurred, and increased incidences of mesothelioma , pleural sarcoma , and lung carcinoma had been found with intrapleural or intratracheal instillations in rats. As of 2001, in humans only
8100-563: The fiber has an effect on the properties of the final product. A high angle "hoop" will provide circumferential or "burst" strength, while lower angle patterns (polar or helical) will provide greater longitudinal tensile strength. Products currently being produced using this technique range from pipes, golf clubs, Reverse Osmosis Membrane Housings, oars, bicycle forks, bicycle rims, power and transmission poles, pressure vessels to missile casings, aircraft fuselages and lamp posts and yacht masts. A release agent, usually in either wax or liquid form,
8208-434: The fiber is weak in compression, it is actually only the long aspect ratio of the fiber which makes it seem so; i.e., because a typical fiber is long and narrow, it buckles easily. On the other hand, the glass fiber is weak in shear—that is, across its axis. Therefore, if a collection of fibers can be arranged permanently in a preferred direction within a material, and if they can be prevented from buckling in compression,
8316-415: The fiberglass and the mold. Additional resin is applied and possibly additional sheets of fiberglass. Hand pressure, vacuum or rollers are used to be sure the resin saturates and fully wets all layers, and that any air pockets are removed. The work must be done quickly before the resin starts to cure unless high-temperature resins are used which will not cure until the part is warmed in an oven. In some cases,
8424-420: The final structure to be strong, the fiber's surfaces must be almost entirely free of defects, as this permits the fibers to reach gigapascal tensile strengths . If a bulk piece of glass were defect-free, it would be as strong as glass fibers; however, it is generally impractical to produce and maintain bulk material in a defect-free state outside of laboratory conditions. The process of manufacturing fiberglass
8532-482: The flexible tubes, which therefore make heavy seas less unpleasant. The maximum speed of the RIB depends on its gross weight, power, length and profile of hull, and sea conditions. A typical seaborne 6-metre (19 ft 8 in) RIB, with six passengers, 110 horsepower (82 kW) engines, in Beaufort force 2 is very likely to have a top speed of around 30 knots (56 km/h). High-Performance RIBs may operate with
8640-459: The gas content of the material was replaced by plastic. This reduced the insulation properties to values typical of the plastic, but now for the first time, the composite showed great strength and promise as a structural and building material. Many glass fiber composites continued to be called "fiberglass" (as a generic name) and the name was also used for the low-density glass wool product containing gas instead of plastic. Ray Greene of Owens Corning
8748-473: The glass into short lengths and drops it into a jet of resin, projected onto the surface of a mold), or in an intermediary step, to manufacture fabrics such as chopped strand mat (CSM) (made of randomly oriented small cut lengths of fiber all bonded together), woven fabrics, knit fabrics or unidirectional fabrics. Chopped strand mat (CSM) is a form of reinforcement used in fiberglass. It consists of glass fibers laid randomly across each other and held together by
8856-441: The legal limit ( permissible exposure limit ) for fiberglass exposure in the workplace as 15 mg/m total and 5 mg/m in respiratory exposure over an 8-hour workday. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set a recommended exposure limit (REL) of 3 fibers/cm (less than 3.5 micrometers in diameter and greater than 10 micrometers in length) as a time-weighted average over an 8-hour workday, and
8964-571: The local market. Early on they joined forces with the NSRI and started to design and build rescue craft for the South African Sea Rescue Institution. RIBs are commonly four to nine metres (13 to 28 ft) long, although they can range in length between 2.5 and 18 metres (7.5 and 55 ft). A RIB is often propelled by one or more outboard motors or an inboard motor turning a water jet or stern drive. Generally,
9072-413: The mandrel is completely covered to the desired thickness, the resin is cured; often the mandrel is placed in an oven to achieve this, though sometimes radiant heaters are used with the mandrel still turning in the machine. Once the resin has cured, the mandrel is removed, leaving the hollow final product. For some products such as gas bottles, the 'mandrel' is a permanent part of the finished product forming
9180-449: The material will be preferentially strong in that direction. Furthermore, by laying multiple layers of fiber on top of one another, with each layer oriented in various preferred directions, the material's overall stiffness and strength can be efficiently controlled. In fiberglass, it is the plastic matrix which permanently constrains the structural glass fibers to directions chosen by the designer. With chopped strand mat, this directionality
9288-453: The middle and adding a central plank to make it wider. (Some of these methods have been in quite recent use – there is no simple developmental sequence). The earliest known plank-built boats are from the Nile, dating to the third millennium BC. Outside Egypt, the next earliest are from England. The Ferriby boats are dated to the early part of the second millennium BC and the end of
9396-586: The more biopersistent materials like ceramic fibres, which are used industrially as insulation in high-temperature environments such as blast furnaces , and certain special-purpose glass wools not used as insulating materials remain classified as possible carcinogens ( IARC Group 2B ). The more commonly used glass fibre wools including insulation glass wool , rock wool and slag wool are considered not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans ( IARC Group 3 ). In October 2001, all fiberglass wools commonly used for thermal and acoustical insulation were reclassified by
9504-479: The older PU built RIBs is theUV rays and heat penetrate the fabric and, much like with PVC, destroy the adhesive bond. More recent fabrics are said to have a blackout layer to help combat UV rays. While PU tubes have been thermal welded, fittings and attachments will still usually be bonded using adhesives. A high-quality PU-made tube lasts over 20 years. PU tubes are often to be found on commercial RIBs, in applications where strength and durability are needed. Replacing
9612-752: The past, similar boundaries that have moved as the world's climate has varied. The earliest boats may have been either dugouts or hide boats. The oldest recovered boat in the world, the Pesse canoe , found in the Netherlands , is a dugout made from the hollowed tree trunk of a Pinus sylvestris that was constructed somewhere between 8200 and 7600 BC. This canoe is exhibited in the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands. Other very old dugout boats have also been recovered. Hide boats, made from covering
9720-414: The power of the motors is in the range of 5 to 300 horsepower (4 to 224 kW). RIBs are used as rescue craft , safety boats for sailing, dive boats or tenders for larger boats and ships. Their shallow draught, high maneuverability, speed and relative immunity to damage in low-speed collisions are advantages in these applications. RIBs up to about seven metres in length can be towed on trailers on
9828-453: The pressure in the tubes. Once assembled it's difficult to tell they fold. Once inflated, they are fully rigid. A flying inflatable boat, or FIB, is a RIB with microlight -type wings and air propeller. "FIB" is used as a model name by Polaris Motor of Italy for their Polaris FIB . The amphibious rigid inflatable boat is designed with a four wheels drive system consisting of motorized, retractable and steerable wheels. Boat A boat
9936-589: The recently opened sister school of Atlantic College that had been established on the west coast of Canada, the Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific , at Pedder Bay near Race Rocks, British Columbia in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Three former Atlantic College students built the first hull during the summer of 1974. Three more graduates who likewise were trained as RNLI inshore lifeboat coxswains worked at
10044-406: The resin sets. An alternative process uses thin sheets of plywood shaped over a disposable male mold, and coated with epoxy. The most common means of boat propulsion are as follows: A boat displaces its weight in water, regardless whether it is made of wood, steel, fiberglass, or even concrete. If weight is added to the boat, the volume of the hull drawn below the waterline will increase to keep
10152-454: The road; this, coupled with their other properties, is making them increasingly attractive as leisure craft. RIBs are designed with planing hulls. Due to their low weight, RIBs often outperform some types of similarly sized and powered boats. RIBs can also generally cope better with rougher seas, although this may be partially due to an increased level of confidence in knowing that a RIB is hard to sink, and better absorption of heavy loads by
10260-575: The school during its inaugural year and coached some Pacific College students to build and operate the two boats, which were referred to as X-27, propelled by twin outboard engines and X-28, propelled by inboard-outboard stern drive. During summer, the college loaned their fast rescue craft to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) on the west coast, which was introducing rigid inflatables into its then new summer seasonal inshore rescue boat service operation. Meanwhile, CCG inshore rescue stations on
10368-492: The settlement of Australia sometime between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. A boat differs from a raft by obtaining its buoyancy by having most of its structure exclude water with a waterproof layer, e.g. the planks of a wooden hull, the hide covering (or tarred canvas) of a currach . In contrast, a raft is buoyant because it joins components that are themselves buoyant, for example, logs, bamboo poles, bundles of reeds, floats (such as inflated hides, sealed pottery containers or, in
10476-628: The surface with each stroke, all while reducing the load on the pumping unit. Fiberglass rods must be kept in tension, however, as they frequently part if placed in even a small amount of compression. The buoyancy of the rods within a fluid amplifies this tendency. GRP and GRE pipe can be used in a variety of above- and below-ground systems, including those for desalination, water treatment, water distribution networks, chemical process plants, water used for firefighting, hot and cold drinking water, wastewater/sewage, municipal waste and liquified petroleum gas . Fiberglass composite boats have been made since
10584-721: The third millennium. Plank-built boats require a level of woodworking technology that was first available in the neolithic with more complex versions only becoming achievable in the Bronze Age . Boats can be categorized by their means of propulsion. These divide into: A number of large vessels are usually referred to as boats. Submarines are a prime example. Other types of large vessels which are traditionally called boats include Great Lakes freighters , riverboats , and ferryboats . Though large enough to carry their own boats and heavy cargo, these vessels are designed for operation on inland or protected coastal waters. The hull
10692-807: The tubes when they wear out usually costs one third as much as the complete RIB. Larger RIBs can have hard-tops or wheelhouses made of GRP or aluminium . Wheelhouses offer protection from the elements to both the crew and passengers – and can also protect equipment such as suspension seats and navigation equipment. Some RIB manufacturers, particularly those popular in Ireland and the West Coast of Scotland provide optional canopies which form fabric and perspex wheelhouses but can be easily removed in good weather. Increasingly, RIBs are becoming available with small cabins (usually with accommodation for two people and in some cases sea toilets or chemical toilets ), widening
10800-518: The two. A cabin may protrude above the deck forward, aft, along the centerline, or cover much of the length of the boat. Vertical structures dividing the internal spaces are known as bulkheads . The forward end of a boat is called the bow , the aft end the stern . Facing forward the right side is referred to as starboard and the left side as port . Until the mid-19th century, most boats were made of natural materials, primarily wood, although bark and animal skins were also used. Early boats include
10908-482: The work is covered with plastic sheets and vacuum is drawn on the work to remove air bubbles and press the fiberglass to the shape of the mold. The fiberglass spray lay-up process is similar to the hand lay-up process but differs in the application of the fiber and resin to the mold. Spray-up is an open-molding composites fabrication process where resin and reinforcements are sprayed onto a mold. The resin and glass may be applied separately or simultaneously "chopped" in
11016-415: The workplace during its fabrication, installation or removal, by breathing it in, by skin contact, or by eye contact. Furthermore, in the manufacturing process of fiberglass, styrene vapors are released while the resins are cured. These are also irritating to mucous membranes and respiratory tract. The general population can get exposed to fibreglass from insulation and building materials or from fibers in
11124-465: The world is located in Poland). European brands are known all over the world - in fact, these are the brands that created RCD and set the standard for shipyards around the world. Fiberglass Fiberglass ( American English ) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English ) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber . The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called
11232-495: Was accidentally discovered in 1932 when Games Slayter , a researcher at Owens-Illinois , directed a jet of compressed air at a stream of molten glass and produced fibers. A patent for this method of producing glass wool was first applied for in 1933. Owens joined with the Corning company in 1935 and the method was adapted by Owens Corning to produce its patented "Fiberglas" (spelled with one "s") in 1936. Originally, Fiberglas
11340-425: Was a glass wool with fibers entrapping a great deal of gas, making it useful as an insulator, especially at high temperatures. A suitable resin for combining the fiberglass with a plastic to produce a composite material was developed in 1936 by DuPont . The first ancestor of modern polyester resins is Cyanamid 's resin of 1942. Peroxide curing systems were used by then. With the combination of fiberglass and resin
11448-426: Was an experimental vortex-lift hull funded by a private developer and was not greatly successful. By that time Hoare had concluded that for the conditions under which they operated a boat of around 18 ft (5.5 m) long was optimum which led to X4 (launched 1966), X5 and X6 (launched 1967), and X7 to X8 (launched 1968). These boats were used to support the college's sailing activities and also to fulfil
11556-595: Was the PFG Group, of Hobart, Tasmania, who recognised and applied the advantages into RHIB construction. In partnership with One2Three Naval Architects, Stuart Downham of PFG developed a range of RHIB designs and builds which have such significantly favourable characteristics in the water that the future of RHIB's and high performance small watercraft will shift towards HDPE as the preferred hull material. In 1979, Gemini Marine based in Cape Town started building RIBs for
11664-443: Was the first type of glass used for fiberglass. E-glass ("E" because of initial Electrical application), is alkali-free and was the first glass formulation used for continuous filament formation. It now makes up most of the fiberglass production in the world, and also is the single largest consumer of boron minerals globally. It is susceptible to chloride ion attack and is a poor choice for marine applications. S-glass ("S" for "stiff")
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