Design of permanent greenhouse structure by pultruded glass reinforced plastic

Abstract

Research activities have been taking on place in many ports of the world to develop or produce new greenhouse construction materials in order to grow more economic agricultural products. One of the new technological materials is the glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) materials. GFRP materials are basically constituted of resin and continuous or chopped fiber and they are manufactured by using various manufacturing methods. The pultrusion process is a proven manufacturing method for obtaining lengths of high quality GFRP and became a competitive alternative to traditional structural materials. Factors in choosing GFRP materials for greenhouse applications are: lightweight, non-corrosive, chemically resistant, possess good fatigue strength, provide electrical and flame resistance. In this study, the structural behavior of the greenhouse structure, which is constructed using pultruded GFRP structural element, has been investigated. The mechanical properties of the pultruded GFRP sections have been computed using national and international standards. The proposed structures have been modeled using well known finite element program (SAP, 2000) to investigate the structural behavior under the static and dynamic loads. The pultruded GFRP box section and three different connection details have also been developed. The advantages and importance of GFRP profiles used in the greenhouse structure have been demonstrated. © 2011 Academic Journals.