Towards redesigning legacy GFRP-constructed aquatic structures with flexible, durable, and recyclable alternative materials : a multicriteria approach
department or school: Applied Science, Faculty of
department or school: Engineering, School of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Liu, Haoyang
issued: 2023-10-11T14:12:52Z
issued: 2023
related degree: Master of Applied Science - MASc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: For structural components used in leisure industries, such as those in aquaparks, high load-bearing capacity and lightweight materials are of primary interest. For this purpose, rigid fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are currently used widely. However, they often result in large and stiff moulded parts, which lead to logistic challenges as well as added cost associated with transportation and handling. FRP materials are also difficult to recycle, raising concerns over environmental sustainability. One proposed solution may be to replace such legacy materials with flexible, durable, and recyclable alternatives, while redesigning the support structures so that the overall integrity and load-bearing capacity remain unchanged. The high flexibility of the alternative materials can enable them to be rolled or folded (i.e., reduce occupied space) during transportation. Towards the above motivation, this thesis is a preliminary investigation towards replacing glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites used in aquatic play structures with flexible, durable, and recyclable alternatives. Two thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) and one thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) were chosen as candidate materials. The physical and mechanical properties of the legacy (base) and candidate materials were characterized through a series of coupon-level experiments and imaging. Material samples were also subjected to weathering exposures, including water and chlorinated water immersion, hygrothermal aging, and accelerated weathering in xenon lamp chamber. GFRP exhibited superior tensile strength and modulus, while the TPE candidates showed higher flexibility and strain at break. TPU showed better abrasion and puncture resistance than the TPV candidate, but higher water absorption. Yellowing could be observed for TPU after weathering in xenon lamp chamber. No statistically significant changes in the tensile properties could be concluded for all materials upon weathering. Next, buildi…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/86109
note: TOWARDS REDESIGNING LEGACY GFRP-CONSTRUCTED AQUATIC STRUCTURES WITH FLEXIBLE, DURABLE, AND RECYCLABLE ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS: A MULTICRITERIA APPROACH by Haoyang Liu BSME, Purdue University, USA, 2021 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF APPLIED SCIENCE in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Mechanical Engineering) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) September 2023 © Haoyang Liu, 2023 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis entitled: Towards Redesigning Legacy GFRP-Constructed Aquatic Structures with Flexible, Durable, and Recyclable Alternative Materials: A Multicriteria Approach submitted by Haoyang Liu in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Applied Science. Dr. Abbas S. Milani, School of Engineering Supervisor Dr. Joshua Brinkerhoff, School of Engineering Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Ahmad Rteil, School of Engineering Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Solomon Tesfamariam, School of Engineering University Examiner iii Abstract For structural components used in leisure industries, such as those in aquaparks, high load-bearing capacity and lightweight materials are of primary interest. For this purpose, rigid fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are currently used widely. However, they often result in large and stiff moulded parts, which lead to logistic challenges as well as added cost associated with transportation and handling. FRP materials are also difficult to recycle, raising concerns over environmental sustainability. One proposed solution may be to replace such legacy materials with flexible, durable, and recyclable alternatives, while redesigning the support structures so that the overall integrity and load-bearing capacity remain unchanged. The high flexibility of the alternative materials can enable them to be rolled or folded (i.e., reduce occupied space) during tran…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2023-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0437095
language: eng
degree discipline: Mechanical Engineering
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Milani, Abbas S.
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86109