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How to Make, Lay & Specify Terrazzo16

From the Desk of the Office of Education and Employment by Gerard Murphy

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13

Conference & Exhibition 2007

Crowne Plaza Royal Pines Resort – Gold Coast – 19-20 April 20078

Letter from the President

New Member Profiles5

Composite Engineer’s Viewpoint by Rik Heslehurst

Designing with Composite Materials Part 7F - Detail Design12

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Composites Australia Level 15, 10 Queens Rd Melbourne 3004 Tel: 03 9866 5586 Toll Free 1300 654 254 Fax: 03 9866 6434

www.compositesaustralia.com.au

Composites Australia Level 15, 10 Queens Rd Melbourne 3004 Tel: 03 9866 5586 Toll Free 1300 654 254 Fax: 03 9866 6434

The official magazine of Composites Australia Inc. Issue 13 June 2007

ConnectionConnection

3

QueenslandSkills Formation Strategy for the Fibre Composite Industry

StateNews

New Ad to come

Well anotherfinancial year hascome to an endand I believe it hasbeen a veryproductive one forCA. The 2007conference andexhibition exceededour expectations

and remains one of the year’s highlights.Held on 19-20 April at the Crowne PlazaRoyal Pines Resort in Queensland, the 438conference attendees and exhibitionvisitors represented an increase of 48% on the previous year, and confirmed the event’s status as the largest yearlycomposites industry event in Australia.

The graph below demonstrates the event’sgrowth in attendance over the last fewyears. It is clear the event is gainingsupport from industry and serving aworthwhile purpose for those who attend.

My thanks go to the members of Apical,the Board Members, Committee Membersand the CRC-ACS members who workedextremely hard to make the Conferencethe resounding success it was.

Additionally, this year we organised tenmembers’ briefings in five states, which intotal attracted close to 400 members andnon members. Other highlights included aconsiderable upgrade of the CA website,which is becoming a significant resourcefor the composites industry and those whoare looking to source composite services.The Connection magazine continues togrow in stature and content.

As you are aware, we contracted anEmployment and Education Officerspecifically to alleviate the skills shortagethat was reported by our members. Todate, we have conducted four pre-

vocational courses for close to 60participants and put quite a few of thesepeople into jobs.

We also developed the new safety poster,which was introduced at the conference.Almost 2,000 copies have already beensent out to the industry.

Vital to this past year’s activities and theorganisation’s sustainability going forwardare the grants that were sourced fromGovernment agencies that enabled us tofinance many of the aims and objectiveslisted in CA’s strategic plan and havecontributed to the long term sustainabilityof the organisation.

The end result of all the above is that ourmembers have benefited from theincreased and relevant activity which in turnis now positively affecting our membershipnumbers. Indeed, this past financial year,we have inducted 31 new members.

We have already planned a packedagenda of activities for the comingfinancial year including:

• seven workshops/training courses

• an international mission to visit sixAmerican fabricators in Florida inconjunction with the ACMA conferenceand trade show.

• The annual two day conference &exhibition, which will be held in Melbourne

• eight Members Briefings in six states, and

• another 4 editions of the CA“Connection” magazine

I regularly read the composites magazinesthat come my way through CA’sassociation with similar organisationsoverseas and am constantly remindedthat we face similar challenges as anorganisation and as an industry. There

Letter from the PresidentThe 2007 Board of

Composites Australia

NORM WATT – PRESIDENT

BUCHANAN ADVANCED

COMPOSITES

Email: [email protected]

MARK STERBIC

DIAB AUSTRALIA


TREVOR PANOZZA

AMPELITE AUSTRALIA


ALEXANDER KRYGER

APTEC COMPOSITES


FLOREANA COMAN

AUSTRALIAN COMPOSITES


GARY TUNKS

COLAN PRODUCTS


IAN CROUCH

COMPOSITES CRC


MICHAEL DI STASI

FIBER GLASS INTERNATIONAL


MALCOLM WESENER

GLAS-CRAFT AUSTRALIA


BILL REES

KANGAN BATMAN TAFE


SHARON SWAN

LSM ADVANCED COMPOSITES


GRANT PEARCE

EXEL COMPOSITES


SIMON TAYLOR

VALSPAR (AUSTRALIA) CORP


3Connection

4Connection

Geoff Houghton, who was Presidentof Composites Australia (then knownas the Composites Institute ofAustralia or CIA) for three years from2002 to 2004 inclusive, finished hisemployment with Huntsman onThursday, 31st May after almost 33years with the company. In January2007, all the Composites businessassets of Huntsman ChemicalCompany Australia Pty Ltd wereacquired by Nuplex and thebusiness has been restructured

and renamed Nupol Composites*.

Although Geoff says that following a short break he hopes to rejointhe workforce in a suitable commercial type role - preferably in theComposites industry - perhaps he may find retirement irresistible,and so it’s an appropriate time now to pay tribute to him for hismany contributions to the association and the industry.

Geoff, who was born in Geelong in the fifties, moved toMelbourne when he was eight years old. He now lives in theeastern suburbs of Melbourne, has been married to wife Maxinefor 30 years, has two grown up children (still living at home) and a loving dog, and still plays competitive cricket.

He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1973 with aBachelor of Applied Science (Chemistry). He started working withACI in a graduate cadet program in 1974, but joined Monsantoas a marketing cadet when he found he preferred thecommercial side of business, and Monsanto better suited thisinterest. Over the years, through changes of ownership, Monsantobecame Chemplex, and then Huntsman.

After a short time as a marketing cadet, Geoff moved into thesales area for plastics, phenolic moulding compounds andpolyester resins. A few years later, he transferred to the technicalservice area for polyester resins. He then progressed throughseveral commercial roles to his eventual position as BusinessManager for the Composites group.

Geoff first became a member of the CIA Board in 1995, andserved continuously a Board Member until the beginning of 2007.He has always been an enthusiastic and passionate supporter of

the industry and has worked tirelessly to improve and advancethe association and through it the industry. According to Geoff,“The CA is currently in a very good hands, and should evolvefurther as a genuine industry association, which can graduallygrow the total market for its members, plus offer relevantregulatory compliance, training and technical support asrequired. The industry faces longer term competitive pressuresfrom lower cost manufacturers in Asia, and an effective CA isimportant to everyone's welfare.”

About leaving Huntsman and the industry for now, Geoff had this to say: “It has been a very long and enjoyable journey, and I will have mixed emotions on my last day. I have a lot of goodmemories from both Huntsman and the Composites industry.Thank you for your patience, co operation and good custom over the years. It is a small world these days, and we may havethe opportunity of meeting again sometime.

“Words of Wisdom: Whatever you do in life, make sure that you enjoy it. Money isn't everything.”

On behalf of all of us in Composites Australia, Geoff, we wish you the best of luck with the future. The association is indebted toyou for your many years of proactive and vital contributions to theassociation and the industry. We certainly hope we will meet again.

*The largely family-owned company Huntsman, while giving up the

composites arm, still exists as a global manufacturer and marketer of

differentiated chemicals. However, it was recently purchased by Basell,

the Dutch chemicals group formed by the merger of BASF and Royal

Dutch Shell’s polyolefin businesses in 2000 and bought by American

investment group Access Industries in 2005. Founder and chairman

Jon Huntsman plans to put the family's share of the $9·6 billion or so sale

proceeds into philanthropic work and the pursuit of a cure for cancer.

The combined company will have an extensive geographic footprint,

with operations on all continents of the world, and will be well positioned

in fast-growing markets such as China, India, Eastern Europe and Latin

America. In 2006, Basell and Huntsman had combined revenues of

more than $26 billion and employed approximately 20,900 people.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including

regulatory approval in the U.S. and in Europe, as well as the approval

of Huntsman shareholders.

GEOFF HOUGHTON – “THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME.”

is increasing attention to aspects such as workplace health andsafety and environmental concerns, and these will require us asan industry to satisfy society and governments that we areseriously addressing the issues. To this end we have worked toproduce the safety wall chart with the Queensland Governmentand I believe this is both an excellent aid to all fibre compositecompanies as well as a great example of how we can workproductively with government, rather than simply being reactive.Our intention is to increase our association with such governmentbodies to make sure we provide the essential industry input to anydeliberations beforehand. The other similarity is that CA faces thesame challenge of getting more involvement by the members tocontribute ideas and effort to help make a difference in all our

areas of endeavour. While it may seem contradictory to askpeople how we can get ideas going on how to get more peopleinvolved, I am nevertheless keen to get your views. It is relativelyeasy to give us a call (use the 1300 654 254 number) or email usto throw in any ideas for “brainstorming”, problems, or just to sayyou like/dislike whatever we do.

I hope that everyone has a great start to the “new year” and I lookforward to seeing you at one of the Member’s briefings, or hearingfrom you with your ideas.

Letter from the President (continued)

Norm Watt

5Connection

n Composites Division, Sensation Yachts – Alister Rees (NSW)

n Fibreglass Contractors – Lindsay Vincent (VIC)

n Frontline Fabrications – Kelly DiSalvo (QLD)

n Fibretank Systems – Peter Burnard (NSW)

n Twister – Michael Bishop (SA)

n Silicone Rubber Extrusions – Brian Gilmartin (QLD)

n Paul Grace Fibreglass Fab – Paul Grace (QLD)

n Magnum Venus Plastech – Joan Tracy (USA)

n Riviera Marine – Tracey Mannix (QLD)

n Andrew Bates – student (NSW)

n Prestige Fibreglass – Steve Adley (WA)

Composites Australia Welcomes New Members:

NEW MEMBER PROFILE: SILICONE RUBBER EXTRUSIONSSilicone Rubber Extrusions is a specialist manufacturer ofextruded silicone rubber profiles. We manufacture an ever-increasing range of seals for a variety ofcomposite manufacturing techniques. We can also manufacturesmall runs of “one-off” profiles to solve your particular applicationon production problem.Over the past six years, we have supplied some of the majorplayers in the composites industry with extruded seals both for

their production lines and for use on their finished products.Silicone rubber is the ideal material for hatch seals, glazingsections and decorative trims exposed to extreme UV and harshmarine environments.If you would like further information, please contact Brian Gilmartinon 07 4633 5784Email [email protected] siliconerubber.com.au

NEW MEMBER PROFILE: HI-CLASS COMPOSITES PTY LTDHi-Class Composites Pty Ltd is a new company, started in 2007 by two partners, Chris Wood & Henry Vennix, who between themhave 25 years of experience in the composites industry in bothAustralia and Asia. Their experience includes initial designconcepts, prototyping, CAD Data & CNC production of masterwith a “Class A” surface. Process experience includes RTM, RTMLight, Chopper Gun & Hand Lay Up. Quality accreditationexperience with ISO9001, ISO9002, QS9000, ISO14001 & Ford Q1.

Chris originally founded FTP Pty Ltd, where hedesigned and built the first hard tonneau covers forCommodore and Ford utes back in 1990, using ahoneycomb sandwich panel. The company endedup dominating this market, and they supply direct to all the OEM’s (Holden, Ford, FPV, HSV and Toyota),employing over 80 people in Knoxfield Victoria, withfull OEM painting facilities. Henry worked at FTP for 5 years and during this time they both had thepleasure of working with Holden making the originalprototype of the new Sandman panel van, Crewmanpolice Divisional van, HSV Maloo Lid with Spoiler andmany Hard OEM Hard Tonneau cover programs.

The new business at Factories 3&4, Barry Street, Bayswater,Victoria, will concentrate on supplying high quality contractmanufacturing of composite parts using Chris & Henry’scombined experience, as well as designing their own range of water features and sandstone look wall pictures (see photos). Hi-Class Composites would also like to work with other companieson larger projects or tenders; contact Chris on 03 9738 2822 or 0433 042 290.

NEW MEMBER PROFILE: FIBRETANK SYSTEMS PTY LTD (FTS)Fibretank Systems Pty Ltd (FTS) is the tank specialist in all themarket areas for bulk storage of petroleum, lubricants, chemical,industrial, aviation, sewerage, waste and water storagemanagement needs.

Our tanks can be customised to suit product and application.These tanks, whether fibreglass or steel, are manufactured locally inNewcastle, New South Wales. To meet applicable standards, FTSFibreglass Tanks are made under licence from the XerxesCorporation of the USA and are UL approved. Fibreglass Tanks canbe either single or double walled, ranging in sizes from 2,000 to130,000 litres. Larger tanks can be made on request, pendingdesign and application. These underground FRP tanks can besingle or multi compartments. FTS also manufacture and market asignificant range of steel and steel jacketed underground, as well

as single skin onground and self bunded onground, vertical andhorizontal tanks. All our steel tanks, ladders, platforms and walkwaysare manufactured in accordance with the required AustralianStandards, AS 1692, AS 1657 AS 1210. These steel tanks range insize from 1,000 to 250,000litres, depending upon thetype and style of tank.

Phone 02 49 [email protected]

Peter Burnard, Production Manager – FRP Division

6Connection

The following Composites Australia (CA) events are scheduled for 2007 and 2008. Please contact Ann Byrne at the CA Secretariat for further details and registration. Don’t forget to check the website for regular updates: www.compositesaustralia.com.au.

Date and Time Venue

Thursday9th August5.00pm – 7.30pm

Members’ Briefingn Free for members Members’ guests are welcome at $15 eachn Refreshments will be served CA Board meeting

Wollongong, NSW – TBA

Thursday16th August9.30am – 4.30pm

CA Trainingn Composites & Textile substrates workshop n Refreshments will be served

Victoria

Thursday23rd August9.30am – 4.30pm

CA Trainingn Composites & Textile substrates workshopn Refreshments will be served

Victoria

Thursday6th September9.30am – 4.30pm

CA Trainingn Composites & Textile substrates workshopn Refreshments will be served

Victoria

Thursday20th September5.00pm – 7.30pm

Members’ Briefingn Free for members Members’ guests are welcome at $15 eachn Refreshments will be served

Brisbane, QLD – TBA

Wednesday 7th November5.00pm – 7.30pm


South Australia – TBA

15th – 24th October US Mission n Mission to ACMA conference n Composite Fabricator site visits n See Flyer

Tampa, Florida USA

Thursday6th December4.30pm – 7.00pm

Annual General Meeting / Members’ Briefing / Christmas Partyn Free for members Members’ guests are welcome at $15 eachn Refreshments will be served CA Board meeting

Regional Vic – TBA

Wednesday6th February10.30 – 12.30 am

CA Trainingn Workplace Health & Safety Risk Assessment workshopsn Refreshments will be served n Cost TBA

QLD/Brisbane – TBA

Wednesday27th February10.30 – 12.30 am


QLD/Gold Coast – TBA

Wednesday27th February4.30pm – 7.00pm


QLS/Brisbane - TBA

Wednesday12th March10.30 – 12.30 am


QLD/Sunshine Coast – TBA

Thursday 13th &Friday 14th March TBC8.30am – 5 pm daily

CA Annual Conference & Exhibition (in association with Composites CRC)n Presentations, round table discussions, tutorialsn Trade shown Demonstrationsn Conference dinner / go cart racing / golf etc.

Melbourne, VIC – TBA

Thursday26th July4.00pm – 6.30pm

Members’ BriefingTour of Penguin Composites, a company which has been designing, developingand delivering innovative fibreglass products since 1976.Briefing (see below) & refreshments to follow at nearby Sportsman’s ClubSafety Aspects of Thermoset Curing Agents, prepared by Akzo Nobel andpresented by Russell McKay, IMCD Australian Free for members. Members’ guests are welcome at $15 eachn Refreshments will be served

Penguin Composites808 SOUTH ROAD, Penguin, TAS& Penguin Sports &Services Club, 173 SportsComplex Ave, Penguin, TAS

Thursday 3rd April10.30 – 12.30 am


QLD/Cairns/Townsville TBC

Wednesday 30th April5.00pm – 7.30pm


Western Australia – TBA

Wednesday11th June4.30pm – 7.00pm


New South Wales - TBA

Events Schedule2007-2008

This schedule is subject to availability of venues and may change from time to time.

7Connection

$10,000 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PRIZE FROM THE COMPOSITES CRC AWARDED

This prize has been awarded to Lifestyle Boats based on:

n Completeness of questionnaire

n Vision toward R&D

n Drive to keep composites business in Australia

n Examples of past R&D projects

Congratulations to Chris and Lifestyle Boats QLD!

The Composites CRC has announced the winner of its recent competition to win $10,00 in research and development assistance. All those who completed the CRC’s R&D Survey of the Composites Industry, which was distributed both at the April Conference and by post in May, were eligible.

The winner is:

Lifestyle Boats QLD Pty LtdChris Reynold, Managing DirectorCaloundra, QLD 4551Tel: 07 5491 8788 Fax: 07 5491 8744Email: [email protected]

There has certainly been a lot happening since my last report! Iam happy to say that we have now had four training sessions(3Vic, 1 QLD) to build a pool of prospective employees who now have a working knowledge and skill base in the basics ofcomposite fabrication.

I would like to express a big thank you to Bill Rees and Phil Bovis ofKangan Batman TAFE for their great ‘can do’ attitude and helpingCA get the training up and going. Jeff Morrison of Maxitrans inHallam came to our rescue by allowing us to do a two weektraining course in one of their storage sheds - not ideal but it justshows what can be done!

Equally I must commend Roger Cater and his merry men atPARTEC in doing the impossible at very short notice for the trainingsession at the Gold Coast. Our new member, The Riviera Group,also deserve a vote of thanks for their assistance and support inproviding us with the training venue.

The training has certainly showed that with just a little bit of effortnew workers can be found and that they can quickly reach asatisfactory level of skill - in particular they understand theimportance of mould prep and the need for attention to detail in hand laminating.

All of this would be a waste of time if it wasn’t for the employersout there who have put their hands up and said “Sure we will takesome on” - so a big thank you to McArthur Composites, ThermalBay Composites, Whittley Cruisers, Corrosion Technologies,Australian Fabrication Industries, G.R. Swanson, The Riviera Groupand Bolwell Corporation.

Now where are all you other manufacturers who claim to notbe able to find workers???

Conference 2007I enjoyed meeting many of you at the recent Conference in QLD

and I appreciate all of your positive support and encouragementin making this new role a reality.

Queensland composite manufacturers now have their ownindustry advocate in Mr Robert McRuvie the newly appointedProject Manager - Skills Formation Strategy Fibre CompositesDepartment of State Development.

Robert has formed a very close partnership with CompositesAustralia and we are currently working together on raising theprofile of the composites industry. This ranges from programs at secondary schools to the contents of Engineering trainingcourses and gaining recognition as a national skills shortage by DEWR and placed on MODL.

Future TrainingThe biggest hurdle in offering training to the industry is finding a suitable venue.

The days of the local TAFE being able to do this are long gone so we have to move on and think of better ways. One recentsuggestion that appears to have a lot of merit and support is to provide a portable training facility.

In general terms it would be a pantech set up as a ventilatedwork room and supplemented with an annex for the delivery of the theory aspects.

So far I have had a number of manufacturers and suppliers offerassistance to make this a reality and I thank you for your support. I will have a final wish list and design by the end of July.

If anyone can help in the provision of materials orcomponents for such a facility please contact me at [email protected] or 0401 650 456

A 42 ft traveling advertisement will not do the compositesindustry any harm!

Office of Education and EmploymentFROM THE DESK OF THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT by Gerard Murphy

BASIC TRAINING

Artist’s impression of Portable Training Facility The trainees in action at KBTPhil Bovis from KBT keeping a watchful eye on his new recruits

ConferenceBy all accounts, this recent 2007 event was a success - the majority of thosesurveyed declared it to be excellent.

Additionally, it was very gratifying that 15 local high school students attendedwith their teacher and spent many

hours examining the technology displayed and watching the demonstrations.

Conference Program

The program included a morning plenary session where theconference was opened by the President of Composites Australia,Norm Watt, Managing Director of Buchanan Advanced Composites.

Professor Murray L. Scott from the Composites CRC thenintroduced Gary Fenlon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for State Development, Employment & Industrial Relations, andthanked him for the generous support provided for the event bythe Queensland government. Mr. Fenlon spoke to the delegatesabout the growth of the fibre composites industry in Queensland.

Prof. Scott next introduced each of the keynote speakers in turn to gvie their presentations:

n Bob Lacovara, American Composites Manufacturers

Association (ACMA) (USA) – The Shape of Future Composites

n Anthony Vizzini, Society for the Advancement of Material

and Plastic Engineering (SAMPE) (USA) – SAMPE’s Emerging

Technologies

n Bobbie Cook, Composites Association of NZ - Composite

Industry in New Zealand

Following the Plenary session, delegatescould choose from two concurrentstreams of presentations. Over the oneand a half day program, 45 presentationswere delivered including papers from the academic sector, marine, aerospace,materials, suppliers and general businessthemes.

The trade show was ongoing and demonstrations took place just outside the exhibition hall at scheduled intervals throughoutthe day.

The Supplier Session on the second day was popular with 10presentations showcasing industry products. However attendancewas spread across this session, the other parallel session, theRiviera tour and the live demonstrations.

There have been suggestions that the program be extended to

a full two-day event. Another recommendation is to considerholding any future Queensland conferences on a Friday/Saturdayto attract those in the boat builder industry who are unable toattend during business hours.

For future events, the program will limit sessions to no more thanthree options at any one time and demonstrations will berepeated more frequently over the duration of the conferencewhen possible, so that conference delegates have choices but don’t miss out.

RoundtablesThree Roundtable discussions were held during the Conference –

Education & Training, Research & Development, andOccupational Health &.Safety.

The Education & Training roundtable was interesting with a worthyline up of speakers and themes. However the room size and timeallowed were not optimal to produce the healthy debate thatwas critical to the development of CA’s education andemployment strategy evolving from the 2006 conference.

The Occupational Health & Safety roundtable was also interestingwith excellent speakers and themes. Interaction was healthy andvigorous with considerable input from delegates.

The Research & Development session, which took place at thesame time as the OH&S session, featured a discussion on howR&D can be encouraged in SME companies through assistancefrom the Composites CRC.

In future, in response to feedback, the number of speakers inRoundtables will be limited and/or additional time for the sessionswill be scheduled, to enhance participation from the conferencedelegates. Interactive sessions will also be scheduled earlier in theday whenever possible.

Conference & Exhibition 2007New Technology Taking Shape

The fourth annual Composites Australia & Composites CRC Conference and Exhibition was held on 19-20 April at the Crowne PlazaRoyal Pines Resort in Queensland. This event is the largest yearly composites industry event in Australia.

Factory Tour - RivieraRiviera generously provided an early morning factory tour forconference delegates, limited to the first 40 to sign up for it.

Indeed a number of conference delegates reported that theyregistered for the conference specifically for this opportunity, andit had a waiting list. All those registered for the tour were punctualfor the 7.00am bus – in addition to a few more, who turned up incase one of the registrants had slept in!

There were some comments from speakers that the tourcompeted with the conference program. As Factory tours areextremely popular and valuable for the delegates, they will againbe solicited for future events, but will be scheduled wherepossible to avoid conflicting with sessions.

Demonstrations

The exhibition featured eight demonstrations by six companies,held outside the exhibition area in full view of the trade show.

The demonstrations were well attended and proved to be anexcellent drawcard for the event as they showcased the latestdevelopments, products and fabrication processes. (Seeindividual reports, following this article.)

ExhibitionA total of 34 exhibitors displayed in booths in the foyer and hall.

Some 250 people attended the exhibition as visitors specificallyto the trade exhibitors and/or to view the demonstrations.Entrance for exhibition visitors was free of charge, althoughregistration was required.All exhibitors were provided with a list of registrants, to assist them inidentifying potential targets. 86% of the exhibitors responding tothe survey told they sourced new contacts as a result of the event.

Conference SponsorsThe main conference sponsors were the QueenslandGovernment and the Composites CRC. As in previous years, the CRC shared naming rights. Additional financial / sponsorshipsupport was received from:

n Fiber Glass International

n Glas-Craft Australia

n Sika Australia

n Valspar Australia

n Magnum Venus Plastech – sponsors of the Welcome Drinks

function, and

n NORAC – sponsors of the Friday lunch

Fibre Glass International also provided the delegates with highquality red conference satchels. Many could be seen at theairport as delegates flew out on Saturday or Sunday!

Welcome DrinksThe inaugural Welcome Drinks event, sponsored by Magnum VenusPlastech and held at the resort’s “Hydrate Bar” on the Wednesdaynight prior to the conference proved extremely popular. It gavedelegates, speakers and sponsors the opportunity to meet and talk informally prior to the opening of the conference.

Poolside “Queensland BBQ” dinnerThe poolside dinner was well attended by 235 delegates, exhibitors,partners and guests. By all accounts it was a great success withconsiderable interaction amongst all who attended. The buffet styledinner was rated highly and enabled people to mingle.

The evening kicked off earlier with an enthusiastic crowdgathering for pre-dinner drinks. At the close of the night, whilstmost left at a reasonable hour, others were reluctant to let thenight end and continued on at the resort’s Hydrate Bar.

The entertainment was rated highly. The area was large enoughfor those who wanted a low-key evening to sit and chat, whilstothers were able to enjoy the roving music.

Post conference events The Ambrose Golf Challenge was held on Friday afternoon andattracted 23 registrations with a great afternoon had by all. Prizes were awarded as the sun set on the golf course.

12 participants took advantage of the opportunity to drive a Holden Performance V-8 Supercar and tour the Workshop.

Future EventsThe CA Board has decided that the 2008 event will be held in Victoria, in or near Melbourne. For the 2009 event, theQueensland Government’s support and investment behind their“Fibre Composites Action Plan” may indicate a return to the GoldCoast, with other most likely options being the nearby SunshineCoast or Brisbane.

10Connection

Better yet – is there a fibreglass repairer in the house?

Perhaps it seemed a funny question at a conference & exhibitionof fiberglass suppliers and fabricators but help wasn’t as easy toget as one might think. After all, most of those present were justadvertising products or viewing them, and none of the livedemonstrations involved bonding – which is what was needed.

Shaun the Sheep had broken a foreleg.Shaun was not just a sheep – he had an even more importantjob: he was also an esky, and was serving as a raffle prize. He had ridden from Adelaide to Melbourne on the back of a ute, and then flown to the Gold Coast. But he arrived with a broken leg.

Luckily, Sika Australia, internationally known for veterinary medicineadhesives, was on hand with a trade booth that included somesamples of their products.

John Nordon, Sika’s Technical Sales Representative, wrangledShaun to get him in position for fixing his fetlock and usedSikaForce 7851, a two part Polyurethane available in cartridge

format. Sika has about 100 differentformulations of SikaForce, themajority available in two part liquidfor use in sandwich panelsecondary bonding manufacture,deck levelling, potting etc. SikaForceis also available in one part forspecific sandwich panelmanufacture. SikaForce will bond

to Polystyrene without dissolving it, fiberglass, metals etc. For Shaunthe sheep, John simply applied the adhesive and taped the leg in position with GO FAST tape for about one hour. The results speakfor themselves! The TDS is available on request.

Recovering quickly from his surgery, Shaun then stood proudly in frontof the Composites Australia booth, inviting visitors to leave theirbusiness cards with him for the prize draw. CA President Norm Wattconducted the draw and lucky winner MartinNikolas of Marky Industries took Shaun home.(Hope Martin’s got some artificial grass!)

Our thanks to member Rob Curtin ofRubber Impressions for donating Shaun to the conference, and of course to JohnNordon for “curing” him on the day!

Sika Australia Pty Ltd, Wetherill Park NSWT +61 2 9725 1700E [email protected] www.sika.com.au

“IS THERE A (VETERINARY) DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?”

11Connection

1. Caravan Canopy Door: mould size 1150mm X 2450mm

2. Bait Board: mould size: 1000mm X 1450 – to demonstratethat complex shapes are achievable

Equipment used: 2 x 21kg pails of 310-9831 RTM Resin, 1 x 4 litreacetone in injection equipment for flush. 1 x 5kg MEKP K1catalyst,1 x 1 litre tin of ChemTrend/Chemlease #75 mould release, glass reinforcements and print blocker materials to load moulds.Moulds were gelcoated off site, brought to the demo area and loaded with glass reinforcements and injected.

The two moulds used were the first attempts by two differentfabricators to produce functional Light RTM production moulds –and they accomplished this. The large caravan canopy door waschosen for its large flat section profile that would show thecosmetics, surface finish achievable, and the bait board illustrateda complex shape that is also achievable with the process.

This demonstration should help dispel misconceptions that it isdifficult and costly to produce functional production mouldswithout many attempts and failures. Feedback on the dayindicated that fabricators were impressed with the surface finishes

achieved on the moulded partsduring the demonstrations.Many had never before seenLight RTM parts with acceptablesurface finish cosmetics – norsuccessful demonstrations!

The number one question wewere asked is, “What is thesecret to Light RTM?” The answeris: the tooling and puttingtogether the right marriage of material choices to the end use application.

We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to GlasCraftAustralia for their assistance and use of their injection equipmentfor these demonstrations, as well as S&S Fibreglass and PaulGrace Fibreglass for the use of their Light RTM Moulds.

Larry Nunes, The Valspar (Australia) CorpPh 03 9211 0374 Mob 0418 560 [email protected]

DIAB Australia conducted an infusion demonstration of an 8-footdinghy during the recent Composite Australia conference. The demonstration was to show the conference attendees that the same principles apply to infusing a dinghy as they do to alarger hull or composite part.

On the last day of the conference a draw for the completed dinghywas conducted from business card entrants. The lucky winner wasPaul Meszares from Firewire surfboards on the Gold Coast. We wishPaul many happy hours of boating fun in his new dinghy!

Mark Sterbic, Marketing Manager, DIAB Asia-Africa-OceaniaTel 02 9620 9999 Email [email protected] Web www.diabgroup.com

Light RTM Demonstration utilizing two different moulds – The Valspar (Australia) Corp.

“Vubonite - the brand new composite resin” – Earth Composites

DIAB core infusion demonstration of a dinghy hull (and dinghy giveaway)

COMPOSITE AUSTRALIA CONFERENCE DEMONSTRATIONSA brief report on the details of just three of our eight live practical demonstrations:

Equipment used: Electric drill, Mixing receptacle, Brush and rollers,Cling wrap, Vubonite components A & B, Glass fibrereinforcements, Waste water receptacle.

The demonstration let delegates see how Vubonite, a brand new and unique material, works and what it feels like. It showed:

1. How user friendly this material is (no volatile organiccompounds and no styrene, no acetone required, tools are water washable and it is non-toxic when cured).

2. How to mix and apply Vubonite gelcoats.

3. How to mix the resin and hand lay-up glass reinforcedlaminates

4. The use of fast and slow setting mixes of the resin

5. Casting with Vubonite

6. Freeform shapes with Vubonite.

7. Fire resistance of Vubonite.

As a direct result from theConference, Earth Compositesnow has several business clients(from Tasmania toRockhampton) using this newmaterial in trials for new productdevelopment, and has alsoappointed a distributor forVictoria, Tasmania and South Australia:

Andrew Portelli of Heat Insulations P.O. Box 229, Newport, Vic 3015. Tel/Fax 03- 9327 2332Mob 0406 065 364 Email [email protected]“Earth Composites” a business unit of JHR Enterprises Pty Ltd is thesole exclusive wholesaler for Australia and New Zealand of Vubonite.

Jacques Rohen, Earth Composites. Tel 07 4155 1048 Email [email protected]

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COMPOSITE ENGINEER’S VIEWPOINT Rik Heslehurst PhD, MEng, BEng(Aero) FIEAust, FRAeS, CPEng, SMAIAA

Designing with Composite Materials Part 7F – Detail Design – Interlaminar Stresses

As a general design guide the reductionof interlaminar stresses is principally by theselection of appropriate stackingsequence of the plies in the laminateand/or a reduction in the concentration ofplies of the same orientation. In otherwords the ply orientations need to beuniformly dispersed throughout thelaminate thickness. Additionally it is goodpractice to have the mutual +ve and –veangled plies stacked together, i.e. (±45)as this will reduce the flexural axis plyimbalance. Also, it is recommended tohave the laminate symmetric about themid-plane. Both of these suggestions willalso reduce the on-set of high interlaminarstresses.

If interlaminar stresses can not be reducedsatisfactorily then to counter theinterlaminar stresses there are threerecommended procedures. Either installan edge strap that binds the free edge; oruse the method of Z-pinning, where a fibreis ultrasonically driven through-the-thickness of the laminate prior to curing; oruse edge stitching prior to laminate cure.

In the next article I will comment on theissue of a second Design Review. Nowthat we have modified the laminate totake care of the detailed design issues weneed to check that the composite

structure is still meeting the designspecification. This review will take the formof a comparison of the design attributesagainst the performance and operationsrequirements. As always I welcomequestions, comments and your point of

view. Feel free to contact me [email protected].

I may publish your questions andcomments, and my response in future articles.

In this article we investigate the generaldesign guidelines for the reduction ofinterlaminar stresses in compositestructures.

By definition the interlaminar stresses arethose stresses either normal to the planeof the laminate, and the shear stressesthat are along the edge planes of thelaminate. The normal (through-the-thickness) interlaminar stress is designateds3 or sz, and the two interlaminar shearstresses are designated t23 and t13 (or tyzand txz). The interlaminar stresses areillustrated as such.

The free edge interlaminar stresses are ofgeneral concern as they have thepotential of initiating edge delaminations.This in turn will reduce the strengthcapacity of the laminate as well as causeissues with environmental degradation.The typical locations of free edgeinterlaminar stresses are shown as follows:

Typical Locations of Free Edge Delaminations

Stress State in a Composite Laminate

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VICTORIAMembers Briefing and Tour at Ampelite AustraliaOn 14 June, Ampelite Australia in Dandenong South (Melbourne)generously hosted a Members Briefing & tour of their factory forCA members and guests.

Russell McKay of IMCD Australia (previously Swift and Co), gave atalk on Safety Aspects of Thermoset Curing Agents (as preparedby Akzo Nobel). Organic peroxides, the primary radical source forstarting the polymerization process of thermoset resins, haveinherent dangers if used or stored incorrectly. Russell’s presentationidentified the safety aspects of these products in use or storage,and included some very impressive and persuasive footage onwhat can happen if they are stored in improper conditions.

Next, Michael Lewis from Composite Material Engineeringpresented a talk on “Compression Moulding of Composites (SMCand GMT)”. Compression moulding is used for the low-cost, high-volume production of fibre reinforced components in SMC, GMTand LFT. The main fields of application for the process are to befound in the automotive, utility vehicle and electric sectors.

Composite Materials Engineering (CME) is a leader in Australiancompression moulding and collaborates with major industry

sectors to provide turnkey composite solutions.

Attendees were then given a tour of Ampelite’s operations, led by Director and CA Board Member Trevor Panozza. Ampelite are producers of fibreglass industrial and domestic sheeting. The company has grown during its 30+ years of operation to become a major manufacturer of all forms of GRP roofingproducts. Additionally, Ampelite supply a range of other plasticsheeting including polycarbonate.

Ampelite moved to its purpose built production, warehouse and office complex with fully automatic production plant atDandenong in 1990. The latest resin technology is used in themanufacture of all their fibreglass sheeting and the automaticprocessing is controlled to ensure that each phase ofmanufacture is absolutely consistent from batch to batch. The curing ovens are approximately 40 metres in length and thesheet is immediately ready to be trimmed and cut to length. This plant can produce some 300,000 lineal metres each month.

In addition to roofing materials Ampelite supply wind driven rotaryventilators ranging in size from 150mm to 600mm. Theseventilators are made to high specifications for effectiveperformance and long life.

SOUTH AUSTRALIATRAINING FOR THE FUTUREA.S.C Pty Ltd - Australian Collins Class Submarine ProjectWith a massive expansion into ship building, ASC have allocateda budget to establish a purpose-built state of the art compositeworkshop to service their Collins class submarine. They are alsolooking at the possibility of manufacturing other compositecomponents.

The Innovation Training and Skills Centre (ITSC) has been deliveringcomposite training courses for the ASC for a number of years andhas been asked to consult on the layout of a new workshop whichwill give South Australia another leap forward in Composites.

ITSC has worked very hard with the ASC in upskilling their personnelin composite techniques. They have also assisted by providingthem with internationally accepted best practice information, to enable them to manage the service life of the compositestructures as well as to recognize potential long term damageearly and be able to take appropriate action .

ITSC are now training their engineers and surveyors in theunderstanding and the use of composite materials. This has beenvery successful, and more training is planned for the future.

ITSC are proud to be associated with another Australianachiever.

Submitted by N. Clements, Innovation Training and Skills Centre

In lieu of a local briefing originally planned for 17 May in SouthAustralia, Composites Australia supported the event held on 10 May by the†Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) as†part of theAustralian Innovation Festival.†The theme for the presentations was “Composites & Thermosets”, and the event was co-hosted by SPE and the SA Centre for Innovation.

Presentations included “Thermosets and DMT”, by David Thomas,Group Manager, Plastics at Amtrade International Pty Ltd;“Compression Moulding of Composites (SMC and GMT)” by

Michael Lewis, Sales Manager, Composite Materials EngineeringPty Ltd; and “Thermosets for Optical Lenses”, by Dr. Fang Chen,Senior Research Scientist, Carl Zeiss Vision.

The SPE generously invited Composites Australia members toregister at SPE Members’ Rates for this event. Education OfficerGerard Murphy attended to represent the association andreported that a number of CA members were also present. As aresult of this seminar, Michael Lewis was invited to reprise his talk atthe June Members Briefing held at Ampelite Australia in Melbourne.

STATE NEWS

COMPOSITES SEMINAR HELD BY SOCIETY OF PLASTICS ENGINEERS IN ADELAIDE

“STATE NEWS” welcomes submissions – please email news of interest to the composites community which is taking placein your state to [email protected]

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NEW SOUTH WALESTwo NSW grads pick up Composites AwardsAt a ceremony in April for the University of New South WalesSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Leigh JamesThompson received the Composite Australia Prize for the bestperformance in Composite Materials Strand of MATS3064 in theBachelor of Engineering degree. He received a cheque for $250.

Leigh, who is 22, began studying materials engineering at theUniversity of New South Wales in 2003. He completed his studies in2006 graduating with 1st class honours in Bachelor of Engineeringin materials/metallurgy.

Since this time he has commenced working for TomagoAluminium near Newcastle NSW, as a graduate process engineerin the liquid metals division. His interest in compositestechnologies comes from a keen interest in aviation andaerospace technology, an area with a wide and diverseapplication of composite materials. He says that he finds itamazing how composite materials can be used to replacecomponents on aircraft that not too long ago were solely constructed from metal alloys. In the future he hopes to pursue a career working for either an airframes or aircraftpropulsion manufacturer.

TAFE NSW - Hunter Institute AwardsAt an awards ceremony held in May by TAFE NSW - HunterInstitute, student Andrew Bates won an award provided byComposites Australia for the "Highest Achievement on Completionof the Certificate III in Plastics (Composites) Qualification (1237)".The award was presented by Composites Australia representativeMal Holden of Nupol Composites. Andrew received a cheque for $200 and complimentary membership in the association for the 2007-2008 year.

QUEENSLANDSKILLS FORMATION STRATEGY FOR THE QUEENSLAND FIBRE COMPOSITE INDUSTRY

What are Skills Formation Strategies?Skills formation strategies provide a framework for industries andcommunities to work with each other, the QueenslandGovernment and other relevant stakeholders to analyse andaddress the reasons for skills shortages. They also developrelationships and networks between these groups to identifycauses of skills shortages and develop appropriate solutions.

Why develop Skills Formation Strategies?Like the rest of Australia, Queensland is grappling with a shortageof skilled workers. Recent worldwide research suggests that skillsshortages are not necessarily due to insufficient training but mayrelate more to issues such as:

n A poor or weak industry imagen A poorly defined career path for compositesn Employment conditions and wages n Geographical remoteness or access

n The work not being compatible with desired lifestyles

What sort of solutions can be developed?Solutions will vary but may include:

n Mapping career pathways and Traineeshipsn School-industry partnershipsn Developing recruitment plansn Changing traditional rostering systems & exploring job redesignn Developing industry-community partnerships

n Customised training and Professional Development courses

What is happening already?The QLD Government’s Fibre Composites Skills Formation Strategycommenced in April. Priority issues for the next six months include:Industry ImageOne strategy for increasing the profile of the industry is thedevelopment of composite industry specific WebPages to belinked into the ‘CreateIt, MakeIt, LiveIt’ campaign. This is targetedat increasing teenagers’ interest in careers in the manufacturing

sector. So far, the campaign has been highly successful forindustries such as marine and aviation. Along with the website,the opportunity will exist for the composites industry to be involvedin careers expos in collaboration with the State Government.

Higher EducationInitial consultation has commenced with Engineers Australia (EA)to address the lack of composites training within the nationalengineering undergraduate university degree courses.

Additionally, there are plans for the development of a professionalengineer’s composite short course, to be delivered asprofessional development for current engineers.

Skills Development and TrainingThe Queensland Government has committed funding tocollaborate with the Commonwealth Department of Employmentand Workplace Relations, the Victorian Government and CA torun a composites short course for the long-term unemployed.The partners will be working with CA, local job networks and localbusinesses to ensure the success of this project.

The Skills Formation Strategy will partner with CA, employers andtraining providers to develop a formalised career path for thecomposites industry for both new and existing employees.

The Strategy will also be collaborating with PARTEC and CA todevelop a range of training solutions to upskill current workers, as well as courses for rapid upskilling of other trade workers whowish to transfer their skills to the composites industry.

Business DevelopmentA one-day workshop will be held at the end of July for theadvanced manufacturing sector (date to be confirmed). Key focus areas will include women in manufacturing,apprentices, generation Y and mature age workers.

Attendees will be provided with practical suggestions andexamples of how to attract, retain and develop staff for the sector.

For more information please contactRobert McRuvie, Project Manager, Fibre Composites SkillsFormation StrategyPhone +61 7 3224 2593 Fax +61 7 3224 5289Email [email protected]

STATE NEWS

Mal Holden of Nupol Compositeswith winner Leigh Thompson

Mal Holden, winner Andrew Bates and InstituteDirector Phil Cox

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The National Compliance Campaign on Hazardous Substances inthe Manufacturing Industry was an initiative of the Heads ofWorkplace Safety Authorities (HWSA), representing health andsafety authorities from the Australian States and Territories and NewZealand. The primary goal of this Campaign was to determinethe level of compliance in this industry with the existing hazardoussubstances legislation.

This industry summary report has now been issued – it is availableat http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/pdf/whs/ind_sum_rep_050407.pdf

It provides a summary of the performance of the fibre compositeboat building, refurbishment and repair sector of this industry inrelation to the level of uptake and effectiveness of existinghazardous substances legislation.

The project was intended further to develop, implement andevaluate a national campaign model for hazardous substanceswhich is capable of being adapted to suit other small mediumenterprises in the manufacturing industry.

All those in the composites industry are encouraged to read thebrief report in full.

Below is an abbreviated (and partial) summary of some of themajor findings and recommendations.

Findings included:

n This industry sector does not demonstrate sufficient maturityin handling hazardous substances issues at the level whichmight have been expected.

n SMEs in this industry often exhibit poor knowledge andawareness of hazardous substance legislation. Only 17 ofthe 157 Australian workplaces had any person on staff witha responsibility for OHS.

n Most manufacturers and suppliers provide an acceptablequality of information in material safety data sheets (MSDS).However, better systems for ensuring up to date MSDS forsome down-stream suppliers are required.

n MSDS are supplied to most workplaces, but are onlyinfrequently used to select safety controls.

n Labelling of decanted substances still shows significantnon-compliance.

n Training is often informal and is only conducted on the job.Record of training is rarely made.

n Basic mechanical ventilation (i.e. fans) is often usedineffectively. In a number of workplaces spray booths orventilated enclosures for gel coating and lay-up are used,some of poor design. Ventilation system effectiveness,maintenance and testing are generally poor.

n Many employers do not insist that workers use the PPE evenwhere it was found to be necessary in a risk assessment. In theabsence of informed advice, many workplaces purchasedcheaper respirators and gloves which may be unsuitable.

n There is frequently inadequate control of risks from fire andexplosion, because of inappropriate storage, the presence ofignition sources in hazardous areas and poor house-keeping.

n Inspectors in Australia recorded that the “self assessmenttool” was not used at all in 37% of workplaces. Where itwas used, inspectors rated its use as “Satisfactory” in 73%of workplaces.

Recommendations included:

n To improve its performance in the management of risksfrom hazardous substances, the industry will requireexternal assistance, especially in the areas of riskassessment and training.

n There is a need to engage industry associations, suppliersand apprentice training colleges and to encourage themto standardise the OHS information and training theyprovide to these workplaces.

n An immediate need exists for relevant information productsspecifically designed for fibre composite manufacturers.Topics of high priority include: Controlling Risks while workingwith Fibre Composite Materials; Ventilation; PPE; and workedexamples of risk assessments for hazardous substances.

NATIONAL COMPLIANCE CAMPAIGN ON HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES

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DescriptionTerrazzo is a hard, durable and colourfully decorative compositebuilding material.

It is a type of ‘no-fines’ concrete (containing marble or granitecoarse aggregate but without fine aggregate such as sand). It is used mainly as an interior decorative floor and wallingmaterial and consists of stone chippings (crushed coarseaggregate) or pebbles bound with cement.

The cast composite mixture after setting and partially hardening is ground, honed and then polished to a high or low sheen finishwith terrazzo grinding machines.

Quality in-place terrazzo building materials and fixtures areregarded by many people as colourfully attractive. Cast and laidcorrectly it is a very wear resistant material, has low shrinkage toreduce the possibility of it cracking, as well as high impactresistance and low maintenance properties.

Terrazzo tiles are currently the architect preferred material forshopping centre floors.

Terrazzo is used for decorative, long-lasting, in situ floors with highabrasion resistance and easy cleaning. It can be made bymoulding and precasting procedures into durable, decorativetabletops, counter tops, kitchen and bathroom bench tops, toilet partitions and floor/wall tiles etc.

MethodTerrazzo is usually made by mixing crushed stone aggregate –often white or coloured marble chips – with Portland or othersuitable types of cement and drinkable water. The stoneaggregates are usually selected for their size, shape, condition(cubical – without ‘flats’ and without dust), and particularly theircolour. The cement for binding these aggregates which becomesthe hardened finishing matrix may be grey, off-white or white andis most usually permanently whitened and/or coloured with UVresistant mineral oxide colouring pigment powders which areadded to the wet mixture*.

A typical dose rate for oxide cement colours including white oxideis 2-3kg per nominal 40kg bag of cement (5% to 8% pigment by weight of the cement weight). Proportioning of these rawmaterials can be carried out by volume but preferably for projectuniformity adjusted for weight.

Each oxide colouring pigment powder varies in bulk density fromone colour to another. This means for instance that a standard12.5kg pack of black iron oxide is typically half the volume of astandard 12.5kg pack of yellow iron oxide. Therefore, for uniformityand consistency of terrazzo colours throughout a project, it isalways best to measure by weight – even if proportioning theother ingredients by volume on the job.

In terrazzo the oxide pigment selected for permanently colouringthe hardened binding cement matrix often complements thecolour or colours of the aggregates. For instance, greenaggregate – such as Verdi Issorie Italian marble chips may beused in a mixture with ‘abilox®’ Green Earth oxide or anothersuitable ‘abilox®’ green pigment from six (6) greens available inthe ‘abilox®’ range from Ability and Australian off-white cement (in other terrazzo designs and situations off-white cement is oftenmade strongly white with ‘abilox®’ Illumin-ite White oxide pigment).

These constituent materials are then mixed well with the lowest**quantity of drinkable water possible to, with a suitable waterreducing admixture** result in a wet workable terrazzo mix with a liquid consistency suitable for reasonably easy placement,compaction and levelling by screeding/trowelling.

The placed in position wet plastic mixture cast within suitableformwork or moulds is compacted with a power vibrator oranother suitable method of compaction to remove air bubbles orvoids in the cement/water paste, (air voids are counterproductiveto long term durability) and to give the later hardened terrazzohigh density, strength, hardness and impermeability to liquids.

Compaction of placed in situ wet terrazzo may be achieved withpoker vibrators or in thin sections, such as for terrazzo floors of lowthickness and thin precast panels with spiked rollers.

Then, after levelling, screeding, and trowel floating the surface tothe required levels, flatness and smoothness the mixture, after itsets, is cured.

Curing is important:Curing in this context means the procedure adopted to preventthe evaporation of the mix water in the terrazzo immediately afterit sets over a total period of preferably about a month. This isachieved by carefully covering the installed set material with wettowels or burlap spread over the surface and keeping these wet,or water ponding or covering it with lapped sheets of a suitableflexible, non-permeable plastic sheet material having a lowmoisture evaporation rate and allowing the terrazzo to harden forabout 48 hours followed by the grinding, honing and polishingprocedures after which the curing procedure is continued.

RememberA cured concrete/terrazzo slab is a better, more durable slab thanone which is not cured. To achieve maximum strength and wearresistance of terrazzo its curing should be continued after thegrinding and polishing process. This can be achieved as above or by applying a liquid curing compound.*

HOW TO MAKE, LAY & SPECIFY TERRAZZO

* Ability offers its extensive colour range of UV resistant manmade ‘abilox®’ mineral(metal) oxide powder colouring pigments including ‘abilox®’ Illumin-ite White oxide.

The 48 separate pigments provide an extensive palette of different colours andcustom colours can be made to order.

** The workability, placement, spreading ease and finishability of terrazzo (and concrete)is increased to worthwhile degrees – especially a mix with a very low water content,by adding an admixture called ‘EFFLOREIN®’ Mark 2 into the mix to make the jobeasier. It is terrazzo worker and concretor friendly.

Ability offers ‘EFFLOREIN®’ Mark 2 – a 100% active solids rapidly dissolving, highpurity multi-functional admixture powder, which is typically used by adding it into the terrazzo mix at only 2% by weight of the cement weight with the otherconstituents to reduce the amount of water used for the required wet mixconsistency by about 20% and make placement and finishing easier.

This reduction of the water content for the same workable liquid consistencymakes the hardened terrazzo stronger with higher wear resistance and greaterdurability than with higher amounts of water – as it also does with concrete,mortar and grouts!

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Grinding and polishing the surface

The surface is machine ground, honed and polished with waterand a number of grinding/polishing ‘stones’ in differing processingstages and to make these processes as quick and easy aspossible, at an early age. Typically, this early age is about 1-2days after the terrazzo mix sets at average ambient temperatures,less in hot weather and more in cold weather.

Depending on the temperature these abrasive wet ‘cutting’processes are usually carried out between 36 and 48 hours aftersetting when the set terrazzo has usually achieved adequatefirmness but is still of low strength and hardness relative to what it will be at later ages.

Various sets of grinding ‘stones’ (composites of sharp, hard granulesof abrasion resistant carbide mineral materials) with differentdegrees of coarseness or smoothness are used in the grindingmachine for these processes. Grinding, honing and polishing withwater is facilitated with other materials scattered onto the terrazzo’ssurface. These are usually flakes or crystals of Potassium Binoxolate(Salts of Sorrell) and/or Oxalic Acid [(COOH)2 (2H2O)].

Terrazzo grinding machines areusually available for hiretogether with supplies ofgrinding stones and Oxalic Acidetc from selected BuildingEquipment Hire organisations.

Semi-flexible, thin section TerrazzoThin section, abrasion-resistant,high bond, slightly more flexiblethan normal terrazzo floors,placed onto an existingconcrete slab, as well as thinterrazzo tiles (‘pavers’), slimprecast terrazzo panels andother slender cement-bound products can be made with the useof a special flexibility-promoting and adhesion-promotingadmixture powder from Ability.

This excellent powder admixture, which may be carefully valuatedand tested by manufacturers of terrazzo tiles and products,terrazzo laying contractors and DIY persons for these purposes iscalled ‘abil-strength’ powder.

For a thin layer of terrazzo flooring, ‘abil-strength’ powder admixtureis usually added into terrazzo mixes containing relatively small,single size aggregates, without dust, such as 5mm (size No 2) dust-free crushed coloured marble or granite chips for applicationas thin section terrazzo (typical total thickness: 15mm – 25mm).

‘Abil-strength’ powder is a special superpolymer based adhesionand flexibility promoting cement modifier. It also has water-reducing properties and is added and well mixed into a freshlyprepared, thoroughly mixed, ‘semi-dry’ terrazzo mix containing avery low quantity of water, fresh cement and suitably sized marbleor granite aggregates.

An ‘abilox®’ fine colouring pigment powder and ‘EFFLOREIN®’ Mark 2powder (which in addition to other benefits keeps the water contentlow for a suitable liquid consistency or slump) is then also addedand well mixed in. After the ‘EFFLOREIN®’ Mark 2 powder is addedduring mixing, the ‘slump’, workability and flow of the terrazzomixture increases automatically without the addition of extra water.

Proportions of the ingredients may need to be altered to suit yourpurposes. Test everything first – before commercial use.

Test first – before actual useKeep a record of the actual quantities of all of the raw materialsused – especially the water content – so that the same mix andits liquid consistency can be repeatedly prepared and uniformlyprocessed until the project is completed.

RememberGood durable terrazzo with low shrinkage and therefore lowcracking potential, like good concrete, is made with:

The lowest water content possible and well mixed, ie the lowestpossible water:cement ratio and thoroughly mixed.

Adopting the procedure of compaction to remove air bubblesand densify the cement matrix ‘glue’ binder.

Skilful levelling and finishing.

Keeping the (low) water content in the terrazzo immediately afterit sets by means of adopting an efficient curing procedure (mix water retention), ie to prevent the mix water from evaporatingimmediately after it sets over a 28 day period.

Test first before use – trials are essential

Further informationDon’t hesitate to contact Ability for any further information, free no charge samples of and relevant printed data for all Ability products. Why not ask for a list.

Robert BarberABILITY BUILDING CHEMICALS COPh (03) 9457 6488Email [email protected]

* Ability offers its ‘DURO-SEEL’ – a combined clear liquid curing compound and clear ‘sealer’ for concrete and terrazzo. This is applied to the terrazzo – immediately after thegrinding, polishing and subsequent rinse cleaning processes with clean water and allowing a suitable period of time for it to surface dry – which at an averagetemperature of 23oC and relative humidity of 50% is about 4-6 hours.

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ARE YOU USING AUSTRALIAN MADE REINFORCEMENTS?WHY NOT? These premium products are available directly from Colan, and from all fibreglass distributors in Australia.

COLAN PRODUCTS is Australia’s only weaver of glass, carbon and aramid reinforcements, proven over many years at major composites fabricators in Australia and overseas.

Why would you buy Colan’s products?

• Quality accreditation – ISO 9001 and approvals from Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Lloyds Register.

• Availability of custom designed product or special widths.

• Wide product range available from stock.

• Delivery to all states – warehouses in Melbourne and Perth.

Product Range:

• E-glass multiaxials – with and without chopped mat.

• E-glass premium performance cloth .

• E-glass woven rovings – widths 150mm to 3200mm.

• E-glass tapes from 25mm to 300mm.

• Carbon tapes and fabrics.

• Aramid tapes and fabrics.

See our website, www.colan.com.au or phone head office for moreinformation and quotes. 02 9672 7888

THE NEW COMPOSITES HEALTH & SAFETY INFORMATION WALL POSTERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE AND THE INFORMATION IS ALSO ONLINE!

The wall chart is a resource for both experiencedcomposite employees and for new recruits to the industry. The posters are A1 size (approximately 59 x 84 cm, or 23 x 33 inches) and are laminated. They include a dedicated space for local emergencyservices contact details to be inserted.

If you did not pick up any of the posters at the Conference & Trade Showon the Gold Coast, and have not yet ordered some for your workplace,please contact Composites Australia and we will send you three copies– or more if required.

You should display them on your factory floor, in any areas wherechemicals are stored and/or used, and also in the office or tearoom, so that staff can become familiar with the information. Largecompanies should request a sufficient number of posters so that achart could be easily located and viewed during an emergency.

The information on the charts is also now available on theComposites Australia website - simply go to

www.compositesaustralia.com.au/healthsafe.htm

and click on any of the drop-down menu items from the red“Health & Safety” button on the left hand side.

(Remember to “bookmark” this page!)

The posters were developed by Composites Australia, inpartnership with the Composites CRC and Workplace Health& Safety Queensland.

To order free copies of Health & Safety Information posters for your business, please contact Ann at Composites Australia on [email protected] or (03) 9866 5586.

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Composites Australia magazineComposites Australia: 2007 AdvertisementReservation Form

Company

Contact Name

Address

City

State Postcode

Tel Fax

Email:

CA Member? (Y/N):

Reserve space in the following issue(s) for AD size (full colour)

PER ISSUE For 4 issues

Full Page $1100 (inc GST) $990 (inc GST) each issue

Half Page $660 (inc GST) $594 (inc GST) each issue

Quarter Page $330 (inc GST) $297 (inc GST) each issue

Inserts $320 (inc GST) $298 (inc GST) each issue

Loading on space: Inside front cover additional 20% and/or outside back cover additional 15%

• Postcard and Flyer Inserts:are highly visible and allow multi use/furtherdistribution.

• Composites Australia non-member rates are an additional 10%

• Reservation Agreement:Cancellations must be made in writing and are not accepted after space reservation deadlines.Payment is due no later than 30 days from date of invoice.

Composites Australia Classified AdsThese affordable ads are an ideal way to let others inthe industry know about positions vacant, equipmentsought or for sale, and notices of change of name,ownership, or address.

Positions vacant, Equipment sought,Announcements:CA Members:Four lines free. $20 for each additional line.*

CA Non-Members:$70 for four lines. $20 for each additional line.*

Sales Oriented:CA Members:$50 for four lines. $20 for each additional line.*

CA Non-Members:$105 for four lines. $20 for each additional line.*

*30 characters per line. Advance payment requiredon all classified advertising.

Contact Ann at Composites Australia

at (03) 9866 5586 or email

[email protected]

To the Motivated Operations Manager and Engineer –

Do you want to combine a rewarding job with a great lifestyle?

Toowoomba is an easy drive from the Gold Coast as well as Brisbane.In fact I’m off to both this weekend! BAC is a progressive company witha team of approximately 25 people including engineers, laminators,pattern makers, and apprentices. We are committed to providingexcellent service to our customers and with the growth experienced,now require an Operations Manager and Engineer.

The Operations Manager, in addition to the normal tasks for such a position, must be capable of mentoring and growing theengineering capability, while the candidates for both positions shouldhave fibre composite experience. Full position descriptions areavailable on request. Salary packaging will be negotiated as well as assistance with relocation expenses.

While suitable skills and experience are essential, the candidates mustalso possess a very high level of integrity as well as good personnelmanagement skills in a team environment. Send resumes marked“Confidential” to Norm Watt, Managing Director by mail, or email to [email protected].

Visit our Web site: www.bac.net.au

Accredited to AS3901 (ISO 9001) third party to Lloyd’s RegisterCASA Approved to CAR 35 & 36 • Defence Recognised Supplier

BUCHANAN ADVANCED COMPOSITES

9 Production Court Toowoomba Qld 4350

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