Commercial & Industrial Lighting
Why GRP?
- Resistant to chemicals
- Resistant to weather
- Stronger
- Fire Resistant
- Suitable for ALL common applications
| Feature | Polycarbonate (PC) | Glass Reinforced Polyester (GRP/SMC) |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical resistence | Generally weak resistence against industrial and households chemicals as well as hot steam | Higher resistence against industrial and households chemicals (see table below for details) |
| Outdoor application | Loss of strength because of embrittlement in 2 years | Hardly measurable loss of strength in 20 years |
| Susceptibility to strain of corrosion | High (at the screws and cover fixing points) |
Low |
| Resistance to Ammonia | Not resistant to the ammonia produced by some standard mains cable insulation | Not affected by ammonia |
| Characteristic | Mainly amorphous, eventually minerally filled, shock-resistant plastics with little absorption of water. Unsuitable for long-term dynamic load. | Not melting or thermic deforming stiff plastic. Decomposition from ca. 400°C - short-term temperature loading > 200° possible. No creepage or shrinkage |
| Reinforcement | No reinforcement | 20 - 25% glass fibre |
| Price stability | PC price depends from oil price | SMC price independent from oil price |
| Classification | Amorph Thermoplast | Duroplast |
| Chemical basis | Polycondensate from Bisphenol A | Compound from UP-resin, glass fibre and non-organic filling materials |
| Melting point | ca. 220° C | Does not melt |
| Refractory deformation temperature | ca. 145° C | Does not deform |
| Permanent temperature resistance (+) | ca. 125° C | > 150°C |
| Permanent temperature resistance (-) | Brittle | -40°C (keeps the good features) |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion | 0.7ˆ10-0.4 | 10ˆ10-6 (like steel) |
| Elasticity E-Modul | ca. 2400 MPa | ca. 9000 MPa |
| Tensile strength | ca. 60 MPa | ca. 55 MPa |
| Bending strength | ca. 70 MPa | ca. 150 MPa |
| Impact strength at RT | Any break (unfilled) | ca. 60 kJ |
| Impact strength at -30°C | Any break (unfilled) | ca. 65 kJ |
| Current leakage strength | CTI 150 | CTI 600 |
| Glow wire test (1.5mm) | Adjustable till 850°C | Adjustable till 850°C |
Chemical Resistance Table
| Chemical Material Investigated | Polycarbonate | Glass Reinforced Polyester |
|---|---|---|
| Acetic Acid up to 5% |  |
|
| Acetic Acid up to 15% |  |
|
| Actone |  |
|
| Alcohol up to 30% | |
|
| Alcohol concentrate | |
|
| Ammonia 25% |  |
|
| Aniline | |
|
| Aromatic Hydrocarbons | |
|
| Battery Acid |  |
|
| Benzene | |
 |
| Carbon Dioxide | |
|
| Carbon Monoxide | |
|
| Carbon Tetrachloride | |
|
| Caustic Soda 2% | |
|
| Caustic Soda 10% | |
|
| Chloroform | |
|
| Common Salt | |
|
| Crude Oil | |
|
| Diesel Oil | |
|
| Dioxane | |
|
| Ether | |
|
| Ethyl Acetate | |
|
| Glycerine | |
|
| Glycol | |
|
| Hydrobromic Acid | |
|
| Hydrocarbons | |
|
| Hydrochloric Acid 5% | |
|
| Hydrochloric Acid 30% | |
|
| Hydrochloric Acid 96% | |
|
| Hydrogen Peroxide 40% | |
|
| Hydrogen Peroxide over 40% | |
|
| Hydrogen Sulphide | |
|
| Keystones | |
|
| Lysol | |
|
| Metal Salts and their aqueous solutions | |
|
| Methanol | |
|
| Methylene Chloride | |
|
| Milk of Lime | |
|
| Nitric Acid 5% | |
|
| Nitric Acid 30% | |
|
| Nitric Acid concentrate | |
|
| Petrol | |
|
| Petroleum Ether | |
|
| Phenol | |
|
| Pyridine | |
|
| Sea Water | |
|
| Soap Suds | |
|
| Soda | |
|
| Sulphuric Acid 5% | |
|
| Sulphuric Acid 30% | |
|
| Sulphuric Acid concentrate | |
|
| Sulphurous Acid 5% | |
|
| Synthetic detergent | |
|
| Turpentine | |
|
| Water up to 70ºC | |
|
| Xylene | |
|
Key
- Resistant
- Resistant within limits
- Not resistant