Madewell Products Has Won Another MRVP With GFRP Reinforcement

We are excited to announce that Madewell Products has won another Major Road Project (MRPV) in Victoria, which will use 50,000 linear meters of sustainable and environmentally-friendly glass fibre reinforcement (GFRP) in lieu of conventional steel mesh on the Pound Road West Upgrade!


In consultation with Madewell Products in Carrum Downs, Seymour Whyte designed and specified the glass fibre reinforcement bars on the Pound Road West Upgrade.


The glass fibre reinforcement bars are going to be fabricated and supplied as meshed sheets (manufactured locally) by Madewell Products in Carrum Downs. Each sheet is the equivalent of SL82 which weighs up to 52kg whereas our glass fibre sheets only weigh 18kg. 17 tons of weight saved alone. Besides weight and savings in carbon emissions (from manufacturing to transport), GFRP is twice as strong in tensile strength and has a higher bond strength to concrete compared to conventional steel. Any concrete structures reinforced with GFRP won’t be affected in future by corrosion issues which causes concrete spalling/cancer due to achieving a 100% non-corrosive benefit. 


Reference service life: The RSL is understood as the period of time until V-Rod rebars are replaced or restored. The service lifetime of V-Rod is equal to the lifetime of the construction works it is installed in, and thus 50 years is the default RSL. V-Rod GFRP products can reach over 100 years' of service life.


Link to reference


Aside from its environmental benefits, GFRP reinforcement;

  • are more cost-effective in various applications
  • use less energy to manufacture compared to steel reinforcements
  • exceed the tensile strength and bond
  • strength of steel bars- are rustproof, non-conductive, non-ferrous
  • are lighter, which makes installation easier and safer on site

Find out more about the Pound Road West Upgrade.