Different types of material are used for reinforcing of extruded profiles made of rubber and thermoplastic materials. One such popular material is treated glass cords used extensively in the building and the automotive industry. Some of the features of glass cords that makes it suitable for extruded profiles include:

• Prevention of stretching
• Reduction of waste
• On line cutting permissible
• Good weathering properties

Characteristics of Glass Cords
In the manufacturing of glass Cords, glass fibres are treated with formulations of special latex/resin. This treatment of special kind gives certain kind of advantages. It prevents inter-filament abrasion and enhances product life. Here a solid basis is provided for chemical bond between glass fibres and a vast range of extruded rubber profiles as well as thermoplastic elastomers. Glass Cords are plied and twisted into constructions of uniform diameters. Smooth surfaces ensures easy introduction through dies into the extruded profiles.

Glass Fibre displays excellent stress:strain properties as compared to many other types of reinforcement media. The following graphs corroborates the point.



New Methods of Reinforcing extruded Profiles
Further developments made in the processing technology is now allowing profiles made of thermoplastic to be extruded with continuous fibres throughout their length. And making this possible is an unique high pressure, crosshead die. This permits the volume of glass and its position within the profile to be perfectly engineered for meeting the specific requirements of the design. The production process of manufacturing this reinforced extruded profiles with continuous length of glass fibres is shown here:


The profiles manufactured this way have been able to increase their rigidity to a whopping 500% as compared to conventional thermoplastic profiles. Two key factors in this process are the bond strength between matrix and the fibre as well as the type of crosshead die used. Listed here are some of the chief advantages:

• High strength-to-weight ratio
• Resistance to corrosion
• Electrically insulated
• Thermal insulation
• Dimensional stability under thermal loading
• Electromagnetic transparency

Reinforced Vs Non reinforced Profiles
The following table looks at some of the mechanical properties of reinforced and non reinforced profiles in case of PVC material. The figures that are reproduced here are taken from ideal situation in laboratory conditions, before you decide to go for reinforced profiles it's better to get expert advice.

Property	Non- reinforced Profiles	Reinforced
Strain at Failure (%)	12	16
Modulus(MPa)	600	1100
Strain at yield(%)	4	6
Tensile stress at yield(MPa)	32	82