American Electric Power (AEP) collaborated with GEF Incorporated to replace heavy, crack-prone concrete utility trench covers with the FRP cover UTILICOVER™ made with fibreglass products from Strongwell.
The UTILICOVER offers weight reduction by more than 50%, safe and easy installation, and low maintenance and cost. The fibreglass can also easily be adjusted to match various trench widths.
Two substation installation jobs in Virginia and Tennessee, USA, were completed in March 2007. In the course of six and a half days, a three-man crew used 12 tons of UTILICOVER panels to replace 70 tons of concrete covers. The project manager said the fibreglass covers were installed more quickly by hand than the concrete covers could be removed with an excavator.
Strongwell, a pultruder of FRP composites, is headquartered in Bristol, Virginia, USA.