News from FiReP International AGAs of 1st May 2008, the company Rockbolt Systems/Weidmann took a further step in the development of an international corporate group of companies under the name of FiReP®, the registered trademark for Fiber Reinforced Polymer products, as part of our new company name FiReP International AG. With experience of over 20 years FiReP® Group has established itself as one of the leading companies in the field of development, manufacture and sale of GRP products in the construction industry.FiReP® products are used worldwide in the following fields of application:• Tunnelling• Mining• Civil engineering• Concrete reinforcement• FormworkMore details are found on www.firep.com more detailedSteel rock bolting is in the tunnelling industry is well established. Nevertheless, steel bolting is only seen as temporary support measure.FiReP® GRP Rockbolt Systems not only open up new design possibilities, but also offer consulting and project engineers a highly useful addition to the commonly used steel rockbolt systems. They further increase the flexibility of rock bolting, giving a support system which can easily be adjusted to the prevailing rock conditions met during tunnelling.FiReP® Rockbolt Systems are best suited in applications that require high tensile strength and the particular characteristics of fiberglass materials. Applied correctly they contribute substantially to the reduction of construction cost. Benefits of FiReP® in tunnelling applications: • High corrosion resistance• Permanent application• Cuttability• All-thread rebar• High tensile strength• High end loading• Flexibility• Low weight• Easy handling CORROSION RESISTANCEFiReP® GRP Rockbolt Systems are corrosion resistant and are the only currently available rockbolt systems which can be regarded as permanent, even under difficult conditions with aggressive water and rock deformations. Corrosion is the most pressing material problem worldwide. With capital, downtime and material cost rising, corrosion prevention is high on many industries’ list of priorities. Every minute, several tons of steel are lost to corrosion. Construction industry spends enormous amount of money on corrosion protection, only to be disappointed that the problem is simply delayed rather than solved. Conversely, correctly applied FiReP® GRP Rockbolt Systems support the construction over its entire life. Because of its anti-corrosion concept, the FiReP® GRP Rockbolt technology is used increasingly in land reinforcement and as ground anchors.SINGLE-LINING SUPPORT SYSTEMSBecause of the durability of the materials, FiReP® GRP Rockbolt Systems can be utilized not only as a temporary support, as with regular steel rockbolts, but also integrated into the calculations for the final load-bearing structure. In-situ concrete shells can therefore be reduced or even eliminated. This so-called SINGLE-LINING tunnel construction method is widely used in Switzerland in military and civil caverns. The final support consists solely of rockbolts and reinforced shotcrete. With the achieved improvements of those materials, single-lining tunnels will further increase in importance.