Civil Engineering & Industrial
Sector Challenges and Activity
In challenging physical environments, where the size-to-weight and strength-to-weight of all materials are vital, the integration of our technology into the sensing and monitoring requirements of these structures enables more versatile on-going data capture and monitoring.
Simple production and either integrated or automated deployment, along with the deliberate inert properties of our materials, opens many opportunities for our technology to be used in this sector.
Further, with variable lengths and all manner of embedded cables and fibre-optics possible, with some simple on-site welding or bonding of the seam, pipes and conduits can be created that can be stored and shipped in small containers and then extended at the point of use in effectively unlimited lengths, to undertake a plethora of tasks.
They can be optimised for stiffness, or as pressure pipes, in compression or tension. They can work from the Sahara to the Arctic. They can survive being buried in concrete, or the airless, high radiation environment of space. They can be extended in a single length kilometres down into an oil well or provide tiny actuation mechanisms for compact robotic arms and manipulators. They can be straight, or extend along curves, be circular in section, or extend along a range of different profiles.
Permanent infrastructure can be installed at reduced costs with less environmental impact from transport and installation procedures.
The embedding of sensors such as optical fibres simplifies geotechnical surveys and can provide continuous monitoring of pipelines, foundations, piles and similar structures with minimal impact on the construction process.
Industrial inspection in hostile environments is made simpler, with our ability to form simple, compact and reliable long-reach arms. The capacity to build umbilical cables into the structure further enhances this capability. Rolatube’s first commercial use was in the highly sensitive area of Nuclear Reactor inspection and this expertise can be used wherever access to an inaccessible or hostile environment is needed.
