Q&A: Technical Knowledge Sells Composites, says Award-Winning Manufacturer
John Hillman – President, HC Bridge Company
John Hillman developed the hybrid-composite beam (HCB), a bridge beam using a combination of fiberglass, steel and concrete. Eventually, he formed the HC Bridge Company with the purpose of commercializing this new technology. He was recently named 2010 Innovator of the Year by Engineering News-Record.
How did you develop the HCB?
I initiated the project back in 1996. The first experimental testing we did was facilitated through a Transportation Research Board high speed rail idea program, for ideas implementing exploratory analysis. We started with a type 1 grant, where we fabricated the first beam, did the analytical studies, and figured out how to build one and test it. That first phase of research was done with the University of Delaware as our subcontractor and co-investigator. Based on the success of phase one, we received a type 2 grant to look at developing a commercially-viable, cost-efficient manufacturing process. That culminated with lab testing of beams and deployment of the first bridge on a live railroad track in 2007.
How are the beams fabricated?
We use a closed-mold process. We infuse the tension reinforcing, which is usually a steel tie, in with the fiberglass shell, and that encompasses the main component of the beam. As part of that reinforcing, we fabricate in the hollow conduit, where we later inject the compression reinforcement, which is typically concrete.
What challenges did you face designing and engineering the product?
From a manufacturing standpoint, the challenge was manufacturing a part of that size and complexity with fairly inexpensive processes in terms of tooling and labor and infusion process. It turned out to be a lot more challenging than we anticipated. It was certainly more difficult than validating the structural performance, which seemed to work out quite well.
The other big challenge was resistance to a new product. Anytime you try to introduce a new technology, especially in a more conservative industry, is just satisfying the questions and concerns that particular industry has in deploying a new technology. You need to make them feel that by using these beams, they’re not compromising the quality of the structures they’re building.
Were those concerns widespread?
Absolutely, and they always will be due to the nature of what we do. In civil engineering especially, our first and foremost obligation is to public safety. Thus, there are not a lot of incentives to take risks because there really is no tolerance for failure. From my standpoint, I have to be 100 percent confident that whatever we’re designing and implementing is going to be safe.
What convinces them to try something new?
Time, for lack of a better term. You need to do the lab testing, as well as provide a lot of transparency and limit states used to design the technology. That verifies to people that the product is based on sound engineering principles.
In the railroad project, what circumstances led to the embracement of the HCB?
More than anything, it was collectively the result of a few key people in the railroad industry that were willing to keep an open mind. We developed a relationship of trust with them through addressing their concerns. However, it didn’t happen overnight. We had the girders fabricated, tested and validated well before getting approval to put it on the test track. Through that process, I met with key railroad industry individuals every year for 4 to 5 years. In that time, we answered questions they had about the behavior of the material to get them comfortable with the fact that this is a viable technology. We were too stubborn to go away.
How does the HCB beam differ from other composite beams?
The composite people might not like to hear this, but I always emphasize the fact that this is not a plastic structural member—it’s a hybrid member. In regards to bending limit states, 95 percent of the strength and stiffness comes from concrete and steel. Fiberglass still serves as an extremely important function. It is a means of placing the concrete and anchoring the tension reinforcement, but it also transfers the shear loads and provides the corrosion barrier necessary to give the structure longevity.
Can fiberglass be a primary option for beams?
I think you have to think of things a little differently. There’s always a tendency when we’re focused on one aspect of an industry to think there’s only one solution. A lot of the great advances in technology are facilitated by cross-pollination between two industries. For example, concrete was a worthless building material 150 years ago. Then, it was discovered that you could put mild steel in the concrete and control the tension stresses that you could have a versatile material. I view composites in the same way: they have tremendous properties, but not the perfect properties for everything we need to do. Marrying that with conventional materials can compensate for the deficiencies of FRP and exploit its good characteristics.
How does the market look for composites in bridges and infrastructure?
For almost any material, the market is challenging. We’re faced with soaring deficits and reluctance by congressional leaders to address the funding issues necessary to put out large capital programs for transportation. Everyone’s going to be scrambling for whatever money’s available. However, everyone does recognize the deteriorating state of our transportation industry warrants a large amount of funding to bring it to where it needs to be.
The future of transportation will be good, and the opportunity has never been better for composites. There is an emphasis from the industry and the current administration to recognize that it is more responsible and to focus on sustainability. We’re seeing that now. The existing national highway system coincided with baby boomers; it’s 40 to 50 years old, and was built with then-current technology, but is now reaching the end of its service life. A lot of the rate of construction will reach that critical point at the same time. It wasn’t a linear development of the system. We need to be a little more responsible than just putting band-aids out or fixing with the least-cost solution. That’s where composites have a tremendous opportunity. Although the commodity prices of composites are more expensive, they offer a better value, and people are becoming more cognizant of that.
What will be an effective commercialization strategy?
The commercialization strategy for anyone is a triumvirate. You have to entice the owners to convince them of the technology. You have to gain trust of the design engineers who will impact the end product. Finally, you have to gain the confidence of the contractors that it’s a viable technology to make their lives easier. Our strategy is to reach out to all three of those facets simultaneously and build a level of trust and confidence that this is a product that will change the future of an industry.
It’s difficult as a new company to penetrate a conservative industry with a new technology like this. It’s going to take time, and the time is more important than the money. A general rule of thumb states that it takes 18 years for a new technology to make it in the transportation sector. I can validate that, because we’ve been working on this for 14 years. If we had deep pockets and could throw $10 million to 20 million into the product, adoption probably wouldn’t have happened any faster. I think the industry is beginning to embrace this technology and that we’ve gained their trust. As demand increases, we can scale up our capacity.
What knowledge do you need in order to sell to the infrastructure market?
A technical sales force is a necessity. Representatives need to be well-versed, if not already practicing structural engineers. That’s the experience the owners and designers want to see to maintain confidence and trust in what we’re promoting. You can’t just send someone out the door with brochures and glossy pictures. They’ll ask you a lot of technical questions and if you can’t talk the talk, you won’t sell anything.
What kinds of questions should a salesperson expect to hear?
You need to know what loads are applied to the structures, what critical limit states need to be satisfied, construction methodologies and details, longevity, performance due to fatigue loadings, general material properties. Those are the main things. They’ll want to know how it performs relative to what they’re using now. If you don’t understand what they have now, you can’t sell them the future.
What equipment or knowledge is needed to manufacture products for the infrastructure market?
One of the things that still fascinates me is that there are highly-scientific elements that are precise but there are some that are still an art. The key to developing new products is putting a strong emphasis on both art and science. Closed molding is a unique animal and it requires not only having the right equipment, but also the right people that have been in the trenches. There are a lot of nuances to manufacturing a quality part that are not evident from other aspects. It’s not rocket science, though. Other companies should look toward keeping an open mind to these crossover technologies and how you can modify those processes to make products that have value.
Which elements are scientific, and which are artistic?
The scientific parts are the precision of cutting and manufacturing pre-forms, vacuum systems, development of the materials, and engineering resins for specific applications. The artistic side is understanding in a complex composite how the manufacturing process will be influenced by the positioning of the infusion, vacuum, lay up and the transfer mediums, and knowing where to put things so the product comes out as a quality part. It’s not a terribly complex composite, but there aren’t computer models that give you the obvious answer as to how to do an infusion. You have to roll up your sleeves and figure it out.
Is there one aspect manufacturers have a harder time grasping?
If you’re building boat hulls, every one of them is exactly the same. Once you figure out the scientific process of doing that infusion, it becomes very cookie cutter. The companies that will excel will develop a process, but may need a completely different process when they switch to another type of product. It’s like knowing how to make cookies, but being able to make different kinds of cookies. To me, you have to have the artistic vision first and the science will follow.
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