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May 6, 2015 — A top state university in Gainesville, Fla., has been so impressed by the “cool-to-touch” properties of its first two Fibrelite composite steam manhole covers that it has now scheduled a replacement program for all metal steam covers across its entire campus.
David Holmes, Fibrelite technical director, explained: “The university decided to seek an alternative to their existing covers after concerns were raised internally regarding public safety: Two traditional cast-iron steam covers were reaching such extreme high surface temperatures that they had to be blocked off. In addition, the weight of the covers was such that even when handled at a safe temperature, staff were at risk of other manual handling injuries.”
The thermal gradient properties of Fibrelite’s composite steam covers significantly reduce the heat transfer from a steam vault to the surface of the cover. Typically the surface temperature of a Fibrelite cover is only slightly above ambient temperature, even when subjected to extremely hot temperatures on the underside. In fact, Fibrelite composite steam covers maintain their cool-to-touch properties and ability to support vehicular loads even when pushed to a test temperature of 400O F.
And the covers can always be lifted quite easily and safely by an operative using a specially designed ergonomic lifting handle, which eliminates the risk of manual handling injuries.
Fibrelite’s composite steam covers are available in a range of sizes and load ratings. Designed to be easy to install and durable, they are maintenance-free, lightweight, and very strong as a matter of course. And they incorporate an anti-slip/skid surface for added safety.
The covers can also be molded in virtually any color or color-combination and, since the pigment is added into the resin during manufacture, there are no problems with the color scratching or fading over time. This means that covers can incorporate logos and/or be color-coded to match a facility’s branding - or even to identify the specific underground service that can be accessed via a particular cover.
For more information, visit www.fibrelite.com.
