Zero Corrosion Sheet Pile Elements with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bars

Project Information

PRECOPAL

Grant agreement ID: 790367

DOI

10.3030/790367

Project closed

EC signature date 24 November 2017

Start date 1 November 2017

End date 31 March 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Nanotechnologies

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

SIGMA C SUD
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PRECOPAL (Zero Corrosion Sheet Pile Elements with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bars)

Reporting period: 2017-11-01 to 2018-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The urbanized world is supported using steel sheet piles (SSP) or concrete sheet piles (CSP). Despite the massive use of this technology, these structures are by their nature subject to oxidation, being realised entirely by metal (SSP) or with concrete reinforced with metal bars (CSP). In places where oxidising conditions are extreme, their useful lifespan is reduced to a few years, resulting in high costs for their maintenance or replacement.
With Precopal we will be the first to realize a reinforced CSP with fiberglass bars totally resistant to oxidation, guaranteeing a useful lifespan up to 4 times longer and allowing huge savings in different sectors of construction. The project will be oriented towards obtaining the following main objectives:
• technology optimization
• Obtaining certificates and standards for the sale of Precopal units;
• Development of an innovative installation system (water jet)
The FS confirms the uniqueness of our solution, its technical feasibility and commercial profitability even in the worst scenario. Precopal has already aroused great enthusiasm in our clients, who expressed their interest with letters of interests.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY, including: Technology definition and in-depth cost analysis; SoA assessment; Detailed technical plan to increase TRL to 9; Analysis of risks and design of a mitigation and contingency plan.
COMMERCIAL AND EXPLOITATION PLAN, including: Market analysis, end user’s segmentation, main competitors, commercial barriers; definition of commercial strategy, FTO analysis, definition of IPR strategy.
FINANCIAL PLAN, including: business model, price policy; benefits for end users and 3 sales scenarios.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Precopal is the future of sheet piles: so far there is no solution on the market to overcome oxidation problems derived from particularly oxidizing environments (marine environments, such as consolidation of the channels’ banks, extension of ports, coastal protection, isolation of waste disposal areas). Precopal will have a huge impact reducing the costs for the application of this technology by a third and a quarter, guaranteeing enormous economic benefits to end users and allowing a huge growth for our company (+ 5.4 M EUR revenue and + 32 new employees at the third commercialisation year).

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