Several years ago, the Konkan Railway approached city based DRDO - R&D Engineers - with this query: would they be able to reinforce several dilapidated railway bridges using Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites? “When Konkan railway contacted us, we told them we were still in the process of developing the technology. Now the technology is fairly developed and the Indian Navy is one of the interested customers,” said Dr Makarand Joshi, scientist, DRDO.

FRP composites can be wrapped like a bandage on columns that have developed cracks. Once repaired with FRPs the columns are said to be stronger than their original structure - this is how oil companies rehabilitated their structures in Bhuj after the earthquake in 2002. The R and D (E) is part of a Navy project in Kolkata.

Part of this warship will be fabricated with a Fibre Reinforced Polymer, which will make it lighter and tougher; it will be easier to maintain. The Navy structure will have an additional advantage-it will be a smart structure, which will be able to communicate if it has developed a fault. Scientists will inject sensors into the FRP structure, which will be hooked up to a computer and the data will be decoded by scientists who will know if the structure develops deficiencies.

“The Indian Navy ships are exposed to harsh conditions during operations; they are interested in strain monitoring structures for their ships,” said Joshi. “The challenge is to use the sensor inputs to isolate the damaged location of the structure. We have developed that algorithm,” he added. R&D scientists say they could graduate to making different parts of the ships like sonar dome enclosures or even ship hulls using FRP composites, which could replace heavier metals.

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