FORTRESS
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FORTRESS COMPOSITES

Pultrusions

Fortress uses proprietary developed composite pultrusions in its construction process. No wood.

In comparison to metal and aluminum, pultrusions are much more lightweight (75% more lightweight than steel and 30% more lightweight than aluminum), which can make a tremendous difference in many industries including transportation, aerospace, sporting equipment and many others.

Another advantage is that steel, aluminum and other metals have isotropic properties, or equal strength in every direction. Pultrusions on the other hand, can have applied reinforcement where it is needed, allowing for more efficiency.

Benefits of Pultrusion Over Wood / Structural Timber

The most obvious advantage of pultruded material over wood is that pultrusions will not rot, mildew, mold or warp due to weather or moisture exposure. They are also not at risk for insect infestation. And unlike wood when wet, pultrusion is non-conductive, making it a much safer material for many types of applications.

Another key advantage is that pultrusion material is lighter in weight than structural timber, but at the same time pultrusion is still much stronger and more rigid.

Benefits of Pultrusion Over Steel

The three greatest benefits of pultrusion over steel are non-conductivity, corrosion resistance and being up to 75% more lightweight (even though pultrusion is just as strong or more so than steel on a pound for pound basis.) These properties make a tremendous impact on providing safety, lower long-term cost and better design, depending on the application you are supporting. Unlike steel, pultrusion is non-conductive, both thermally and electrically.

With pultrusion you get all of these benefits without the rust and cost of replacing corroded and oxidized materials due to weather, moisture and chemical exposure. Steel often requires painting or galvanizing to maintain. Because of this, pultruded material often has a lower life cycle cost than steel.

Another advantage is that pultrusion is transparent to radio waves and EMI/RFI transmissions. This often makes pultrusion the optimal solution for many types of radio, radar and antenna applications.

In addition, pultruded structural profiles can be fabricated with simple tools and does not require welders. Because pultrusion is lightweight, it is easier to install than steel and may not require special erection or lift equipment.

Benefits of Pultrusion Over Aluminum

While aluminum is heavier and has high thermal conductivity and high electrical conductivity, as well as low corrosion resistance, pultrusion is the opposite: lightweight, non-conductive (thermally and electrically) and highly corrosion resistant. Pultrusion is approximately 30% lighter than aluminum.

Both aluminum and pultrusion are strong, but the dimensional stability of pultrusion is much higher. In addition, pultrusion are impact resistant and EMI/RFI transparent, whereas aluminum can easily dent and deform under impact and will interfere with transmissions.

The cost of aluminum may be comparable or even less than pultrusion, but because of corrosion and malleability of aluminum, the total long-term costs of pultrusion are less expensive. In addition, pultrusion may be a much safer option for many types of applications.

As for mounting cabinets, ladders roof mounted A/C’s. We place backers in customer requested areas, this can be EGS steel or solid composite backers depending on load requirements. All roofs are can be walked on for maintenance. These materials are used on RV’s and food trucks. The food trucks sometimes have several A/C’s and two restaurant style hood fans that are around 95lbs each.

R-value will vary depending wall thickness. Our 1” wall is around R7 and can be higher if XPS foam is used in place of EPS.

Exterior and interior wall panels

Used to bond to core panels.
Repair ability.  — Repaired the same as a fiberglass panel.
Impact resistant.  — Withstands hail and other small objects.
Continuous length. — Cut to full length without seams.
Excellent corrosion properties. — Unaffected by most corrosive chemicals the environments.
Water Resistant. — Impervious to water penetration, mold and condensation.
Thermal insulation. — Lower transfer of heat or cold.
R-value. — Can be adjusted to higher values for refrigeration trucks.
Health. — No formaldehyde and VOC’s from composites and adhesives.
Food safe. — Can be used for food transport or storage.
Superior Bonding. — Excellent bond to sub panels and core.
Good surface finish. — 5-year UV stabilized. Excellent surface for paint and or graphics.
Dimensional Stability. — Stretch, wrap and swell-resistant over a wide range of temperatures and physical stresses.
Low weight. — This will give a higher cargo capacity.
High strength. — Will withstand the demands of a transport or working vehicle.
Low-maintenance. — Less seams and trim allow for less seal maintenance.
Long life cycle. — This material will look better for longer.

This construction can be adapted to any OEM chassis currently on the market. Fortress can provide
just the box, or the customer can mount the box to the drop shipped chassis.

Weight savings

The Fortress truck has a 500 lbs. weight benefit compared to a typically built 14’ box trucks using
steel framed floors with dimensional lumber decking, framed steel walls and roof with aluminum
exterior panels and plywood interior panels. For specialty vehicles with fixed floor plans, a 200-
300lbs may be saved by using our composite floor and rear wall.

Interior and exterior panel options.

We have several choices for the interior and exterior finishes from high gloss to matte finish, color
and materials.

The box panels are assembled before mounting to the chassis. This results in a more structural and
squarer box. The side skirts are strong enough to support the entire weight. Adding under floor
storage is very easy.