History of Column Materials

Throughout the historic life of columns, many different types of materials have been used. Dating back to the first time a column was erected, wood has been one of the most common methods of construction. First used in ancient Greece, wood columns have been popular due to their high durability and stain-grade ability.

As history progressed, so did the materials. Many of the most famous columns of the past were erected out of various types of stone such as limestone. Architects and designers found stone difficult to work with when constructing large projects, so several different types of materials have been used to build columns.
Cast Stone

One of the materials used over the past hundred years that has been used for producing architectural columns is a fake limestone, or cast stone. A man-made rock, cast stone tends to be considerably less expensive than natural limestone as well as quicker to produce products in a timely manor. One of the disadvantages of this material is that although it reflects a natural stone’s appearance, it also reflects its weight.
Concrete and Cement

Dating back even further than cast stone, are some of the materials that we see hundreds of times a day, concrete and cement. Concrete dates back over four-thousand years ago to the ancient Egyptians. Around 300 BC, the Romans added strength to the standard substance by mixing in pink sand formed by volcanic ash. This allowed concrete structures to bear more weight and deteriorate slower. Since that time, many different mixtures of cement and concrete have been discovered and hundreds of columns have been erected.

Even though concrete is fairly easy to create a mold for and reproduce quickly, it tends to be extremely heavy and thus difficult to transport. Because of those reasons, column manufacturers are always in search of a more advanced material with the same load bearing capacities of stone yet without the weight. About twenty years ago, column manufacturers happened upon a material now known as FRP that has revolutionized the column industry.

Fiber Reinforced Polymer

FRP, or Fiber Reinforced Polymer has been used in this country since the early 1930s, but its origin has been traced back to the Israelites of 800 BC who reinforced bricks with straw to provide added strength. Beginning in the 1930s, manufacturers began mixing fiberglass with cement to increase strength and lifetime.

After World War Two, fiberglass materials were used to construct boat hulls, and during the 50s the automotive industry introduced fiber reinforced composites into vehicle bodies. This effort led to en even more advanced material called filament wound fiberglass, which is also used to manufacture lightweight columns today.

Since that time, numerous composite materials have been discovered and manufactured for different purposes. A composite has basic elements that define the name. The materials used fall into the following categories: resin, fillers, additives, and fiber reinforcements. The fibers are added in the manufacturing process to increase stiffness and tensile capacity. They also offer a lower thermal expansion coefficient than that of steel. To bind the fibers into a firm matrix, a resin is added to offer high compressive strength. Because resin tends to be quite expensive, fillers are used to reduce cost and shrinkage. The additives help to improve the mechanical, physical and workability properties of the product. Over all, composite materials tend to be a quicker and cheaper way to manufacture products.

Within the last twenty years, column manufacturers have adapted the composite known as FRP, fiberglass reinforced polymer, into their process of producing columns. The result is a lightweight, durable, and inexpensive way to manufacture architectural columns.

To manufacture an FRP column, molds are made for every architectural size column starting from six inches in diameters growing larger to twenty-four inches in diameter and from heights of anywhere between six feet to about twenty-four feet high. Mixtures of fillers, such as marble dust, polyresins, and four to six inch strands of fiberglass are poured into a mold. Once the materials are in the mold, it is spun so that the centrifical force pushes the mixture to the outside of the cast. During this process the mixture hardens so that by the time the mold is done spinning, a column with the load bearing capacity of twenty thousand pounds is formed.

There are many different materials used today in the column industry, but FRP columns tend to be the choice of most consumers. Found to be simple to install, easy to maneuver, and comparatively inexpensive, FRP or PolyClassic columns, are the most popular choice of contractors and homeowners today.