Frequently Asked Questions on Fiberglass Booms

At Waco Boom, we know all there is to know about fiberglass booms. From how to utilize them in your industry and how to customize the boom to your perfect fit, we have the answers! 

Waco Boom’s filament wound booms protect workers who are working on or near electrical lines. It is appropriate for:

• Utility distribution: Proper insulation helps mitigate risks of live line work.
• Utility transmission: Dependable booms allow workers to safely maintain and repair energized lines.
• Tree care: Right-of-way management requires safe, insulated equipment to protect workers from nearby electrical hazards, allowing them to manage trees and shrubs efficiently.
• Construction: Insulated fiberglass booms increase protection and prevent possible damage or injury from a live electrical line.
• Cranes: Facilities maintenance and equipment rental agencies can be prepared with the safest vehicles for whatever job is on the line-up for the day.

• High rigidity and strength
• Electrical insulation
• Lightweight
• Corrosion-resistant

Jibs, upper booms, and lower booms are all made with filament wound booms on telescopic, articulating, and over-center aerial platforms. They are also used on insulated tools and line lifters.

Industries include:

• Aviation and aerospace
• Commercial and retail
• Municipalities, public works, and departments of transportation
• Electric utility
• Telecommunications
• Sign, light, and traffic
• Wind energy
• Tree care and vegetation management

Facilities maintenance and equipment rental agencies can utilize the versatility of cranes with an insulated boom tip. By design, telescopic boom cranes are high-strength and high-reaching. Outfitting cranes with insulated components equip them for utility lines. Booms manufactured at Waco Boom attach to cranes as jib booms to develop insulated tools and aerial work platforms. To get more detailed information on insulated booms for cranes and fiberglass crane jibs, call an expert today.

Insulated elevating work platforms and devices play a key role in facilitating power and lighting infrastructure. These unique machines provide versatility and strength to perform the necessary work. Combined with a Waco Boom filament-wound fiberglass boom, operators can depend on the added protection from damage or injury when encountering live electrical lines.

DC dielectric testing verifies the insulating properties of finished parts.  Lower booms are submerged in water for an hour prior to testing. This ensures no wicking or entrapment of moisture that would be detrimental to the insulating performance of the boom.  Waco Boom uses a 100KV testing unit and employees attend the Von Corp. course for Electrically Testing Insulated Aerial Lift Devices.

Filament-winding is somewhat common for producing storage tanks and pipe, but Waco Boom uses superior, multi-axis filament winders featuring CNC technology with precise control over the orientation of the fibers in the boom throughout the laminate. This precision allows the winders to make the boom customized for its specific end-use application and related stresses. Tension is also controlled in the winding process. The precision and elimination of gaps or inconsistencies cannot be matched with hand lay-up or centrifugal casting.

What is truly special about Waco Boom’s manufacturing process is the combination of filament-winding with an external molding system that is unique to composites. This technology results in a very high fiber-to-resin ratio (typically in excess of 75% fiberglass by weight) which corresponds to an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Waco Boom’s unique molding technology controls the part dimensions to fit the customer’s distinct design.

Filament wound booms are constructed of fiberglass to form the structure of many types of aerial lifts. The filament wound boom provides electrical insulation, which protects workers, the public, and property from any potential threat of electrocution. This unique feature makes filament wound booms ideal for work around power lines.

We don’t have torque specs, would refer to fastener manufacturer’s recommendation for bolt torques.  The torque is not the problem regarding clamping force because the composite has high compressive strength, the issue is the stress concentration caused by the clamping force.  Avoid creating stress concentrations from sharp edged flat washers or from a gap between the fiberglass and the steel, which could cause the composite to have a high flexural load.

The important point is that the gap between the bolts and steel needs to be shimmed to prevent creating a flexural failure or cracking in the laminate or gelcoat.  Typically the lift manufacturer will bond the part to the steel and the adhesive (methyl methacrylate) will act as a gap filling shim. Then drill the hole and torque the bolt.  Should have flat washers with the cupped side of the washer facing the fiberglass so that it does not cut into the surface of the boom.

We recommend Delrin/Acetal or UHMW, from what we have seen used with other customers.

We caution against any moly infused nylons that may be great for steel but terrible for gelcoat. We want to avoid any kind of moly or graphite type solid lubricant as it acts like a grinding compound on the soft gelcoat.