DowAksa Selected to Help Preserve Historic Wrigley Field

November 11, 2015 | By Business Wire News

CHICAGO

DowAksa recently signed an agreement with the Chicago Cubs to help restore and preserve Wrigley Field, using DowAksa CarbonWrap^®, the industry’s original carbon fiber reinforced polymer system. The system, which has a strength-to-weight ratio more than 50 times greater than steel, is being used to strengthen and extend the life of the structure, while helping to retain its historic charm.

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“The 1060 Project is a historic undertaking to preserve and restore Wrigley Field, and it is critical for our project team to complete the job with the safest and highest quality materials possible. DowAksa CarbonWrap^® will allow us to save time and limit costs, while improving the quality of the restoration,” said Carl Rice, vice president of the Wrigley Field restoration and expansion.

The 1060 Project will ensure the viability of the ballpark for future generations of Cubs fans, while preserving the beauty, charm and historic features fans have come to know and love. The multi-year plan – which includes structural updates, improved player facilities, new signage, including video boards in left and right field, expanded concessions, new and improved restroom facilities, and much more – launched in 2014 and will be completed in separate phases each offseason.

Unlike typical concrete repair technologies, which often require major chipping and replacing or demolition, the DowAksa CarbonWrap^®system is applied in a manner similar to hanging wallpaper. After patching and smoothing the degraded concrete substrate, a thin fabric of woven carbon fibers is applied to it and saturated with a resin matrix. Once cured, the resulting composite adds significant strength to the structure while only adding about an eighth of an inch in thickness. Finally, a protective top coat is applied to accommodate the heavy traffic areas. When painted, it looks as good as new – but it is actually stronger than new. This ease of application not only saves significant money over traditional repair alternatives, but also helps to accelerate repair efforts.

“This engineered solution has been proven in the field for more than two decades, including restoration of other historic structures,” said Eric Coleman, U.S. General Manager of DowAksa. “We are pleased to partner with the Chicago Cubs to not only help restore this American icon, but to also strengthen it for future generations of fans.”

In addition to ballpark repairs, DowAksa CarbonWrap^® has been used for restoration of bridges, parking decks, buildings and industrial plant infrastructure, including concrete columns and sumps, steel piping and more. The cost- and time-saving benefits include:

Minimal disruption to operations
Applies quickly and easily
Flexible enough to conform to the shape of almost any structure
Adds significant strength and ductility to structures without adding significant weight or mass
Increases pipe strength to even higher than its original pressure rating
Costs much less than typical restoration technologies
Requires no excavation, demolition or heavy equipment
Requires minimal access for installation

About DowAksa

DowAksa is the carbon fiber industry’s large-scale, full service, fully integrated solutions provider. Formed in June 2012 by combining the strengths of The Dow Chemical Company, as the world leader in chemistry and material science, and the capabilities of Aksa, the world’s largest producer of acrylic fibers, the company is committed to reliably supplying materials and solutions to the industrial sectors of transportation, infrastructure and energy markets. Learn more about DowAksa and the CarbonWrap^® system at www.DowAksaUSA.com.