Page 90 - Industrial Plants

M.M.: a key player in frp development for 45 years

M.M. was the first FRP (fibreglass-reinforced polymers) grating manufacturer in Europe. The Friulian company
- established in 1977 - is now active on both the Italian and international markets, by offering high-quality
gratings, profiles, manhole covers and composite structures.
Strengths
Competence and reliability are the strengths that have allowed M.M. to establish itself as a key international
player. Besides its FRP gratings, the company has now become a fibreglass structures reference point, thanks
to its many fields of applications, such as the water treatment, energy, telecommunications, railway
infrastructure and shipbuilding industries.
Dedicated design team
M.M.’s in-house design team provides bespoke consultancy and value-added services, such as technical
design (2D and 3D drawings, BIM), calculation reports, new-solution feasibility studies and corrosion analyses.
Turnkey projects
M.M. is the ideal partner for fulfilling “turnkey” projects: from the design and production phase to the quotation
stage and after-sales service, M.M.’s No. 1 priority is customer satisfaction. The company guarantees efficient
technical support throughout the entire order development process, by providing advice and specific services
to create ad hoc solutions.

Therefore, installation involved focusing exclusively on include the denitrification tank, oxidation tank, settler,
the few connections required between the FRP thickener, sludge stabilisation tank and blower
structures and the fixing points, which had already chambers, in addition to the structures that provide
been set up when installing the pre-existing steel access to the former and are needed for inspection,
walkways to the tanks. maintenance and correct operation purposes. Such
structures comprise multi-sized inclined stairways that
provide access to the various tanks; landings; access
Case study: purification plant platforms supported by columns or brackets directly
Another example of the use of FRP in the industrial mounted to the reinforced concrete walls; gratings
sector is the structures built within the Hera Group- supported by intermediate beams or installed directly
managed water purification plant in Sasso Marconi on the reinforced concrete flooring; and handrail
(BO), Italy. The existing plant was subjected to systems to confine the work areas and prevent any falls
maintenance work on both the concrete structures that from height.
These structures were originally made of steel in the
existing buildings but, as a result of the highly corrosive
environment, caused by the chemicals and gases
released during the purification treatments, the client
opted to replace these with a fibreglass-reinforced
composite material (i.e. FRP). The same material was
also chosen for the access and maintenance structures
of the newly built tanks.
More specifically, M.M. predominantly supplied access
stairways to the various tanks. Since such tanks were
quite tall (up to 5 m in height) and vary in size and
considering the rather narrow clearances for installation
of the accessways, as large manoeuvring areas had to
be left for the vehicles to access the purifier once it had
been recommissioned, the only option was to create
rapidly ascending structures. The stairways were built
with short flights, connected to one another by means
of intermediate landings, in turn, supported by turrets
of varying and increasing heights. Alternatively,
wherever ground access was not possible, landings
and walkways - supported by brackets directly
Purification plant: M.M. fibreglass structures (walkways, handrail systems mounted to the tanks’ reinforced concrete walls - were
and stairways) produced. In some cases, removable elements were

IndustrIal Plants - May 2022
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