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History
Armor Plate® Pipe Wrap was developed to provide industry with an economical structural repair system for corroded and mechanically-damaged
pipes. The material will also repair concrete, steel, asbestos, vinyl, and fiberglass pipe. The Armor Plate, Inc. venture originated
from Wil-Cor, Inc. which possesses the registered trade name of Armor Plate. Wil-Cor, Inc. started business in 1978 and formulates epoxy
polyester resins for floor coatings, tank linings, grouts, and adhesives for industry. Wil-Cor, Inc. also has field crews that have been
repairing fiberglass pipe and structures, fabricating fiberglass pipe and applying chemical resistant linings to concrete pits and tanks
since 1978.
Recognizing the potential for developing a pipe repair method using composite materials, Armor Plate, Inc. started an extensive
testing program in the fall of 1997. The intent of this research program was to ensure that the Armor Plate® Pipe Wrap system would
adequately meet the repair needs of the oil and gas industry. Stress Engineering Services, Inc. of Houston, Texas was selected as
the engineering firm to conduct the evaluation because of their extensive experience in pipeline analysis and testing.
The intent of the test program was to evaluate the structural integrity of the system in terms of composite materials and interaction
with various piping geometries. An imperative in the evaluation was that testing must simulate field conditions and possess
representative loads common to pipeline systems. By the early summer of 1998 it was apparent that Armor Plate, Inc. had developed
a system that could repair any number of pipeline anomalies involving practically any pipeline geometry. In July of 1998, Fred Wilson,
president of Armor Plate, Inc., and Chris Alexander, an engineering consultant with Stress Engineering Services, Inc., made a
presentation to the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) about Armor Plate® Pipe Wrap. Joe Caldwell, former head of OPS, was instrumental
in setting up this meeting. The outcome of the meeting was two-fold. For Armor Plate, Inc. it served as encouragement to continue
research and development and that OPS was encouraging of innovative technologies such as composite materials. For the Office of Pipeline
Safety, it was confirmation that organizations like Armor Plate, Inc., along with pipeline companies, were anxious to see some type of
ruling. Although it would take time for this ruling to take effect, by January of 2000 the OPS had made their ruling and Armor Plate
Pipe Wrap was mentioned prominently throughout the document.
The greatest growth in the business operation for Armor Plate, Inc. took place in 2001. Numerous world-wide installations were made
in regions such as Alaska, Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, and South Africa. Product development continued during this same period involving
long-term testing, evaluating the high-temperature system, and investigations relating to the underwater application system.
In addition to research and development, Armor Plate, Inc. also embarked on an extensive marketing campaign including a web site,
marketing literature, and the production of a video providing information on the repair system and installation procedures.
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