Short notice given only substantially as follows: A polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) fibre in development by AlliedSignal, based in Petersburg, Virginia, USA, is showing enormous potential for high quality sailcloths. Called Pentex, the fibre can be woven to give fabrics which are 2.5 times lower in stretch than traditional sails of the same weight. This suggests the possibility of making much lighter weight sails with comparable performance. The fibre has already been used to make Super Modulus sails by Challenge Sailcloth Inc of Vernon Conn., USA. When used for racing yachts, the fabric has proved to have an excellent flex life as well as good resistance to ultraviolet radiation. Further, fabrics based on Pentex can be heat-set and shrunk at elevated temperatures which produces a but which compares in performance with a laminate, Challenge Sailcloth says. As well as having a high modulus, the breaking strength of Pentex is virtually the same as conventional polyester, the dominant yarn in sailcloth manufacturing at present. This was revealed in tests of matching 1000 denier yarns which broke under much the same load, although with Pentex there was less stretch. Nevertheless, the modulus of Pentex is not as high as the aramids which are also used in high quality sailcloths; however, the aramids are limited by their poor resistance to ultraviolet radiation. Although the fibre is still under test, the potential is indicated by the fact that a boat dressed with 3.8 Super Modulus Pentex sails won the Gold Metal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta (Savannah). Comparative modulus of synthetic yarns used in sailcloths (Table 1): Nylon 50 g/denier Modulus; Polyester 100 g/denier; PEN (Pentex) 250 g/denier; Aramid (Kevlar) 550 g/denier. Standard testing for resistance to uv-radiation shows that, in this respect, Allied Signal's Pentex is not only better than aramids but also conventional polyester (Table 2 / Figures show percentage of retained strength after exposure to a xenon source at 150 or 601 kJ). 100 % conv. Polyester bei 150 kJ 34,4 % und 12,7 % bei 601 kJ. 100 % Pentex 150 kJ/86,8 % und 601 kJ/58,3 %.
Polyethylene naphthalate fibre makes tougher sailcloths
PEN-Faser macht widerstandsfähige Segeltücher
High Performance Textiles ; 7 ; 2
1997
1 Seite, 2 Tabellen
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
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