Boatcraft Pacific Fibre Reinforcing Materials

14 Dulwich St., Loganholme, Queensland, 4129, Australia
P07 3806 1944 (+617 3806 1944) F07 3209 7711 (+617 3209 7711)

Click here for the fibreglass cloth data sheet index.

Fibre Engineering Properties.

Material Density (g/m3) Tensile Strength (GPa) Youngs Modulus (GPa) Tenacity (gram/denier) Toughness (gram/denier) Dielectric Constant

E-Glass 2.55 2 - 3.4 80 3.5 0.03 6.2

S-Glass 2.49 4.75 89

Carbon 2.00 1.6 - 5 525 11 0.02 NA

Kevlar 29 1.44 2.8 64

Kevlar 49 1.44 3.75 136

Aramid 1.4 3.1 - 3.6 60 - 180 23 0.3 4.5

Innegra S 0.84 0.6 18 8 0.6 2.1

Toughness is the ability of a material to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing

Tenacity is the customary measure of strength of a fiber or yarn. In the U.S. it is usually defined as the ultimate (breaking) strength of the fiber (in gram-force units) divided by the denier.

Basic comparison between the main desirable features of generic fibres.

Property	Aramid	Carbon	Glass
High Tensile Strength	B	A	B
High Tensile Modulus	B	A	C
High Compressive Strength	C	A	B
High Compressive Modulus	B	A	C
High Flexural Strength	C	A	B
High Flexural Modulus	B	A	C
High Impact Strength	A	C	B
High Interlaminar Shear Strength	B	A	A
High In-plane Shear Strength	B	A	A
Low Density	A	B	C
High Fatigue Resistance	B	A	C
High Fire Resistance	A	C	A
High Thermal Insulation	A	C	B
High Electrical Insulation	B	C	A
Low Thermal Expansion	A	A	A
Low Cost	C	C	A

Notes about the materials.

S-Glass Compared with E Glass, this has higher strength, and high stiffness. As it is glass it is non flammable, resistant to heat, has good chemical resistance and maintains its strengtth over a wide range of conditions. It is more expensive, has relatively low fatigue resistance and higher density compared to carbon and organic fibres.

Aramid, Kevlar Kevlar is the Dupont trade name for Aramid. The bright golden yellow filamentshave high strength and low density which gives very high specific strength. All grades have good resistance to impact, and lower modulus grades are used in ballistic applications. They also offer good resistance to abrasion and thermal degradation, howver UV will slowly cause deterioration.

Carbon Produced by the controlled oxidation (burning) of (usually) polyacrylonitrile fibres. Carbon fibre has the highest stiffness of any commercially available fibre, high strength in tension and compression and high resistance to corrosion, creep and fatigue. Carbon however has lower impact strength than glass and some have particularly brittle characteristics.

Innegra A tough, light weight, high performance fibre. Can often be substituted for other fibres with little re-engineering. It has high tenacity and stiffness, high toughness and energy absorption, great thermomechanical stability, good creep resistance, and good chemical resistance. When carbon fails, it usually does so catastophically. With Inegra it is possible to design for a prgressive failure without compromising other properties. Inegra is being used in automotive applications, aerospace, boating, sporting goods, surfboards, kayaks and canoes, helmets, and ballistioc armor.

Dynel A low density, high tenacity fibre with good impact resistance but low modulus. Its lack of stiffness usually precludes it from inclusion in a composite component, but it is useful where low weight, high impact or abrasion resistance, and low cost is required. It is mainly used as a surfacing material, as it can be very smooth, keeps weight down and works well with most resin types.

Design Notes

Selecting the Correct Fabric Fabrics (or cloths) are usually woven materials with warp and weft at 90°to each other. For general sheathing, isotropic properties are acceptable (same properties in both directions). Fabrics of between 165g/sqm-290g/sqm (or 5oz-8oz/sq.yd) are most common as they are easy to handle and can be used in multiple layers if necessary in areas requiring additional reinforcement. Unidirectional materials and some stitched multiaxial materials can also be used but their use is more specialized. Their specific fibre orientation and flat construction make them ideal for structural sheathing.

Orientation of Fabric Finally, since reinforcing fibres are designed to be loaded along their length, and not across their width, the orientation of the fibres creates highly ‘direction-specific’ properties in the composite. This ‘anisotropic’ feature of composites can be used to good advantage in designs, with the majority of fibres being placed along the orientation of the main load paths. This minimises the amount of parasitic material that is put in orientations where there is little or no load.

Boatcraft Pacific does not hold itself out as an expert in the above matters. The information has been compiled from a number of sources and has not been independently verified. Boatcraft pacific takes no responsibility for its accuracy and will accept no liability no matter how it may arise which flows from reliance on the above information.

Enquiries

Please call Boatcraft Pacific 07 3806 1944 ( +617 3806 1944) for how to contact your nearest reseller.