Core Composites
Tel (401) 846-6008
Fax (401) 849-7903
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Aramid Fiber
Kevlar® / Twaron®
Aramid fiber’s properties make it suitable for many industries. It can
be found in • optical fiber cables • ballistics (helmets, vests & armor),
• elastomer reinforcements (hoses, transmission belts & conveyer
belts), •tires, • linear tension members (rope & Cable) • Heat & Cut
protection (boots, clothing, aprons, gloves & helmets) and our favorite
Composites.
Due to its low density, stiffness and high resistance to damage it is
widely used in the marine and transportation industries to build
lighter, stronger, stiffer and more durable parts. Aramid is ideal for
hulls, in fact almost all of the boats in the Volvo Ocean Race use
Aramid reinforcements. Many high performance power boats and
high speed ferries also take advantage of weight savings and
increased fatigue resistance of this high performance fiber.
With today’s increasing fuel costs and demand for increased speeds
you can not debate that even recreational power and sail boats can
benefit from the weight savings and increased strength using Aramid
and Aramid/Fiberglass hybrids. You are also building in value by
using a damage and fatigue resistant fiber that is sure to extend the
usable life of you composite parts.
Aramid Reinforcements Features
Features Benefits
Excellent Tensile Strength: Hard to cut, hard to penetrate on
3620 MPa (525 ksi) impact. Excellent for parts that will
take sharp impact loads such as
canoes, off shore sail and power
boats.
Low Density: The lowest weight of all major
1.44 gm/cm3 (.052 lb/in3) reinforcing fibers make this an
excellent “bulk builder” in single
skinned infused laminates where
skin bulking and low laminate weight
are a concern.
Good Stiffness: For it’s low weight, aramid offers
131 GPa (19 msi) laminate bulk to improve thickness
without a weight penalty as well as
double the stiffness of E-glass.
Excellent Toughness: Aramid fiber will yield prior to
breaking and is very difficult to fail
even with sharp impact loads.
Works well as a hybrid material: Aramid’s are successfully combined
with E and S-Glass as well as
carbon fibers to enhance the
laminate impact and thickness
properties at the lowest possible
weight.
Negative Coefficient of For high temperature applications
linear expansion: this low CTE can provide very stable
-4.3 x 106 (-2.4 x 106) mountings for electrical
components.
Low Dielectric Constant: Good radar transparency
4 at 1 MHz
Cautions with Aramid Fiber
Aramid fibers are difficult to cut and grind so installation is somewhat difficult. It is
important to have the proper cutting and grinding tools to make this work easier.
Builders typically use a glass cloth on the outside skin to make repair of paints etc. easier.
Aramid fibers are lower in compression than Glass or Carbon. For this reason many
builders choose hybrid materials to enhance the compression properties.
Aramid fibers can pick up moisture very easily and must be properly impregnated and
protected from water infusion.
Aramid fibers are degradated by UV light and must be properly coated (painted).
Aramid fibers are more difficult to properly impregnate and care must be taken to be sure
that they are fully wet out. They tend to have lower adhesion than other fibers so good
quality resins are recommended such as Vinyl Ester or Epoxy resins.
Consult with Core Composites on proper tools, resins and techniques to take full
advantage of this unique aramid fiber.
Core Composites provides only general technical data as an accommodation to assist our customers. Actual values may
vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and are subject to change. Specifications are not intended for engineering
purposes. Core Composites makes no warranties that the product conforms to the specifications nor to the accuracy of the
specifications. Additionally there are NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The product is sold "AS IS".
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