1. Introduction
The fibres having tenacity greater than 20 g/denier are commonly known as high performance fibres. These fibres are those that are engineered for specific uses that require exceptional strength, stiffness , heat resistance or chemical resistance. Aramid is short for “aromatic-polymide”. Aramids are a class of polymers, where self repeating units contain large phenyl rings, linked together by amide groups.
Major applications for the high performance fibres are transportation, aerospace, protective clothing, marine (ropes and sails), hostile thermal and chemical environments (replacement for asbestos) and leisure activities industries (gold clubs and tennis rackets).
2. Properties of Aramid Fibres
- High resistance to abrasion
- High resistance to organic solvents
- Tough as well as strong
- Non-conductive
- Low flammability
- Sensitive to acids and solvents