Black technology fabric——Dyneema®
Black technology fabric——Dyneema®
Dyneema® Fabrics (DF for short), the official translation is Dyneema fabrics, commonly known as Dyneema fabrics. It is said on the Internet that this kind of fabric “cannot be cut by knives or damaged by shearing. It requires laser processing and can be used as anti-cut gloves, body armor linings and helmets…”. What exactly is Dyneema® fabric? Is it really as magical as the legend says?
The strongest fiber in the world
The magic of Dyneema® fabrics comes from the use of Dyneema® fibers.
Dyneema® fiber, also known as Dyneema/Dyneema fiber, is technically classified as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber (UHMWPE) and is the strongest substance currently synthesized by humans. Dyneema® fiber is one-thousandth of an inch thick and has a significant strength-to-weight ratio, making it the strongest fiber in the world.
Dyneema® fibers have ultra-long molecular chains, which allow load to be transmitted more efficiently to the polymer backbone. This physical property allows Dyneema® fiber to have higher tensile strength than other fibers of the same mass, while being lighter in weight with the same tensile strength.
Under the same mass, the tensile strength of Dyneema® fiber is 15 times that of steel.
Under the same quality, the tensile strength is 40% higher than that of aramid.
It can float on the water and effectively resist the erosion of moisture, ultraviolet light and chemical reagents.
Dyneema® fiber itself is black technology! Dyneema® fiber products are used in life protection (body armor/anti-cut gloves), heavy lifting (cables/slings), armor protection, outdoor equipment and other fields.
Dyneema® fabric classification
Dyneema® Fabrics refer to fabrics made of Dyneema® fibers through composites, blends, etc. There are currently five main forms of Dyneema® fabrics on the market: Dyneema® carbon fiber blended fabrics, Dyneema® blended denim fabrics, Dyneema® knitted blended fabrics and Dyneema® woven blended fabrics, all of which blend Dyneema® fiber with other fibers. Create new fabrics through different weaving methods and use the advantages of Dyneema® fiber to improve the performance of the fabric. Can be collectively referred to as Dyneema® blended fabrics.
Dyneema® Composite Fabrics (DCF) is a film laminated with a middle layer of Dyneema® fiber and upper and lower polyester thin films. The middle layer is a solid layer of Dyneema® fiber, which can be combined with other membranes to take strength and durability to new heights. Improves tear, puncture and abrasion performance while reducing weight and bulk. Dyneema® composite fabric is currently the strongest performance fabric among Dyneema® fabrics.
Dyneema® composite fabric
Predecessor – crude benzene fiber
The predecessor of Dyneema® composite fabric is Cuben Fiber. Although it is named “fiber”, crude benzene fiber is actually a non-woven composite film laminated with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber (UHMWPE) and polyester and other films.
It was originally developed by Cubic Tech Corporation to make sails for racing sailboats. In 2009, Cubic Technology named the crude benzene fiber with optimized performance CTF3. In 2015, Cubic Technology was acquired by DSM subsidiary Dyneema, and the crude benzene fiber (CTF3) was also renamed Dyneema® composite fabric (abbreviation: DCF). .
Fabric performance
Dyneema® Composite Fabric (hereinafter referred to as DCF) comes in different thicknesses and weights and can be used to manufacture different types of products. Heavier DCF has a higher density of Dyneema fibers, which increases its strength. Laminating a DCF hybrid variant with Mylar makes it more wear-resistant. In order to make equipment products have better performance, manufacturers will laminate DCF and other fabric films together. When DCF is laminated with films with different properties, the properties of the final fabric will also be different.
Despite its humble appearance, DCF brings the performance of Dyneema® fiber into full play. In addition to being UV-resistant, it also has three major properties.
1
High tensile strength
As introduced above, the tensile force of DCF intermediate layer Dyneema® fiber is 15 times that of steel of the same quality, and DCF can reach 10 times that of steel of the same quality. A 2MM diameter Dali Horse Line can easily lift a weight of 300kg. This is a very amazing indicator!
2
Super light
For equipment made with DCF, if DCF and ordinary fabrics with the same tensile strength are used, DCF will be 25-50% lighter. Assuming that a piece of ordinary fabric equipment with the same tensile strength costs 1kg, the equipment made of DCF will weigh only 250g~500g, easily reducing the outdoor load.
3
Highly water repellent
Rain, ice, and snow outdoors pose a fatal threat or burden to the human body. Therefore, the water-repellent performance of equipment is very critical. The highly water-repellent performance can reduce the weight burden caused by the equipment absorbing water, and can also better protect human body safety.
After reading this, do you think DCF is a proper black technology fabric?
At present, no domestic manufacturer can stably mass-produce this kind of fabric. Making it into equipment has very high requirements for production technology and equipment. The sewing process will directly affect the performance of the fabric, and it is also very difficult to control the production capacity and yield rate. This is one of the reasons why such excellent fabric products are not widely used in outdoor clothing and equipment besides being expensive.
Of course, westcomb will not let go of such an excellent black technology fabric. In the hands of westcomb designers, what kind of outdoor equipment will DCF become that combines performance and comfort?
