Vectran is a manufactured fiber, spun from a

liquid-crystal polymer Liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) are polymers with the property of liquid crystal, usually containing aromatic rings as mesogens. Despite uncrosslinked LCPs, polymeric materials like liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and liquid crystal networks ( ...

(LCP) created by

Celanese Corporation Celanese Corporation, formerly known as Hoechst Celanese, is an American technology and specialty materials company headquartered in Irving, Texas. A Fortune 500 corporation, the company is the world’s leading producer of acetic acid, produc ...

and now manufactured by Kuraray. Chemically it is an

aromatic In chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property of cyclic ( ring-shaped), ''typically'' planar (flat) molecular structures with pi bonds in resonance (those containing delocalized electrons) that gives increased stability compared to satur ...

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natura ...

produced by the

polycondensation In polymer chemistry, condensation polymers are any kind of polymers whose process of polymerization involves a condensation reaction (i.e. a small molecule, such as water or methanol, is produced as a byproduct). Condensation polymers are for ...

4-hydroxybenzoic acid 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid, also known as ''p''-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA), is a monohydroxybenzoic acid, a phenolic derivative of benzoic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that is slightly soluble in water and chloroform but more soluble in polar ...

and 6-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid.

Properties

Advantages

Vectran's golden fibers are noted for their thermal stability at high temperatures, high strength and modulus, low

creep Creep, Creeps or CREEP may refer to: People * Creep, a creepy person Politics * Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), mockingly abbreviated as CREEP, an fundraising organization for Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign Art ...

, and good chemical stability. They are moisture-resistant and generally stable in hostile environments.

Polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natura ...

coating is often used around a Vectran core;

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane is produced from ...

coating can improve abrasion resistance and act as a water barrier. Vectran has a melting point of 330 °C, with progressive strength loss from 220 °C.

Disadvantages

Although the tensile strength is similar to

Kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s a ...

, Vectran still tends to experience tensile fractures when exposed to significant stress. The wispy, hair-like fibers tend to fray, to easily acquire dirt, and to readily entangle in hook-and-loop fasteners, from which they must sometimes then be cut or (when possible) torn. If used without protective coatings, Vectran has low resistance to UV degradation, and should not be used long-term in outdoor environments.

Usage

Vectran fibers are used as reinforcing (matrix) fibers for

rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarl ...

electrical cable An electrical cable is an assembly of one or more wires running side by side or bundled, which is used to carry electric current. One or more electrical cables and their corresponding connectors may be formed into a ''cable assembly'', whic ...

s, sailcloth, and advanced

composite material A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...

s, professional bike tires, and in electronics applications. It is used as one of the layers in the softgoods structure of NASA's Extravehicular Mobility Unit (spacesuit) designed and manufactured by

ILC Dover ILC Dover, LP is a special engineering development and manufacturing company, globally headquartered in Newark, Delaware. ILC Dover specializes in the use of high-performance flexible materials, serving the aerospace, personal protection, and ...

and was the fabric used for all of the airbag landings on Mars:

Mars Pathfinder ''Mars Pathfinder'' (''MESUR Pathfinder'') is an American robotic spacecraft that landed a base station with a roving probe on Mars in 1997. It consisted of a lander, renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, and a lightweight, wheeled robot ...

in 1997Vectran Fiber -- Roll Goods and Custom Applications
Warwick Mills, "woven Vectran to strengthen fabric for use nNASA's Pathfinder mission to Mars", accessed 2010-03-04. and on the twin

Mars Exploration Rover NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission was a robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers, '' Spirit'' and '' Opportunity'', exploring the planet Mars. It began in 2003 with the launch of the two rovers to explore the Martian surface ...

s ''Spirit'' and ''Opportunity'' missions in 2004, also designed and manufactured by

.Vectran Product Properties and Applications -- Industrial/Military/Aerospace
"The success of the athfinderlanding has led to the selection of this same technology using Vectran fiber for two additional rover landings in 2004.", accessed 2010-03-04. The material was used again on NASA's 2011

Mars Science Laboratory Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed ''Curiosity'', a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. The overall objectives include investigati ...

in the bridle cables. Vectran is a key component of a line of inflatable spacecraft developed by Bigelow Aerospace,Inflatable space module puffs up
Jonathan Fildes, BBC News, 14 Jul 2006 not only on two stations which are in orbit but also the

Bigelow Expandable Activity Module The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an experimental expandable space station module developed by Bigelow Aerospace, under contract to NASA, for testing as a temporary module on the International Space Station (ISS) from 2016 to ...

which

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

is testing for its radiation shielding and thermal control capabilities.NASA turned on by blow-up space stations
Paul Marks, ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publish ...

'', 2010-03-03, accessed 2010-03-03. The

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...

is sponsoring development of an inflatable plug made of Vectran to prevent flooding in

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October ...

tunnels and for other tunnels in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, as it is strong but relatively inexpensive, and not edible for

rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

. Vectran fiber is also used in manufacturing badminton strings such as

Yonex () is a Japanese sports equipment manufacturing company. Yonex produces equipment and apparel for tennis, badminton, golf, and running. Its range of products manufactured and commercialised includes equipment for badminton and tennis (rackets, ...

BG-85 and BG-80. Vectran is also used in the manufacturing of Carlton Vapour Trail badminton rackets. Vectran is used as a puncture protection layer in Continental Bicycle tyres such as the Grand Prix 5000, Competition tubular (single layer) and Grand Prix 4 season (two layers). Vectran does not increase rolling resistance or downgrade casing performance.

Production

Kuraray Co., Ltd. began manufacturing Vectran in 1990. , Kuraray has owned 100% of the worldwide Vectran production since 2005 when they acquired the Vectran business from Celanese Advanced Materials Inc. (CAMI), based in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, U.S. The total capacity of Vectran expanded from about 600

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s/yr in 2007 to 1000 tons/yr in 2008.

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Vectran official site

Kuraray official site

Vectran , Engineering Data by SWICOFIL

Vectran fiber weaver

long fibre spun yarn

* https://www.continental-tires.com/bicycle/technology/city-trekking/vectran Polyesters Synthetic fibers Brand name materials Kuraray