Kevlar

Five times the strength of steel

KEVLAR is a Du Pont registered trademark for its unique family of aramid fibers that are manufactured into tapes by Mutual. KEVLAR 49, a higher modulus fiber, is woven into bi-directional fabric tapes for plastic reinforcement of parts. Specific applications of Mutual’s Kevlar bi-directional fabric tapes include:

• Plastic reinforcement (epoxy, polyester, vinyl)
• Lightweight marine laminates for kayaks, canoes, and high performance water craft
• Asbestos replacement products
• Aircraft and aerospace parts
• Snow skis

KEVLAR bi-directional fabric tapes by Mutual have the highest specific tensile strengths of any continuous fiber fabric commercially available. They are two and a half times as strong as “E”-glass, five times as strong as steel, and over ten times as strong as aluminum. Specific tensile modulus of KEVLAR 49 is three times that of “E”-glass and 75% of high strength graphite.

KEVLAR fabric tapes by Mutual display excellent stability over a wide range of temperatures for prolonged periods. The fabrics will not melt or support combustion but will start to carbonize at about 800 degrees F (427 degrees C). Even at temperatures as low as -320 degrees F (-196 degrees C), the Kevlar bi-directional fabric tapes show essentially no embrittlement or strength loss. They also have excellent dimensional stability.

Other design properties of Mutual’s Kevlar bi-directional fabric tapes include:

• The ability to be combined with most commercially available resins
• The ability to adapt easily to standard processes used with glass fibers
• High stress rupture life
• Excellent cyclic tension fatigue resistance
• Good vibration damping characteristics