Cutting edge fabric applications
Traditionally flax yarns, which have been used in such fabrics as linen, are very fine and have a very high level of twist. This makes them difficult to infuse with polymer resin and thus unsuitable for composites. The development of pre-yarns for composites was a major challenge that needed to be overcome. New flax pre-yarns with optimal twist have been used in making warp-knitted unidirection and non-crimp fabric. Also important was to ensure that they could be processed on SME textile producing machinery. New yarns that have a good balance in textile processing were developed. They possess the quality of dry strength which keeps the yarn from breaking during the weaving or knitting process. Also, they have a good amount of permeability, which makes them easy to infuse with polymer resin. As a result, higher values in strength and stiffness can be obtained with higher fibre volume fractions, which could mean a major breakthrough for the textile industry.
