Everything about Vectran totally explained
Vectran is a manufactured fibre, spun from a
liquid crystal polymer created by Celanese Acetate LLC and now manufactured by
Kuraray Co., Ltd. Chemically it's an
aromatic polyester.
These fibres are noted for thermal stability at high temperatures, high strength and modulus, low
creep, and good chemical stability. They are moisture resistant and are generally stable in hostile environments. They have gold color. They are often used in combination with some
polyester as a coating around Vectran core;
polyurethane coating can improve
abrasion resistance and act as a water barrier. Vectran has melting point of 330 °C, with progressive strength loss from 220 °C. As it has high resistance to ultraviolet radiation, it can be used outside for long term, if inspected regularly.
They are used as reinforcing (matrix) fibres for
ropes,
cables, and advanced
composite materials, professional bike tires, and in electronics applications. Perhaps most notably, Vectran is used as one of the five layers in NASA's current space suit design, and was the fabric used for the airbags on the
Mars Pathfinder and twin
Mars Exploration Rovers
Spirit and
Opportunity missions, which allowed those craft to "soft land" on Mars in 1997 and 2004, respectively. The material is expected to be used again on NASA's 2009
Mars Science Laboratory in the bridle cables. It is also used in the inflatable spacecraft developed by
Bigelow Aerospace, the first of which (
Genesis I) has been in space since
July 12,
2006.
Production
Kuraray Co., Ltd. owns 100% of the worldwide Vectran production since 2005 as they acquired the Vectran business from Celanese Advanced Materials Inc. (CAMI), based in
South Carolina,
U.S.
In 2007 the total capacity of Vectran is about 600 tons/yr, but expanded to 1000 tons/yr in 2008.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Vectran'.
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