Optimisation of the durability of high-stress fabric for nautical application

风筝板、风帆冲浪和冷水冲浪都是竞争激烈的水上运动，对设备的机械性能有很多特殊的要求。事实上，这项运动的核心要求之一是大型和可充气的风筝，它们被用来利用风力并将冲浪者以高速发射到空中。与任何设计用于飞行的产品一样，这些风筝的飞行特性（空气动力学、重量、抗撕裂性……）对于冲浪者来说，在性能（速度、飞行高度）和易用性方面极其重要。在过去的一年里，主要的品牌制造商专注于风筝设计的一个关键领域：轻风航行。更好的轻风性能可以让用户更快地登上水面，当风和海比大风天更平静，更不吓人。在比赛中，即使风力降至低水平，它也能确保比赛的连续性。这种关注导致工业界对其产品进行了大规模的减重。在过去的十年中，风筝的平均重量从4.5公斤下降到3.2公斤，但以目前市场上使用的帆材料，很快就会达到技术极限。严格和高性能风筝的要求将不再满足在这个速度。该项目的目标是开发和优化一种新材料：一种层压轻质聚合物编织材料。聚合物的性质将赋予冲击和耐磨性，而组装过程将提供轻盈和机动性的风筝。这种新材料是为水上运动而制造的，未来可以将其应用范围扩大到其他“极端户外”领域，如航空航天或航海。

Kiteboarding, wind surfing and cold water surfing are highly competitive water sport with a large number of specific needs on the mechanical properties of their equipment. Indeed, one of the central requirements of the sports is the large and inflatable kites which are used to harness the power of the wind and launch the surfer into the air at high speed. As with any product that is designed to fly, the flight characteristics (aerodynamics, weight, resistance to tear...) of theses kites are extremely important for the surfer, in terms of performance (speed, altitude of flight) and ease of use.Over the last year, the major brand manufacturers focused on one key area of the kite design: lightwind sailing. Better lightwind performance allows users to get on the water sooner, when the wind and the sea are calmer and less intimidating than high wind days. In competition, it ensures the continuity of the event even if the wind drops to low levels.This focus led industry to perform massive weight reduction on their products. Over the past decade, the average weight of a kite drop from 4,5 kgs to 3,2 kgs. However, the technical limit will be soon reached with the current sail materials used in the market. The rigors and demands of the high performance kites would no longer be fulfilled at this rate.The objective of this project is the development and the process optimization of a new material: a laminated lightweight polymer woven. The nature of the polymer will confer shock and abrasion resistance while the assembly processes will provide lightness and maneuverability to the kite. Built for the water sport, this new material could, in the future, expand his range of application in other "extreme outdoor" field like aerospace or sailing.