Development of performance fabrics for nautical applications with superior durability

风筝是一项水上运动，对设备的机械性能有大量的特殊要求。事实上，这项运动的核心要求之一是大型充气风筝，它被用来利用风力，让骑手在水上和空中高速飞行。在过去的一年里，各大品牌制造商将重点放在了风筝的重量减轻上。轻巧的性能使初学者用户可以在风小、海面平静的情况下浮上水面，非常适合练习。在比赛中，即使风力降到低水平，也能确保赛事的连续性。这种关注促使业界对他们的产品进行研究。在过去的十年里，风筝的平均重量下降了30%以上。然而，目前市场上使用的帆板材料(涤纶、Dyneema®等)很快就会达到技术极限。 本项目的目标是开发和优化一种新材料：一种由各种聚合物纤维和聚合物薄膜组合而成的轻质叠层织物。材料的性质将赋予风筝比现有材料更好的抗冲击和耐磨性，而组装工艺的特殊性将为风筝提供极大的轻量化和可操作性。该项目的主要挑战将是单个部件和层压工艺的优化。将确定和测试许多生产参数，以评估每个参数对材料整体性能的影响，并根据其生产工艺估计未来原型的机械性能。还需要研究其他次要挑战，如创建能够模拟真实生活使用条件(盐分、水、风、温度、沙子……)的最终测试环境。并因此表征实际老化后的原型的耐久性和性能。

Kiteboarding is a water sport with a large number of specific needs on the mechanical properties of their equipment. Indeed, one of the central requirements of this sport is the large and inflatable kite which is used to harness the power of the wind and launch the riders on the water and into the air at high speed. Over the last year, the major brand manufacturers focused on the reduction of kite's weight. Lightweight properties allow beginners users to get on the water with a low wind and calmer sea, perfect for practicing. In competition, it ensures the continuity of the event even if the wind drops to low levels. This focus led industry to perform research on their products. Over the past decade, the average weight of a kite dropped by over 30%. However, the technical limit will soon be reached with the current sail materials used in the market (Dacron, Dyneema® ...). The objective of this project is the development and the process optimization of a new material: a laminated lightweight fabric including the combination of various polymer fibers and polymer films. The nature of the material will confer superior shock and abrasion resistance than the existing materials while the specificities of the assembly process will provide extreme lightness and maneuverability to the kite. The main challenge of the project will be the optimization of the individual components and of the lamination process. Numerous production parameters will be identified and tested in order to assess the influence of each parameteron the global performance of the material and estimate the mechanical properties of future prototypes based on their production process. Other secondary challenges will need to be studied like the creation of an ultimate testing environment able to simulate real life conditions of use (salt, water, wind, temperature, sand ...) and therefore characterize the durability and performance of the prototypes after actual ageing.