Development of performance fabrics for nautical applications with superior durability

风筝板是一项水上运动，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，它被用来利用风的力量，把骑手在水上和空中以高速发射。在过去的一年里，各大品牌制造商都在致力于降低风筝的重量。重量轻的特性使初学者可以在低风和平静的海面上游泳，非常适合练习。在比赛中，即使风力降至低水平，它也能确保比赛的连续性。这种关注促使工业界对其产品进行研究。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材料（涤纶，Dyneema®…）很快就会达到技术极限。该项目的目标是开发和优化一种新材料：一种层压轻质织物，包括各种聚合物纤维和聚合物薄膜的组合。这种材料的性质将赋予比现有材料更好的抗震性和耐磨性，而组装过程的特殊性将为风筝提供极端的轻便性和可操作性。该项目的主要挑战将是单个组件和层压工艺的优化。将识别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，并根据其生产过程估计未来原型的机械性能。其他次要挑战需要研究，比如创建一个能够模拟真实使用条件（盐、水、风、温度、沙子等）的最终测试环境，从而表征原型在实际老化后的耐久性和性能。

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.