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By using epoxy rather than polyester resin as the matrix in DuFLEX, a reduction of laminate thickness is achieved while improving damage tolerance.  Epoxy exhibits better moisture and fatigue resistance, and has superior strain capabilities which provides DuFLEX laminates with greater impact resistance than polyester / E-glass laminates that are up to 3 times thicker.

          Skin Mechanical Properties

Standard DuFLEX skin laminates are constructed using stitched biaxial E-glass manufactured to our exacting specifications.  The material provides excellent properties in both warp and fill directions, surpassing American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) requirement for balanced laminates.

Compared to the ABS minimum tensile strength for basic laminate, DuFLEX skin laminates show far superior performance.

 

Compressive values have been extrapolated from sandwich flexural tests (ASTM C-273) conducted at the University of Southampton, UK in which skin bending was negligible.

 

DuFLEX Strip - A stitched uni-directional is used as the backbone to the DuFLEX strip system.  The ability to place a large percentage of the reinforcement mass during planking has obvious benefits.

 

Z-Joint

Particularly in strength critical applications the Z-Joint must be given adequate consideration.  It can be considered analogous to a weld in aluminium, as a strength reduction exists.

 

 

No reduction in modulus was recorded, resulting in continuity of panel stiffness and fairness during formation.  The majority of marine applications are stiffness critical and therefore a strength reduction in the laminate due to the joints presence is normally of little consequence.  A weft unidirectional tape can be used in situations where strength continuity is desired.