The UV resistance of products made from high performance fibers is highly dependent upon a number of variables, including final product form (for example, rope or fabric, filament and yarn size, finishes/coatings,twist/pick levels, etc). The impact of UV on braided cords made from high performance fibers is illustrated in (Figure 27).
(<Figure 28) shows that UV damage can be mitigated with simple protective measures – in the worst case (e.g.single fiber, low twist, no coatings or external protection), Vectran® and other high performance fibers will not retain acceptable performance after long-term UV exposure (Figure 29).