UV Resistance

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).