Thermal Properties

Vectran^™ HT has excellent thermal properties especially in regard to thermal loading.

Fiber thermal properties

	Vectran™		Aramid
	HT	UM	Standard	High Modulus
LOI	28	30	30	30
M.P., °C	None	350	None	None
HAS (hot-air shrink, 180°C, 30 minutes), %	< 0.2	< 0.1	< 0.2	< 0.1
BWS (boiling water shrinkage, 100°C, 30 minutes), %	< 0.2	< 0.1	< 0.2	< 0.1
50% Strength Retention Temperature, °C	145	150	400	230
TGA (20% weight loss), °C	> 450	> 450	> 450	> 450

Equilibrium moisture regain

Temperature (°C)	Relative Humidity (%)	Vectran™		Aramid
		HT	UM	Standard	High Modulus
20	65	< 0.1	< 0.1	4.2	4.1
20	80	< 0.1	< 0.1	4.8	4.8
20	90	< 0.1	< 0.1	5.4	5.5

Vectran^™ at high temperature

Mechanical property retention during or after thermal exposure is a key concern in many applications. The tensile strength of Vectran^™ at temperature should be used as a reference in selecting process conditions.

Vectran^™ after thermal exposure

For high temperature processing at low mechanical load, Vectran^™ will have excellent strength after processing, superior to aramids.

Vectran^™ resistance to cyclic thermal loads

The resistance of Vectran^™ to cyclic thermal loads at higher temperatures is superior to aramids and increases product lifetimes.

Vectran^™ thermal properties at low temperature

Evaluated by ILC Dover during the design of the airbag system for the 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission, ILC reported Vectran^™ increased in strength in tests at –62°C, leading to its selection for the airbag fabric and external assembly tendons.

Vectran^™ HT CTE at various temperatures

Temperature Range	Fiber Longitudinal Direction CTE (m/m- °C x 10-06)
	Vectran™ HT	Standard Aramid
–150 to 100°C	–4.8	–4.9
100 to 200°C	–11.6	–5.8

Thermal conductivity of Vectran^™ HT

	Direction	Temperature °C	Density g/cm3	Specific Heat J/kg-°K	Thermal Conductivity
					W/m-°K	10-3 cal/cm-sec-°C
Vectran™ HT	Longitudinal	23	1.4	1100	1.5	3.5
		100	1.4	1420	2.0	4.7
Standard Aramid	Longitudinal	23	144	1230	2.5	5.9