Composite reinforcement specialist Chomarat has developed a new unidirectional woven tape for its C-TAPE line of products, suitable for industrial production.
The new C-TAPE has been used to reinforce the foils of the Figaro Beneteau 3, reportedly the first ever production foiling one-design monohull made. The foils have been designed to improve the monohull’s stability and performance. Fifty plies of tape were used to make the foil to help stress resistance and the specific structure of C-TAPE can help facilitate resin flow throughout the thickness, Chomarat says. The reinforcement provides the desired mechanical performance and also cuts down on production time.
According to Chomarat, C-TAPE offers a lot of flexibility in terms of weight, width and construction. The weft yarn makes the tape easy to handle and to work with and it is produced in 50 cm widths in order to adapt better to the mold, helping reduce scrap and production cost.
‘The project was an ambitious one,’ said Multiplast general manager Yann Penfornis. ‘We had to reach a lower target cost, achieve a perfect foil shape, guarantee identical weight for all parts, and produce a set of foils per week over a period of one year.’
By the end of summer 2018, around one hundred foils will have been produced for assembly on the first 50 Figaro Beneteau 3 monohulls.
This story uses material from Chomarat, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
