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Common Racing-Sail Material

Aramid: (aka Kevlar, Twaron, and Technora) A manufactured, high-modulus fiber with excellent strength-to-weight ratio and negligible creep. Its weaknesses are poor abrasion resistance and susceptiblity to fatigue Carbon Fiber: A very high-modulus synthetic fiber relatively unaffected by UV light but prone to flex damage, depending on how brittle the fibers are Cuben Fiber: A mix of carbon and polymer filaments Mylar: A DuPont-made polyester film PBO: A liquid crystal polymer with excellent strength characteristics but low UV resistance Pentex: A modified high-modulus polyester fiber Polyester: (aka Dacron) A manufactured fiber with excellent strength, resiliency, and abrasion resistance Spectra, Dyneema: Similar high-performance polyethylenes that have superior strength characteristics and resistance to UV but suffer from creep (permanent, continuous stretch) Vectran: A high-performance thermoplastic multifilament yarn spun from liquid crystal polymer

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