Technical Textiles Executive

A composite is a material where two or more components are brought together to form a structure with enhanced properties over that of the constituent parts. Commonly a fibrous material is embedded within a homogeneous matrix.

Fibre types include aramid, glass, carbon and boron. Fibres can be incorporated into the composite in fibre, yarn or fabric form. The fibre based materials tend to be easier to manufacture and are therefore less expensive. Yarns might be used where directionality is required or crimp is undesirable. Fabrics can confer high strength and integrity but two-dimensional fabrics may require greater manual handling than fibre based materials.

Alternatively, three-dimensional fabric shapes can be created using any of the standard fabric production methods. Different methods of construction are often used in a particular industry. For example, in aircraft the interior walls might be made from a glass reinforced polymer. The containment systems in the event of a fan-blade failure might contain wound yarn. The composite materials used in wing parts might be constructed from three-dimensional preformed fabrics.

Composite geosynthetics use two or more layers of differing geosynthetics, usually bonded using a gas flame to combine performance properties of the individual components to meet the application requirements. For example, geotextile bonded to either side of a geomembranne for a landfill capping.

	GEOfabrics GHP3RT has been specifically developed to serve the demanding requirements of the rail industry. It has a full Railtrack approval certificate for use as track ballast separator and drainage wrap. [more info]
	TFP's Optimat surface veils can be used to provide composite structures with additional funcionality such as strength, stiffness or special properties such as conductivity. [more info]