HMPE FIBER
TENESTA®
TENESTA® is an High Modulus Polyethylene fiber. The fiber is incredibly versatile with virtually limitless applications. It’s manufactured by means of a gel-spinning process that combines extreme strength with incredible softness.
Our strong, flexible and durable TENESTA® fibers are with you when it matters for a wide range of applications from ropes, lines and nets to life protection applications, performance textiles, composites and laminates.
The fiber is available in deniers from 33 dtex to 1760 dtex and is also available in dope-dyed colors.
For more information with regard to the product range and the available colors, please contact us.
APPLICATIONS
UHMWPE fibers are used in armor, in particular, personal armor and on occasion as vehicle armor, cut-resistant gloves, bow strings, climbing equipment, fishing line, high-performance sails, suspension lines on sport parachutes, rigging in yachting, kites, and kites lines for kites sports.
For personal armor, the fibers are, in general, aligned and bonded into sheets, which are then layered at various angles to give the resulting composite material strength in all directions.
Spun HMPE fibers excel as fishing line, as they have less stretch, are more abrasion-resistant, and are thinner than traditional monofilament line.
In climbing, cord and webbing made of combinations of HMPE and nylon yarn have gained popularity for their low weight and bulk, though, unlike their nylon counterparts, they exhibit very low elasticity, making them unsuitable for limiting forces in a fall.
Also, low elasticity translates to low toughness. The fiber’s very high lubricity leads to poor knot-holding ability, and has led to the recommendation to use the triple fisherman’s knot rather than the traditional double fisherman’s knot in 6mm UHMWPE core cord to avoid a particular failure mechanism of the double fisherman’s, where first the sheath fails at the knot, then the core slips through.
Owing to its low density, ships’ hawsers and cables can be made from the fibre, and float on sea water. “HMPE wires” as they are called in the towboat community are commonly used for face wires as a lighter alternative to steel wires.
It is used in skis and snowboards, often in combination with carbon fiber, reinforcing the fiberglass composite material, adding stiffness and improving its flex characteristics. The HMPE is often used as the base layer, which contacts the snow, and includes abrasives to absorb and retain wax.
It is also used in lifting applications for manufacturing low weight, and heavy duty lifting slings . Due to its extreme abrasion resistance it is also used as an excellent corner protection for synthetic lifting slings.
High-performance lines (such as backstays) for sailing and parasailing are made of HMPE, due to their low stretch, high strength, and low weight