High-tech material - aramid paper

Aramid paper, also known as "polyaramid fiber paper", is made of aramid staple fiber and aramid fibrid as papermaking raw material, wet-formed by oblique wire, and then hot-pressed. Aramid paper has good insulation and anti-aging properties. It is a very special new type of high-tech synthetic material. It has been regarded as an important milestone in material science since its birth. Although we are used to calling it "paper", it is fundamentally different from our traditional paper. Aramid paper is characterized by high strength, low deformation, high temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, flame retardant, excellent electrical insulation, extremely stable chemical properties and long service life. It has many characteristics that traditional paper does not have: its strength is about 5 or 6 times that of steel wire, and its toughness is twice that of steel wire. While it has first-class strength and toughness, this paper is also very light. , the quality is only about one-fifth of the steel wire.

The excellent properties of aramid paper material make it very versatile. At present, many countries in the world use it widely in the fields of national defense, aerospace, transportation, etc. Some key components such as aircraft, high-speed rail, aircraft carriers and launch vehicles use aramid paper as a composite material.

Aramid paper was first put into aerospace and military fields by the United States, and later used in civilian fields. At present, the bulletproof vests in developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom are actually made of aramid paper. A kind of helmet worn by American soldiers is a large amount of aramid paper material. Because aramid paper is resistant to high temperature, acid and alkali, and its hardness is harder than that of steel, its weight is two-thirds lighter than that of conventional steel helmets, so it is the most suitable material for helmets. The lightweighting of body armor and helmets can greatly improve the army's rapid response capability and lethality.

Everyone knows that the American B-2 stealth bomber has a very powerful stealth capability and can safely pass through various conventional air defense systems. Its wing skin is made of aramid paper. Due to the light weight of aramid paper, good broadband wave transmittance, high strength and high modulus, the honeycomb structure composite material with aramid paper as the core material is used to make the stealth material, which can effectively avoid the detection of enemy radar and improve the aircraft's safety. survivability and combat effectiveness. It can be said that aramid paper is an important basic material for national defense equipment. Its status is equivalent to the lubricant used in automobiles. Without it, many high-tech military equipment cannot play a stronger role.

Aramid paper is the most commonly used special paper material in aerospace and other fields. The competition between modern countries has aimed at space resources, and the Mars immigration plan, the moon immigration plan, and the Mars resource exploration plan all require rocket launches. In the process of spacecraft development and construction, the use of aramid paper can greatly reduce the overall mass of the rocket. For every kilogram of reduction, the cost of the rocket will be reduced by $1 million. In addition, the space shuttle needs to withstand a high temperature of 1000 ° C when it returns to the earth to impact the atmosphere. The heat-resistant insulation material of the space shuttle is actually made of aramid paper.

In addition to military and aerospace applications, aramid paper has also played a huge role in civilian use. For example, aramid paper is used to make firefighters' heat-resistant clothing. It has very good flame retardancy and can be used for 100 hours at a high temperature of 260 °C, so that firefighters' bodies are not eroded by high temperatures. For another example, the use of aramid paper material can effectively reduce the energy consumption and noise of high-speed trains, and it is also an important high-temperature insulating material on high-speed trains. Now, this technology has been widely used in domestic large-scale aircraft, maglev high-speed rail, subway and other vehicles. In addition, aramid paper, as a high-tech fiber material, is widely used in many aspects of the national economy such as electromechanical, construction, and sporting goods. As the thermal insulation, fire prevention and sound absorption effect of aramid paper are very ideal, aramid paper is used in roof thermal insulation, steel structure workshop wall thermal insulation, indoor thermal insulation, sound absorption and fire prevention, etc. According to reports, at present, aramid products are used for bulletproof vests, helmets, etc., accounting for about 7% to 8%; aerospace materials and sports materials account for about 40%; tire frame materials, conveyor belt materials, etc. account for about 40%. 20%; about 13% for high-strength ropes, etc. In addition, the tire industry has also begun to use aramid cords in large quantities to reduce weight and reduce rolling resistance.