JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013 - 83

marine

Gwalaz, the ecodesigned trimaran by Kairos

At the initiative of Kairos, Roland Jourdain, a yachtsman concerned by the environment and sailing performance, got involved in the processing of biocomposite
materials as early as 2007. Seeking an alternative to glass fibre, the Kairos team was
a pioneer in prototyping surfboards and paddleboards made of cellulose/biosourced
epoxy biocomposites (56%) with polystyrene core. The infusion process used minimizes handling impacts, and the biocomposite itself provides an end-of-life solution
that consists in incinerating the skins and recycling the core. These surfboard and
paddleboard prototypes are in the process of being marketed. The Kairos team is now
involved in a project for the first biocomposite trimaran design based on flax fibre,
cellulose, balsa wood and biosourced resin, in partnership with the Tricat shipyard and
the French oceanographic institute Ifremer in Brest. Gwalaz will be a 7.11-metre-long
trimaran with a sandwich hull made of flax/30% biosourced polyester skins over a balsa
core, using an infusion process: no change in process, but a material innovation that is
technologically ground-breaking from the ecodesign point of view. The use of materials
that are directly derived from biomass and the recycling streams is designed into the
product. The boat is scheduled to be launched sometime in 2013. In situ ageing tests
will wind up the successful mechanical tests that were carried out in a laboratory.

new products

Contact:
Kairos, emmanuel@kairos-jourdain.com
http://www.kairos-jourdain.com/fr

LINCORE® ML

Developed by the Depestele group in collaboration with Ecotechnilin, the Lincore® ML laminate made of technical flax
fabric with a non-woven core layer is available in the form of rolls or sheets. The new product has bonded layers, e.g. by
needle-punch, and either is 100% natural or incorporates thermoplastic (PP, PLA, PA, etc.) filaments. Lincore® ML is a
ready-for-use sandwich material that is suitable for standard techniques like RTM, infusion, hot calendering, stamping
and thermoforming. The post-processing thickness of the product can be controlled by changing the pressure that is applied
to the laminate structure: the user can adjust the structure’s acoustic and thermal insulation properties, density and stiffness
as a function of the specific requirements. Due to its low density and mechanical properties, the laminate is suitable for applications in many industrial sectors, such as automotive, construction, railway, road transportation, yachting
and sports & leisure. Lincore® ML’s key product advantage is its end-of-life
optimization, since it is 100% natural: recyclability, biodegradability and/or
compostability are competitive advantages for truck or boat interior panels,
substrates for thermal and acoustic insulation, or vibration-damping systems
for the construction sector.
Contact: Groupe Depestele:
dduriatti@depestele.com – Stand M84
Contact: Ecotechnilin: justin@eco-technilin.com – Stand M80

Safilin

MEET US
AT
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EUROPE

THE FLAX EXPERIENCE
LOW TWIST FLAX YARNS : TEX 34 to 105
LOW TWIST FLAX ROVINGS : TEX 200 to 2000

BOOTH
M80

flaxcomposites@safilin.
flaxcomposites@safilin .fr Tel : +33 321661819

FRANCE

FLAX LOW-TWIST ROVING
New solutions ready for :

PULTRUSION
FILAMENT WINDING
UD & MULTIAXIAL WEAVING
WARP & WEFT WEAVING
WWW.SAFILIN.FR
WWW.SAFILIN.

No79 March 2013 /

jec composites magazine 83

http://www.kairos-jourdain.com/fr http://www.safilin.fr

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013