Tailored cylindrical warp-knitted fabric for insulation and reinforcement Fig. 8: Covered roller application of the tailored cylindrical fabric Fig. 5: The tailored cylindrical materials comprise a wide range of components Fig. 9: Covered roller application of the tailored cylindrical fabric Fig. 6: Diameter and thickness design flexibility Fig. 10: Pipeline renovation before (left) and after (right) using the glass cylindrical material with resin-impregnated composites Fig. 7: Warp-knitting design flexibility cylinder diameter and thickness can range from 5 to 1000 mm and 0.5 to 3.0 mm, respectively (Figure 6). The warp-knitting design can also be customized at the user's request (Figure 7). Design flexibility facilitates the optimization of the meshing configuration to effectively balance the needs for shape tracking and insulation. A separate cylindrical configuration can be designed and used for various branched structures. Applications These tailored cylindrical fabrics can be used for insulation and reinforcement applications among others (Figure 8). Glass fibres are a representative example. For heat insulation, the company produces roller cover materials for high-temperature product conveyance or heated pipes (Figure 9). The use of these fabrics for pipe renovation is a good example of a reinforcement application (Figure 10). This renovation method can be applied to repair the inside of a sewer pipeline while avoiding problems such as multiple steps, joint misalignment and cracks without replacing the existing pipes. Once the fabrics are applied inside the pipelines, their ultraviolet-sensitive matrix resin can be impregnated and UV cured to produce composites of the required quality. This renovation method is very cost- and time-effective compared with complete pipeline replacement. Reinforcement applications also include the thermal protection of cables comprising a silicone rubber matrix or a thin metal sheet combination with flexibility. Fishing rods, rackets (badminton or tennis) and baseball bats are additional sports and leisure applications. The tailored cylindrical fabrics have yet more potential in a wide range of applications. The customized design capabilities offered by Shindo IM Company will be a breakthrough for additional innovations and solutions. N°118 January - February 2018 More information : www.shindo.com/en/material / jec composites magazine 57http://www.shindo.com/en/material