D4® Custom Load Path Membranes

DIMENSION-POLYANT’s D4® is a custom sail laminate that provides unmatched flexibility in fibre orientation. Rather than being made from pre-fabricated woven or laminated sailcloth, a D4® membrane sail is tailor made for its intended use. For this purpose, a D4® membrane is formed from at least two outer surfaces between which yarns are pre-determinedly disposed to resist predicted load situations in the sail. As there is no limitation to size of sail or vessel and you can select from the largest range of surface materials and fibres. A truly individual and technically superior solution can be achieved with D4® membrane sailcloth from DIMENSION-POLYANT.

LONG-STANDING EXPERIENCE
The development of D4® commenced as early as 1996 and was released on the Grand Prix Racing market in`97. The high tech yarn arrays and superior lamination were instantly recognized as a solution to many of the challenges faced by the Big Boat and Superyacht sector. Combined with DIMENSION-POLYANT’s resources and highly respected experience in industrial sailcloth production, D4® custom load path membranes set the benchmark for performance, reliability and longevity in the Superyacht arena.

LARGEST SELECTION OF COMPONENTS
Yacht owners, sail designers and sailmakers can select from the largest range of components including several rugged woven surfaces, various films in a range of colours, and combine those with a variety of high modulus fibres to suit the intended use.

High-molecular weight resin systems offer the best properties for sailcloth applications, resulting in unsurpassed bond strength and longevity. DIMENSION-POLYANT knows that there is no better recipe for membranes for large, ocean-going yachts.

D4® Custom Load Path Membranes

The D4® fibre layout absorbs the dynamic loads when sailing. The complex fibre matrix ensures as load and sail trim varies that the sail shape remains within the limits intended by the sail designer (A).

Load situations like a reefed sail are taken care of by secondary layers that form dedicated reef points. From these reef points fibres are placed along calculated load paths until they blend in with the primary yarns. This technique extends the performance and
structural life of a sail dramatically (B).

Special treatment of the fibres combined with proprietary lamination technology permits the concentration of thick fibre bundles directly into the corner load points. This makes large, heavy corner reinforcements redundant, resulting in a lighter, longer lasting sail structure (C).

The use of patented X-PLY® and INSERT® components with their pre-tensioned yarns plus the ability to lay transverse fibres as required makes D4® unique. D4® features extremely high counts of secondary fibres, ensuring unsurpassed longevity and shape retention.

The inventors of the D4® process recognized that superior lamination quality was the key for success in the Big Boat and Superyacht market. For this reason they elected to laminate the membranes in flat form using positive external pressure as is the case with proven roll good laminates. Alternative production methods utilizing vacuum systems, only, cannot provide sufficient pressure for optimum laminate strength.

Every resin used in the D4® process contains UV inhibitors and antimicrobial additives thus maximising the life of your D4® membrane sail. Woven surfaces (‘taffetas’) are treated with top coatings containing both titanium dioxide and anti-microbial for unequalled protection from UV and mildew.