Fiberglass specialist AGY (Aiken, SC, USA) and resins and chemicals specialist Kaneka Aerospace LLC (Benicia, CA, USA) announced the development of a transparent composite material that combines epoxy systems and AGY continuous S -2 Reinforcement of fiberglass fabric.
The material versions developed so far consist of multi-layered woven S-2 glass yarns or rovings with high clarity, low haze and high levels of impact properties.
Epoxy is a formulated resin that can be chemically tuned to change the refractive index of the resin to match that of the S-2 glass fiber, maximizing transparency without significantly degrading mechanical properties, Kaneka said.
The company reports that a prepreg version is in development and testing. Potential applications for this material include ballistic shields, machine guards or any component requiring high clarity and excellent impact performance.