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The
"TECHNICAL" Detail
The
inclusion of “Bias”
cut panels in a membrane drysuit can transform the fit and comfort by
offering into the suit stretch characteristics never found before in
membrane drysuits
Divers membrane drysuits have traditionally been manufactured
using impermeable composite materials. For the most part the composite
material is of a construction comprising an outer layer of a square
woven synthetic textile adhered to an impermeable layer of butyl rubber.
A lighter weight square woven textile is adhered to the inside face of
the butyl rubber.
The purpose of the textile layers affixed to both sides of the
impermeable butyl membrane is to protect the impermeable layer from
puncture and or damage by abrasion. The importance of protecting the
impermeable layer is of the utmost importance. Traditionally “Square
Woven” textiles as opposed to “Knitted” textiles have been used as
the protective layers to the impermeable inner membrane, for the purpose
of enhancing puncture strength and abrasion resistance for the following
reasons:-
* Stronger non-elastic yarns can be used
* Tighter weaves can be used offering far better puncture resistance and
strength than can be found in knitted fabrics.
The disadvantage of using “woven” textiles is the fact that they do
not offer any stretch. As a result Membrane drysuits have had to be
designed and manufactured with extra length and width incorporated into
all the panels, resulting in a “baggy” and “cumbersome” drysuit
that can hamper the movement of a diver and reduce comfort and impair
safety. Another
disadvantage is the fact that large pockets of air can be prevalent in a
suit that is oversize leading to more difficult control of the buoyancy
by the diver.
A property however, of a woven textile fabric is that it will stretch
along the bias (45 degree diagonal) of the weave. Airsub have harnessed
this property and now cut strategic panels within their BIAS CUT suits
on the Bias. This allows Airsub to be able to manufacture a suit with
all the strength advantages of a traditional membrane trilaminate
material, but with STRETCH; offering a suit with greatly improved
comfort, fit and performance.
Typically this new technique of BIAS cutting results in about 150mm
stretch in the length and 80mm stretch around the girth of the Torso
section of the suit as well as about 80mm stretch in the leg length,
offering a significant stretch advantage and therefore improved comfort,
fit and performance over a non-bias cut suit.
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