Aramid Fiber: A manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming material is in a long chain of synthetic polyamide. Commercial known as Twaron, Kevlar, Technora ect.
Aspect Ratio:The luff length of a sail divided by the foot length.
Bias: A diagonal (45 degree) across a fabric to the fill and warp.
Calenderering: A mechanical finishing process for fabrics to produce special effects like improving the bias. In this operation, the fabric is passed between heated rolls under pressure.
Carbon Fiber: A high-tensile fiber made by heating rayon or polyacrylonitrile fibers or petroleum residues to appropriate temperatures.
Coating: A chemical resin usually a polyurethane added to one or both sides of the fabric. Once the coating has been dried and cured it form a bond with the fabric.
Counts: Number of yarns used in the warp and / or fill direction.
Creep: The property of fibers to gradually stretch under a constant load.
Crimp: Length of waviness added to a yarn when it is woven over-and-under in a piece of fabric.
Cross-Cut: A panel layout where seams run across the sail, more or less perpendicular to the leech.
Dacron: Du Pont`s trade name for a man-made polyester fiber.
Denier: The weight of a given fiber, used in a fabric, in grams pr. 9000 meters. The higher the numbers the heavier the yarns.
DPI: Denier per Inch.
Dtex / Decitex: The weight of a given fiber, used in a fabric, in grams pr. 10.000 meters.
Elongation: The different between the length of a loaded / stretched sample and its initial length. In sailcloth usually expressed in units of 1/ 100ths of an inch.
Ends: Term for expressing the amount of warp yarns I a given fabric.
FI: Fine Impregnated. Mazy Sailcloth finish-brand for cloth with a nice soft hand.
Fibre: Strand of material used to spin into a yarn.
Fill: (90 degree) The yarn running from the edges to the edges of the fabric, at right 90 degree angle to the warp.
Film: (90 degree)The film usually in Polyester is used in laminated sailcloth. Commercial often know as Mylar or Tedlar.
Finish: A chemical resin or various mixtures, added to the fabric to impact desired properties. In sailcloth the finish is applied by impregnation / saturating, coating or lamination.
Flex Fatigue: A physical property expressed by the number of times a material can be bent on itself through a prescribed angle before it ruptures or loses its ability to recover. Normal tests are measured in terms of remaining tensile strength after 60 cycle of flexing.
Flutter Test: A physical test which artificial simulate the cloth ability to resist degradation when fluttered.
Foot: 1 foot = 12 inches / 30,48 cm.
GSM: Weight in grams of a square meter of cloth.
Hand: Softness or hardness of a fabric. Expressed like: “The cloth has nice hand”.
Inch: 1 inch = 2,54 cm.
Kevlar: Du Pont`s trade name for a man made Aramid fiber.
Laminate: A fabric composed of a high-strenght reinforcing scrim or base fabric taffeta bonded to or between more films.
Mil: 1 mil = 1/1000 of an Inch. Commonly used for expressing the thickness of a film.
Mildew: A spore-forming fungi that grow in warm, moist confined atmosphere. Mildew may cause discoloration of the sailcloth / sail.
Modulus: An expression for the yarns ability to resist stretch. High Modulus = low stretch.
Nylon: A manufactured fiber of synthetic polyamide, with excellent abilities like, flexibility, toughness, and elasticity.
Pentex: Modified Polyester fiber with app. 30% to40% less stretch than a high tenacity polyester fiber.
Pick: A yarns running in the fill direction.
Polyester: A strong, reliable and inexpensive fiber, ideal for cruising, one-design racing sailcloth and low-tech cruising and racing laminates.
Primary Yarn Direction: The orientation (fill or warp) in which a fabric is the most stretch resistance.
PSA: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive.
Radial-Cut: A panel layout where seams and panels radiate out from the corners of the sail.
Scrim: A lightweight, open-weave fabric used as base fabric in the production of laminated fabrics.
SFI: Super Firm Impregnated. Mazu Sailcloth finish-brand for cloth with firm hard hand.
Sailmaker -oz : (Sm-oz) The weight in ounces for fabric.
1 sm-oz = 42,83 gr.
SHC: Super Hard Coated. Mazu Sailcloth finish-brand, for cloth with a very firm, crisp and hard hand.
Shrinkage: The contraction of a fabric in all direction, usually after exposure to flutter and folding.
Specs: The units of stretch the fabric stretches when loaded in the warp, fill and bias directions.
Substrate: A fabric to which other fabrics and films are applied / bonded.
Taffeta: A light woven fabric used with a fine hand, used on laminated sailcloth to add durability and abrasion resistance.
Tape: A narrow woven fabric often not over 12 inches in width. Used for reinforcing the luff, leach and foot of the sails.
Tenacity: An expression for the yarns breaking strength.
Tensile Strength: The ability of a fiber, yarn or fabric to resist breaking under tension.
Threadline: The primary direction of the yarns.
UV-resistance: Amount of time it takes for the fabric to resist degradation when exposed to the harmful UV light (Ultra-Violet).
UV2: Mazu Sailcloth finish-brand for cloth died & impregnated with a double sided UV resistance solvent. Has a Nice and soft hand.
Warp: (0 degree) The yarn or fiber running in the length of a fabric., at right 90 degree to the fill.