In order to obtain high strength and stiffness at a low weight, the paddle blade is manufactured with a seamless fibre architecture. Blade and shaft are made in one piece. The only conventional joint on the paddle is found at the centre of the shaft.
The laminate is carbon fibre prepreg cured in an autoclave. The curing process uses high pressure and temperature to consolidate the different laminate plies (layers) and the resulting component can be considered totally free from voids and pores. The interlaminary performance is far better than what is possible with conventional manufacturing methods based on liquid resin.
In order to reach the target weight and other mechanical performance requirements, the laminate design is optimized in a number of ways. Woven textile has been selectively used in the surface and inner ply for reasons of damage tolerance and controlled failure modes in case of fracture.
The inner plies are made up from UD-tapes, (uni-directional fibres) that have better strength and stiffness-to-weight ratio than woven material.
The fibre type used is selected because of its high elongation before break and excellent tensile strength and stiffness.
