In 2005-2012 Haslen Back of Alchemie Group lead the team that developed a new form of terpolyaramide fabric called AuTx.
The history of AuTx started in 1976 with the creation of the first Russian para-aramid fibres under the name SVM (Super High modulus Fibre). The process of fibre forming was principally different from those used while forming of Kevlar and Twaron aramid fibres. The SVM fibre had high strength (190-220 cN/tex), high modulus (75-100 GPa) and high elongation at break (3,0-4,0%). This fibre was used in high strength lightweight composites and as a fabric was used in the creation of first flexible Russian bullet-proof vests.
During the next 20 years, SVM based fabric was the main material for flexible anti-fragmentation and bullet-proof vests and helmets for Russian military and other governmental and private security organisations. Hundreds of thousands of vests and helmets were supplied and some of them are in use today. The next generation of Russian aramid fibre was created and put into large production scale in 1989 for composite applications under the tradename of ARMOS. The main features of this fibre were long lifetime under the load (more than 15 years), high modulus (110-160 GPa) and produced without any sizing.
The current generation of fibres that have become the base for AuTx materials appeared in 1997 under the tradename RUSAR (an abbreviation for Russian Aramid). This fibre has high strength (230-270 cN/tex for AuTx WE and 300+ cN/tex for AuTx DWE), high modulus (100-140 GPa) and elongation at break at (2,6-3%) and is extremely environmentally resilient.
AuTx fibres and fabrics are based on the RUSAR fibre technology. AuTx is available in rovings, woven and non-woven textiles and composites used for ballistic protection or structural applications where strength to weight ratios are a premium.
AuTx-FR, is a fire resistant fibre with excellent thermal stability, high LOI and strength at elevated temperatures, with minimal thermal degradation. The process of forming AuTx-FR fibre allows the LOI to be varied between 40-70 with a tradeoff for lesser strength the higher the LOI number is.
AuTx is superior from other lesser performance aramid fibres available in the market today, and the technology has a large potential for development. A new processes of fibre forming (DWE method which allows to produce fibre having strength 320 cN/tex and more), improved chemicals cleaning and mixing processes, increased quantity of filaments at the same fibre linear density and the other steps leave a good field to increase AuTx performance in the nearest future.