UV Degradation
All of the materials that we can make nets out of will suffer from a loss of strength primarily from exposure to UV light which breaks down most synthetic fibers. The chart below shows some results from tests that we have conducted. The samples were exposed to full sun and all other wheather elements in Florida. All of these samples were of single thread size and because of that probably deteriorated at a faster rate than a heavier mesh of the same material would. We currently have additional testing in process on actual samples of net mesh, and will post those as they become available.
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test notes;
The black and blue polypropylene mesh fibers that did extremely well in this test are large fibers from the actual mesh. Unfortunately fibers from black polypropylene webbing are about 1/10th the size of the mesh fibers and do not hold up nearly as well. The vinyl coating used on the polyester thread sample is the same coating we use on all of our vinyl coated netting products Also note that these samples were not under stress or exposed to abrasive use during this test, factors which can play a large part in determining the life of an actual net.
