Search
HomeTechnical Textiles
Flexible Fibre-Reinforced Composites for Advanced Smart Structure

Flexible Fibre-Reinforced Composites for Advanced Smart Structure

December 24, 2025 5:23 am

The market for flexible composites is expected to expand significantly in sectors such as foldable electronics, deployable aerospace structures, wearable medical devices, and seismic-resistant infrastructure.

Flexible fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites possess the ability to withstand bending, stretching, and impact without cracking or breaking while maintaining their shape and integrity even in harsh environments. The development of flexible composites using a specialized resin system is crucial for advancing smart structures for high-performance applications. Flexible textile composites have significant potential in the aerospace, defence, electronics, medical technology, and civil infrastructure industries. ATIRA has successfully developed highly flexible carbon fibers-reinforced polymer composites through the formulation of a novel resin system and precise orientation engineering of the fibres. The developed flexible composites have huge potential for applications such as deployable space structure, morphing wing skins, prosthetic sockets, exoskeletons, and protective shells.

Market potential of textile composites

A rapidly growing demand for fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites is predicted globally, including in India, due to their excellent properties, particularly high mechanical strength and lightweight characteristics. The global FRP composites market is experiencing significant expansion (Projected to reach $189.80 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 7.6 per cent), driven by increasing applications in key industries such as aerospace, defence, automotive, renewable energy, marine, construction, and sports equipment. In India, the FRP composites market is also witnessing substantial growth, with an estimated growth rate of approximately 7 per cent during 2024-2029. This expansion is fuelled by strong government initiatives supporting infrastructure development, renewable energy deployment, and advancements in defence and aerospace technologies under programs such as Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), and Gati Shakti. The rising demand for lightweight, durable, and high-performance materials is further accelerating market adoption.

Flexible composites represent an emerging segment with immense market potential in India and abroad. The global flexible composites market is projected to reach $35.12 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 6.7 per cent from 2026 to 2033. With advancements in smart materials and evolving industry requirements, flexible FRP composites are gaining traction for their ability to enhance product functionality in various high-performance applications. The market for flexible composites is expected to expand significantly in sectors such as foldable electronics, deployable aerospace structures, wearable medical devices, and seismic-resistant infrastructure.

Further reinforcing the strong growth outlook, India’s technical textile industry is poised to surpass the $10 billion market target set for 2030. This was stated by Giriraj Singh,  Union Minister of Textiles, during the inauguration of the international conference-cum-exhibition titled “Viksit Bharat-Technical Textiles for Sustainable Growth & Development” held in New Delhi. This announcement underscores the Government of India’s strong commitment to promoting technical textiles as a strategic growth sector and highlights the accelerating momentum of domestic manufacturing, innovation, and adoption of advanced textile-based materials. The development of high-value products such as advanced and flexible textile composites directly contributes to this vision by expanding the application base of technical textiles in infrastructure, defence, aerospace and medical technology, thereby supporting India’s transition towards a Viksit Bharat through sustainable and high-performance material solutions.

Role of resin matrix polymer in textile composites

Resin systems play a crucial role in enabling effective bonding and integration of reinforcement materials within a composite structure. They serve as the adhesive matrix that holds the reinforcement in place, facilitating efficient load transfer between materials. This load transfer enhances the overall strength, stiffness, and performance of the textile composite. Additionally, resin systems act as protective barriers, shielding reinforcement textile from environmental factors such as moisture, chemicals, and temperature variations. The choice of resin system significantly influences the mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of composite materials. In the FRP composites industry, thermoset resins are predominantly used due to their superior performance and cost-effectiveness. The major thermoset resins include polyester, epoxy, vinyl ester, and cyanate ester. Bisphenol-based epoxy resins dominate the development of FRP composites for advanced applications due to their superior strength compared to polyester and vinyl ester resins. However, bisphenol-based epoxy resins and their composites tend to be highly brittle due to their rigid molecular structure and high crosslinking density after curing. Therefore, the development of a suitable bisphenol-based flexible resin matrix and its FRP composites is crucial for high-performance applications.

Relevance of flexible resins in advanced textile composite

Flexible resin refers to a type of resin that exhibits a degree of flexibility and elasticity after curing. Flexible resins can be formulated by modifying the resin system with flexible curing agents, flexibilizers, plasticizers, additives, and other modifiers. The specific composition of the resin determines its flexibility, which can range from soft and pliable to semi-flexible and rubber-like. Flexible resins and their textile composites exhibit the ability to withstand bending, stretching, and impact without cracking or breaking. Additionally, these resins and their textile composites demonstrate excellent resistance to abrasion, tearing, and fatigue, maintaining their structural integrity even under continuous use or harsh environmental exposure.

Possible applications of flexible textile composites

Flexible composites have diverse applications, including (Figure 1):

Aerospace: Deployable structures such as foldable wings, antennae, and morphing surfaces.

Defence: Protective shields and armor, offering better impact resistance than rigid composites.

Medical & Biomechanics: Highly flexible composites that mimic natural limb movement, making them useful in prosthetics and wearable medical devices.

Infrastructure: Seismic retrofitting of bridges and buildings, enhancing structural resilience against earthquakes.

Figure 1: Possible application of flexible FRP composites in various industries

Development of flexible resin and its textile composites at ATIRA

Recognizing the importance of flexible resins and textile composites, ATIRA has developed a novel high-performance flexible resin and its corresponding textile composites through precise resin formulation and fibre-orientation engineering. The developed flexible textile composites exhibit high flexibility along with good strength and stiffness. Additionally, we have the capability to further tailor the flexibility based on specific product requirements.

Conclusion

ATIRA has successfully developed flexible textile composites as promising materials for high-performance product development. The developed flexible textile composites have significant application potential across various industries, including defence, aerospace, flexible electronics, medical technology, and civil infrastructure. We are now seeking collaboration with industry partners, R&D organizations, and researchers to develop novel, advanced smart composite products.

References

About the authors:

Partha Bairi, Dharmesh Rizwani and PV Kameswara Rao are from the Center of Excellence-Composites at Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA), P.O. Ambawadi Vistar, Ahmedabad- 380015, Gujarat, India

Short Biodata of the Authors

Dr. Partha Bairi

Partha Bairi is a seasoned materials scientist with about 12 years of experience driving innovation in R&D. He holds a PhD in Polymer Science and serves as a Senior Scientific Officer at ATIRA, Ahmedabad. His expertise lies in the development of smart and functional textile composites for advanced and emerging applications. He has played a key role in numerous sponsored research projects, effectively translating fundamental science into practical, real-world solutions.

Mr. Dharmesh Rizwani

Dharmesh Rizwani is working as a Project Officer at ATIRA. He holds a BSc in chemistry and a MSc in Materials Science. He has 6+ years of experience in textile composite materials, with expertise in both material formulation and process development. He has been actively engaged in materials and process research and their applications. Prior to joining ATIRA, he worked with MRF Tyres Ltd. on a greenfield project at Bharuch as a Technical Officer for four years.

Dr. P. V. Kameswara Rao

Dr. P. V. Kameswara Rao is a seasoned R&D professional with over 22 years of experience in new product development, particularly in textile and composites. He is currently serving as Assistant Director at the Centre of Excellence (CoE)-Composites, ATIRA. Previously, he worked at H&V Advanced Materials India Pvt. Ltd., where he served as Senior Scientist for 8 years and Lead Scientist for 6 years. He holds a PhD from the Department of Textile Technology, IIT Delhi, with strong expertise in research, innovation, and industrial product development.

CATEGORIES
TAGS
NEWER POST
OLDER POST