MADE IN FRANCE

MADE IN FRANCE

FLAX SANDWICH
ted Paten0116
n 135
MADE IN FRANCE

NEW DIAPHRAGM

MADE IN FRANCE

THE SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL OF DIAPHRAGM TECHNOLOGIES

DIAPHRAGM TECHNOLOGIES
More than 30 years of Focal tradition
i t must be light so that it will accelerate quickly. i  t must be rigid so that it functions like a piston,  it must be well damped so that it does not colour the sound. Across our whole Home, Car and Pro ranges we currently use two different diaphragm technologies for mid-woofers: Polyglass for the less costly ranges, "W" and Kevlar sandwich, with their outstanding qualities, for our top of the range products. (The "K2" sandwich is derived from and very similar to the "W" sandwich). Because the W sandwich has to be manufactured by hand, its range of application remains limited for reasons of cost. remains the supreme method of controlling rigidity. The drive unit is at the very heart of Focals work. For more than 30 years we have been exploring the possibilities offered by revolutionary new materials in order to develop the ideal loudspeaker diaphragm. The list is long: Polyglass, "K2" sandwich, "W" sandwich, Kevlar, titanium, Tioxid, beryllium, aluminium-magnesium. The diaphragm is the critical interface for the transducer; it is what sets the air molecules in motion, and the fidelity of the transfer depends on the intrinsic qualities of the material used. Ideally, a diaphragm should satisfy three key but contradictory criteria:

What material for the core?

The core of a sandwich material provides the mechanical damping, which is responsible for the sonic neutrality of the diaphragm. We wanted to make use of non-woven fibers which could be formed into a sandwich cone by a stamping process in order to automate the forming process. This would make sandwich construction, which has hitherto been reserved for top of the range applications, available to a wider range of products. With the "W" sandwich the only way to form the core in Plexiglas foam and to apply the fiberglass skin is by hand. Flax very quickly became a serious candidate. France is the main cultivator in Europe of fiber flax, principally in Flanders, Picardy, Normandy and the Pasde-Calais region. French flax is considered the best in the world. Flax is one of the oldest textile fiber, which has been cultivated since the 4th Century BC and which was used by the Egyptians as a protective cloth for mummies. A bundle (called technical fiber in spinning) is composed of ten to forty fibers. Each fiber is a single, very elongated cell, 6 to 10 centimetres in length and with a diameter of 7 to 40 m, composed of 70 to 80 per cent cellulose.

Glass sandwich for rigidity

In the course of the last few years, many innovations have appeared as a result of engineers revisiting

thus creating new types of hybrid material. There are very few solutions using a single homogeneous material that satisfy the three key criteria set out above. Solutions using a mixture of materials offer a much wider range of possibilities. Sandwich construction using thin skins of fiberglass, with which we are totally familiar thanks to the "W" sandwich,

natural materials and combining them with modern composites,

The unique qualities of flax

Composite materials have properties suitable for applications where both rigidity and low mass are required. However, their disadvantage is that they lack damping, which leads to very poor control of vibrations. Often, as in the case of sports equipment, it is necessary to apply damping materials to absorb the intrinsic vibration of the material. It is clear that this is a particularly critical issue for loudspeaker diaphragms, one which requires us to ensure that there is sufficient internal damping within the structure of the material. Recent developments in this field combining composites and natural fibers have brought unexpected opportunities. Flax is twice as light as fiberglass, because the fiber is hollow. It also has very low elasticity which makes it ideal

PS 165FX (high end powerfull new Car Audio 2 way component).

to increase the flexural rigidity of our sandwich. Moreover, it can be obtained in non-woven bundles of considerable diameter and it can therefore produce the thickness required for a sandwich. Synthetic fibers or foams originating from petrochemical resources are subject to inflation linked to the sharp rise in crude oil

prices. Organic or ecological textiles, like flax, are thus becoming more and more pricecompetitive. Flax combines the three key factors required of the core of a sandwich material for loudspeakers: it has low density, a high tensile (Youngs) modulus of elasticity of up to 60GPa, and excellent internal damping.

fibre bundle

lignin (wood)

fibrous cell

hollow centre (void)

epidermis

Flax offers unique qualities: light because it is hollow and very low elasticity. It constitutes a choice suitable for the manufacture of the core of a sandwich structure.

France is the largest producer of flax in Europe. French flax fiber is considered one of the worlds best. Cropped in Flanders, Picardy and Normandy it enjoys very favorable climatic conditions.

Performance comparison of various solutions

Many prototypes have been developed by Focal in the course of the last two years using diaphragms made from single materials (including metals and thermoplastics), composites (with thermosetting, thermoplastic and acrylic matrices) and even in coated paper. We very quickly restricted our choice to composite/ sandwich structures: singleskin structures with a preimpregnated glass fiber face and a rear woven or non-woven linen face, and sandwich structures with internal and external skins in pre-impregnated glass fiber on a core of braided or nonbraided flax, with straight or semi-exponential cone profiles. A measurement report was developed internally to make
Flax sandwich

our research less empirical. At each stage test samples were produced to assess the mechanical performance of the new structures. To provide reference data, test samples of Polyglass and "W" sandwich in different thicknesses, as well as aluminium and glass fiber, were also produced so that we could validate our experiments with reference to known materials. Five criteria were analysed, with results that are shown in the graphs which follow. The designations for the sandwich structures are:  "W" sandwich/Focal patent: introduced in 1995, this is a sandwich with glass fiber on both sides of a core of acrylic/ Plexiglass foam.  "F" sandwich/Focal registered in 2013 (N 1350116): this is a

sandwich with glass fiber on both sides of a core of flax. It will be used in Focal products from 2013.

Low mass a guarantee of high dynamic performance

[Graph 1] For a 165mm midwoofer, the mass of the diaphragm required to conserve good sensitivity is of the order of 10 grams. This corresponds to an ideal surface mass of the order of 300g/m2. The diagram opposite shows that a 2 mm thick "W" sandwich due to its mass is more suitable for application in pure woofer. Aluminium needs to be used in a very fine thicknesses of 0.1mm, which is completely impractical. It appears in the list only to validate the coherence of our tests.

Details for midrange driver

Graph 1: Surface Mass in g/m2

600.00 450.00
Glass 0.04mm

570

300.00 150.00 0
dw ich 2m "

304 304

327

305

270 174

Flax 0.4mm Glass 0.04mm

m wic

"W

an "s

"W

d san

h1

.5m

m ich

"F"

dw san

0.4

mm

as ygl Pol

s0

m .5m Alu

u min

m0

.1m Fib

m 2m 0.1 ss a l erg m

Graph 2: Youngs modulus in GPa (logarithmic scale)

Car Audio Flax component kits: A concentrate of 100% Focal technology for the new high end of Performance Expert range.

600.00 450.00 300.00 150.00 0

[Graph 2] Youngs Graph 1: Surface Mass in g/m2 modulus represents the mechanical load which would cause elongation 570 of 100 per cent of the initial length of a material, if it were possible to apply it. In reality, 327the material is permanently 305 304 304 270 deformed or breaks well before 174 this value is attained. If the Youngs modulus of a material is high it is said to be rigid. It m mm mm m m mm that .4m h2 munderstand 1.5 to the 2m 0 c i h 0.1 h is easy 0.5 w 0.1 ic wic um ss dw ass and d a n l n i l s n a g " m y higher the Youngs sa ergmodulus "s "W Pol Alu "W Fib "F" of the core of a sandwich

High tensile modulus a guarantee of extended frequency response

material, the more resistant to bending it will be and the better a loudspeaker diaphragm made from the material will function as rigid piston. Flax has a high 0.05 Youngs modulus of 60GPa, of the same order of magnitude as the glass or Kevlar 0.04 fibers or aluminum.
0.03

High internal damping a guarantee of neutrality 0.01

[Graph 3] Internal damping is characterised by a coefficient 0 known as the dissipation mm mm m mm m factor. At the diaphragms h2 1.5 0.4 .1m .5m wic ich ich d s0 m0 w n d dw a las inu n an g "breakup" frequency, the"W" sa a m s y rgl s Pol ibe Alu W" F"
" " F

higher the dissipation factor, the less severe the resonance as surplus energy is dissipated Graph Dissipation factor within the 3: material. This is a tan delta guarantee of low coloration, of true tonality. Aluminium 0.049 has very poor damping qualities, which disqualifies it irretrievably. Polyglass, with its cellulose pulp base, is excellent 0.026 in this respect (the reputation of 304 0.02 0 paper diaphragms is already 0.017 well known to loudspeaker designers); "F" sandwich 0.005 performs very well too.

2 Graph 2: Youngs modulus in GPa Graph 1: Surface Mass in g/m (logarithmic scale)

Graph 4:delta Speed of sound in m/s Graph 3: Dissipation factor tan

0.05 0.04 0.03 6.000

570

100.00

0.049 69.75
4.500 3.000

5199 3629 0.018 1774 0.005

304 304 10.00

327

305

3793 0.026

3706

304
3.49 2.64
m .5m

270 11.57 174 1.83

m .1m

6.89

0.01 0

0.017

1.500 0

304 0.02

304

"W

"s

ndw

2 ich "W

1.00 m

"s

and

wic

mm .12 0 0 m s0 m ssm m am m m as i.n lm 5u gl2 4 g mm . and m h y mm 1 r 2m l s 0 c u oi 0.1 he ch 0.5 Pw ib A 0.1 il ic "F" w m ss wF ss d u a and d a l n n l s i n a " yg m sa erg "s "W Pol Alu "W Fib "F" .5 h1 h wic 0.4

mm

mm

"W

an "s

dw

ich

2m "

"W

dw san

ich

m m mm mm4mm m mm .4m 2m . mm 1.5 2m mm 0.1 h 0 0.1 h 0dwich s 0.5 ch 0.1 0.5 m s ndwi n wic wic un sslass um a a d a d n n l i i l la s n m sa m yg sa sa W" ergolyg erg Pol"W" Alu Alu Fib P Fib "F" " "F" 1.5

mm

Graph 2: Youngs modulus in GPa (logarithmic scale)

Graph 5: Flexural rigidity index (logarithmic scale)Graph 4: Speed of sound in m/s

1000 6.000

Graph 3: Dissipation factor tan of delta High speed sound in the

0.05 0.04

urface Mass in g/m2

0.049 ago, now falls far short of the [Graph 4] An important 0.05 hybrid materials developed by criterion, the speed of sound 0.049 Focal in the interim. propagation in a diaphragm 0.04 0.03 is directly proportional to its 0.026 High flexural stiffness a breakup frequency. The speed 304 0.02 7 guarantee of well controlled of sound of0.03 the flax0.018 sandwich 305 0.01 0.017 0.026 270 bass is on a par with that of the0.02 304 0.018 174 [Graph 5] This parameter 0.01 W sandwich, a value 0.005 with0.017 0 defines how stiff the diaphragm Summary double that of Polyglass. High m mm mm m is also m 0.005 is in bending. High bending To design a high performance 4m mm a m of sound .velocity h2 m 1.5 2 1 0 0 c . 5 1 i h 0 h 0. 0. ic m m ndw wic um mm m dw ass ass stiffness is an essential diaphragm you have to 0.4 .1m W" sa and 12m " san min ygl .5m rgl . l 0 s u 0 e 0 o l " b " m P m A m s ss m "W Fi "F m m inu m las 2m .5m gla 4m m g . h m m 1 y r 2m 1 criterion for a diaphragm optimise a complex set of l 0 c . 5 u e 1 i 0 h 0. Po w Al 0. ich Fib wic um ss dw ass and d a n n l i l s n a g g " a m s y r criteria, which are for the working at bass frequencies, l s u e " W o l " " P A "W Fib "F where significant differences most part contradictory. The Graph 4: Speed of sound in m/s in the air pressure on either composite solution using face can otherwise cause flax in a sandwich structure 6.000 Graph 4: Speed of sound m/s deformation. Highin flexural with fiberglass skins is a very ngs modulus in GPa rigidity brings a material harmonious way of combining ithmic scale) 6.000 5199 4.500 close to the theoretical ideal low mass with high internal of a diaphragm functioning as damping, high velocity of sound 5199 3793 4.500 3706 a rigid piston over its entire and high flexural rigidity. 3629 69.75 3.000 [Graph 6] passband.
1.500 0

diaphragm a guarantee the midrange. Polyglass, which Graph was 3: Dissipation factor tan delta introduced nearly 30 years of definition

guarantee of high definition in

The advantage of sandwich construction is obvious here since flexural rigidity increases with diaphragm thickness. As the lower graph shows, the W sandwich is without rival in this regard. Despite its relative thinness, the flax sandwich is nearly three times stiffer than the thicker Polyglass alternative.

304

1774

3.000 1.500

3793 2165

3706

3629

6.89
wic h2 mm w and 1.5 mm w and 0.4 mm

304

1774

2165

1.83
0.4 mm 0.5 mm m 0.1 " mm W" d san

ass ygl Pol

xural rigidity index ithmic scale)

Alu

m inu

Fi

"W mm .12 s0 s a gl ber

"s

ich

"F

"s

ich

mm 0 .1mm mm .12 0.5 m0 s0 ss inu las gla g m y r l u e Po m Al Fib mm m mm m 2m mm 1.5 0.4 .1m ich .5m .12 ich ich dw s0 m0 s0 w n w d a d las inu las s n an g g " a m s y r l s e " "W 6.000 Po Alu "W Fib "F"

Speed of sound (m/s)

Graph 5: Flexural rigidity index (logarithmic scale)

5.000 4.000 3.000 2.000 1.000

Aluminum

Ideal

1000 100 10

"W" sandwich "F" sandwich

344.7 90.1

Fiberglass Polyglass

1.9

0.6
1
mm s mm Alu min

0.1
mm .12 s0 las g r e " s W" and wic

304

5.3

1.9 0.6 0.1

mm mm .12 s0 las g r be

0 0.000 0.010 0.020 0.030 0.040 0.050 0.060

0.4

a ygl Pol

.5 s0

um

00.1mm
Fib

h2

mm dw

"W

an "s

ich

m .5m dw

"F

an "s

ich

m .4m a ygl Pol

ss

0.5

mm A in lum

um

0.1

Graph 6 : Internal damping (tan delta)

Fi

New 2013 - Aria 948 Black High Gloss New Home classic Flax technology 3 way loudspeaker.

Based on these analyses, t h e d i a p h r a g m s w e re manufactured to evaluate in full scale their performance in a blind listening trial. We decided to conduct the tests using a Chorus 806V and a Chorus 806W. Focal has a long tradition and recognised expertise in designing two-way bookshelf speakers, which require a mid-woofer whose diaphragm must satisfy all the contradictory demands already identified: high rigidity for good bass combined with high internal damping to avoid coloration in the midrange. All the prototypes not using sandwich construction were rejected because their bass

performance was inferior to that of Polyglass. Flexural rigidity can also be improved by adjusting the geometry of the cone. The semi-exponential profiles give very good results, for example, with Polyglass because we reinforce the stiffness. With the sandwich structures, which are intrinsically stiffer, we have favoured straight cones as they deliver tighter bass. The "F" sandwich based on flax has a promising future: its qualities in the midrange are in total accord with our brand values, since Focal sound is characterised in particular by the

richness of reproduction in the midrange register. Moreover, the industrial p ro c e s s d e v e l o p e d t o manufacture this material bring it within reach of product ranges such as Aria 900 for the home or Performance Series for the car, very pricecompetitive ranges which could not aspire to the "W" sandwich for reasons of cost. [Graph 7]

Graph 7: Relative cost / Polyglass base

Polyglass

"F" Sandwich

403

"W" Sandwich 0 1 2 3 4 5

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Focal-JMlab - BP 374 - 108, rue de lAvenir - 42353 La Talaudire cedex - France. Tel. +33 (0) 477 435 700 - Fax + 33 (0) 477 435 704 - 2013 Focal-JMlab. SCAB -130113/2
Due to constant technological advances, Focal-JMlab reserves its right to modify specifications without notice. - Images may not conform exactly to specific product - Photos LAtelier Sylvain Madelon