Fiberglass and Silica Textiles

Fiberglass Textiles

Fiberglass relies on a combination of natural minerals and human-made compounds. The three main components are silica sand, sodium carbonate and limestone. Other ingredients could be borax, magnesite and calcined alumina. The silica sand creates glass, which contributes to strength. Sodium carbonate and limestone help to lower the sand’s melting temperature before turning it into fibers.

In a scalding furnace, the three core ingredients melt together until molten glass forms. From there, the glass is formed into fibers and cooled. These fibers can be long and thread-like, which is preferred for textiles, or short and chopped.

Hi-Temp Fiberglass Cloth, Tape, Rope and Sleeves

Fiberglass products offer a lot of beneficial properties for high-temperature work. While different materials have varying applications, all of them reap the advantages of fiberglass. Hi-temp fiberglass tape and other textile properties like fabrics include:

• High mechanical strength
• Spark resistance
• Low thermal conductivity
• Dielectric permeability
• Dimensional stability

Silica Textiles

Silica, or silicon dioxide, is made from two elements in the Earth’s crust — silicon and oxygen. It’s commonly found in natural structures like quartz or sand, and its crystalline structure makes it inherently strong. Unlike fiberglass, which requires human-made or chemically produced compounds, silica sand is mostly natural. Various mining methods extract silica from the Earth, and advanced processes rid the silica of as many impurities as possible.

These purifying processes look at the different metal levels, like iron, aluminum and nickel. Depending on how the silica will be used, different metal levels are acceptable. Much like fiberglass, silica needs to be melted and turned into fibers during the cooling process. From there, silica fibers become textiles.

High-Temperature Silica Fibers, Tape, Rope, Sleeves, and Cloth

Just like fiberglass, silica textiles are excellent for high heat processes. While production requires more mining and purifying than fiberglass, the properties are similar. Silica textile characteristics are:

• Low thermal conductivity
• Flame and heat resistant
• Resistant to chemical erosion
• Dimensional stability
• Dielectric permeability

Applications of Fiberglass and Silica Textiles

With high heat resistance and structural stability, fiberglass and silica textiles have applications in various industries and scenarios. They can be used for:

• Sealing
• Insulating
• Flame-resistant barriers
• Furnace curtains

These textiles have a place in industries like aerospace, chemical production and metalworking.