Quartz fiber

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Quartz fiber is a fiber created from high-purity quartz crystals. [1] [2] It is made by first softening quartz rods (in an oxyhydrogen flame) [3] and then creating filaments from the rods. [4] Since the creation of high-purity quartz crystals is an energy intensive process, quartz fiber is more expensive than alternatives (glass fiber and high-silica fiber) and has limited applications. [3]

Contents

Manufacture

Quartz fiber is made from heating quartz rods with an oxyhydrogen flame. Then, filaments are drawn out of the quartz rod, creating quartz fibers. [5] For optical fibers, germanium and phosphorus can be added to increase the refractive index. [6] [7] In general, quartz fiber is made of 99.95% purity of silicon dioxide. [8]

Properties

A single quartz fiber can have a tensile strength of 5.5 gigapascals (800  ksi ). Quartz fibers are chemically stable as they are not affected by halogens (for the most part). Quartz fibers also have a higher thermal resistance than S-glass or E-glass. [9] Quartz fiber also has a low coefficient of thermal expansion. [8]

Applications

A quartz fiber dosimeter, a device using a quartz fiber. Direct-reading dosimeter.jpg
A quartz fiber dosimeter, a device using a quartz fiber.

Since quartz fiber is expensive, it has limited applications. [2] It is used mainly for producing composite materials (due to having higher stability compared to glass fiber) and in electrical applications where thermal resistance and dielectric properties are important. [10] It can be used in filtration applications where alternatives such as glass fiber filters cannot be used. [3] [11] Quartz fiber can also be used for physical devices (such as in quartz fiber dosimeters and quartz fiber electrometers). [12]

Quartz fibers can be used in fiber optics. This is due to a quartz fiber having the ability to transport data at a speed of 1 terabit per second, [13] [14] and having a transmission loss of 1 decibel per kilometer. [15]

Similar to how fiberglass can be made, quartz fiber can be used to make composite materials by combining with a resin. The fiber can be weaved into a cloth ("quartz cloth", "silica cloth"), or chopped to a uniform length. [16] Three-dimensional quartz phenolic is an example of such a material.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Carley, James F. (October 8, 1993). Whittington's Dictionary of Plastics, Third Edition. CRC Press. ISBN   9781566760904.
  2. 1 2 Wang, Ru-Min; Zheng, Shui-Rong; Zheng, Yujun George (July 14, 2011). Polymer Matrix Composites and Technology. Elsevier. ISBN   9780857092229.
  3. 1 2 3 Rosato, Donald V.; Rosato, Dominick V. (2004). Reinforced Plastics Handbook. Elsevier. ISBN   9781856174503.
  4. ↑ Rosato, Donald V.; Rosato, Marlene G.; Rosato, D. V. (August 31, 2000). Concise Encyclopedia of Plastics. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9780792384960.
  5. ↑ Peters, S. T. (November 27, 2013). Handbook of Composites. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9781461563891.
  6. ↑ Xinju, Lan (February 18, 2010). Laser Technology, Second Edition. CRC Press. ISBN   9781420091717.
  7. ↑ Staff, IGIC, Inc (1994). Radiation Effects on Fiber Optics and Opto Electronics. Information Gatekeepers Inc. ISBN   9781568510750.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 Escudier, Marcel; Atkins, Tony (2019). A Dictionary of Mechanical Engineering (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198832102.001.0001. ISBN   9780191870866.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ↑ Defense, Us Dept Of (June 18, 1999). Composite Materials Handbook-MIL 17: Materials Usage, Design, and Analysis. CRC Press. ISBN   9781566768283.
  10. ↑ Materials, Metal Properties Council Task Group on Commercial Opportunities for Composite; Watts, Admiral A. (1980). Commercial Opportunities for Advanced Composites. ASTM International. ISBN   9780803103023.
  11. ↑ Brisson, Michael J.; Ekechukwu, Amy A. (2009). Beryllium: Environmental Analysis and Monitoring. Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN   9781847559036.
  12. ↑ Wiberg, Egon; Wiberg, Nils (2001). Inorganic Chemistry. Academic Press. ISBN   9780123526519.
  13. ↑ "Fiber optics". ping-test.net. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  14. ↑ McWhan, Denis (February 23, 2012). Sand and Silicon: Science that Changed the World. OUP Oxford. ISBN   9780191627477.
  15. ↑ Takajima, Toshi; Kajiwara, K.; McIntyre, J. E. (1994). Advanced Fiber Spinning Technology. Woodhead Publishing. ISBN   9781855731820.
  16. ↑ "Technical Reference Handbook 2017" (PDF). JPS Composite Materials.
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