Why do Industries Maximise Non-Asbestos Gaskets over Asbestos Gaskets?
23 July 2021Gaskets are components that can provide proper sealing of materials. They often fill the space between two objects to effectively prevent any instances of leakage while they are under compression. They can likewise fill in the spaces of objects to ensure that the gaps between them are closed entirely.
With gaskets, machines and other products are expected to operate smoothly, especially when they are typically exposed to volatile substances. But for the gaskets to be effective, a couple of things must be considered first. One of these things is the temperature of the surroundings. Another thing to consider is the compatibility of the chemicals that they will be exposed to. Ultimately, the overall requirements of the application, such as the number and size of bolts, must be accounted for when picking the right gaskets.
The different properties of gaskets typically stem from their overall material composition.
General Features of Asbestos Gaskets
One of the materials that are used in generating gaskets is asbestos. Asbestos is a natural mineral that is composed of soft and flexible fibres. Its primary composition allows the material to effectively withstand corrosion, electricity, heat. Asbestos can also be great in insulating heat and electricity.
All these features alone make asbestos a great material for gaskets. Combining asbestos with some fillers and rubber can then generate gaskets that are highly resistant to high temperature. With normal usage, asbestos gaskets can easily withstand the temperature of up to 1,000°C.
Aside from heat resistance, asbestos gaskets also feature excellent mechanical strength. These gaskets often have multivalent metal cations that can improve the bonding strength of their overall material composition. With improvements over their bonding strength, they can easily ensure that the connected surfaces or products will remain intact throughout their operations.
Non-Asbestos Gaskets as Alternative
Even with all the key properties of asbestos gaskets, they can easily be maximised by many industries due to their low costs. However, industries that once utilised these gaskets have switched to other types of gaskets. And one main reason behind this change is the effects of asbestos on humans.
Asbestos fibres, even at minuscule amounts, may be inhaled or ingested by humans. And unlike other elements, asbestos fibres are known to be permanently trapped in the body. Over time, these trapped elements can cause inflammation, scarring, and genetic damage to people. Asbestos exposure may even lead to lung diseases and mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer.
Non-asbestos gaskets, fortunately, are now widespread all over the world. Even though the heat resistance and mechanical strength of asbestos gaskets are better than the non-asbestos ones, the latter are still preferred by many due to health safety reasons. Besides, the mineral fibres, organic fibres, fillers, and rubber that can be found on non-asbestos gaskets are already more than enough to fill the gaps and spaces and prevent elements from entering or leaking out of the parts and surfaces.
To obtain non-asbestos gaskets, you can reach us at Gasketech.
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