Fabrication of SiO2 glass fibres by thermoplastic extrusion

Abstract

The fabrication of silica glass fibres by thermoplastie extrusion of nanosize and micron SiO2 powders has been investigated. The powders were mixed with a binder system, compounded for 3 h at 150 °C, and finally extruded through a die with a 500 μm-diameter die land. After debinding the green fibres at 500 °C, these were sintered for 1 h at 1100°C under air to yield glassy and crack-free silica fibres with a final diameter of 400 μm. The effect of the two different particle size distributions as well as the influence of varying powder loading (between 38 and 58 vol.%) on the rheological properties of the feedstocks were analysed using capillary rheometry. The debinding and sintering behaviour was also investigated using mercury intrusion porosimetry, thermal gravimetrie analysis and dilatometry.