Document EXXgK2gJ3eGVa5K7wyVVrqe0

FILE NAME: General Electric (GE) DATE: 1963 Jan 25 DOC#: GE044 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Asbestos Textile Report \ FELLOWSHIP REPORT I M X R H C. SHAW f RESEARCH FZLLG7 i ASBESTOS TEXTILE INSTITUTE PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE Or TEXTILES AID SCIENCE PHILADELPHIA., PA, RE?CRT #60 JANUARY 2?, 1963 MT-005935 Introduction During recent months the attentions of the Fellow have beer, cor.cori.ud vuth a variety of subjects* Certain fundamental properties ar.d characteristics ci our basic .fibers have been under observation and sene of the newer field:; of utilization and application have been studied* In this latter area ve have r.ai an opportunity to become acquainted with same of the new technological denar.is that our industry will have to meet if we are to supply the necessary rrocra'.i-o of construction currently being sought. Competitive and some ratter exotic materials are being readied for entry in this field and how well our aria a ;ry advances in improving what va now have, in developing row product:: with still greater strength, temperature and over-all good construction capnbilioios and in effectively promoting the full potential and capabilities cf own rn.torials will determine in large measure the future course cf our Industry0 During recent months we attended several important technical meetings and seminars which were related to various areas of interest withir. tha scop- cf the Asbestos Textile Institute. On October 16, 1?62, a Symposium cr. Fibrous tertrials was held in Dayton, Ohio, sponsored b y the Fibrous Materials Branch, MormscaLlic Materials Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Fares Baao; on licensor l/s2 the American Ordnance Association held its Uith Annual Industrial Preparednec; mo ic ing at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, and on December 11-13, i?2 a con ference on Structural Plastics, Adhesives, and Filament 'found Composites was held in Dayton, Ohio, sponsored b y the Plastics and Composites Branchj r.or.- metallic Materials Laboratory, Materials Central, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, One has only to attend such gatherings ani to be confronted with th technological tenor of the addresses and remarks issuing therefrom to bo impressed by the pace in which we are all being caught up and are being .-Terete to maintain if we are to live and to survive not only as a great country but as a company, as an individual, indeed as an association such as the Asbestos Textile Institute, The enormity of the budgets to maintain and sustain this pace and tha vastneea of the apace that we are coping with are so great that comprehension is often difficult. When one endeavors to relate the tensile strength of a 35 cut, Grade AAA, asbestos yarn to the contemplated 900 day journey that same space man will make to Mars, 'n probably the not too distant fuXwLTGj seems to be a gross incongrui y but, in reality there i& not, -Ins futuro of our industry is dependent upo.. our ability to equate such terminology. The dollar value and the quantities of materials involved in these programs truly staggers the imagination. In our effort to establish a pince for asbestos textiles and asbestos products in this over-all pattern of opportunities and to detersine how the products of our irdustry can be oriented and brought into usefulness in these newer fields of application there must be 1) a comp-te understanding regard ing the basic structural requirements that are to bo encountered, 2) complete familiarity with all of the basic properties and capabilities of the materials te be offered, and 3) a knowledge of those other materials that will competatively challenge the ultimate adoption of an asbestos material as the acceptable component Or Structural unit. A n endeavor will bo made to relate these p&s-smsvers and to gain a very general picture based upon the impressions gained at the several conferences attended. MT-005936 -2- In addition to the above application cor.sidiratior.s, certain iur_us::n.il properties of chrysotile asbestos fiber related to Magnetic Hating end iron content and the pH value determination techniques have been under investiga tion. The importance of such values and the techniques involved in mukinT such determinations may not appear important, at first glance, but cr: we en deavor to enter even wider areas of service and application, grQatar purity and a more positive knowledge regarding the chemical behavior and curfuco characteristics of our materials becomes increasingly significant lh_a-j methods are receiving attention at this time as a cooperative effort of tht Institute and the American Society for Testing and Materials., Review of Conferences Symposium on Fibrous Materials, The rapert of tho proceedings of this symposium furnished only to those who were entitled to bs in attendance contad.no uhe following statement: -- "This report is issued for the information of the l7, S. Corerrmant scientific personnel and. contractorsa It is not a part of tho scientific literature and must not be cited, abstracted, reprinted, or given further distribution1' In order that compliance with this order may be pursued, typical abstract ing and citing cannot therefore be accomplished and due to this restriction we .can only generalize at this time and cover broadly the subject matter relevant to our interests. Conference on Structural Flastics, Adhesives, and Filament Wound Cemsojites The conference was divided into three sessions, each of which was cor. cerned with a different aspect of the over-all consideration. The first session covered Organic and Inorganic Resins and Adhesives with eight papers being delivered, covering a rather vide range of materials. The organic resins discussed included the Polyisocynurates and Polymeric Chelates, the Palyirid.es, the Polybertzimide.zole (?BI), Epcocy and the Phthalocyanine Copolymers, The PBI development by Narmco Research and Development, an affiliate of Tale contratar Corp,, appears to be one of the major developments in this field and tna author that spoke on the subject was so thoroughly convinced of its revolutionary capabilities that ha made the statement that nit was superior to anything new available for structural materials1'. As a general figure it wa3 pointed out that a 20? resin content composite cured at 350C and 2000 psi exhibited flexural strengths in excess of 100,000 psi. However, in most discussions related to these subjects tho underlying difficulty seenB to rest in the lack of assurance o f a couplets and rapesfcecly uniform wetting of tho filler or laminant b y the resin* The surface chemistry of the materials to be bonded is apparently not well understood and as a result homogeniety Is not always achieved, indeed fren seme remarks expressed, it is rarely achieved to the ultimsto extent. no reference to asbestos as a filler or laminant vaa made during the course of these discussions, one author suggested that the presence of surface hydcccal groups serve to obstruct resin to glass wetting, ths significance of this observation as use of asbestos in this field is being considered,, Also included in this series of papers was or.s entitled "Bo: in-mo: ztc Matrix for High Temperature Application by C. H, Vondracak, D. Berg ari >* a Moberiy, Westinghouse Electric Corp, A copy of -this papa:' has r.ot a; yet received, however, the remarks as prosentad would arpear to offer sor.:; ir.taresting possibilities. In this work, Boron-Phosphate resulting from a proportionate mixing of Boric Acid and 855 Phosphoric Acid. i:, utiisz bonding and cementing medium for asbestos laminates, Typical preporti es o 1 sue.. a laminate after curing at 500C showed a flexural strength of 88,5Cl psi; Modulus of Rupture of 2.CK 10psij Tensile strength 11,100 pai and Cor.pr= Strength of 52,000 psi. Until a careful study of the report it posealo r.0 further details are available, however, on the basis of the oral pres or.tation it would seem that perhaps these considerations would boor sc.to further ot udy* The socond session-of the conforenco was dove tod to Filcmir.'; 'Tcur.u Composites. Great strides have been made and are being r.nda in chit field art the stats of the art i.5 apparently being revised practically daily, Thu selec tion of the proper mandrel based upon economic considerations as well as the technological requirements has resulted in significant savings aad. in more efficient manufacturing operations in many cases. One of the most verting pro blems that is apparently confronting those engaged in this type of fabrication is that of testing for assurance that all filaments in the finished unit are continuous and that no filament breakage is present that will trigger a pre mature rupture of the case. Electrically conductive coatings for the filaments are being considered as a possible means of checking this property, The new S99b, high strength glass is currently being oTaf.ua red and ft does appear to possess from 2$% to 305 higher strength properties than tea normal E glass filament# In remarks by Mr, J, A. Kies, U. S. Naval Research Laboratory, concerning the "Vulnerability of Wilament Wound Pressure Vessels to Mechanical Baangs11, i t was stated that during the last war, for every plane that uss lest in battle, 15 planeB were lost to the service through minor failures or damages and that filament wound pressure vessels contributed notably in thi3 area. Es stressed the desirability for more rugged construction. It would seen tbar ths abrasion resistance capabilities of asbestos should fit into this picture somewhere# The final session of this conference covered Reinforcements and was devoted to considerations of Glass, Berryllia Fiber, Sapphire Whiskers, Bcrcr., Carbon and Graphite* A review of the properties of the new S$>9k gla3s revealed that tho top usable temperature of this glass approaches HiGO^F compared to H O C 0? for the "E glass"* S9?U has a 3O-h0i higher strength than E glass and is new about fc800 per lb. which will be reduced to Ok# 00 per lb at sccia future date# A eecond paper related to glass fibers discussed the properties of hollow glass fibers and a comparison with conventional glas3 filaments wers am.da show ing that two of the hollow fibers would have the same weight as one solid fiber -U- or filament and tha thermal conduct!-rity for hollow fiber fabrications would be reduced by sen,3 9C{o, The considerations at this point are largely theorltical. Beryllia, Beryllium oxide, fiberB also offer uriqus possibilities in the area of application here being considered The following physical properties were tabulated as typical of this refractory fiber: Melting Point Density Tensile Strength Toungs Modulus 2570C 3.008 21,000 psi 0 20C n,,oco psi &noceo 50 x 10 psi 0 2G0 37 X IO6 pel & 100CC Sapphire Whiskers have been under investigation by General Electric Company for some time as structural reinforcements and further basic c b e e r v o tions were here discussed. It was revealed that the tensile strength capa bilities of such whiskers range frem 0.9 - 2.8 million pounds par square*inch. Boron, as elemental Boron, offers still another, although somewhat orotic, possibility as a reinforcement for structural ccmpcsitos, This element is 15* lighter tilan aluminum, harder than sapphire, melts above 3700?, ie meder; tcly oxidation resistant and has an extremely high neutron absorption capability, around iiOOO Barnes, Studies are new being pursued 'in an effort to adapt, this material to meet some of the more extreme and exacting demands. Finally, Carbon and Pryrolytlc graphite in fibrous and woven forms are finding unique applications as high temperature reinforcing materials end cuen limiting characteristics as low strength and the tendency for carbon materials to oxidize are being studied in an effort to improve these arsaa of eerrLcoability,, Sucnary of WPAF3 Conferences u i T The papers presented at these two conferences were by and for the benefit of those civilian contractors that carry out research cr have research con tracts with Wright Patterson Air Fores Base. Obviously, very little work o attention has been given asbestos in any form by any of the contractors in related field s here reported upon. In only one paper, "Boron-Phosphate K a t . ^ for High Temperature Appliestionsn, was asbestos mentioned. Hcvevar, the scope of the work and the vide range of materials studied indicates rather convincingly that apparently there are few materials available today that will completely satisfy the requirements. New fibers of unique ccapositicns and constitution are being evolved, new forms and physical statures are being con sidered such as whiskers, hollow or tubular filament and assemblages of super fine wire to form fine-cut metallic filaments for textile purposes are being studied with * view to providing materials exhibiting properties superior to anything now available, The plastics molding and rasin impregnating industries have for the most part accepted glass in one form or another as 'the basic filler, however. ]yT-005939 problems of wetting end achieving this ultimate in honcgenity are ever encountered and the poor abrasion and wear resistance properties 'auc Perhaps the endeavors by the glass fiber manufacturers tc improve the constitution of the glass fibers will b e fruitful. However;, it would with the improvements in the asbestos fiber quality that cur industry and realizing the capabilities inherent within our industry to furniu u full range of textile products that would be suitable for such treatments5 A4. ,1 seem that our industry and the products that our manufacturers are cs furnishing should be receiving somewhat mors attention then is hors 1 Research Activity Magnetic Rating and Iron Content Within the past year interest has increased in the method r.r.d technique for determining the electrical properties of asbestos fibers and p:\x'.uc:.s con taining euch fibers. Certain interests have been engaged in the preparation of a dotailod specification to be adopted as the rules of procedure for such tests,, Ir. rf-j s . the A.S.T.M, Mapes method serves as the basic procedure and additional., senswhat more specific instructions are included as a part of these specifications. Other interests have been engaged in endeavors to make accurate dster minations where extremely low iron contents and low MR valuer are concemsda MR values of less than 0,1 and trace amounts of iron are cf interest in trass considerations. In addition^ there have been questions raised as to the specific relation ship between MR,, iron content and the conductivity or resistivity of rovings, yarns and ropes that are essentially asbestos. In reviewing the problems that are being encountered as efforts are exerted t o correlate the Mapea Method of analysis with electrical, ssrvicocbility capabilities, several significant points are obvious. As greater accuracy is sought and a higher degree of reproduceability between laboratories is expected and as values in the decimal range of MR values are to ba measured due to extremely low iron contents, there must be a higher degree of standardization of instrumentation and testing procedure among those individuals and labora tories that perform such tests. However, the standardiration of tbs Mapes test equipment and technique does not necessarily resolve all of the problems, Experience has proven that although the Magnetic Rating does give information relatively indicative of the Fe,0. content, the groin size and orientation of the magnetite grains markedly influences these results as obtained in the Mapas Analyzer and varia tions in the MR values become proportionately more pronounced a3 the magnetic iron content decreases, In view of this, it has been felt for acme time that other methods of dateradjiing either the iron content or t he.electrical pre-par ties should be used to ccmploment or supplement the Mapea Method, Ccacaivaolyj three or possibly four test methods might be utilized and so correlated that an area of electrical serviceability might bo defined by the property parameters MT-005940 [ ~6- determined by several last methods, Within subcommittee k-u, 1-13, A.S.T V considerations are being given to a resistivity measuring devic-a. Ancthe: member of the institute and also a member of the above A.o.T.H, group has developed What is known as "Magnetic Force iis-thod". Also, in cur invest! tlcn, we have turned attention to a chemical spot test technique which se tively isolates ferrous iron (the state of iron that must be available if magnetite is present) and reacts to yield an identifiable color roaccion. is hoped that in this latter technique quantitative determinations may be sible through shade and color intensity measurementse At this time there is nothing further to report concerning thu r-jjiatovicy method or the magnetic force method but attention will be giv;-n both techniques at the March meeting of A.S.T.M. and the results of these considerations wall be made available as they develop. The chemical spot test which has been under investigation by the r.Hcw is a technique reported by Prof. Fritz Feigl in the Publication "Spot Tus-oo in Inorganic Analysis", Feigl reports that ferrous iron in solution ir. a mineral acid will react with organic basa a,a* dipyridyl, yielding a roc stable complex cation. Ferric iron on the other hand doss not react under these conditions, therefore very small amounts of ferrous iron can 0-3 detected in the presencs of large proportions of ferric iron. As a matter of fact, ferrous iron in amounts of ,00003 milligrams are reportedly detectable by this technique, Our efforts to date in thiB endeavor have generally been explora tory, h w a v e r , results would seem to indicate that quantitative evaluations should be possible. In pursuing the several methods under consideration new av3nu.es of approach are envisioned and it is conceivable than through the correlation ox* one or more of these techniques with the Mapes method, more definitive evaluations regarding the electrical capabilities of cur fibers and materials may be possible, pH Determinations, Inquiry has recently been directed to our attention through A,S,?Ji, regarding the accepted method for the determination of the pH value of asbestos fibers. Our records reveal little information regarding a standard procedure for such a determination and it would aeem that as attentions are being directed to more specific data regarding all materials, that some consideratlcn should be given regarding the proper method to be pursued in making this particular determination. Undoubtedly such determinations ha vs been mads from tins to time by many of those who supply the raw fiber and by those who manufacture asbestos products, since the literature occasionally has a reference to this value. Our Handbook, for example, atates that the Fn for cfcrysotile may range iron 9,2 to 9,8, However, up to this time there has never apparently been sufficient interest or cause for concern in this regard to warrant serious considerations as to the methods to be followed in making such determinations. However, as interlaboratory correlations are sought and accurate relative values, if not absolute determinations, becana necessary, it saans logical, that attention should be directed to the standardisation of an aocpetabls method of test. MT-005941 1 It is our purpose a t this tine to determinations. .r.e n P 0 Cl3 .es where such tests o f this inform. v^ fci .iiu. d. . dard crocee nave oser . w>t . L_/--- X The cooperation of each member company laborato. endeavor as we solicate aid and information from vit Institute membership. ,11 hr haloful in this .r.d without the Conclusione The Fellowship activities during recent .tenths have beer, concerns' tier, fundamental studies of the fiber and with the applicatr.cn of the fibers as filler and reinforcing materials in structural cctpocites, In crier that greater areas of serviceability and application fo r the products cf cur industry may be realized, more specific and accurate information regarding the basic fiber units must be established and the characteristics of the wadevariety of asbestos textile products as they are incorporated as components in more or less complex systems must be understood, Trio store of useful knowledge is gradually, if sometimes seemingly too slowly, being brought into the form of a useful pattern and asbestos in one or another of its wide variety of forms is finding it3 place as one of the important structural reinfcrcsmsnts. There are two important features that are motivating our work and studies at thi3 tine. First, the necessity for more accurate data which defines the properties and character!sties of the materials both basic and fabricated with which wo are dealing becomes of greater importance and significance as an ef fort is made to fit the products of our industry into the engineering nrd technology of the day, Secondly, as the end use and structural requirements cf the materials being sought are made available with scmevhnt greater clarity than was the case evan one year ago, it is now possible to prepare our naterials for specific product developments and known areas of application rather than as was tha case in the not too distant past when an effort was made to adapt given materials as furnished, without regard to application, to specific end use. Our efforts will continue to be devoted to studies designed to enlig all concerned regarding accurate basic data related to both tho fibers and products of our industry and to endeavor to best relate these basic charas t-er* istics to the proper end use and application for these materials. MT-005942