Since the Industrial Revolution, the world has been shaped and evolved with the aid of science and technology. The world with all its tall yet strong structures and all the beautiful yet intricate designs of various things, is an epitome of first-class engineering applications. Such complex designs need an engineer to have a deep knowledge of all the engineering tools to be used in the design application. In this article, we will discuss one of the most important and efficient materials in the history of engineering design. It is called Textolite Material.
Textolite has been used in design applications by engineers for decades for its easy-to-use and versatile properties. It is a mineral based composite material. It has multi-layered insulations which is made up of fibrous and cellular materials. Textolites are usually called “Varieties of laminated plastics reinforced with Fabrics”. The operating temperature range of textolite materials is between -40oC to 105oC. This makes its application of use from very low to high temperatures. It has brown color with a density of approximately 1.3 to 1.4 g/cm3. Its densities vary based on the fabric used. Textolites are revolutionary materials that have shaped the world of mechanical engineers. They offer favorable properties to the engineer. They include high durability, thermal insulation, superior strength and remarkable chemical resistance. It is used in everyday items like radios, toys, automobiles, aircrafts and many more.
Textolite materials are composed of various fabrics. Engineers have grouped these materials into various categories. These categories are made on the basis of the fabric used. Some characteristics vary depending upon the fabric used. Most of the properties remain the same. Some of the textolites differentiated on the basis of materials used are following:
- Basalt Textolites
- Carboniferous Textolites
- Fiber-glass Textolites
- Aesbestextolites
- Organotextolites
- Textolites which are made up from cotton fabric
The above mentioned textolites differ based of fabric, density and thickness etcetera.
There is a special category of textolites which is kept isolated from other groups. It is isolated because of its unusual behavior. This isolated group is called Asboplasty. It is a special category which offers fire resistance. It also has high levels of durability withstanding temperature up to +250 degrees Celsius.
Many engineers prefer textolite material over other materials. It is its tendency to offer valuable properties. It has many advantages which makes it highly proficient and sustainable for various applications. Textolite materials are remarkably strong and endure high amounts of loads like vibrations and shocks as compared to other materials. Their durability makes them perfect for their use in high loading conditions that can endure heavy weight and all the implied stress without getting prone to any kind of bending and wear and tear. This property of the material compels the design engineer to use them in heavy load designs. These materials offer strength and durability but are really light weighed. This makes them even more suitable for construction businesses as they would be easy to transport and carry to different locations.
Furthermore, these materials can easily be bent without getting prone to any wear and tear, making them highly proficient to use in complex and intricate design applications where high levels of tolerances and precisions in geometry are of utmost importance. These materials have less density and are highly chemical resistant which makes them easy to use in atmospheres which are more exposed to moisture or acidic and alkaline conditions. Textolite materials are also thermal resistant and can be used in tough environmental conditions where temperature is usually high. The effective dielectric nature of these materials make them a good friend in electrical engineering firms and industries. Balancing of finance and design application makes any engineer successful. Textolite’s offers the biggest advantage to the engineers by their highly cost-effective presence in the market. They are less expensive than steel and wood. This makes them ideal to use in innovative engineering designs at low cost without compromising its creative nature.
There is a tremendous scope of the applications of textolite materials. They are used in various industries like automobile industry, aerospace industry, electronics industry, mechanical industry, construction industry etcetera. Its ability to resist corrosion and wear has made it ideal for the designs of valves, pumps, gears and many other items.
To sum up, textolite materials have proved themselves to be a go-to material for any engineer because of their tremendous properties, their cost-effectiveness, their versatile nature, their strength and durability, their easiness to use and transport and most importantly their ability to resist high temperature and chemical reactions. Their ubiquitous availability has transformed many industries forever and continuing to do so.
