Inorganic fiber
An inorganic fiber containing silica and magnesia as the major fiber components and which further includes an intended chromium oxide additive to improve the dimensional stability of the fiber. The inorganic fiber exhibits good thermal insulation performance at 1400° C. and greater, retains mechanical integrity after exposure to the use temperature, and which remains soluble in physiological fluids. Also provided are thermal insulation product forms that are made from a plurality of the inorganic fibers, methods of preparing the inorganic fiber, and methods of thermally insulating articles using thermal insulation prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers.
1. An inorganic fiber comprising a fiberization product of about 65 to about 86 weight percent silica, about 14 to about 35 weight percent magnesia, and greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent of an intended addition of chromium oxide, wherein said inorganic fiber exhibits a shrinkage of 5% or less and a compression recovery of greater than 10% after exposure to a temperature of 1400° C. for 24 hours.
2. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said inorganic fiber has an average diameter of 4 microns and greater.
3. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said inorganic fiber exhibits a shrinkage of 4% or less after exposure to a temperature of 1260° C. for 24 hours.
4. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said inorganic fiber exhibits a compression recovery of about 10 to about 55 percent after exposure to a temperature of 1260° C. for 24 hours.
5. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 70 to about 80 weight percent silica, about 15 to about 25 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, and greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina.
6. The inorganic fiber of claim 5 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 70 to about 80 weight percent silica, about 15 to about 25 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina, and 1 weight percent or less calcia.
7. The inorganic fiber of claim 6 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 70 to about 80 weight percent silica, about 15 to about 25 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina, and substantially free of alkali metal oxides.
8. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 72 to about 80 weight percent silica, about 17 to about 22 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, and greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina.
9. The inorganic fiber of claim 8 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 72 to about 80 weight percent silica, about 17 to about 22 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina, and 1 weight percent or less calcia.
10. The inorganic fiber of claim 9 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 72 to about 80 weight percent silica, about 17 to about 22 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina, and substantially free of alkali metal oxide.
11. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said present inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 70 to about 80 weight percent silica, about 15 to about 25 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, and greater than 0 to about 2 weight percent alumina.
12. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 72 to about 86 weight percent silica, about 12.5 to about 26.5 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, and 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina.
13. The inorganic fiber of claim 12 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 72 to about 86 weight percent silica, about 12.5 to about 26.5 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina and 1 percent or less of calcia.
14. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 75 to about 79 weight percent silica, about 15 to about 20 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, and greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina.
15. The inorganic fiber of claim 14 , wherein said inorganic fiber comprises the fiberization product of about 75 to about 79 weight percent silica, about 15 to about 20 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina, and 1 weight percent or less calcia.
16. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent chromium oxide.
17. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains greater than 0 to about 3 weight percent chromium oxide.
18. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains greater than 0 to about 2 weight percent chromium oxide.
19. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains greater than 0 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
20. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 0.125 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
21. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 0.25 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
22. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 0.3 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
23. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 0.4 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
24. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 0.5 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
25. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 0.6 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
26. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 0.75 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
27. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 0.8 to about 1 weight percent chromium oxide.
28. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 1 to about 2 weight percent chromium oxide.
29. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 1 to about 1.75 weight percent chromium oxide.
30. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 1 to about 1.5 weight percent chromium oxide.
31. The inorganic fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiberization product contains about 1 to about 1.75 weight percent chromium oxide.
32. An inorganic fiber containing article comprising at least one of bulk fiber, blankets, needled blankets, needled mats, needled papers, papers, felts, cast shapes, vacuum cast forms, or compositions, said fiber containing article comprising the fiberization product of claim 1 .
33. An inorganic fiber comprising the fiberization product of about 65 to about 86 weight percent silica, about 14 to about 35 weight percent magnesia, greater than 0 to about 5 weight percent chromium oxide, and greater than 0 to about 4 weight percent alumina, wherein the fiber has an average fiber diameter of 4 microns and greater, and wherein said inorganic fiber exhibits a shrinkage of 5% or less and a compression greater than 10% after exposure to a temperature of 1400° C. for 24 hours, and a shrinkage of 5% or less and a compression recovery from about 10 to about 55% after exposure to a temperature of 1260° C. for 24 hours.