Engineered Products

Knitted Wire Mesh Shock & Vibration Reduction

Knitted wire mesh, in a compressed form, can handle shock loadings as high as the yield strength of the material itself. In fact, it is not uncommon for a one-inch-thick disc to absorb up to 100,000 pounds of loading—a level not obtainable with any other fabricated material. Loadings may be in any direction. Knitted wire mesh is also versatile: additional resilience, as well as reduction of surface friction, can be obtained by knitting plastic fiber in parallel with metal, in which case the metal wire acts as a structural support and binder for the plastic.   Proven performance in shock and vibration damping Knitted mesh has a distinct advantage in its ability to withstand hostile environments over other materials such as polymers, rubber, plastic, cork, and felt. By proper selection of the material or combination of materials, it is possible to provide vibration or shock control in corrosive atmospheres or at ultra-high or cryogenic temperatures, as well as radioactive, dirty, oily, and other extreme conditions.   Knitted Wire Mesh-Providing High Temperature Dampers for the World’s Most Demanding Industrial Environments Not only does it provide superior performance-with an extra measure of protection against shock and vibration-but it can be fabricated from any material that can be drawn into a wire form. The most common knitted materials are stainless steel, copper, aluminum, and Inconel. The versatility in selection of materials and their fabrication make it an ideal solution for an extremely wide range of demanding industrial applications. Applications for Metal Textiles knitted wire mesh include vibration and shock control for: Engine mounts—aircraft, cars, trucks, boats, recreational vehicles electric motors, auxiliary motors, Vibration pads—Machinery, floating slabs and pipes Mounts—Electronics, tubing, hydraulics, aircraft and marine Bumper pads—Pneumatic tube systems, ball screws, and steering columns Clamps—Tubing, tongs and furnace clamps (fingers) Exhaust Systems—Catalytic converter monolith supports, exhaust pipe...

Noise Suppression

Noise—whether continuous or intermittent—is unpleasant, reduces productivity, and may even promote hearing loss. In addition, meeting OSHA, MESA, and other state and federal legislative requirements mandates that manufacturers incorporate effective noise suppression on equipment, such as by adding pneumatic tool mufflers. Metal Textiles knitted wire mesh combines all three basic approaches to sound attenuation by acting as a reflective barrier, vibration damper, and sound absorber. This three-in-one combination makes it ideal for pneumatic tool mufflers and other general noise suppression applications. It is cost effective and is easier to design with reduced space requirements. It can be incorporated into existing products without changing their design specifications or manufacturing. Due to its inherent structure, knitted wire mesh provides exceptionally efficient absorption of high-energy sound. Beyond acting as a physical barrier, mesh also causes sound to vibrate as it imparts the wire surface, thereby converting sound to thermal energy, effectively dampening, absorbing, and dissipating equipment and plant-generated noise through an intricate path between a sound source and the ear. Basically, there are four means to achieve noise reduction: Add a physical sound barrier Install a vibration damper Provide sound absorption Metering the air flow Only knitted wire mesh functions as all four of these types of noise reducers—economically and as a single-composite material. Knitted mesh can be custom tailored to the specific needs of a given application. Engineered products can be fabricated by knitting one or a combination of widely diverse materials, such as all types of stainless steel, aluminum, copper, sophisticated alloys, synthetic polymers, fibers, and yarns. Knitted wire mesh has the ability to absorb high-energy sound. When this sound energy hits a mesh element, the sound energy is absorbed into the wire structure making the wire vibrate and thus absorbing harmful sound energy. In fact, the open space in a mesh part can be controlled within a range of 30% to 97%. These two features are extremely important in noise reduction, since the extent of surface area and air flow resistance are both critical factors. Of equal importance to the dramatic noise level reduction achieved with Metal Textiles knitted wire mesh in these applications is the fact that not only are the operating speed losses minimal, but the operating...

Engineered Filters Separators I Metal Textiles

Filtration   Filtering liquids, air or gas in hostile environments—such as those subject to temperature extremes, high orders of shock/vibration, and caustic fuels or fumes—has posed problems for paper filter elements. Such elements simply will not withstand these types of operating conditions for very long. Filters separators are essential. Paper or sintered metal filter elements are satisfactory for most applications. But where the filter must handle hot, corrosive or caustic fluids, or where the equipment is subjected to shock and vibration, conventional elements may dissolve or disintegrate. In such applications, a knitted wire high temperature filter and/or high pressure filter may be the only solution that can provide the required life. Metal Textiles high temperature filters provide an economical, robust alternative. From cryogenic operating conditions up to temperatures of 650° C, knitted wire mesh filters maintain their integrity even when subjected to extremely high vibration and exposed to destructive gases such H2, SO4, and HNO3. Filter Separator Efficiency Even when compressed to extremely light densities (or where pore size is larger than the particle size of the contaminant), Metal Textiles filters achieve efficient filtration and small contaminate particles are efficiently removed from the fluid stream. In addition, the tortuous path construction results in greater retention, without blockage, than can be expected from other filter media. Knitted mesh filters are resilient enough to fit (or retrofit) into filter cavities of virtually any configuration and still retain a secure friction fit.   Filter Separators Product Benefits Resistant to high temperatures up to 650°C Immune to mechanical stress Impervious to chemical corrosion Withstands extreme thermal shock Resilient—permitting tight fit to a given filter cavity without machining to critical tolerances Can be supplied in virtually any geometry High efficiency & low pressure drop Available in a wide variety of alloys Competitively priced Minimal tooling costs Liquid Filtration Metal Textiles knitted wire mesh may be used for liquid filtration and/or separation in the following industries: Chemical processing Gas turbines Food processing Water and waste treatment Pharmaceuticals Plastics Brewing and winemaking Gasoline, diesel or alternate fuel engines Air Filtration Metal Textiles knitted wire mesh filters are used in the following applications: Engine crankcase—breather elements Air conditioning systems—to filter compressor oil from air and to remove pollen...

High Temperature Seal Gaskets

Metal Textiles knitted wire mesh high temperature seal gaskets provide resiliency, strength in compression, and a nearly unlimited choice of materials, geometries, or sizes for specific applications. Most importantly, they provide superior performance in hostile environments such as high temperature seal gaskets, cryogenic or caustic environment applications where other materials would fail as a result of decomposition or deformation.   Flexibility in Design and Performance When knitted mesh is combined with other materials, the mesh serves as a “backbone” support imparting resiliency and strength in compression to the subsequent composite seal. Because of the wide array of materials available for construction, knitted wire mesh can also be used to create any number of flexible, resilient gaskets or seal configurations over a broad range of operating conditions. Depending on the specific application, knitted wire can be fabricated from almost any material or combination of materials that can be drawn into wire or filament form. For extreme environments, the most frequently used material is stainless steel wire. But other ductile metals, such as aluminum, copper , Inconel, Monel, Titanium, Hastelloy, and other exotic alloys can also be used-as well as synthetic fibers, polymers and yarns-as either single substrates or configurations of multiple materials. This wide range of material options permits flexibility in producing gaskets that can be expressly designed for specific critical applications.   Sealing for some of the harshest environments Metal Textiles has also developed a family of seals which combine knitted wire mesh technology with a variety of other materials to form unique composites. The resulting composite seals exhibit characteristics which can be useful in extremely harsh, chemical-process system environments. These seals are generally die-formed to fit specific applications within allowable tolerances. Available composite materials include graphites, ceramics, and other similarly performing fillers. The unique fabrication process used by Metal Textiles makes possible the production of seals, gaskets, and gland packing in forms, shapes and densities unobtainable by any other method or material. This process allows the creation of sealing media for virtually any application, including:   Exhaust seals Exhaust systems for gasoline, diesel, and gas turbine engines are subjected to temperature extremes, corrosion, vibration, and thermal shock. Most of the negative effects of these conditions occur at the...

Engineered Products

Knitted wire mesh is a proven technology for solving design problems in the Industrial, Military, Petrochemical and Aerospace markets. In critical applications from heat wicks on communications satellites to high temperature rope seals on reusable spacecraft, from liquid filters in compressors to sound suppression on pneumatic tools, design engineers are specifying knitted wire mesh technology for: Filtration & Separation Noise Attenuation Sealing and Gasketing Vibration and Shock Damping Flame and Spark Arrestors Heat Transfer The interlocking loop structure of knitted wire mesh provides excellent resilience, flexibility, mechanical damping, memory and strength in compression—even when subjected to high temperatures or extreme conditions. In addition to a wide range of materials, diameters and compounds to select from, Metal Textiles provides complete design and engineering services to help our customers specify the right product for the...