Which Mica Properties Make it So Ideal for Industrial Insulation?

 


Mica is the preferred choice of material for industrial thermal and electrical insulation. All thanks to the amazing physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of mica. If you have not used mica insulation before, you might be wondering which mica properties make it so ideal for industrial insulation. In this post, you will learn about the properties of mica.

Properties of mica      

Thermal stability at high temperature 

Mica is stable in a high-temperature environment. Natural mica sheets are stable up to the temperature of 1000 °C, whereas built-up mica sheets are stable up to the high-temperature environment of 1600 °C. There are two types of mica sheets used for industrial insulation: muscovite mica sheets and phlogopite mica sheets. Phlogopite mica sheets have better thermal insulation capabilities than muscovite mica sheets.

High dielectric strength 

Mica sheets have a dielectric strength of 20000 v/mm. Thus, mica sheets can be used effectively in a wide range of electrical insulation applications. Muscovite mica has better dielectric properties than phlogopite mica. The most common use of mica for electrical insulation is in the automotive industry. Mica battery packs are used for the electrical and thermal insulation of the electric car battery system.

Decent mechanical properties

Mica has decent mechanical properties. It has good tensile strength and decent elasticity, and a fatigue limit. It can be converted into thin sheets without losing its physical and chemical properties. Mica sheets from thickness 0.1mm – 101.6 mm with tolerances 2-5mm +/- 7%, 5-30mm +/- 5%, 30-80mm +/- 3% of sizes 1000 mm widths and max. 2400 mm lengths can be easily created. You can also create the mica sheets as per the drawing requirements from the mica. You need to partner with a mica manufacturer to create customized mica sheets.

Chemical inertness    

This makes mica highly versatile. Mica does not react with water or moisture. Thus, it can be used in moist environments. It does not react with other gases to produce toxic fumes during the fire. Due to the mica's exceptional chemical inertness, it does not encourage the spread of fire during accidents. This makes it an ideal element to be used as a flame retardant barrier in a variety of applications.     

Lightweight

Mica is light in weight. That makes it an ideal element to be used in a variety of applications. For example, mica sheets are used in the aerospace industry due to their lightweight nature. Mica sheets make an ideal insulation barrier for the aircraft body.

 

These are some of the key properties that make mica an ideal industrial insulation material.  

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