An Overview of Sintered Wire Mesh Laminates

Multiple layers of woven wire mesh may be laminated together using our molecular diffusion-bonding process (more easily referred to as "sintering"). The same physical process used to fuse individual wires together within a layer of wire mesh may also be used to fuse adjacent layers of mesh together. This creates an enormous class of new materials with a very wide variety of mechanical properties.

Wire mesh laminates may range from a two-layer laminate of fine filter meshes with an overall thickness of .006" to heavy plate-like or brick-like structures comprising many dozens or even hundreds of layers of various meshes with overall thickness of 2" or more. By combining multiple layers of different mesh weaves, it is possible to design materials with specific target thickness, permeability, pore size, and mechanical strength. As a simple illustration, let's consider the benefits of combining a fine filter mesh with other weaves:

For example, 325x325 twilled square weave wire mesh is normally woven with a wire diameter of .0014" yielding a nominal square aperture size of 43 microns. The fine pore size may be desirable for filtration, sifting, separation, sparging or other purposes. However, this mesh by itself measures only .003" thick and lacks structural rigidity and is easily damaged.

Top View of Sintered Wire Mesh Laminate
325 mesh on 10 mesh

To create a shaker screen useful for sifting and classifying flour or other fine powders, one might laminate the 325x.0014 mesh to a 10x.025 mesh. The 10 mesh has 10 wires per inch in each direction, with each wire measuring .025" in diameter. This mesh has a vastly greater degree of mechanical strength than the 325 mesh. The resulting laminate, written "325x.0014/10x.025" or just "325/10," will exhibit both the strength of the 10 mesh and the 43 micron apertures of the 325 mesh. It is a hybrid which combines the best properties of each component layer.

Similarly, the 43 micron filtration characteristic of the 325 mesh may be combined with other filter meshes in sequence to create a "depth medium." Or it may be combined with multiple layers of heavy support meshes to create a filter plate capable of withstanding high pressure drop.

As another illustration, multiple layers of heavy plain Dutch weave wire meshes such as 12x64 or 24x110 may be laminated together and calendered to produce panels of material exhibiting a specific pre-determined permeability to air flow at a given pressure drop. For example, a material permitting a uniform air flow of anywhere from 1.0 to 500 SCFM per square foot at a pressure drop of 2" water column may be produced in this fashion. Such materials find application in:

• Fluidized materials handling
• Fluidized beds
• Pressure snubbers
• Flow control devices
• Transpiration cooled fuel injector plates
• Acoustic attenuation

Please have a closer look at various specific classes of Dynapore® Products and Dynapore® Applications to get a better idea of the variety of materials available:

• Filter plates
• Fluidizing media
• Filter discs
• Flow control
• Industrial Filtration & Separation
• Custom materials