Miscellaneous
The FRILITE® microspheres unfold their unique properties in many more applications like fire protection, sandblasting or friction linings.
Fire Protection
Because of their high temperature resistance, FRILITE® microspheres are also ideally suited for use for fire protection purposes. The spheres can be used for moulded parts such as the fillings of fire protection doors or pipe shells as well as in adhesives or mortars, which have the advantage that they can be used with a positive fit even on uneven surfaces and thus prevent any convection. Since, depending on the type, BUBLON® Spheres are specifically not expanded to the maximum, the bound residual water causes a certain cooling effect in the event of a fire (expansion is an isenthalpic process: heat energy is used to change shape).
Sandblasting
An interesting new application for hollow microspheres is sandblasting. FRILITE® cenospheres as well as perlite spheres are particularly well suited for this due to their lower specific weight compared to other blasting materials, because - due to lower speeds and impact energy as well as their non-sharp-edged surface - they enable targeted and gentle layer removal, so that particularly sensitive surfaces (particularly important e.g., for Monument protection) are not or only marginally claimed. Sandblasting with hollow microspheres also saves energy (for transport and removal of the blasting material to/from the workplace, but also acceleration energy for the blasting material).
Friction Linings
The search for higher efficiency at lower weight lead researchers to use hollow microspheres in demanding and safety relevant applications like friction linings. In formulations of brake discs and brake pads or clutches one can find more frequently cenospheres. Besides the low weight it’s the hardness of cenospheres that cause less wear of the components compared to standard alloys. Moreover, the lower thermal conductivity of the hollow microspheres prevents the heat generated by friction to penetrate deep into the material, but will be dissipated through brake fins, which extends the service life of brake discs.