Spheres of influence

Thanks to material advances pioneered in the offshore industry, glass is increasingly being used in a variety of demanding applications.

Talking to The Engineer, William Ricci, technical sales director with Trelleborg Offshore, explained how materials originally developed as buoyancy foams — based on tiny glass bubbles known as glass microspheres — are proving desirable in sectors including aerospace and automotive.

Ranging from 10 to 100 microns in diameter, these high-grade microspheres (HGMs) are lightweight, strong and exhibit attractive chemical and electrical properties.

Ricci explained that, by incorporating HGMs into a range of polymer and resin systems, it’s possible to create mouldable and machinable syntactic materials (composite materials containing hollow particles) that are ideal for structural or load-bearing applications. ’It can replace or combine with other materials, such as syntactic tooling board, metals and solid polymers, to create composites — and the mechanical strength can be tailored to meet individual requirements,’ he said. There are three key steps to the manufacturing process, explained Ricci.