Silica fibers made of sodium silicate

Sodium silicate

Sodium silicate is the common name for a compound sodium metasilicate, Na2SiO3, also known as water glass or liquid glass. It is available in aqueous solution and in solid form and is used in cements, passive fire protection, refractories, textile and lumber processing, and automobiles...

 (water glass) are used in heat protection (including asbestos

Asbestos

Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...

 substitution) and in packings and compensators. They can be made such that they are substantially free from non-alkali metal

Alkali metal

The alkali metals are a series of chemical elements in the periodic table. In the modern IUPAC nomenclature, the alkali metals comprise the group 1 elements, along with hydrogen. The alkali metals are lithium , sodium , potassium , rubidium , caesium , and francium...

 compounds.

Sodium silicate fibers may be used for subsequent production of silica fibers, which is better than producing the latter from a melt containing SiO₂ or by acid-leaching of glass fibers. The silica fibers are useful for producing wet webs, filter linings and reinforcing material.

They can also be used to produce silicic acid

Silicic acid

Silicic acid is a general name for a family of chemical compounds of the element silicon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the general formula [SiOx4-2x]n...

fibers by a dry spinning method. These fibers have properties which make them useful in friction-lining materials.