The follo wing article is a slightly adapted v ersion of a presentation held during the 8th Tw aron

Products Symposium (see page 22). It describes the properties of a new type of Tw aron pulp specially

developed for the production of superior calendered gasket sheets. However, the addendum repor ts

that the pulp’s improved performance is also evident in the production of friction materials and

technical paper s.

Tec hn ical Acco u nt Man ag er

Dr. C hr is top h H ahn

Twaron 3091

The New Pulp Generation

Dr. Christoph Hahn
Dr. Ulrich Wecker
Tec hn ical Acco u nt Man ag er
Dr. Ulrich Weck er

In 1994, Twaron Products presented its latest types of pulp for a higher degree of fibrillation was developed: Twaron 1093 (see
friction and gasket materials. The market’s subsequent Figure 2).
acceptance of these pulps is proof enough of the success of
these products. We are now pleased to be able to present a
further development which takes account of our, and our
customers’, experiences and wishes of the past several years.
What have we improved and how? That is the question we will
be answering in this paper.

Let us begin with a brief history of the development of Twaron pulp.

When Twaron Products commenced pulp production in 1987, the

only type offered was 1095. This pulp features short, only slightly
fibrillated fibers and continues to be used today for the
production of gaskets and friction materials. The disadvantage of
type 1095 lies in its relatively poor reinforcing properties, as
evidenced by low tensile strength when used in gaskets. Figure 2: Twaron 1093
Consequently, once the new pulp factory was ready for
production in 1993, a new type of pulp featuring longer fibers and A comparison of the microphotos shows a considerable
difference in fibril structure: Twaron 1095 has short fibrils which
are attached to the main body of the fiber, whilst Twaron 1093
has long fibrils, some of them displaying a high degree of
ramification.

Compared with Twaron 1095, Twaron 1093 has considerably

improved reinforcing properties, greater pressure absorption in
the calender roll nip, and improved compressibility and recovery.

On the down side, a high degree of fibrillation increases

microporosity of the gasket. And whilst the longer fiber improves
the strength properties of the gasket, it requires optimum mixing
equipment in order to ensure homogeneous distribution of the
pulp in the matrix.
Figure 1: Twaron 1095
In 1995, Twaron 1093 was joined by another pulp type - Twaron
1091 - which, while displaying an even higher degree of

T WA RON N E W S 2 0 0 0 / 2
fibrillation, has a shorter median fiber length. Although Twaron
1091 is easier to process and the mechanical properties of
gaskets manufactured from Twaron 1091 are first rate, improving
the gas tightness of such gaskets demands considerable
technological expertise.
In recent years, the legal requirements on the tightness of
flanged connections have become increasingly stringent.
A further increase in the severity of requirements is expected, for
the proportion of fugitive emissions from flanged connections,
valves and pumps in industrial processing systems is still
unacceptably high. In the USA alone the volume of uncontrolled
emissions from flanged connections is estimated at almost
100,000 tons! These emissions constitute approx. 28% of the
total volume of emissions (see Figure 3).
1
Figure 3: Sources of fugitive emissions
Considerable efforts are therefore being made to improve the
tightness of flanged connections.
How does all this affect our pulps? Based on standard gaskets
manufactured in our laboratory, we have found that a high
degree of fibrillation can be a significant obstacle when it comes
to meeting the extremely high tightness demands now being
made on gaskets. Whereas gaskets containing the only slightly
fibrillated pulp type Twaron leaked gas at a rate of less than
0.1 ml/min, gas leakage in the case of gaskets containing Twaron
1091 exceeded 1.0. ml/min. [It must be borne in mind, however,
that our standard formulations have been developed specifically
for the purpose of differentiating between gasket materials in
terms of gas leakage.] The components of the material used for
our tests are indicated in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Components of the test material
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Our aim was now to develop a new type of gasket pulp, which
combined the tightness of Twaron 1095 with the reinforcing
properties of Twaron 1091. The characteristics of this new type of
pulp and its properties as a reinforcing material for gaskets are
the subject of the remaining part of this paper.
Characterization of the pulp
Fiber length and fibrillation
It was already pointed out that fiber length and degree of
fibrillation are two important variables determining pulp
properties. A reliable and rapid way of measuring the degree of
fibrillation of Twaron pulp is to determine the specific surface
area using the BET method. In this method, the amount of
nitrogen forming an adsorbed, monomolecular layer over the
entire surface of the pulp specimen is measured. The specific
surface area can then be calculated from the adsorbed amount
of nitrogen. A typical gasket pulp has a specific surface area of
between 10 and 15 m 2/g. In other words, one gram of pulp —
the quantity shown in Figure 5 — has the same surface area as
a medium-sized cinema projection screen.
Figure 5: One gram of pulp
At Twaron Products, the mean fiber length of the pulp is
measured by means of a Kajaani FS 200 fiber length measuring
unit. The pulp specimen consisting of several thousand individual
particles is dispersed in water and passed through a glass
capillary tube. A laser beam is pointed at the tube, and the
shadow caused by the pulp fibers is detected by photocells.
Quantity and length of the individual fiber particles are
ascertained and the lengths and the weighted average values
are computed from the fiber length distribution.
12
Twaron pulps for gaskets have mean weighted fiber lengths,
WL2, of between 1.3 and 2.4 mm. Figure 6 shows the specific
surface areas and mean fiber lengths of pulp types 1091, 1093
and 1095. The ovals describe the areas in which the values may
vary.
Figure 6: Specific surface area and fiber length distribution of
three types of pulp
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The first pulp of the new generation is type 3091. If we consider
the specific surface area and fiber length distribution of the
individual types of pulp, we will see that this new type occupies a
position exactly midway between the earlier types. In fiber length
distribution it is comparable with 1091 and 1095, and just slightly
overlaps with 1093. In specific surface area, however, it is
situated exactly between 1091 and 1095, and thus comes closest
to 1093 (see Figure 7).
Figure 7: Type 3091
The microphotograph (Figure 8) shows a typical Twaron 3091
pulp fiber specimen.
Figure 8: A typical Twaron 3091 pulp fiber
This pulp clearly bears a greater resemblance to the highly
fibrillated types than to Twaron 1095.
What effect do these characteristics have on the performance of
the pulp?
Sieve value (filler r etaining proper ties)
The sieve test is an effective, application-related means of
ascertaining the filler retaining properties of the pulp in the
laboratory. The pulp is mixed with kaolin according to a standard
procedure and a defined quantity is sieved under controlled
conditions. The quantity of kaolin remaining in the sieve
corresponds to the filler retaining ability of the pulp and is
expressed as a percentage. In other words, it is the measure of
the pulp’s ability to spread and interact with the filler matrix.
As can be seen in Figure 9, the sieve value for Twaron 1095 is
considerably lower than that for 1091 and 1093. It is also much
lower than for the new type 3091, despite that pulp’s low specific
surface area.
The high sieve value of 80% for Twaron 3091 points to good
reinforcing properties for gasket applications.
Figure 9: Sieve values
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Twaron 3091 in gaskets
Decisive for the quality of the pulp are its processibility and
ofcourse the properties it gives to the gasket. We have therefore
subjected the new Twaron 3091 to comprehensive laboratory
tests to ascertain these properties.
Tensile strength
A reliable measure of the cohesive and hence reinforcing
properties of the pulp is the tensile strength of the gasket.
Although the testing of this strength is no longer required by the
latest DIN Standards, it is nevertheless an important means of
quality control in production, especially as it is quick and reliable.
Moreover, tensile strength remains a common parameter in
overseas markets for describing product quality.
Figure 10: Tensile strength
Figure 10 shows that gasket materials manufactured with 3091
and 1091 display the same tensile strength, namely 11 MPa.
Twaron 1093 has a higher tensile strength - 11.5 MPa - on
account of its longer fibers. Gasket materials manufactured with
Twaron 1095 have a tensile strength of approx. 9.5 MPa.
Compressibility and recovery; hot/cold compression test
Compressibility and recovery tests carried out in accordance with
ASTM F36 show no differences between Twaron 1091 and 1093:
compressibility is 10% and recovery 60%.
Similarly, the results of cold/hot compression tests show virtually
identical behavior in the case of Twaron types 3091 and 1091
(Figs. 11 and 12).
Figure 11: Cold/hot compression test with Twaron 1093
14

Figure 12: Cold/hot compression test with Twaron 3091
Rings of gasket material having a thickness of 2 mm were
produced with our standard formulation and then measured.
These specimens were first subjected to surface pressure which
was gradually increased to 50 MPa at room temperature.
The temperature was then gradually increased from room
temperature to 300°C while the surface pressure was maintained
at a constant 50 MPa. The thickness loss was measured over
time.
In the cold compression part of the test, the gasket made with
Twaron 3091 manifested a slightly higher degree of compression.
In the hot compression part of the test, the absolute thickness
losses were the same.
Gas leakage
Let us now consider the actual aim of our development work,
namely optimization of the pulp in such a way that the gas
tightness of gaskets is improved still further. The tightness of a
static seal is measured in Germany in accordance with DIN 3535
Part 6. In its most recent form, the gas leakage test is carried out
on dried specimen gaskets, subjected to a surface pressure of
32 MPa and an internal pressure of 40 bar, with nitrogen as the
testing medium.
The older version of this standard specified a specimen steeped
for the period of one week in a mixture of isooctane, toluene and
methanol. Any gasket material which passes this test is still
regarded as a winner. As already mentioned, our standard
formulation is based, for the purpose of differentiation, on the
relatively high gas leakage rates of pulp types 1091 and 1093.
By comparison, Twaron 1095 displays a much lower leakage
rate. Gaskets manufactured with Twaron 3091 have a leakage
rate of less than 0.1 ml/min both with and without steeping in the
aforementioned synthetic gas condensate and therefore
constitute a significant improvement.
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Figure 13 shows the extent of gas leakage before (shown in
black) and after (shown in red) steeping in synthetic gas
condensate.
Figure 13: Extent of gas leakage before and after steeping
We have, however, achieved much more than an improvement in
gas tightness. The pulp has fine processibility, as apparent from
its excellent distribution pulp in the matrix. The maximum nip
pressure for mixtures containing Twaron 3091 equals that of
Twaron 1093, namely 3.5 tons, whereas 1091 permits a
maximum nip pressure of only 3 tons. Moreover, the solvent
requirements for the gasket mix have remained constant.
It follows that we have succeeded in developing a pulp that
combines all the positive properties of the other pulp. And that
was our objective. It is now up to you to put Twaron 3091 to the
test. We are sure that this new pulp will fully meet your needs.
Addendum: Twaron 3091 for friction materials and technical
papers.
Meanwhile we have also conducted tests with Twaron 3091 in
friction materials and papers.
In friction materials, green strength can be increased by 30% if
Twaron 1095 is replaced with Twaron 3091. The processibility
and fiber distribution of both types is comparable.
In paper making, we tested Twaron 3091 with 67% moisture.
With the same draining properties and the same fiber distribution
as for Twaron 1094, we found a 10% increase in tensile strength
in pure pulp paper.
1. Source: website of the European Sealing Association, Fugitive Emissions
Working Group.
2. Definition of WL=(niLi 3/(ni Li 2 where ni = number of fibers in size category i
and L i = length of fibers in size category i.