OUTGASSING PROPERTIES OF A COMMERCIAL FIBER FABRIC MATERIAL FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE USE IN HIGH-VACUUM

The outgassing properties of baked and unbaked Nextel™ 440 (style BF-30) ceramic fiber fabrics manufactured by the 3M company have been measured to determine their suitability for high vacuum, high temperature, use as vacuum furnace lining materials. The results show that the as-received, prebaked material is suitable for use in high vacuum at temperatures up to 1150 °C (the highest attainable temperature in the experimental set up). However, the as-received unbaked fabric is totally unsuitable for vacuum use at any temperature higher than room temperature, due to the decomposition of the organic sizing in the fabric. © 1990, American Vacuum Society. All rights reserved.