Cork - A Versatile Material for Industrial and Consumer ApplicationsMay 11th at 9:05pm
Cork is the suberous covering (suberose parenchyma, or bark) of the species Quercus Suber L., commonly known as the cork oak. It is composed of an aggregate of cells, about 42 million per cubic centimeter, which have five wall layers. The Cork Oak trees can survive for up to 300 years giving raw materials every 9 years from the time they are 25 years old. The key to cork’s many properties is its honeycomb cell structure. Each cell is a 14-sided polyhedron filled with air with an extremely strong and flexible membrane that is waterproof and airtight. Cork also has exceptional electrical, thermal and acoustic insulation properties, making cork a versatile material
Elastic and Resilient: The flexibility of the cork cell membranes are extremely flexible, compressible and elastic, so it will always tend to return to its original shape, no matter what sort of pressure it is put under. This makes it a fantastic product to use for bottle stoppers, because even after years of compression in the neck of a bottle, it still retains its elasticity so maintaining an airtight seal. You will see this when you remove a cork from a bottle that it will instantly swell back to its original size, making it difficult to fit back into the bottle, no matter how old the bottle is.
Light Weight: About 90% of the volume of cork is occupied by air enclosed in the micro-cells of cork. This enclosed air constitutes about 50% of its weight. This makes cork a lightweight material, about five times lighter than water. This gives Cork’s a low density and makes it floats on water. Cork’s strong watertight cell membranes means that it will not absorb water, which makes it ideal for fishing floats and other similar applications.
Thermal, electrical and Acoustic Insulation: Cork’s honeycomb structure cell is made up of lots or tiny, sealed pockets of air which offer incredible thermal and sound insulation properties. In its natural form, cork is also a very good fire retardant, although cork dust is extremely flammable (because here the cell structure has been broken down). These properties make Cork an ideal choice for industrial and aerospace applications requiring light weight insulation material.
Impermeable: Cork has a natural cell membrane that makes it completely impermeable to liquids and gases. This chemical is a mixture of fatty acids and heavy organic alcohol called suberin, which makes cork impermeable and stops it from rotting or degrading over time.
Mechanical strength & Durability: Cork has high mechanical strength between -80C and 140C. Cork is extremely durable and has a high friction coefficient, so it will survive repeated impacts or rubbing/abrasion extremely well.
Hypoallergenic: Cork does not absorb dust, so is ideal for use as flooring and wall coverings.
Industrial Applications of Cork
Industrial Cork is made of cork granules mixed with various kinds of rubber such as SBR, Nitrile, Neoprene, Silicone etc. for binding. This composite material exhibits excellent wear resistance and oil & heat resistant, making it an ideal sealant for various types of applications in the automobile and electrical industry. This material retains all the natural Cork’s properties as well, making it an exceptional material for a range of applications listed below (non-exhaustive list):
Consumer Applications of Cork
Phelps has the materials, the equipment, and long standing experience making custom Cork products mentioned above. Call our material experts @ 1-800-876-SEAL and we’d be happy to help with your cork applications. Don’t forget to check-out Phelps’ cork portfolio.