Glass fibers suitable for textile and reinforcements are described. The glass fibers have compositions that include SiO.sub.2, CaO, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and MgO. A significant amount of the MgO is derived from the mineral brucite. In some instances, the compositions are essentially free of fluorine, sulfate, and titania. These glass fiber compositions typically have broad or large values for delta T (i.e., the difference between the log 3 or forming temperaturethe temperature at which the glass has a viscosity of approximately 1,000 poiseand the liquidus temperature).

A composition for producing a glass fiber, including the following components with corresponding percentage amounts by weight: SiO.sub.2: 57.1-61.4%; Al.sub.2O.sub.3: 17.1-21%; MgO: 10.1-14.5%; Y.sub.2O.sub.3: 1.1-4.3%; CaO: <6.5%; Li.sub.2O+Na.sub.2O+K.sub.2O: 1%; Li.sub.2O: 0.75%; TiO.sub.2: <1.8%; and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3: 0.05-1.2%. The total weight percentage of the above components in the composition is greater than or equal to 98%. The weight percentage ratio of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 to SiO.sub.2 is greater than or equal to 0.285. The invention also provides a glass fiber produced using the composition and a composite material including the glass fiber.

Apparatus for forming melt-formed fibres comprises: a source of molten material; a spinning head comprising one or more rotors; a plurality of nozzles or slots disposed around at least part of the one or more rotors, configured to supply a stream of gas; a conveyor; and a barrier (4) between the spinning head and the conveyor (6), an upper edge of the barrier lying below a horizontal line (22) lying in a first vertical plane (17) including axis of rotation (16) of at least one rotor of the one or more rotors and intersecting the intersection of the axis of rotation with a second vertical plane (18) orthogonal to the first vertical plane and including a vertical line (20) through said region, the included angle between the horizontal line (22) and a line (21) in the first vertical plane joining the upper edge of the barrier and the intersection of the horizontal line and axis of rotation being in the range of 40?-85?. Method of making melt-formed fibres using the apparatus. Melt formed biosoluble fibres being alkaline earth silicate fibers having a low shot content.

The present disclosure provides a glass fiber having a fiber diameter of 18 ?m or less and including a glass composition. A MgO content in the glass composition is 15 mol % or more, and a common logarithm log ? of a viscosity ? [dPa.Math.s] of the glass composition at a devitrification temperature is 2.6 or more. The present disclosure also provides a glass composition which includes, in mol %: SiO.sub.2 50 to 65%; Al.sub.2O.sub.3 5 to 26%; B.sub.2O.sub.3 0 to 1.6%; MgO 15 to 30%; CaO 0 to 8%; Li.sub.2O 0 to 2.4%; and Na.sub.2O more than 0.2% and 2.85% or less and in which a sum of a Li.sub.2O content, a Na.sub.2O content, a K.sub.2O content is 0.3 to 3.0%, and a ratio of the Na.sub.2O content to this sum is 0.2 or more and 0.95 or less.

A composition for producing a glass fiber, including the following components with corresponding percentage amounts by weight: SiO.sub.2: 57.1-61.4%; Al.sub.2O.sub.3: 17.1-21%; MgO: 10.1-14.5%; Y.sub.2O.sub.3: 1.1-4.3%; CaO: <6.5%; Li.sub.2O+Na.sub.2O+K.sub.2O: 1%; Li.sub.2O: 0.75%; TiO.sub.2: <1.8%; and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3: 0.05-1.2%. The total weight percentage of the above components in the composition is greater than or equal to 98%. The weight percentage ratio of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 to SiO.sub.2 is greater than or equal to 0.285. The invention also provides a glass fiber produced using the composition and a composite material including the glass fiber.

A resorbable tissue scaffold fabricated from bioactive glass fiber forms a rigid three-dimensional porous matrix having a bioactive composition. Porosity in the form of interconnected pore space is provided by the space between the bioactive glass fiber in the porous matrix. Strength of the bioresorbable matrix is provided by bioactive glass that fuses and bonds the bioactive glass fiber into the rigid three-dimensional matrix. The resorbable tissue scaffold supports tissue in-growth to provide osteoconductivity as a resorbable tissue scaffold, used for the repair of damaged and/or diseased bone tissue.

Inorganic fibers including the following composition, SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, MgO and CaO being main components, and the inorganic fibers being produced by a melting method: SiO.sub.2: 3.0 wt % or more and less than 48.0 wt %, Al.sub.2O.sub.3: more than 20.0 wt % and 80.0 wt % or less, MgO: 1.0 wt % or more and 50.0 wt % or less, CaO: 1.0 wt % or more and 50.0 wt % or less, and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3: 0.0 wt % or more and less than 1.0 wt %.

Disclosed is a method of making a high temperature fiber including incorporating an inorganic atom into a polymer precursor fiber to form a modified polymer precursor fiber and converting the modified polymer precursor fiber to a high temperature fiber having a bonded inorganic atom.

An inorganic fiber containing silica and magnesia as the major fiber components which further includes an intended strontium oxide additive to improve the thermal stability of the fiber. The inorganic fiber exhibits good thermal performance at 1260 C. and greater for 24 hours or more, retains mechanical integrity after exposure to the use temperature, and exhibits low biopersistence in physiological fluids. Also provided are thermal insulation product forms, methods of preparing the inorganic fiber and of thermally insulating articles using thermal insulation prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers.

An inorganic fiber containing silica and magnesia as the major fiber components which further includes an intended strontium oxide additive to improve the thermal stability of the fiber. The inorganic fiber exhibits good thermal performance at 1260 C. and greater for 24 hours or more, retains mechanical integrity after exposure to the use temperature, and exhibits low biopersistence in physiological fluids. Also provided are thermal insulation product forms, methods of preparing the inorganic fiber and of thermally insulating articles using thermal insulation prepared from a plurality of the inorganic fibers.