Non-Asbestos materials
General guide to Non-asbestos materials

These products are generally based on:
Kevlar (aramid fibre).
Glass fibre.
Carbon fibre.

All these products have good chemical resistance.
Suppliers, manufacturers and users are still exploring the performance of these asbestos replacements in many applications and the following should be borne in mind:

Additional care must be taken in steam applications.
Can require greater flange pressure/bolt loads than the previous asbestos products.
Use a thinner material if the flanges and bolting will allow.

Applicable British Standards are:
BS7531 "Y" - Medium pressure grade 69 bar & 400 Centigrade.
BS7531 "X" - High pressure grade 103 bar & 400 Centigrade.

Some jointings are available to 450 C.
For temperatures below120 Centigrade think seriously about cellulose fibre ( paper ) materials.

Applications are:
Air compressors
Diesel engines
Pipelines
Most other general Industrial and Marine tasks.