A pipeclay triangle is a piece of
laboratory
A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...
apparatus that is used to support a
crucible being heated by a
Bunsen burner or other heat source. It is made of wires strung in an
equilateral triangle on which are strung hollow
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
, normally
fire clay, tubes. The triangle is usually supported on a
tripod or iron ring. Unlike
wire gauze
A wire gauze or wire mesh is a sheet of thin metal that has net-like patterns. Wire gauze is placed on the support ring that is attached to the retort stand between the Bunsen burner and glassware or is placed on a tripod to support the beakers, ...
, which primarily supports
glassware such as
beakers,
flasks, or
evaporating dish
An evaporating dish is a piece of laboratory glassware used for the evaporation of solutions and Precipitation (chemistry), supernatant liquids, and sometimes to their melting point. Evaporating dishes are used to evaporate excess solvents – mo ...
es and provides indirect heat transfer to the glassware, the pipeclay triangle normally supports a crucible and allows the flame to heat the crucible directly. The triangular shape allows rounded crucibles of various sizes to rest in a stable way.
References
{{sci-stub
Laboratory equipment