A mesh is a barrier made of connected strands of

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

fiber Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...

, or other flexible or ductile materials. A mesh is similar to a

web Web most often refers to: * Spider web, a silken structure created by the animal * World Wide Web or the Web, an Internet-based hypertext system Web, WEB, or the Web may also refer to: Computing * WEB, a literate programming system created by ...

or a net in that it has many attached or woven strands.

Types

* A

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

mesh may be extruded,

oriented In mathematics, orientability is a property of some topological spaces such as real vector spaces, Euclidean spaces, surfaces, and more generally manifolds that allows a consistent definition of "clockwise" and "counterclockwise". A space is ...

, expanded, woven or

tubular Tubular may refer to: *having the form of a hollow cylinder, or tube *having the form of a cylinder *''Tubular'', a television-related entertainment blog on the ''Houston Chronicle'' website *''Tubular'', a level in the video game ''Super Mario Wor ...

. It can be made from

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins and ...

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bo ...

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

, PVC or

PTFE Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemour ...

. * A

mesh may be woven, knitted, welded, expanded,

sintered Clinker nodules produced by sintering Sintering or frittage is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by pressure or heat without melting it to the point of liquefaction. Sintering happens as part of a manufacturing ...

, photo-chemically etched or electroformed ( screen filter) from

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

or other

s. * In

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

, mesh is loosely woven or knitted fabric that has many closely spaced holes. Knitted mesh is frequently used for modern sports

jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

s and other clothing like hosiery and lingerie * A mesh skin graft is a skin patch that has been cut systematically to create a mesh. Meshing of skin grafts provides coverage of a greater surface area at the recipient site, and also allows for the egress of serous or sanguinous fluid. However, it results in a rather pebbled appearance upon healing that may ultimately look less aesthetically pleasing. *Fiberglass mesh is a neatly woven, crisscross pattern of fiberglass thread that can be used to create new products such as door screens, filtration components, and reinforced adhesive tapes. It is commonly sprayed with a PVC coating to make it stronger, last longer, and to prevent

skin irritation Irritation, in biology and physiology, is a state of inflammation or painful reaction to allergy or cell-lining damage. A stimulus or agent which induces the state of irritation is an irritant. Irritants are typically thought of as chemical age ...

. *Coiled wire fabric is a type of mesh that is constructed by interlocking metal wire coils via a simple corkscrew method. The resulting spirals are then woven together to create a flexible metal fabric panel. Coiled wire fabric mesh is a product that is used by architects to design commercial and residential structures. It is also used in industrial settings to protect personnel and contain debris. Additionally, coiled wire fabric mesh is used for zoo enclosures, typically aviary and small mammal exhibits. >The Art of Coiled Wire Fabric: Flexibility and form on a large scale
Author: Andrew Schoenheit. Updated: Apr 30,2015

Uses

* Meshes are often used to screen out insects. Wire screens on

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent materia ...

s and

mosquito net A mosquito net is a type of meshed curtain that is circumferentially draped over a bed or a sleeping area, to offer the sleeper barrier protection against bites and stings from mosquitos, flies, and other pest insects, and thus against the di ...

ting are meshes. * Wire screens can be used to shield against

radio frequency Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upp ...

radiation, e.g. in

microwave oven A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce t ...

s and

Faraday cage A Faraday cage or Faraday shield is an enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields. A Faraday shield may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material, or in the case of a Faraday cage, by a mesh of such materials. Faraday cage ...

s. * Metal and nylon wire mesh filters are used in

filtration Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filter ...

. * Wire mesh is used in guarding for secure areas and as protection in the form of

vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...

screens. * Wire mesh can be fabricated to produce park benches,

waste basket A waste container, also known as a dustbin, garbage can, and trash can is a type of container that is usually made out of metal or plastic. The words "rubbish", "basket" and "bin" are more common in British English usage; "trash" and "can" a ...

s and other baskets for material handling. * Woven meshes are basic to

screen printing Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mes ...

. *

Surgical mesh Surgical mesh is a loosely woven sheet which is used as either a permanent or temporary support for organs and other tissues during surgery. Surgical mesh is created from both inorganic and biological materials and is used in a variety of surg ...

is used to provide a reinforcing structure in surgical procedures like inguinal hernioplasty, and umbilical hernia repair. * Meshes are used as drum heads in practice and electronic drum sets. * Fence for

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, a ...

( chicken wire or hardware cloth) * Humane animal trapping uses woven or welded wire mesh cages ( chicken wire or hardware cloth) to trap wild animals like raccoons and skunks in populated areas. * Meshes can be used for eyes in masks.

References

External links

{{Fabric Woven fabrics Net fabrics Filters Building materials Steel

Types

Uses

See also

References

External links