A wire gauze or
wire mesh
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is co ...
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
In chemistry, a retort stand, also called a clamp stand,Laboratory-Equipment.com (2020):Large Clamp Stand, for Q700. Online catalog item 5323-07. Accessed on 202-02-18. a ring stand, or a support stand,Fischer Scientific (2020):American Education ...
between the
Bunsen burner
A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion.
The gas can be natural gas (which is ma ...
and
glassware
upTypical drinkware
The list of glassware includes drinking vessels (drinkware) and tableware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry. It does not include laboratory glas ...
or is placed on a
tripod
A tripod is a portable three-legged frame or stand, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The three-legged (triangular stance) design provides good stability against gravitational loads ...
to support the
beakers,
flasks, or other glassware during heating. Wire gauze is an important piece of supporting equipment in a
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: physic ...
as glassware cannot be heated directly with the flame of a
Bunsen burner
A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion.
The gas can be natural gas (which is ma ...
, and requires the use of a wire gauze to diffuse the heat, helping to protect the glassware. Glassware has to be flat-bottomed to stay on the wire gauze.
Some pieces of wire gauze are manufactured with a
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 ...
centre.
Plain wire gauze can transmit heat efficiently, but gauze with a ceramic center will also allow the heat to be dispersed more evenly.
The ceramic at the centre of the wire gauze is enmeshed at high pressure to prevent it from peeling.
Wire gauze may be woven from metals such as iron,
steel, copper,
or
nichrome.
Nichrome alloy provides long life expectancy and tear resistance.
The edges of the wire gauze are turned inward to help prevent fraying,
improve handling, and reduce the danger from sharp protruding wire ends.
Ceramic-centered wire gauze is commonly available in the United States in squares of , , and
to accommodate different sizes of glassware.
Additional images
File:Wire Gauze.jpg, alt=6-inch (150 mm, left) and 5-inch (125 mm, right) wire gauze squares, 6-inch (150 mm) and 5-inch (125 mm) wire gauze squares
File:12.5cm by 12.5cm Wire Gauze.jpg, A 5-inch (125 mm) square of wire gauze with ceramic center
File:Wire gauze.jpg, Beaker on the wire gauze
File:Laboratory tripod with other lab equipments.jpg, Beaker/gauze on laboratory tripod
See also
*
Wire mesh
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is co ...
*
Heating mantle
A heating mantle, or isomantle, is a piece of laboratory equipment used to apply heat to containers, as an alternative to other forms of heated bath. In contrast to other heating devices, such as hotplates or Bunsen burners, glassware contain ...
*
Tripod (laboratory)
References
{{Laboratory equipment
Laboratory equipment