When your filter system fails to deliver the desired results, it’s easy to become frustrated. After all, things like recurring clogs, inconsistent product quality, and premature equipment wear can prove costly.
More times than not, adjusting the filter media you use can alleviate the more common filtration concerns. Affording peak customization, this is where woven wire mesh stands out.
Woven wire mesh offers a handful of characteristics that work in conjunction to allow you to combat these issues rather than react to them. That said, what should you be considering to ensure you design the right filter for your exact needs?
W.S. Tyler is driven to create a future built upon a cleaner, safer world. Our plan to achieve this is simple: leverage our 150 years of experience to equip you with the knowledge to make the most out of the versatile properties of woven wire mesh.
With that, this article will break down the various elements that go into designing a reliable woven wire mesh solution so you can develop a filtration system that performs. It will cover:
- What a woven wire mesh filter is
- Why a quality wire mesh filter design matters
- The key mesh specifications that go into wire mesh filter design
- Best practices designed to facilitate efficient wire mesh filter design
What Is a Woven Wire Mesh Filter?
A woven wire mesh filter is a metallic screening component engineered to separate solids from liquids and gases. Virtually every aspect of the weave, from the wire diameter to the alloy to the thickness, can be customized, allowing wire mesh filters to accommodate a wide range of applications.
Woven wire mesh filters are available in various alloys and are proven to deliver an undeniable ability to maintain structural integrity when faced with varying pressure loads. This metal construction also enables these filters to withstand exposure to even the harshest chemicals.
When working in collaboration, these characteristics ensure accurate particle retention no matter the operational environment.
Best of all, filters constructed from woven wire mesh are easily cleaned and reusable. This helps deliver a level of longevity and cost-effectiveness that outshines competing filter media options.
The Importance of Implementing a Tailored Wire Mesh Filter Design
Contrary to popular belief, designing the perfect wire mesh filter extends beyond simply selecting a suitable weave pattern. It’s about hand-picking each specification in efforts to create the perfect balance of flow rate, retention capacity, pressure resistance, chemical compatibility, longevity, and, of course, cost-effectiveness.
The perfect design will:
- Combat downtime from troublesome clogs
- Promote efficient throughput
- Ensure product purity
- Facilitate peak performance in harsh operating conditions
- Reduce operational expenses
The Mesh Specifications You Need To Know
In order to design a best-in-class wire mesh filter, you must have a comprehensive understanding of the various mesh specifications and their effect on performance. This will ensure every aspect of your filter is a glove-fit to your system.
To start, mesh count stands as one of the more important specifications to calculate.
The mesh count of a wire mesh weave is best defined as the number of pore openings in a linear inch. This specification plays an integral role in the particle size range your filter can retain.
For example, a 10 mesh filter will be better suited for coarser filtration requirements, whereas a 400 mesh filter is better suited for fine filtration requirements that rely on precision.
In other words, the mesh count of your filter is key in high-purity applications.
Another key mesh specification that needs to undergo heavy scrutiny is wire diameter. It goes without saying that wire diameter refers to the thickness of each wire in the weave.
When designing a wire mesh filter, a good rule of thumb is: the thicker the wire diameter, the greater the durability and pressure resistance. That said, as the wire diameter gets thicker, the percentage of open area is reduced, which can restrict flow rate.
For this reason, you will want to ensure you implement a wire diameter that balances strength with throughput.
Circling back to the percentage of open area, this specification refers to how much of the weave is open to flow versus blocked by the wires. A higher percentage grants better flow rate; however, if it’s too high, particle retention issues will become prominent.
Generally, it is found that an open area of 30% to 45% delivers balanced performance.
Want to get a more in-depth look into the percentage of open area? Read the article below:
Of course, we can’t talk about woven wire mesh without mentioning weave type. The weave type dictates how the wires are interlaced, controlling the strength and filtration capacity of the filter component.
The most common weave type, plain weave, employs a simple over-under pattern and is typically used in general filtration applications. Twill weaves are known for their high strength and tighter filtration characteristics due to an overlapping wire pattern. Dutch weaves, which can be both plain or twilled, offer tight filtration tolerances ideal for applications that call for finer micron retention.
When it comes to the physical traits of wire mesh filters, it is important to know that the sky is truly the limit on what can be achieved.
Wire mesh can be cut into discs, formed into cylinders, layered into staged filters, etc. These filters can be customized to accommodate various dimensions and even affixed to edging or framing hardware to improve structural integrity.
Best Practices To Follow When Designing Your Next Wire Mesh Filter
Before finalizing your design, there are several best practices you will want to follow. These methods will ensure you don’t over- or under-specify.
You will first want to analyze the particles that are present in your process stream. This will allow you to better understand the particle size range you need to capture, providing insight into what mesh count will best suit your needs.
NOTE: Using a mesh specification that is too tight (over-specified) can increase the cost of the filter, reduce flow rates, and cause troubling clogs.
You will also want to calculate the flow dynamics that equate to operational success. This will help you pinpoint a percentage of open area and weave type pairing that afford balanced throughput and particle retention.
What can really make or break the functionality of a wire mesh filter is its ability to maintain its structural integrity and combat degradation when introduced into your process. For this reason, it is best practice to evaluate the environment of your system and select a wire mesh alloy that can withstand the conditions it will be operating in.
Build the Perfect Wire Mesh Filter With Quality Shop Drawings
Offering unparalleled customization, woven wire mesh filters have the ability to deliver an innovative approach to industrial filtration. With proper planning, you can design a filter component that promotes prolonged operational success with minimal maintenance needs.
As you plan out what the ideal wire mesh filter looks like for your operation and begin reaching out to wire mesh suppliers, you will want to have shop drawings of the filter at the ready. Shop drawings that are properly laid out will best illustrate your needs, ensuring your vision is woven into reality.
For over 150 years, W.S. Tyler’s mission has been to empower countless industries with tailor-made wire mesh solutions, offering expert consulting and end-to-end filter development to ensure accurate, effective, and repeatable filtration.
Check out the following article that covers what a clear, effective shop drawing looks like so you can tackle the filter design process with confidence: