1. Physical Properties:
High Hardness & Wear Resistance: Quartz has a Mohs hardness of 7, significantly higher than ordinary glass, with excellent abrasion resistance, making it suitable for high mechanical stress applications (e.g., missile guidance, industrial vibration monitoring).
Low Density & Lightweight Design: Quartz density (~2.65 g/cm³) ensures strength while enabling lightweight construction, improving sensor dynamic response speed.
Non-Plastic Structure: The quartz pendulous reed is made of fused quartz (SiO₂ polycrystal). Its short-range ordered glassy structure (Si-O-Si bond network) provides high stability, preventing performance degradation due to grain boundary defects.
2. Thermal Performance:
Ultra-Low Thermal Expansion Coefficient: Quartz glass has a thermal expansion coefficient of only 5.5×10⁻⁷/°C, 1/12 to 1/20 that of ordinary glass, ensuring minimal dimensional changes in the -50°C to 200°C range for precise measurements in high-temperature environments.
High-Temperature Resistance & Thermal Stability: Softening point reaches 1730°C, allowing long-term use at 1100°C and short-term tolerance up to 1450°C. It exhibits excellent thermal shock resistance—rapid cooling from 1100°C to room temperature does not cause cracking.
Enhanced High-Temperature Mechanical Properties: The flexural and compressive strength of the quartz pendulous reed increases with temperature (due to improved plasticity), maintaining high mechanical strength even under extreme heat.
3. Chemical Stability:
Corrosion Resistance: Quartz is inert to most acids, alkalis, and salts (except hydrofluoric acid and hot concentrated phosphoric acid), offering 30× the corrosion resistance of ceramics and 150× that of stainless steel.
Contamination Resistance & Low Impurity: High-purity quartz (SiO₂ ≥ 99.99%) with minimal metal impurities (e.g., Fe₂O₃ ≤ 0.06%) prevents chemical interference with performance.
Radiation Resistance: Low thermal neutron capture cross-section and radiation stability make it suitable for nuclear industry and radiation laboratory applications.
