less is lost through the basement. In order to reduce heat loss to a minimum, many different types of insulation are used in construction. The leading position in this area is occupied by a bas alt slab. What is this material?
Product manufacturing technology
Raw materials for the manufacture of mineral bas alt insulation are certain rocks. The most commonly used are bas alt, dolomite, limestone, diabase, clay, etc. Manufacturing technology consists of two main processes:
1. Getting the melt.
2. Its transformation into thin fibers with the simultaneous introduction of binding components. Bas alt fibers used in the manufacture of products usually have a length of 2 to 10 mm, and a diameter not exceeding 8 mm. Actually, the bas alt insulation itself is obtained in the process of melting rocks. The melting temperature tends to1500˚С. In the next step, the fibers are bonded to each other using an inorganic binder component (filtration precipitation technique). Simultaneously with this process, pre-pressing is carried out, and everything ends with thermal drying. As a result of all these actions, a bas alt slab is obtained, the characteristics of which allow it to be used in various fields of industrial and civil construction.
Scope of bas alt slabs
Bas alt mineral slabs today occupy one of the first places in terms of consumer demand. The main area of application is insulation and thermal insulation. Without this material, the construction of residential buildings and structures, industrial facilities is not complete. With the use of bas alt slabs and wool, thermal insulation of pipelines, plumbing and heating equipment is carried out. The same material is used to insulate surfaces inside and outside the premises: roofs, floors, walls, attics, basements.
Insulation is used as the bottom and top layer of sound insulation in flat roof slabs.
Separately, a few words must be said about how to properly insulate the facade with a bas alt slab. If the living space is sheathed from the inside, then condensation will form between the insulation and the wall due to temperature differences, which favors the development of an aggressive biological environment (mold, bending, etc.). But bas alt slabs, laid outside the building on the surface of the facade, will keep the heat in the room, will notopportunities for mold to develop and further improve the soundproofing of the entire building.
Bas alt insulation is widely used in industrial construction, in the energy industry (thermal insulation of boilers and furnaces at power plants). Bas alt slabs and mechanical engineering do not bypass their attention. In this industry, with the use of bas alt insulation, thermal insulation of ovens and refrigerators, car bodies is carried out.
Excellent material quality
Good thermal insulation characteristics of bas alt slabs are due to the low thermal conductivity of air. The multidirectional fibrous structure completely excludes the free movement of warm air masses inside the material. Heat-insulating bas alt slabs in a dry state have a coefficient of thermal conductivity in the range of 0.04-0.047 W/m².
Material density
Modern manufacturers offer customers mineral bas alt slabs with a density ranging from 35 to 200 kg/m³. For different types of construction work, materials with different indicators are used. For example, for laying on a sloping roof, the density of bas alt slabs should not be less than 30-40 kg / m³. Otherwise, over time, the insulation will sag. To insulate the outer walls of buildings, experts recommend using bas alt slabs with a density of 80 kg / m³. In interior partitions, a material with a density of 50 kg / m³ is used to improve sound insulation.
Insulation layer thickness: which is best?
The answer to this question is quite simple. Heat preservationindoors depends on two characteristics: the thickness and density of the plate. Therefore, the thicker the insulation, the better, and the denser, the warmer. For example, for a residential attic 150 mm is the required minimum thickness. In this case, the bas alt slab must have a density of at least 30-40 kg / m³. A layer of insulation for exterior walls is usually at least 100 mm thick.
In general, in order to create conditions in a residential area regulated by GOST 30494-96 (air temperature in the range of + 20-22˚С, relative humidity - 30-45%, absence of drafts), it is important to use bas alt thermal insulation materials correctly.
Slab and cotton are the same thing?
As mentioned above, the first stage in the production of bas alt slabs is called a melt. In order to give bas alt fibers more fluidity, 10 to 35% of charge or limestone can be added to the melt. Such components will reduce the resistance of the material to high temperatures and the influence of an aggressive environment. It cannot be said that a product with such a component composition is a natural bas alt slab. Rather, it is bas alt mineral wool.
However, it would be wrong to think that mineral wool has much worse characteristics than a stove. The material withstands temperatures up to 600˚С (up to 1000˚С it changes color, higher it melts). The thermal conductivity of cotton wool is in the range of 0.042-0.048 W / m². The material is resistant to mechanical stress.
Soundproofing characteristics of boards
Bas alt fibers in the structurematerials are located randomly in different directions, due to which bas alt slabs have good acoustic characteristics. In a room with such a heater, the probability of excitation of sound waves along the vertical is significantly reduced. Air sound insulation and sound-absorbing characteristics of walls and ceilings in the room are improved. Significantly reduces the reverberation time (gradual decrease in the intensity of the sound when it is repeatedly reflected).
It can be said that these heaters (bas alt slab, cotton wool) quite effectively soundproof the room from noise both from inside and outside the building.
Environmental friendliness of bas alt insulation
Bas alt and limestone, which are used to make slabs, are natural materials. Bas alt is once erupted from the bowels of the Earth and solidified magma. This material is perhaps the most common on the earth's surface at the present time. Limestone is a sedimentary rock formed from calcite. Insulation with bas alt slabs actually saves a hundred times more energy reserves than is spent on their production: extraction, processing, transportation.
Strength and hydrophobicity parameters
Bas alt fibers inside the slabs are arranged randomly, which makes it possible to achieve sufficiently high insulation stiffness. Considering that during the production process binder components are also added to the composition, we can talk about excellent strength parameters and characteristics.products. And the mineral bas alt slab is able to maintain such strength for a long period of time.
Manufacturers today are ready to offer potential buyers both light brands of insulation for work with unloaded structures, and rigid bas alt slabs. The latter are capable of withstanding heavy loads. The strength characteristics of bas alt insulation are such that slabs and mineral wool can be used in any building system of noise insulation and insulation that exists today. They will provide the most effective quality of protection and durability of structures.
Hydrophobicity (water repellency, the ability to avoid contact with water) of bas alt slabs is provided at the production stage by adding hydrophobizing additives to the melt. As a result, the bas alt slab acquires excellent water-repellent characteristics, has a rather low water absorption, which ultimately has a beneficial effect on the thermal conductivity (it decreases). That is, the less a bas alt slab is saturated with water, the lower this indicator is.
How not to make a mistake when choosing a brand of material?
To choose the right insulation, before buying, you need to decide on the scope, consider what kind of work you need a bas alt slab. The characteristics of any brand will be effective only when used for a certain type of work. For example, if it is supposed to use the material where the increased loads on it will bebe absent, it is quite acceptable to use soft grades of a heat insulator. Such places include facade ventilation systems, wall insulation in high-rise buildings (but not higher than the 4th floor).
To insulate a multi-storey building in which a ventilated facade with an unlimited air flow rate is finished, it is better to use semi-rigid types of bas alt slabs. Rigid brands of insulation experts recommend using in those places of construction sites where heavy loads are expected.
Danger for people
Harm caused by bas alt slabs to human he alth - is it a myth or reality? In order to give a certain shape to a bas alt slab or mat, manufacturers add formaldehydes (resin) to the insulation. A priori, the latter are considered harmful and dangerous to the human body substances. And in mineral wool, these resins are freely available. If water gets into the insulation, decomposition processes begin there, and the toxic substances released during this enter the human body. However, at certified production facilities, formaldehyde resins and phenol are in a bound state by the time the insulation is already manufactured, and are absolutely inert to the environment. From this we can conclude that bas alt mineral wool slabs are harmful to humans and the environment only if they were made from low-quality materials and by artisanal methods. Such heat-insulating materials, of course, do not correspondsanitary standards, contain many harmful impurities and are dangerous to humans.
If we are talking about harm from getting the smallest particles of bas alt slabs into the respiratory tract or under the skin, then this is practically impossible. Modern bas alt insulation is very durable, their fibers are soldered to each other, and the separation of small particles is not possible. In this, bas alt insulation is much safer than materials of past generations, such as glass wool.
Development outlook
Already today, bas alt slab has been widely used in various spheres of human life. Currently, this insulation is one of the leading places in the field of construction. Even though the production process of bas alt insulation is quite energy intensive, this material is available to a wide range of consumers with completely different financial capabilities. And, as you know, the optimal combination of the price of a product and its quality is the path to success and recognition.
