Asbestos sheets are made from chrysotile asbestos. This mineral belongs to layered silicates and consists of magnesium hydrosilicate. Asbestos sheets are resistant to alkalis, but decompose in acids. Such properties allow them to be widely used in construction.
Properties of asbestos sheets
Asbestos is mined mainly in Russia and China, there are large deposits in Canada. The fibers that make up asbestos sheets do not conduct electricity well, so the material is used for insulation. Asbestos is not destroyed by ozone and oxygen, and in general, many chemical influences are not afraid of it. The mineral binds well to other substances, its melting point is very high, so asbestos sheets can be safely used as a heat-resistant barrier.
A big minus of asbestos is that dust harmful to the human body is released during its production. However, high-quality labor protection allows you to eliminate this factor. In addition, works in which ready-made asbestos sheets are used - heat-insulating, roofing, etc. - safe, since the mineral in the finished sheets is in a bound state with gypsum, rubber, oil, bitumen or various resins.
Nevertheless, in many countries, due to the harmfulness of the material, they prefer not to use it. In the EU countries, building materials that include asbestos have been banned since 2005. The rest of the world is successfully applying asbestos sheets in various manufacturing industries.
Application of asbestos sheets
Because of its toxicity, pure asbestos is of course not used. Health-friendly asbestos sheets are combinations of asbestos fibers with other substances. For example, asbestos materials are a perforated wire frame on which asbolatex paper with a graphite surface is applied. Special gaskets of different sizes are cut from such sheets, which are used in the production and repair of cars. They are resistant to high temperatures, resilient, insensitive to combustion products, as well as to the effects of gasoline or diesel fuel.
Another popular material based on asbestos fibers is asbestos board, which is widely used in various industries. It contains chrysolite. Asbestos cardboard is used in energy, automotive and mechanical engineering as a thermal insulation material. The material marked "KAON" is characterized by high heat resistance. The abbreviation "KAON" stands for "general purpose asbestos cardboard". Such cardboard is used in devices that operate in aggressive alkaline, gas, organic media. It is also used for thermal insulation at high, up to 500 ° C, temperatures.
