Asbestos introduction

Asbestos refers to a small number of minerals that are formed of flexible fibers, and have the useful physical property of being very heat resistant. Because asbestos forms as flexible fibers, it is woven to make fabrics for heat-resistant and insulating materials.

Chrysotile asbestos, the fibrous variety of the mineral serpentine, is by far the most important type of asbestos. It forms in metamorphic rock, that is, rock that has been altered by intense heat and pressure. Asbestos can be subdivided into two major classifications of minerals: amphiboles and serpentines. All but one form, chrysotile, are amphiboles. Chrysotile is a serpentine. Both amphibole asbestos and serpentine asbestos are fibrous, but they have very different forms. The amphiboles are double-chain silicates also called inosilicates.

Chrysotile is very flexible and less likely to be "friable" than the amphiboles. Friability of asbestos is generally defined as the ability to easily be turned into a dust with finger pressure. It is this friability that releases asbestos fibers into the atmosphere and results in health problems.

Asbestos has a host of physical properties that make it almost a superstar in the world of industrial chemistry. Its tensile strength surpasses that of steel. It has tremendous thermal stability, thermal and electrical resistance and is non-flammable. It can be subdivided into fine fibers that are strong enough and flexible enough to be spun into material that is a flame retardant, chemically inert thermal and electrical insulator. Note that asbestos binds with better insulating materials to create the ultimate construction materials.

Asbestos fibers have no detectible odor or taste. They are all solids that do not move through soil and are insoluble in water. Its color will vary according to type, and metallic composition. Crocidolite, which has iron and sodium as its only metallic elements, is the most colorful, adorned in a range of colors including shades of lavender, blue and green. In general, asbestos-containing iron may display a green color ranging from a hint of green to solid green depending upon the amount of iron present. More information about Zenith crusher and grinding mill please visit products center.

Asbestos’s excellent insulating properties, durability and fire retardance have resulted in its use in a variety of industrial applications. Asbestos-cement pipe has been used in water distribution systems around the world for more than 70 years. Pressure pipe is used primarily for the distribution of potable water, sewer force mains and industrial effluent process piping. Non-pressure pipe is used for sanitary and storm drainage systems, casings for electric cables or duct work.

Asbestos-cement construction products include flat and corrugated sheets used for commercial and residential buildings, roofing shingles and siding. Modern-day products include asbestos-cement (pipe, roofing tiles and sheet), friction materials, gaskets, specialty papers and additives, with asbestos-cement accounting for approximately 85% of chrysotile fibre consumption.