Basalt fiber

Basalt fiber is a material made from extremely fine fibers of basalt, which is composed of the plagioclase minerals , pyroxene, and olivine. It is similar to fiberglass, having better physicomechanical properties than fiberglass, but being significantly cheaper than carbon fiber. It is used as a fireproof textile in the aerospace and automotive industries and can also be used as a composite. Basalt fiber is made from a single material, crushed basalt, from a carefully chosen quarry source. Basalt of high acidity (over 46% silica content) and low iron content is considered desirable for fiber production. Unlike with other composites, such as glass fiber, essentially no materials are added during its production. The basalt is simply washed and then melted. The manufacture of basalt fiber requires the melting of the crushed and washed basalt rock at about 1,500 °C (2,730 °F). The molten rock is then extruded through small nozzles to produce continuous filaments of basalt fiber.

natural inert material

no usage of chemical additives

unreactive with air and water, safe to humans and environment-friendly

non-carcinogenic to humans according to NTP, IARC and OSHA

recyclable

higher value of tensile modulus in 20-25%

higher value of elastic modulus in 10-15%

higher value of impact resistance in 50%

The applications for epoxy-based materials are extensive and include coatings, adhesives and composite materials such as those using carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforcements (although polyester, vinyl ester, and other thermosetting resins are also used for glass-reinforced plastic). The chemistry of epoxies and the range of commercially available variations allows cure polymers to be produced with a very broad range of properties. In general, epoxies are known for their excellent adhesion, chemical and heat resistance, good-to-excellent mechanical properties and very good electrical insulating properties.

Many properties of epoxies can be modified (for example, silver-filled epoxies with good electrical conductivity are available, although epoxies are typically electrically insulating). Variations offering high thermal insulation, or thermal conductivity combined with high electrical resistance for electronics applications, are available. Various materials based on epoxy resins are produced for application in different industries, including in construction. When mixing epoxy resin with hardener, the exact ratio of resin/hardener given by the manufacturer should be used, determing the curing time and physical properties of the resulting product.

Deviation from the required proportion, as a rule, leads to a change in the curing time and in the material final properties: with a smaller amount of hardener, the curing time is increased making it impossible for the most part to obtain a solid material with a necessary degree of hardness while with a larger amount of hardener the mixture heating will commonly cause its foaming and a sharp hardening resulting in a very brittle polymer material.