Currently, there are several manufacturers of continuous mineral fiber in the world, which is commonly called basalt. However, such a generalized name is not correct, since the raw material for the production of such fiber can be igneous rocks that are very different from each other by their chemical composition.
It is generally accepted to divide igneous rocks into groups based on the content of the main component - silica SiO2, which, along with aluminum oxide (Al2O3), primarily determines the strength properties of the material. The higher the total content of these oxides, the higher the mechanical properties of the continuous fiber produced from this raw material.
Such igneous rocks as basalt and andesite-basalt are suitable for the production of continuous mineral fibers. Basalt raw materials from the studied deposits contain relatively little silica (47-48%) and aluminum oxide (16-18%). The average content of these oxides in andesite-basalt is significantly higher and amounts to 53-57% for silica and 18-20% for aluminum oxide.
Unlike other manufacturers, our company's raw material is based on our own andesite-basalt deposit. During the production process, the raw materials are carefully checked for compliance with the company's technical specifications for chemical composition and other parameters, which allows us to ensure stable fiber properties.
The production of continuous fiber from andesite-basalt, in contrast to the production of fiber from basalt, is a more labor-intensive and expensive process that requires the highest level of production technology, which the Kamenny Vek company possesses.
Most manufacturers of continuous mineral fiber use relatively easy-to-produce basalt raw materials with a low content of silica and aluminum oxide. For this reason, their basalt fiber has low mechanical properties, slightly exceeding the properties of E-glass.
Due to its technological advantage over other manufacturers, as well as having its own quarry, the company "Kamenny Vek", unlike them, produces not basalt, but high-strength andesite-basalt fiber, which has much higher mechanical properties.
According to the results of tests conducted in our laboratory, the tensile strength of basalt fiber (ASTM D2343), produced in China, is around 20-22% lower than that of our andesite-basalt fiber. The modulus of elasticity is lower by approximately 6.5 %.
The high mechanical properties of our fiber have also been confirmed by tests in numerous laboratories around the world.
The use of andesite-basalt fiber allows our customers to reduce the cost of their production due to the consumption of less amount of our fiber in their products compared to conventional basalt, while maintaining strength characteristics.
Significant investments in research, development and innovation made in recent years have allowed us to significantly expand the range of our products and areas of application for our andesite-basalt fiber. More and more companies around the world are increasing the competitiveness of their products, successfully replacing with andesite-basalt fiber materials they previously traditionally used in their projects.