BASALT ROCK FIBERS - NEW CONSTRUCTION
MATERIAL
Glass, Carbon and polyamide fibers are commonly used in manufacturing of reinforcing bars for
concrete applications.
Recent development in fiber production technology allows the making of basalt fibers which is made
from basalt rock.
PRODUCTION OF FIBERS FROM BASALT
FIBER FORMING PROCESS
1. Batch silos: raw material supply, 6. Feeder,
7. Bushings, (continuous filament formation),
2. Weighing, dosing and mixing,
8. Sizing application,
3. Pneumatic transport, 9. Draw plate feeder; Strand formation,
4. Batch box : charging, 10. Lubricator,
5. Melting Furnace 11. Automated winder
Crushed rock material are charged into bath type melting furnace by a dozing charger, which
is heated using air gas mixture or electrically.
Crushed rocks are melted under temperature 12850C to 14500C in the furnace bath(5)
Molten basalt flows from furnace to feeder through feeder channel and feeder window
communicate to recuperate.(6)
The melt flows through platinum-rhodium bushing with 200 holes which is heated electrically
(7) .The fibers are drawn from melt under hydrostatic pressure and subsequently cooled to get
hardened filaments.
A sizing liquid with components to impart strand integrity, lubricity and resin compatibility is
applied (8), and then filaments are collected together to form ‘strand’ and forwarded to take
up devices to wound on forming tube.(9)
By varying the drawing speed of the fiber and temperature of the melt, fibers of wide size
range could be produced.
PROPERTIES OF BASALT FIBERS
Thermal Resistance
Basalt fiber has excellent thermal properties to that of glass fibers. It can easily withstand the
temperature of 12000C to13000C for hours continuously, without any physical change
Mechanical Strength
Basalt fiber has tensile strength 3000-4840 M Pa, which is higher than E-glass fiber. It has higher
stiffness and strength than E-glass fiber
Chemical Resistance
Basalt fibers have very good resistance against alkaline environment, with the capability to withstand
pH up to 13-14. It also has good acid and salt resistance.
Corrosion and Fungi Resistance
Basalt fiber has better corrosion resistance. It does not undergo any toxic reaction with water and air
or gases also. Basalt materials have strong resistance against the action of fungi and micro-organisms.
Ecological Friendliness
Basalt fibers have natural raw material, which is basalt rock it does not cause any damage to the
health. Basalt fiber has no biological hazards and solves waste disposal problems.
Abrasion Property
Basalt material is extremely hard and has hardness values between 5 to 9 on Mohr’s scale, which
results in better abrasion property. Even continuous abrasion of the basalt fiber-woven fabrics over the
propeller type abraders do not result in the splitting of fiber by fracture and results only in breaking of
individual fibers from woven structure which eliminates possibility of causing hazards.
APPLICATIONS OF CBF (CONTINOUS BASALT FIBER)
PRODUCTS
Concrete reinforcement
Requirement of the moderate strengthening in the civil structures & high fire resistance can be met
with basalt fibers.
Basalt filaments incorporated rods are used as the reinforcement of concrete slabs in hydraulic
engineering and construction in seismically hazardous regions.
It is also used in reinforcement for bridges, tunnels, railway sleepers etc.
Chopped fibers are used in cement concrete which increases crack resistance and fracture toughness
of concrete.
It does not give any adverse effect in concrete mixing.
Building material
Basalt fibers can also be used in the interiors, partitioning of buildings, fire proof doors, and sound
insulations for the building. They have better sound insulation property
Basalt fibers have better thermal insulating properties, almost three times than the asbestos. Basalt
fabrics are used as fire blocking material in the public transport systems. Both woven as well as
knitted fabrics are used for these applications.
Road construction
Basalt geo-mesh offers a number of advantages over glass and metal mesh for the pavement
reinforcement. They are ecological safe and can withstand very high temperature of molten asphalt.
The basalt geo-meshes are chemically inert and lighter than metallic meshes.
Abrasion resistant basalt fiber pipes and casting
High pressure pipes can be manufactured through filament winding, using fabrics impregnated with a
binder. These pipes are useful as components for transporting corrosive liquid and gases. These are
used in cement industries, chemical, oil and petrochemical industries
PRODUCTS OF CONTINOUOUS BASALT FIBER
ADVANTAGES OF CBF
Better substance resistance of water, salts, alkalis, and acids.
Nature-friendly and based on naturally occurring material that starts worldwide and no biological
danger.
Recyclability.
Production cost is very low as compared with the other types of fibers.
Melting temperatures and working temperatures up to 600 degrees.C
Low thermal conductivity: Basalt fiber has extremely low coefficient of heat conductivity compared
to steel. This advantage helps to reduce heat transfer from building interiors to exteriors and
significantly improves energy efficiency
Zero electrical and magnetic conduction: Basalt fiber has much higher electrical resistance compared
to steel and doesn’t interfere in the operation of sensitive electronic devices
Reinforced concrete is a traditional building material for construction. By far steel is the most common
reinforcement in this application, but basalt fiber is more and more being used for that purpose now.
Basalt fiber reinforced rebar significantly improve the durability of civil engineering structures, especially
under corrosion environment
The American Concrete Institute, International Federation for Structural Concrete and others
internationally recognized engineering code authorities have not provided specific design guidance for
its use.