Mineral wool fiber

Hydrocarbon and mineral oils are used to coat cellulose, glass, asbestos, or mineral wool fibers. Composition of the plasticizer and fibers is then mixed with the polymer matrix, with which the plasticizer is also compatible. As a result, ordinary polymer mixing equipment such as mills and internal mixers can be used, with economically acceptable mixing times under mild conditions, to prepare homogeneously dispersed fibre-polymer compositions. Frequently this process is used to obtain homogeneous dispersion of fibers but also to protect fibers or glass bubbles from mechanical damage. 

Metal Pan Assemblies. These units consist of tiles and panels formed from perforated aluminum or steel with pads of fiber glass or mineral wool inserted into the pans to provide the sound absorption. They are used primarily for ceilings in a similar manner to acoustical tiles and panels. The pads are sometimes sealed in plastic film to prevent absorption of moisture, dirt, and odors. The perforated metal is relatively sound transparent and functions as the finished ceiling and the support for the sound-absorbing material. The perforated metal by itself has no acoustical value. 

Custom decorative sound-absorbing treatments for wall surfaces are frequentiy used in auditoriums and theaters, especially for control of echoes from rear walls. Typical treatments consist of prefabricated or custom-built wood grilles over fiber glass or mineral wool blankets or batts. 

Sound-Absorptive Blankets. Sound-absorptive blankets of fiber glass or mineral wool are not usually considered damping materials, but when fastened to sheet metal machine enclosures they can provide some useful damping in addition to sound absorption. 

Aluminosilicate Fibers. Vitreous alurninosihcate fibers, more commonly known as refractory ceramic fibers (RCF), belong to a class of materials known as synthetic vitreous fibers. Fiber glass and mineral wool are also classified as synthetic vitreous fibers, and together represent 98% of this product group. RCFs were discovered in 1942 (18) but were not used commercially until 1953. Typical chemical and physical properties of these materials are shown in Table 3. 

Container Insulation Tanks containing materials above atmospheric temperature may require insulation to reduce loss of heat. Almost any of the commonly used insulating materials can be employed. Calcium silicate, glass fiber, mineral wool, cellular glass, and plastic foams are among those used. Tanks exposed to weather must have jackets or protective coatings, usually asphalt, to keep water out of the insulation. 

Other Considerations Autoignition can occur if combustible fluids are absorbed by wicking-type insulations. Chloride stress corrosion of austenitic stainless steel can occur when chlorides are concentrated on metal surfaces at or above approximately 60°C (140°F). The chlorides can come from sources other than the insulation. Some calcium sihcates are formulated to exceed the requirements of the MIL-I-24244A specification. Fire resistance of insulations varies widely. Calcium sihcate, cellular glass, glass fiber, and mineral wool are fire-resistant but do not perform equally under actual fire conditions. A steel jacket provides protection, but aluminum does not. 

Paper- or foil-backed mineral wool product fabricated from low-density slabs in which the slats stand upright with the fibers predominantly perpendicular to the major faces. This type of product is used on circular and elliptical ducting, pipes and vessels to give a compression-resistant insulant. Supplied in roll form. 

Glass-fiber tissue or non-woven fabrics are used for decorative purposes on many insulants. They also give improved strength to foam plastics and enhanced sound-absorption characteristics to mineral wools. 

Mineral wool is perhaps the best known of the whole range of insulation types. It is widely used in all sectors of industry, transport and building for thermal, acoustic and fire-protection purposes. There is a common misconception that mineral wool is a specific product type - it is not. Mineral wool is a generic name for a range of man-made non-metallic inorganic fibers. The following definitions should help to clarify the situation ... 

Mineral wool A generic term for mineral fibers of a woolly consistency normally made from molten glass, rock or slag. 

As with mineral wools, there are different types of ceramic fiber, but they are all made from a combination of alumina, silica and china clay and may be made by blowing or extruding the liquid melt. 

The inorganic classification includes the metal pan type, consisting of a perforated metal pan with a sound-absorptive mineral wool pad the perforated cement-asbestos type, consiting of a perforated cement-asbestos sheet with a sound-absorptive mineral wool pad acoustical plasters and tile prepared from mixtures of inorganic or mineralized fibers with or without asbestos and other fillers. In general, acoustical products in this classification possess good fire and flame resistance, but are relatively expensive and difficult to manufacture and apply. 

An insulation system is to be selected for a furnace wall at 1000°C using first a layer of mineral wool blocks followed by fiber-glass boards. The outside of the insulation is exposed to an environment with h = 15 W/m2 °C and = 40°C. Using the data of Table 2-1 calculate the thickness of each insulating material... 

Application Used as a dispersible surfactant in the emulsification of mineral oils. A softener and antistatic agent for textiles. Soluble in aromatic solvents. Used for formulating lubricants for synthetic and wool fibers. 

Man-made mineral fibers Glass wool (fiberglass) mineral wool (slag, rock wool). Inhalation. Irritation of upper respiratory tract, skin. No ties to lung cancers, lung fibrosis. 

A survey of the literature [28, 58-65, 71, 72, 74-80] indicates that the most frequent exposure to silicon involves exposure to silica and silicates mainly in their crystalline forms. Health risks associated with the exposure to other sihcon containing compounds were reported in the mortality study of 16.661 manmade mineral fiber workers employed during 1945 to 1963 at one of 17 U.S. manufacturing plants [75]. Fiber exposure in the plants producing fibrous glass or mineral wool, or both, was associated with increased... 

Summary Silanes are used as additives in numerous examples of resin chemistry. From these progresses in two applications, mineral wool production and paper impregnation, are highlighted. In the first application, silane acts as a typical coupling agent to improve the binding between resin and fiber, whereas in the latter, silane functions as a modifier to improve surface properties of the final laminate. 

However, when such insulation mats are exposed to moisture, the bonding strength is reduced, which can affect the quality of the insulation material. To prevent this problem, on the one hand, a hydrophobic agent is added to make the mineral wool more water repellent, and on the other hand silane is included in the binder mixture to enhance the bond between the inorganic fibers and the organic binder. 

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