Artificial stone

As artificial stone ( also polyresin, Marmorit, poly -Nature, Polystone, or alabastrite, formerly Pisésteine ​​/ Erdsteine ​​; artificial sandstone ) are called mineral ( Cement and building limes ) or resin-bonded materials, which were prepared with additions of, for example, sands and crushed rocks. Artificial stones are used today among other things, window sills, stairs and floor, wall tiles in construction. Recently there is the quartz materials for kitchen countertops that are in the broadest sense of art stones. Artificial stones made ​​from the mid-19th century as an alternative to product range of natural stones. Artificial stones are not cut stones which edit artists such as natural stones artistically. On terrazzo, the term artificial stone is not applied.

Distinct from natural stone

Artificial stone is distinguished from natural stone ( natural stones ) and of the artificial stones that are made by people, such as bricks, clinker bricks and sand-lime bricks ( blocks).

History

In the 1860s, one called so Pisésteine ​​( Erdsteine ​​) and in the 1870s the concept of the artificial stone has mainly been in use for artificial sandstone. Around the turn of the century, the term artificial stone prevailed in construction. From the Art Nouveau time -bound mineral stone has been more widely used as a substitute for natural stone for window and door jambs, cornices, Bauornamente and grave stones. After the Second World War was produced in East Germany until its dissolution due to lack of own natural stones on a large scale artificial stone. In the Federal Republic of mineral -bound stone was in the 1960s poured into blocks by vibration welding and marketed. However, in the early 1970s rose steadily, the demand of natural stone products because natural stone subsidized by imports and thereby displaced stone. In the last 10 years, a slight increase in demand of artificial stone than quartz material can be determined.

Cement bond

Cementitious artificial stones are and have been made ​​from two different composite mineral mixtures. A mixture is prepared wet earth with rock chippings, binder cement and cement colors with the addition of mixing water. In prepared molds of metal, wood or plaster, this material is introduced and then scrapped or shaken. A second mixture of concrete ( cement and gravel) is plastically manufactured, placed on the first mixture and, reinforced against static loads, provided that they are expected by the contribution of structural steel. After curing, the exposed surfaces are either chiseled or sanded and primed after grinding against open pores. This art and stones were used in construction as floor and stair coverings or for grave times with grave stones in the view page consisted partly of pickled sheets of natural stone. The production of cement-bonded artificial stones made ​​in crafting small series.

In the 1960s there was an industrial process for the production of so-called slabs of stone (known under the trade name Reko marble), while artificial stone blocks were cast, which were formatted on the respective plate thicknesses of stone sawing or gates. These plates were not armed and were primarily used for tomb base or facing.

Resin bond

Agglomera - marbles and quartz materials are artificial stones, where the cement is replaced by a mineral binder resin.

The stone is caused by connection of ground rock flour and resin. This material is characterized by the low production costs but high quality and relative fracture strength. Artificial stone is widely use in model making and crafts in the production of sculptures, statues, boxes, vases, souvenirs, advertising and memorabilia etc. Despite the dense consistency should be ensured that the extremities (eg, arms and legs in statues ) are not overtaxed, as they could break otherwise. Frequently stone is also known as cold -cast porcelain, because he feels like porcelain and behaves. Because stone is to be processed as well, can be molded and edit that would cause a multiple of the cost of using other materials items. A variety of sculptures available today and busts (even garden statues and the like) are made of cast stone.

Agglomerate marble

As supplements for agglomerate marble marbles or limestones of different sized grains and color pigments are mostly used. Resins are the binders. The preparation is carried out by first compacting by vibration, wherein the ingots of different sizes, such as 3.05 × 1.40 × 0.88 m, are molded and compacted. In this method, the Italian company Breton developed in 1968, different large marble grains and marble fragments are poured into a mold. Subsequently, the blocks are cured, and after the hardening of the blocks, such as natural stone, and further processed to split Slabs stone saws. The Slabs are mainly sawn into flooring sheets on relevant dimensions. Furthermore, window sills and stair treads made ​​of agglomerate marble. In 1977, the company Breton was a method for plate production of stone particles, polyester resins and pigments patent, in which the sawing into slabs was no longer necessary. The displacement is performed by Steinmetz or tilers businesses and mortar technology. Through the years-long decline in prices of imported natural stones, the demand for this stone has slowed down considerably. Agglomera - marbles can mimic marbles deceptive.

Quartz material

The aggregates for the 1985 developed quartz material are, according to the manufacturer up to 93 percent quartz and colored pigments and resin. In addition, pieces of glass and glittering particles can be admixed. The mass is poured in the manufacture in a paper-lined mold and then compressed in the compression Rütteldichtungsverfahren by solid under vacuum. Finally, the mold is heated in an oven for half an hour at 100 ° C. In this process, the polymerized mixed crowd. There are boards up to a size of 3.30 × 1.65 m produced. After cooling to ambient temperature the quartz material can be as natural stone ground with tools for hard rock and polished. Typical plate thicknesses are 12, 20 and 30 mm. Today quartz material is mainly used for kitchen countertops. The material has a wear hardness, approaching that of hard rock. Furthermore, can be customized colors and visual effects, such as teilglitzernde surfaces prepared according to customer requirements. Recently, antibacterial equipped artificial stones are offered as kitchen countertops in Germany by a Spanish Natursteinwerk from Andalusia that contain triclosan, a material whose use has been classified as harmful, for example, in Norway. In the planned Norwegian PoHS it is listed. Originally, the ban on 1 January 2008 was planned, but delayed by the objections of the European Union.

Limitations

The quartz materials, like all resin-bound materials, solvent and temperature sensitive. No hot pans may on kitchen countertops, for example, be discontinued, as these will damage the surface, nor shall any alkaline cleaning agents are used over a pH of 12. The resin- bound building materials do not meet the values ​​of the fire class A1. These are significant disadvantages compared to natural stones. To prevent damage to the care instructions of the manufacturer must be strictly observed in purifications.

When agglomerate marble and quartz materials are artificial stones, for which there is no valid DIN and EU standard. In most cases, the DIN for cast stone was used as a comparison for agglomera - marbles. However, this merely regulates cement-bonded artificial stones.