Mineral wool

Glass wool: 250-500 kWh / m³

Glass wool: 20-153 kg / m³

Mineral wool refers to a soft material of man-made fibers, which is mainly used as a non-flammable insulation for thermal insulation of houses. It is usually prepared as a nonwoven fabric or stronger in compression than plates. Depending on the starting material, a distinction is glass wool and rock wool. Stone wool is also used as an earth -free substrate for hydroponics in industrial vegetable and ornamental plant cultivation.

Major manufacturers of mineral wool include the Paroc Group / Paroc Oy AB, the Saint- Gobain Group, climowool GmbH (formerly swivel Dämmtechnik ), Ursa, Rockwool, the DBW group and the Knauf Insulation GmbH. Mostly in the eastern German states also the brand name Kamelit used in the former GDR is colloquially used for mineral wool.

While Stone wool has a high temperature resistance of usually 1000 ° C, this is usually the case of conventional glass wool at about 700 ° C. This property has an effect on the suitability of the insulating material in the insulation of bulkheads or structures. May from fire safety point of view, therefore, at penetrations (eg in cable ducts ) or the insulation of non- fire-resistant structures (typically steel or wooden structures), the use of higher -temperature resistant rock wool may be necessary.

For the preparation of raw materials used

• Glass wool fibers up to 70% of used glass
• Sand
• Limestone
• Soda
• 0.5-7 % binder ( as phenolic resins)
• 0.5 % mineral oil for dust control

• Coke as an energy supplier
• 0.5-7 % binder ( phenolic resins )
• 0.5 % mineral oil for dust control and air purification.

• Additives magnesium
• Cement (binder)

Production, properties

The rocks are mostly extracted in open.

The process begins with melting down in rock with a temperature of around 1500 ° C. The melt of glass or stone will be thrown through a circular sieve into fibers. In this case, the fibers are added Binding and impregnating materials. The result is a fiber web which is carried on a chain conveyor by means of a curing oven. In another method, the melt is passed through rollers or the rapidly rotating melt is fiberized by the high-pressure burners.

The resulting fiber mat is resistant to mold, rot and vermin. The compaction of the binder content and the orientation of the fibers in the wool are crucial for which specific properties the finished product.

The production of mineral wool needs a lot of energy. The Quality Association for Mineral Wool eV calls for

• Stone wool has a primary energy content of 150-400 kWh / m³
• Glass wool having a primary energy content of 250-500 kWh / m³
• (for comparison, polystyrene foam (EPS) has 200-760 kWh / m³; polystyrene extruded foam (XPS ) has 450-1000 kWh / m³)

Stone wool has a higher acoustic insulation capacity and under oxidizing conditions, a high thermal stability. Stone wool is biodegradable in the human lung, and thus does not constitute a health hazard

Glass wool is compressible; On the other hand rock wool not or hardly. Stone wool has a higher bulk density than glass wool; they weigh up to 200 kg / m³. Consequences are:

• Higher weight of her built structures (roofs, walls),
• Altered heat protection in summer: A stone wool layer in a pitched roof or on the top floor ceiling is warmed by the heat during the day. The thicker the plate, the time-delayed, the heat is discharged to the underlying cover.

Health aspects

• The coarse fibers of mineral wool ( thicker than 3 microns ) lead in contact with skin to skin irritation and itching in most people. People with sensitive skin can also have stronger irritant reactions (redness, swelling, and similar ).

• Fiber dust of the mineral wool is "possibly carcinogenic " to be significant. Empirical studies of workers, however, this has not yet been detected but in a special animal experiments.

The health and safety at work legal assessment of man-made mineral fibers ( MMF ), which include glass and stone wool fibers include is governed by the Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances ( Technical Rule 521) or in the Hazardous Substances Ordinance ( Ordinance on Hazardous Substances ).

Mineral wool may only be sold or shared when it is free from suspicion of cancer, that is, if it has at least one of the following properties ( exemption criterion):

• The carcinogenicity must be at Ki ≥ 40
• The filament diameter must be larger than 3 microns, so do not be respirable
• Since 1998: the (generally by animal experiments provided ) Evidence of a sufficiently high bio-solubility (property of fine fibers to be dissolved and broken down in the body by the body's own substances ) must be present; a fiber type is not only exonerated when the half-life of its bio-solubility is 40 days or less. The rule is: The higher the bio-solubility, the lower the half-life

Evidence that a mineral wool meets these criteria, can be best seen on the RAL quality mark for mineral wool, with regard to Directive 97/69/EC of the Commission.

" Biopersistent fibers " ( low biosolubility ) - this includes glass or rock wool, which were manufactured before about 1995 or installed until 1 June 2000 ( manufacturing, Inverkehrbringungs and use ban in Germany ) and do not have the RAL quality mark - may no longer be manufactured or sold by German Hazardous Substances Ordinance no longer placed on the market, so in Germany. Of course, these materials are used in many older buildings. Before major renovation or demolition work (see Technical Rule 521) is therefore always check how old is the built-in material (or one assumes a precaution that it is old material ). If it was built before 1995, it is most likely to material of lower biosolubility. Then apply the appropriate health and safety measures in accordance with Technical Rule 521 If, in contrast to later built material, one can (at least for products of major manufacturers ) assume that it is the new generation bio-soluble mineral wool. When in doubt, ask the manufacturer for the carcinogenicity is not the only of the above exemption criteria.

Due to the irritant effect of fibers and dust should wear (such as a disposable protective suit) during cutting and obstruct of glass or rock wool Always wear gloves and long sleeved clothing or protective clothing. Contaminated skin should be cleaned with cold (rather than warm) water, because the fibers can settle in the pores of the skin otherwise.

Forms of delivery

• Loose in bags ( plucked, wastage) is the cheapest way and is used for stuffing of cavities
• Mineral wool flakes as loose-fill for filling cavities and hollow layers
• Mineralwollfilzmatten covered with bituminous paper or aluminum foil versteppter
• Resin bonded Mineralwollfilzmatten
• Mineral wool fleece between bituminous sealing and roofing sheets
• Quilted mineral wool mats on galvanized or stainless steel wire mesh
• Mineral wool mats ( semi-rigid and rigid), as wedges cut the insulation between the rafters as in a cold roof
• Lamellmatten laminated with aluminum foil versteppter
• Half-shells
• Mineralwollfilzlamellen with mineral- color coated ( for better adhesion for applying plaster)
• Mineralwollfilzplatten with fleece coating
• Mineral wool bales about 300 kg

In the industrial sector flung fibers are increasingly being replaced by solid fibers with controlled geometry, since these have usually next to the health safety and better vibration resistance.

Environmental aspects, disposal

The rocks are mostly obtained in open-pit quarries. This is associated with interventions in the natural surroundings.

Glass wool and rock wool are landfilled.

Similar materials

• Fiberglass ( automotive industry)
• Cellular glass ( thermal insulation)