Mineral wool: types, characteristics and properties. Types and composition of mineral wool. Pros and cons of mineral wool

Mineral wool (rock, basalt) consists of randomly oriented fibers, which are made from the melt of rocks erupted by a volcano. Also, according to GOST 31913-2011, this term should include glass wool (from molten glass) and slag wool (from blast furnace slag). Specifications mineral wool favorably distinguishes it from most heaters. According to the criteria of thermal conductivity, sound insulation, vapor permeability and flammability, it surpasses them. Checking all the listed characteristics in the manufacture of stone wool is carried out in accordance with GOST 4640-93.

Today, most companies that sell the material offer several forms of release, but the properties of stone wool are slightly different:

• Mats (rolls). Intended for roofing cake, walls, interfloor ceilings and other non-loaded structures, since they have small density characteristics.
• Plates. Basalt-based mineral wool of this type is produced with a maximum density of 220 kg/m. cube, which significantly expands the above list of applications. Such material is laid under a concrete screed, on roofs that are supposed to be used for car parking, organizing walking areas and in other places where the insulation must withstand significant weight.
• Cylinders. One of the few options that can be used to insulate pipelines is mineral wool - stone wool in the form of an oblong cylinder with a hole inside does the job perfectly.

Properties

Specifications mineral wool cause its popularity and wide scope of application. Consider the main properties:

1. Thermal conductivity.

This is a value that shows how much heat energy is transferred through a material of unit density at a unit temperature difference. It is measured in W/(m*K) or W/(m*S). Technical description mineral wool indicating the characteristics of thermal conductivity is always painted on the package. GOST 1995-01-01 indicates that, depending on the thickness of the mineral wool fibers, this indicator can range from 0.041 to 0.045. Due to technological tricks, some manufacturers manage to achieve a coefficient of 0.032 W / (m * C), which raises certain doubts.

2. Density.

The amount of mineral wool contained in 1 cubic meter finished product. The density of mineral wool is measured in kg / m 3. On average, it is produced with parameters from 20 to 220 kg / m 3.

Size 3.

Depending on the scope of destination, it may fluctuate. For example:

• Plates are characterized by dimensions from 5 to 20 cm in thickness and 60 x 100 in the plane. These indicators make them easy to use, in addition, 60 cm is the most common value for the step of the truss system.
• The properties of mineral wool in rolls do not allow it to be used as widely as slabs, therefore it is characterized by dimensions that allow it to be covered with insulation large areas: from 50 to 150 in thickness, 60-120 cm in width and up to 9 m in length.
• Insulation in cylinders is produced with a diameter of 2 to 27 cm and a length of 1 m. The thickness of the mineral wool is 2-10 cm.

4. Combustibility.

This indicator is a matter of special pride for the manufacturer. Mineral wool belongs to non-combustible types, so it can insulate surfaces with temperatures up to 600-650 degrees. Materials with a foil layer have a flammability class G1 (low combustible) due to the fact that they reflect an impressive part of the thermal energy back into the room.

5. Noise isolation.

Due to the chaotic structure of the fibers, sound insulation with mineral wool is also performed very often. And large companies like Rockwool have launched a separate line of products designed specifically for soundproofing and damping various vibrations.

Price

A review of mineral wool insulation will be incomplete if you do not mention its price. Let's spend small review popular manufacturers on the market. Since it is more convenient to calculate the cost in rubles per 1 m3, we will stick to this:

• Ursa - rolls and plates. The first cost 1,000, the second - from 1,200 rubles.
• Knauf. Relatively expensive, but the price is still lower than that of Rockwool. You can buy Knauf mineral wool in rolls from 1,300, in slabs - from 1,400 rubles / m3.
• rockwool. One of the most serious brands of basalt wool. The price starts from 1,600, mats cost 2,800, and cylinders from 380 rubles per m3.
• TechnoNIKOL. The cost of TechnoNIKOL mineral wool is at an average level. Plates cost 1,400, rolls - from 1,000, the price for cylinders starts from 50 rubles / m3.
• Isover is an inexpensive mineral wool, it costs 1,200, in rolls - from 1,000 rubles.

Mineral wool of various grades appearance practically does not differ. Natural questions arise: “why pay more?” and "what's the difference?". It consists primarily in the prescription of their foundation, which affects the experience of production, fame, reliability of published characteristics. All this leads to a change in the cost of the product. For example, Rockwool and TechnoNIKOL produce cylinders, which indicates the functionality of their products, but Ursa and Izover are 20-30% cheaper with almost the same characteristics.

• First of all, be guided by the scope indicated by the manufacturer, and if it is written that this is Rockwool Facade Butts mineral wool, then you should not use it on the floor or roof (it will lead to premature loss of performance).
• It is necessary to pay attention to the likely loads that the insulated surface carries. To avoid compaction of the insulator, and, accordingly, a decrease in its thermal conductivity coefficient, purchase high-density plates.
• To insulate the roof on the inner layer, foil insulation is used to reduce the loss of "radiant" heat. For these purposes, as well as thermal insulation chimneys you can choose materials, one side of which is covered with foil.
• Pay attention to thermal conductivity, as some companies cheat by trying to underestimate the figures without indicating the temperature at which they are correct. With different thermometer marks, the value of the coefficient will differ in any insulation.
• Manufacturers indicate a different service life of the materials they produce. For a metal tile or slate, this is not critical, but for more durable types of roofing, an extra 10 years is a lot.

According to GOST 52953-2008, the concept mineral wool(or mineral wool) includes the following varieties of cotton wool:

1. Glass wool (or glass wool) - mineral wool made from molten glass.

2. Stone wool (or basalt wool ) - mineral wool, which is produced from the melt of rocks, mainly of volcanic origin.

3. Slag wool - mineral wool, which is obtained from the melt of blast-furnace slag.

Depending on the feedstock and processing technology, mineral wool fibers are given different lengths, thicknesses and spatial orientations. This allows you to change the parameters of the material, such as heat resistance, resistance to dynamic loads, thermal conductivity and hygroscopicity. All this allows you to expand the range of applications of mineral wool.

Mineral wool is one of the most common heat-insulating materials used in construction. Due to its heat and sound insulation properties, its non-combustibility and vapor permeability, as well as ease of installation and durability, mineral wool occupies a leading position among heaters.

It should be noted that quite often, when they talk about mineral wool, they mean stone wool.

Glass wool.

Glass wool is made from sand, limestone, borax (etibor) and soda, which are common components for glass production. All this is poured into a special bunker, where it melts at a temperature of about 1400 ° C, and then the resulting glass is passed through spinnerets and enters special centrifuges, where it is blown up with steam to obtain thin glass threads.

The process of fiber formation is accompanied by processing with polymeric binders. Then the resulting mass is molded and blown at a temperature of 250 ° C to dry and form polymer bonds. After polymerization, the cotton wool fibers become hard and acquire an amber- yellow. The cotton wool is then cooled, cut and packaged.

The thickness of the glass wool fibers is from 5 to 15 microns, and the length is from 15 to 50 mm. These fiber sizes give glass wool mechanical strength, elasticity and low . A layer of wool 5 cm thick in terms of thermal resistance corresponds to brickwork 1 meter thick.

The temperature range at which glass wool retains its properties is from -60 to +450 °C. Density does not exceed 130 kg/m3.

Advantages.

• It has good thermal conductivity: 0.038 - 0.046 W / m K;
• Good sound absorption;
• Glass wool has a very high chemical resistance;
• Does not burn or smolder;
• It does not shrink during prolonged use, and its fibers do not collapse even with prolonged vibration.
• Well absorbs sound, low hygroscopic, frost-resistant.
• The strength of glass wool fibers is higher than that of basalt wool.

Disadvantages.

• The main disadvantage of glass wool is the high fragility of the fibers. These thin and sharp fiber fragments easily penetrate the fabric of clothing and cause severe itching of the skin. It is highly undesirable to breathe air containing glass fiber particles. It is necessary to work with this material in overalls made of dense fabric, gloves, a respirator and goggles.
• Not high thermal stability of glass wool. At temperatures above 450 ° C, it begins to break down and lose its properties.

Basically, glass wool is used for thermal insulation of structures with surface temperatures from -60°C to 450°C.

Stone wool.

starting material for production stone wool are rocks mostly of volcanic origin. These rocks are melted in a special melting furnace at a temperature of 1400 - 1500 ° C. Then the melt enters centrifuges, where rotating wolves tear the melted mass into thin fibers. Here, the obtained fibers are processed with binding components, then a powerful air stream throws the formed fibers into a special chamber, where the fibers are deposited, forming a semblance of a carpet of the required dimensions.

The thickness of the stone wool fibers is from 3 to 5 microns, the length is up to 16 mm. Density from 30 to 220 kg/m3.

Advantages.

• It has good thermal conductivity: 0.035-0.045 W/m;
• Good sound absorption;
• Does not burn and has high temperature resistance. Operating temperature range from -180°С to 700°С.
• Durable and resistant to deformation, does not shrink during the entire period of operation;
• Non-hygroscopic and repels moisture well;
• Chemically neutral and environmentally friendly;
• The fibers of stone wool are not split, which makes it easier to work with compared to glass wool or slag wool. Work on the installation of mineral wool does not require special skills.

Disadvantages.

• The disadvantages of stone wool include the presence in the composition binding components based on phenol-formaldehyde resins, which can lead to the release of phenol. But phenol begins to be released only when the mineral wool is heated to the maximum allowable temperatures (above 700 ° C), under normal conditions, the binder components are neutral.

Insulation materials based on mineral wool are used for thermal insulation of roofs and internal walls, ceilings and partitions, floors of buildings and panel structures.

The starting material for the production of slag wool is slag waste from blast-furnace metallurgy. The manufacturing technology is very similar to the stone wool production method.

The thickness of the slag fibers is from 4 to 12 microns, the length is up to 16 mm. Density from 75 to 400 kg/m3.

disadvantages

• Sufficiently low maximum operating temperature up to 300 °C. As the temperature rises, the fibers sinter and lose their properties. By itself, slag wool does not burn, but in the event of a fire it will melt first.
• Not very good thermal conductivity 0.46 - 0.48 W / m K;
• Not durable, service life 10 - 15 years, after which it collapses and loses its properties;
• Well absorbs moisture;
• It contains components with residual acidity, so when moisture enters, the process of acid formation and the appearance of an aggressive environment for metals can begin. Therefore, it is not used where moisture may be present.
• The fibers are brittle and prickly, like stelovate fibers.

Advantages.

• The only advantage of this material is its low price. It was the most common insulation in the Soviet past.

At present, taking into account its shortcomings and the emergence of alternatives, it is rapidly losing its already insignificant positions in the market of mineral heaters.

The table shows the comparative characteristics

different types of mineral wool.

Basalt heaters.

Our company uses basalt insulation- mineral wool based on basalt raw materials, produced by Thermolife.

Thermolife's basalt heaters have good heat and sound insulation properties, high physical and mechanical properties and resistance to chemical attack. Due to the use of specially developed binding components, basalt insulation is highly environmentally friendly.

All products of the company have quality certificates. The company has a specially equipped laboratory, where the quality of products is constantly checked.

In line basalt insulation Thermolife company, there are special heaters for the manufacture of sandwich panels. The characteristics of these materials are given in the table:

In this article: the history of mineral wool; from what and how mineral wool is produced; types, properties and characteristics of mineral wool; which provides mineral wool with heat and sound insulation properties; classification of mineral wool; how to deal with negative properties; what to look for when buying.

Among the many concerns about your home, the problem of insulation and protection from noise is at the forefront. Summer heat and winter cold - mankind has been inventing protection against these seasonal phenomena for centuries, but most often relied on heat sources, be it open fire or electric heater. As for soundproofing, you often get the feeling that you live like in Bulgakov's "Treatise on Housing" - in a close resemblance to a "telephone receiver", in which sounds penetrate often and from everywhere. Insulating materials based on mineral wool will immediately solve two problems - only they should be chosen carefully and extremely meticulously.

Mineral wool owes its appearance to nature - during volcanic eruptions, in addition to lava and scorching clouds, thin threads are formed from molten slag splashes picked up by the wind. Noticing this and deciding that such a material would be perfect as a heater, the English industrialist Edward Perry in 1840 reproduced the process of forming threads from blast-furnace slag. But he made a gross mistake - the creation of slag wool took place in the open, so part of the produced fibers scattered freely around the workshop and the workers were forced to inhale them. As a result, several people were injured, and Perry himself abandoned the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bproducing mineral wool.

30 years later, in 1871, on steel plant the German town of Georgsmarienhutte was launched industrial production mineral wool, taking into account the mistakes of Edward Perry.

Mineral wool production technology

The source material for stone wool is limestone, diabase, basalt and dolomite, for slag wool - slag waste from blast-furnace metallurgy, and glass wool is made from cullet or from limestone, soda and sand. With the outward similarity of, say, stone wool from different manufacturers, its characteristics will differ somewhat, since each manufacturer calculates the exact combination of raw materials “for himself”, entrusting the calculation of the exact formula to technologists of production laboratories and keeping the results in strict confidence.

It is necessary to formulate the formula so that the resulting fiber has maximum quality properties: hydrophobicity and durability, chemical neutrality to metals and materials used in construction and decoration. With these quality characteristics, mineral fiber must have the highest thermal insulation performance, resist any dynamic loads. There are two quality criteria applicable to mineral wool - the thickness of the fiber and its chemical composition. And if exact information on the second criterion is not available to the general public, then the dependence of quality on the thickness of mineral wool fibers is as follows - the thinner the fiber, the higher the thermal insulation properties of mineral wool.

The production of mineral wool begins with the melting of raw materials, for this the prepared mixture is loaded into cupolas, baths or mine melting furnaces. Melting temperature in the range of 1400-1500 degrees - maintaining accuracy when heating the initial mixture of components is extremely important, because. the degree of viscosity of the melt depends on the length and thickness of the resulting fibers, which means the dynamic and thermal insulation properties of the mineral wool itself.

On the next technological stage The melt, brought to a predetermined viscosity, enters centrifuges, inside which rollers rotate at a speed of over 7000 revolutions per minute, tearing the molten mass into myriads of thin fibers. In the centrifuge chamber, the fibers are coated with binding components of synthetic origin - as a rule, phenol-formaldehyde resins act in their role. Then a powerful stream of air throws the formed fibers into a special chamber, where they are deposited, forming a kind of carpet of a given size.

From the deposition chamber, the fibers are fed to a lamellar or corrugating machine, where a carpet of fibers is given a given shape and volume. Next, the mineral wool carpet is placed in a thermal chamber - under the influence of high temperature, the organic binder undergoes polymerization, and the mineral wool itself acquires its final shape and volume. Finishing heat treatment takes place at strictly defined temperatures - it is at this stage that the strength properties of mineral wool are formed.

At the final stage, the polymerized mineral wool is cut into blocks of specified sizes and packaged.

Mineral wool - properties and characteristics

GOST 52953-2008 classifies glass wool, slag wool and stone wool as heat-insulating materials of this group. These types of thermal insulation materials differ not only in raw material, but also in a number of other parameters: the length and thickness of the fibers; heat resistance; resistance to dynamic loads; hygroscopicity; thermal conductivity coefficient. In addition, it is much easier to work with stone and slag wool than with glass wool - its causticity is widely known, because in the USSR it was used everywhere because of its cheapness.

Consider the characteristics of each type of mineral wool separately.

glass wool

The thickness of the glass wool fibers is from 5 to 15 microns, the length is from 15 to 50 mm. Such fibers give glass wool high strength and elasticity, practically without affecting the thermal conductivity, equal to 0.030-0.052 W / m K. Optimum temperature heating, which glass wool can withstand - 450 ° C, the maximum allowable - 500 ° C, the maximum cooling temperature - 60 ° C. The main difficulty in working with glass wool is its high fragility and causticity. Broken fibers easily pierce the skin, penetrate the lungs and eyes, so goggles and a respirator, disposable overalls (it will not be possible to clean it from glass wool fibers) and gloves are required;

slag wool

The thickness of the fibers of which is from 4 to 12 microns, the length is 16 mm, among all other types of mineral wool, it withstands the lowest temperature - up to 300 ° C, above which its fibers are sintered, and the functions of thermal insulation are completely stopped. Slag wool has a high hygroscopicity, therefore it is not allowed to work on the facades of buildings and for thermal insulation of water pipes. Another minus of slag wool is that the blast-furnace slags from which it is produced have residual acidity, which, at the slightest moisture, leads to acid formation and the appearance of an aggressive environment for metals. In the dry state, its thermal conductivity is in the range of 0.46 - 0.48 W / m K, i.e. is the largest among the thermal insulation materials of its group. To top it off, the slag fibers are brittle and split, like glass wool fibers;

stone wool

The thickness and length of its constituent fibers is the same as that of slag wool. Otherwise, its characteristics are better - thermal conductivity is in the range of 0.077-0.12 W / m K, the maximum withstand heating temperature is 600 ° C. Its fibers are not splitting, it is much easier to work with stone wool than with glass wool or slag wool. Best Features possesses basalt wool, produced from almost the same source material as stone wool. The only difference is that manufacturers add minerals (limestone, dolomite and clay), charge or blast-furnace slags to the source material (diabase or gabbro) for stone wool, which increases the fluidity of the melt - the proportion of mineral and other impurities in stone wool can be up to 35 %. By the way, stone wool is called mineral wool in the construction markets.

In addition to thermal insulation materials related to mineral wool, there is also basalt fiber. It does not contain any impurities or binding components, therefore it withstands the highest heating temperatures (up to + 1000 ° C) and cooling (up to - 190 ° C). The absence of a binder does not allow the formation of sheets or rolls from basalt fiber, this thermal insulation material used in bulk or stuffed with mats.

Any heat-insulating material related to mineral wool has high sound absorption rates - almost absolute sound absorption for basalt superthin fiber (BSTV).

All types of mineral wool, with the exception of basalt superthin fiber, contain from 2.5 to 10% of a binder based, as a rule, on phenol-formaldehyde resins. The smaller the percentage of this binder contains mineral wool, the less likely the threat of phenol evaporation, but, on the other hand, a greater content of phenol-formaldehyde resins gives greater resistance to moisture.

Any type of mineral wool does not burn and does not support combustion - if the temperature exceeds the allowable for this type of mineral wool, its hairs will only fuse together.

Why mineral wool is an effective heat and sound insulator

The thermal insulation of mineral wool is based on two elements: the small diameter of its constituent fibers does not allow heat to accumulate; the chaotic internal structure forms many air pockets that prevent the free transfer of radiant heat radiation. The thermal insulation of rigid mineral wool slabs is provided by the chaotic orientation and arrangement of the fibers. By the way, their resistance to dynamic loads will be the higher, the greater the percentage of forming fibers will be located vertically - i.e. manufacturers of mineral wool boards are forced to find the optimal balance between thermal conductivity and compressive strength.

Soundproofing with mineral wool is achieved due to its air-cell internal structure - standing sound waves and acoustic noises are immediately attenuated, because. cannot continue to spread.

Mats and slabs based on mineral wool are used for thermal insulation of straight and curved surfaces - roofs and internal walls, ceilings and partitions, floors of buildings and panel structures. Work on the installation of mineral wool does not require special skills.

Mineral slabs are classified by density:

Mark P-75

Slabs and mineral wool grade P-75, whose density is 75 kg / m 3, isolate unloaded horizontal surfaces, for example, attics of buildings, and in some cases - for thermal insulation of the roof. Are used for warming of pipelines of a heating system, gas and oil pipelines;

Brand P-125

The P-125 brand of mineral slabs and wool is used for heat and sound insulation of unloaded surfaces of any spatial position, in construction internal partitions, thermal insulation of floors and ceilings. Slabs of this brand are used as a middle layer in three-layer brick, aerated concrete, expanded clay concrete walls of low-rise buildings;

Brand ПЖ-175

A rigid plate of the brand PZH-175 isolates walls and ceilings from profiled sheet metal and reinforced concrete products(without cement screed);

Brand PPZh-200

Increased-rigid plate PZH-200 is used to improve the fire resistance of engineering and building structures- otherwise, its scope is identical to the scope of PZh-175.

Manufacturers produce mineral plates and cotton wool of lower density than P-75 - respectively, such products are used mainly on horizontal surfaces, provided that there are no dynamic loads.

Cons of mineral wool

Working with products based on it is not entirely safe, despite the lack of causticity of stone wool fibers. A binder based on phenol-formaldehyde resins can release phenol, which is not at all conducive to the health of households. Besides, tiny particles mineral wool fibers will inevitably be lifted into the air during the installation process, and their penetration into the lungs is highly undesirable.

However, negative aspects can be avoided. In the second case, use a respirator, carefully tighten the entire surface of the laid mineral wool or slab with a vapor-proof PVC film. As for the danger of phenol emission, at ordinary temperature, conventionally called "room temperature", the products of the largest manufacturers of mineral fiber products will not emit phenol.

But - the release of phenol is inevitable under the condition of heating the mineral wool to the maximum design temperatures, because. at such temperatures, bonds formed by phenol-formaldehyde resins will be lost. So, the choice of products will help solve the problem with phenol in mineral wool. major manufacturer, to exclude the possibility of heating the insulation to temperatures exceeding the calculated one, or to build thermal insulation on super-thin basalt fiber that does not contain a binder (the most expensive solution).

What you need to pay attention to when choosing a mineral wool

On the manufacturer - let it be famous brand, for example, "Rockwool", "ISOVER", "PAROC" or "URSA". If there is an opportunity to purchase mineral wool German manufacturer- do it, because German certification bodies are considered the most picky about these products, when compared with all other EU countries.

Decide on the density of mineral wool - the higher it is, the more expensive the mineral wool itself. The dependence of price on density is related to a large number fibers in a denser mineral wool, respectively, with a large consumption of material during production.

Do not be tempted by the low cost of glass wool and slag wool, because their heat and sound insulation characteristics are the lowest, and installation will not be easy because of the causticity.

Find out if the fibers in this mineral wool are vertically oriented or their location is random - in the second case, the heat and sound insulation properties will be higher, and in the first case, resistance to dynamic loads will be higher.

Depending on the type of mineral wool purchased, it must comply with GOST. Here are some of them: for mineral wool slabs - GOST 9573-96; for stitched mats - GOST 21880-94; for plates of increased rigidity - GOST 22950-95.

And finally, do not trust the sellers' claims that "this mineral wool is really 50 mm thick" - partially open the package and see for yourself!

Abdyuzhanov Rustam, rmnt.ru

Mineral wool or stone wool, which is better and how to distinguish them? Some people think that green tint inherent in stone wool, and the yellow color of the insulation tells us that it is mineral wool. Clarifying the issue, we clarify that in both cases, mineral wool types include both fiberglass and basalt stone-based heaters. Their mineralization is explained quite simply.

In the production of stone wool, the insulation is based on basalt rocks, which are minerals. In production fiberglass insulation glass staple fibers are used. Usually, the basis of the resource for the production of fiberglass insulation is cullet.

Soda, sand, limestone and other components are added to the cullet. Naturally - glass, soda, sand, limestone are all minerals. Therefore, once and for all we will clarify that mineral wool insulation includes both stone wool insulation and insulation based on glass staple fiber. In both the first and second cases, a mineral is involved and used in the production.

Mineral wool and formaldehyde

Such a component as formaldehyde, which is part of mineral wool, worries many consumers. Due to the presence of formaldehyde, a reasonable question arises: is mineral wool harmful to health? Yes, formaldehyde is indeed present in thermal insulation materials. Health concerns are in vain, all mineral wool produced in modern conditions, have all the necessary test reports and hygiene certificates.

The content of phenol-formaldehyde resins in mineral wool today is 4 times less than the maximum allowable norms. In addition, there is a conclusion about these protocols that phenol-formaldehyde resins are not subject to emission, that is, again in simple terms, they do not evaporate from the heat-insulating material.

Formaldehyde resins, in our apartments, accompany us everywhere. They are contained from cabinet furniture to carpets. Do you remember this smell when we bring into the apartment new wardrobe? The intoxicating smell of novelty, in fact, the smell of phenol-formaldehyde resins.

Unfortunately, modern industry cannot do without the participation of resin. But there are technologies that can reduce their negative indicators. Therefore, if we talk about heat insulating materials, in particular about mineral wool, it is absolutely environmentally friendly.

In addition, to make sure that the mineral wool is not handicraft, you need to ask the seller for a special certificate. The certificate must contain recommendations from the Ministry of Health, which state that thermal insulation materials can be used in children's, school and medical institutions.

Mineral wool burns or not?

Well, we figured it out, mineral wool is not harmful to health, but there is still an unimportant question, does mineral wool burn or not? talking about mineral wool insulation, we can unequivocally say that absolutely all of them are non-combustible. In the fire test protocols, mineral wool materials refer to types of thermal insulation that can withstand temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius on the surface.

If the temperature is more than 200 degrees, they do not start to burn, they just start to melt. From the point of view of the combustibility group, thermal insulation refers to non-combustible materials. Mandatory fire requirements in the construction of buildings and structures when using mineral wool are always met.

And indeed, how can mineral wool burn if the raw material of manufacturing rock or glass with sand? Quite a bit, formaldehyde resins burn, but their content is negligible, so that no flame occurs.

Thus, mineral wool strongly impedes the spread of fire. The NG class is fully consistent with non-combustible materials. It is worth noting that sand, of course, does not burn, but its melting point is + 450 ° C, which is lower than that of stone fiber + 1000 ° C.

Mineral wool and rodents

When erecting a building or structure, there is a horror story that rodents are happy to settle in the inter-wall space, lay holes in mineral wool and make nests. There is even a myth that mice eat mineral wool slabs and deliberately breed their offspring in it.

Myths grow and it becomes a headache for owners of suburban real estate. We hasten to reassure the household, conducted natural tests where on the one hand there were rodents separated by a partition of mineral wool, and on the other hand food was placed showed that hungry mice gnawed through the insulation and rushed to food. That is, it was the food that was of interest, and not the heater itself.

The second group of rodents was placed under observation with the presence of mineral wool. Tests have shown that thermal insulation for rodents is of no interest. In the second test, they did not even touch this thermal insulation. Hence the conclusion, mice tend to get into your house for food, and do not choose mineral wool as housing.

Rodents easily tear soft, natural thermal insulation. Violation of the integral layer adversely affects both heat loss and a decrease in vapor barrier. Poisoning mice becomes a dangerous undertaking, as the smell from a poisoned mouse inside the wall will be difficult to dissipate.

An effective method of protection is solid insulation, which should be installed at the construction stage between the wall and the mineral wool in its lower part. Aerated concrete is well suited for these purposes, using it at the construction stage can avoid problems in the future. The only disadvantage of aerated concrete is that it does not retain heat as well as mineral wool.

Application of mineral wool.

It is used in the insulation of walls and partitions. Excellent soundproofing properties make mineral wool in demand in the creation of a sound barrier. Basalt wool finds such use in boiler equipment, due to its non-combustibility, it can be mounted between the walls of the boiler and cladding panel. Increasingly, mineral wool is used in the insulation of facades.

Vapor barrier and mineral wool.

Insulating and protecting our home, mineral wool itself needs protection. Moisture, the formation of internal steam, wind and snow loads, rain - all these phenomena negatively affect the condition of the material. Reduced thermal conductivity, a small part of the problems. Even the best mineral wool must be protected from direct and indirect moisture.

Absolutely any all mineral wool thermal insulation is moisture and vapor permeable. Of course, when positive temperatures outside the window naturally evaporate moisture. Things are worse in winter and in the off-season. A prerequisite for the construction of a house with mineral wool insulation will be its fencing with vapor barrier.

The market offers high quality membranes from leading developers such as, and the most expensive option from Dupont. In the description on our resource, you will find all the answers to questions about their application.

Form of stability

The concept of “shape stability” is the ability of a material to perform all necessary functions in the construction, without changing the geometry of the material, without slipping of the material, that is, “shape stability” shows how the material behaves in one or another insulated structure.

Installation of mineral wool

With any installation of heat-insulating materials, regardless of the vertical or horizontal design, be sure to leave allowances of one to one and a half centimeters. That is, in simple words, if we have a step between racks of 60 cm, a step between truss system 60 cm, then the mineral wool should be cut at least 61.50 cm. It is better to try to mount the mineral wool, immediately over the entire surface, so the material will fit evenly.

At correct installation the heat-insulating material, which is inserted and cut correctly, keeps itself in the structure, due to its relatively low density, and due to the fact that it is inserted into the “spacer”. Properly installed mineral wool, due to the length of the fibers and elasticity, is retained in the structure on its own.

Material safety

Many complain that when working with fiberglass thermal insulation, the master begins to itch, sneeze, and subsequently this mineral wool will have to be removed from all parts of the body. The consequences are not catastrophic, but the sensations are not very pleasant.

As we know, mineral wool is not harmful to health, in terms of content harmful substances. However, when working with thermal insulation, gloves and a special closed suit are required, if we are in a closed room, then a respirator must be used.

Roll or plate

In the store you will find rolled insulation and mineral wool in slabs. Where to apply? Today, manufacturers produce thermal insulation both in slabs and in rolls. First of all, this is done for ease of installation. If we work with roll materials, it is much easier and faster to insulate a horizontal structure.

In addition, from the point of view of storage in a warehouse, transportation or ease of delivery of material at a construction site, it is much easier and more convenient to supply roll insulation to the second floor.

We recommend board materials for use also in horizontal structures, but it is better and more convenient to mount it in vertical planes. In general, the manufacturer visualizes his recommendations for use on the packaging.

We suggest watching a video review, where it is experimentally established which insulation is better:

Experts say that mineral wool has a great future. Stone and glass wool, for over 50 years -year period produced by industrial enterprises. Perhaps changes are coming and the market does not stand still, new products are constantly appearing, however, mineral wool will be in demand even after 100 years or more.