Cast basalt is the best material for the industrial factories which face the problem of an abrasive wear, affecting of severe atmospheres and elevated temperatures to the equipment and constructions used in their production process. Cast basalt falls into 8th group of mineralogical hardness (т.е actually concedes only to diamond and emery by this parameter) and consequently, its wearing quality considerably exceeds all steels, including the manganese steel, cast iron (incl. Ichkh grade), rubbers, plastics and all the rest.
As a rule, surfaces of the equipment and its useful areas at the industrial factories are not protected from destroying affecting of operating environment or protected by ineffective materials. At the same time, more than 90 % of deteriorated area of the equipment and constructions work at pressures less than 5mpa.
By their mechanical properties, such stonecast products, as:
- Wear proof and acid-proof cast basalt tiles;
- Wear proof and acid-proof stone cast inserts;
- Tubes lined by stone cast inserts;
- Wear proof stone cast chutes;
- Acid-proof branch pieces, t-pieces, crosspieces lined by cast basalt insert.
There is also a number of special properties: low water absorption, fairly good dielectric properties, and also stone casting is not subject to ageing (i.E. Its properties do not change with the course of time) and does not form a radioactive dust in case of interacting with radioactive substances.
From the economic point of view there is no concurrence with stone casting. Despite initially higher cost of tubes lined by fused basalt, their higher endurance will allow more than six times expenses to save than at use of unlined steel tubes. Products lined by fused basalt not only serve much longer than made of steel, but also you will not further lose time on repair and maintenance.
Being the chemical-resistant material, stone casting successfully replaces lead, alloys, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, acid-proof ceramics, porcelain, granite and some brands of plastics. Having a high mechanical strength and abrasion resistance; cast basalt products replace granite and marble in road construction and civil engineering, and are also applied to a decorative coating. Having low heat and electric conductivity, products made from fused basalt in some cases successfully expel porcelain, glass, ceramics and other materials used for the dielectric and heat-insulating purposes.
Industries and sectors of national economy where stone casting is applied
- Chemical, coke-chemical;
- Mining (ore-dressing and processing enterprises);
- Ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy;
- Coal mining;
- Solid combustible-fired thermal power stations;
- Cement, paper industry;
- Electrical engineering, machine building;
- Enamel production, paint-and-varnish;
- Food processing;
- Road engineering;
- Provision of urban amenities and municipal services;
- Agriculture and other branches of a national economy.
Application of stone casting in the capacity of the chemical-resistant material
Flat and shaped cast basalt products are applied to facing of various chemical apparatuses and constructions subject to chemical affecting of severe atmospheres:
- Storages, containers and scoops for storing and transportation of corrosive liquids;
- Pickling baths, reaction towers and columns;
- Scrubbers, cyclone, separators, flues and chambers;
- Pipelines with shaped pieces (branches and tee-joints), drainage trenches, chutes, discharge spouts;
- Floors of warehouses and production areas.
Bracing of stonecast parts to bearing walls of chemical apparatuses is carried out by a silicate fireproof luting on the basis of soluble silicate with an acid-proof powder (products of refuse grinding) in the capacity of the chemical-resistant filler. The luting can be also used as an independent refractory.