What is modern slate made from? What is slate made of: coating properties Scope of use of flat slate

We have all known roofing materials such as slate since childhood. Some 50–70 years ago, this coating was virtually the only roofing material. However, in our time the situation has changed radically.

What kind of roofing is not made of these days?

Today, under the general name “slate”, the construction market offers us great amount coatings that differ from each other not only in material or manufacturing method, but also in physical and aesthetic characteristics. In this article, let’s look at how all these materials differ from each other and what they have in common.

Slate is rigid corrugated sheets that have a high margin of safety and are made using various technologies.

Types of slate

All species existing today can be divided into two groups:

• According to the type of material used for their manufacture;
• According to production technology.

Natural slate slate

This roofing material is made from slate sheets of various shapes and sizes. The original appearance, combined with the unique structure of this material, allows us to create elite roofs with high aesthetic appeal.

Natural slate is characterized unique properties, as well as high technical and operational features, which make it virtually an ideal roofing material.

But unfortunately, even this coating is not without some disadvantages, which must be taken into account when choosing a material for roofing.

The main advantage of slate is its truly unique appearance, thanks to which it is possible to build roofs that are unique in their beauty.

Another important advantage of this material is considered to be its durability, which can be calculated for centuries.
Its significant disadvantages include the significant weight of slate, the high fragility of the material and its relatively high cost.

Asbestos cement slate

This species is rightfully considered the most famous among all others. It consists of profiled sheets made from a mixture of asbestos and cement, having standardized dimensions.

A significant advantage of this material is its high resistance to fire, due to which it can be used in a fairly wide temperature range.

Long service life, high strength and affordable price make this coating the number one roofing material on the construction market today.

This type may be such that its installation can only be done using mobile lifting equipment.

Despite the fact that the weight of this type is much greater than its modern analogues, in private construction its installation is carried out without the use of special construction equipment.

Euroslate

The Euroslate group includes a lot of materials that differ slightly from each other in manufacturing technology. This coating is made from cellulose impregnated with bitumen. This is one of the most controversial materials that the construction market offers us today.

Officially, it has a long service life, which in fact does not exceed 15 years. And with the temperature resistance of this material, not everything is so simple.

Manufacturers claim that it has excellent resistance to temperature fluctuations. However, when the temperature increases, it becomes soft, and when it decreases, on the contrary, it becomes brittle.

When heated above 60 degrees, it begins to emit an unpleasant bitumen odor.
Its advantages include high flexibility, absolute waterproofness and ease of implementation. installation work.

An important advantage of this type is the low weight of slate, due to which it can be used for laying on rather dilapidated rafter systems.

PVC slate

Plastic slate appeared relatively recently; it is made from polymers with various physical properties. Most often you can find PVC slate transparent or lightly tinted.

Transparent slate is usually used when constructing roofs on construction sites, having a specific purpose, the architectural design of which provides for the unhindered penetration of daylight into the under-roof space. These could be greenhouses, verandas, swimming pools.

PVC slate has high moisture resistance, low weight, a significant margin of safety and ease of installation. Its most important advantage is that it has excellent light transmittance.
Its significant disadvantage is the ability to linearly expand under the influence of high temperatures.

Rubber slate

This kind roofing It is made from fiberglass industry waste and recycled rubber by grinding and pressing. Rubber slate has high strength tensile strength and low weight, which greatly simplifies the installation process.

Just imagine how much a sheet of rubber slate weighs if the weight of one square meter this material is equal to only 6.5 kg. Due to its low aesthetic appeal, this type of roofing is used for arranging roofs on outbuildings.

Whatever transparent, asbestos-cement, slate or rubber slate you choose, carefully study it before purchasing it specifications material, as this will help you make the right choice.

Most people are convinced that they know what slate is made of. The image of a roof covered with gray and wavy asbestos concrete immediately appears in your head. Some represent non-ferrous metal or polymer roof. However, these materials have not always been used and will not always be used. Over the centuries, when slate was the most popular roofing material, its manufacturing technology, keeping pace with progress, has undergone dramatic changes.

Advantages of slate: low cost, light weight, good heat and sound insulation properties.

"Schiefer" is a German word with Roman roots.

Slate translated from German language means "slate". It was from this rock that flat roofing material began to be made back in the days of the Roman Empire. The structure of the slate made it relatively easy to split it into flat plates 4-6 mm thick, which, after being given rectangular, triangular or more complex shapes, were used to cover roofs.

Since all operations when processing slate are performed manually, natural slate in former times was available only to the nobility, and even now it belongs to the elite class building materials, adding sophistication and uniqueness to any building, thanks to the possibility of a wide variation of shapes and colors.

The naturalness of the stone gives slate a number of valuable advantages:

• good sound insulation;
• resistance to temperature changes and moisture;
• durability (service life 60-200 years or more);
• non-flammability;
• immunity to the influence of the biological environment.

Among the shortcomings are:

• fragility;
• heavy weight, requiring a reinforced frame.

Most often, natural slate is dark gray in color, but the presence of impurities in slate can give it black, reddish or greenish shades with a constant unique shine.

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Accessible roofing

With the development of urban infrastructure, the need for slate increased. Limited quantity natural material due to the slowness of its processing, it forced us to look for artificial substitutes available for mass production. A real revolution was made by the emergence of technology for manufacturing asbestos-cement slate.

The composition of slate includes inexpensive components: Portland cement, 10-12% of asbestos fibers reinforcing it and water.

During production, you can obtain a sheet with a wave of different radii or flat material. The slate is additionally painted to increase frost resistance, reduce water absorption and reduce the release of asbestos harmful to humans into the atmosphere. Various dye pigments make it possible to obtain sheets of various colors.

Advantages of asbestos-cement slate:

• cheapness;
• good insulating properties;
• non-flammability;
• strength and durability with proper use.

The main disadvantage of classic slate is the presence of asbestos, which can cause serious pulmonary diseases. And although, according to experts, during the operation of the roof, an amount of asbestos that is safe for humans is released, alarming information was released to the masses and became the reason for the refusal of many consumers from asbestos-cement slate. In fairness, it should be noted that the production, installation and especially disposal of sheets using asbestos is really unsafe for the people doing the work.

To eliminate the risk factor, some manufacturers have launched the production of slate, in which synthetic, plant or mineral fibers are used instead of asbestos. The undoubted disadvantages of asbestos-cement slate also include the fact that it is made with low strength in the longitudinal direction, large weight with solid dimensions (which complicates transportation and repair work) and surface porosity, which is fraught with the appearance of moss and destruction when water freezes.

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Euroslate: safety and convenience

The presence of harmful asbestos in classic slate prompted manufacturers to look for an alternative. Development chemical industry allowed us to develop a new variety - Euroslate.

This name combines several various types materials with general criteria: high environmental safety, in accordance with current European standards (hence the prefix “euro”), as well as a modern level of performance characteristics.

The standard shape of sheets of roofing material of the European quality class is similar to the shape of a conventional asbestos-cement sheet, but its composition and, accordingly, operational properties differ radically.

The most common basis for soft roofing material, Euroslate, is cellulose-cardboard fibers, glass or polymer canvases, which are impregnated with bitumen or polymer compounds in industrial conditions.

Advantages of Euroslate:

• light weight allows you to avoid bulky sheathing;
• possibility of laying on curved surfaces;
• cheapness;
• environmental Safety;
• waste-free;
• resistance to environmental influences;
• good heat and sound insulation properties.

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Ondulin: results exceeded expectations

Among the varieties of Euro slate, hard ondulin is the most common. This slate is made from cardboard production waste (it can also be based on other synthetic fibers) followed by their impregnation bituminous materials at high temperature and pressure. Thermosetting resins and mineral fillers are necessarily added to the composition of ondulin, giving the material the necessary performance properties. Slate is painted twice: before treatment with bitumen and at the final stage, which gives the sheet a rich color.

Ondulin has a multilayer structure: 14 layers of compressed cellulose or synthetic thread with layer-by-layer intersection. This basis provides the best strength properties of the material, which was initially developed only as an auxiliary or repair material, but then, thanks to its high characteristics, it became a separate species Euro slate.

Having different color solutions, ondulin, according to manufacturers, can last up to 50 years, without loss of quality, resisting natural disasters: snow, strong wind, moisture, and even aggressive chemicals.

Another type of modern euro slate is sheets made of homogeneous polymers, such as transparent acrylic and translucent polycarbonate.
The first is characterized by elasticity and the ability to withstand significant loads. Flexibility at high temperatures allows you to give the sheet the most bizarre shapes.

Roofing acrylic has a complex structure: inside the sheet there are channels connected by stiffeners, which provides good thermal insulation.

Transparent acrylic allows ultraviolet light to pass through, which allows it to be used for roofing pools, solariums or greenhouses.

Polycarbonate has all the inherent characteristics of polymer materials: non-flammability, resistance to chemical influences and strength.

In the process of searching for a durable, moisture-proof material for the roof to protect the home from precipitation, people used plates made of natural slate, which are considered the “progenitor” of modern slate. Nowadays, many people are united under this name roofing materials, similar in manufacturing method, type and installation technology. This article will tell you what types of slate exist, what this material is made from and how it is used.

Asbestos cement slate

The most popular slate roofing from asbestos cement. To make this material, manufacturers mix only three simple ingredients: cement, asbestos and water. According to GOST requirements, the cement content of slate is 85%, asbestos 10%, the rest is water. The resulting mixture is poured into molds in an even layer and dried, after which it is cut into separate sheets. Asbestos-cement slate is produced in the following forms:

Note! All types are resistant to moisture, fading, temperature influences and fire. main feature This material is manufactured using asbestos, a mineral that is harmful to health. During operation, there is a risk of getting into Airways asbestos dust is insignificant, but when installing, cutting and painting, use respirators, protective goggles for the eyes, and work in the open air.

Metal slate

Metal slate is a thin sheet of alloy steel or aluminum, which is given a wave-like or other shape during the production process using stamping. To protect metal roofing material from corrosion and destruction, a polymer composition is applied to the outer surface, giving it color, and a varnish is applied to the bottom surface, protecting it from moisture. Among the advantages of profiled metal, experienced roofers name:

Important! When it rains, a metal roof does not dampen the sounds of falling drops, but enhances them due to its high resonating ability. This is a disadvantage that soft slate and asbestos-cement roofing materials do not have.

Ondulin is the name given to soft slate, which is made from a mixture of cellulose, mineral additives and bitumen impregnation. It looks like a wavy leaf that is brown, green, blue, black or red. Ondulin is distinguished from other types of roofing materials by its bendable, pliable structure, which is optimally suited for covering roofs of complex configurations and shapes. According to GOST standards, each sheet is 2 m long, 0.3 cm thick and has exactly 10 waves. The advantages of this material are:

1. Reliability. Ondulin does not allow moisture to pass through, is resistant to biological factors destruction. The service life specified in GOST for this type of product is 20 years.
2. Ease. Ondulin weighs much less than other roofing materials, so it does not require reinforcement rafter frame and easy to install.
3. Low thermal conductivity and high noise reduction ability. Compared to other options, this material more effectively retains heat inside the house and dampens external sounds, which makes it popular among private developers.
4. Acceptable price. The price of one sheet of ondulin is 450-600 rubles, so this coating option is gaining popularity among materials in the mid-price category.
5. Aesthetics. Colored slate looks quite impressive on the roof due to its combination with the shade of the walls. A wide palette of colors opens up for designers ample opportunities, allowing the architectural design to be fully realized.

Note! Significant disadvantage Roofers consider ondulin to be flammable. When the temperature rises to just 300 degrees, it melts, so it is not used to cover roofs with a high risk of fire. In addition, colored slate under the influence sun rays burns out in a few seasons.

Transparent PVC slate

Transparent slate is a material that gets its name due to its resemblance to corrugated sheets. It is made from a durable polymer, polyvinyl chloride. Unlike other roofing materials, transparent slate allows light to pass through, which is why it is used for the construction of gazebos, terraces, canopies, and greenhouses. According to the GOST classification, it divides into two types: colorless and colored. Transparent slate has the following performance characteristics:

• High degree of protection from moisture, wind and snow.
• Unlimited service life exceeding 50 years.
• The sheet's light weight and flexibility make it easy to install.
• Resistance to temperature fluctuations and solar radiation, thanks to which transparent slate retains its integrity and color even after many years of service.
• Fire resistance. Polyvinyl chloride – non-flammable material, which does not emit toxic fumes when the temperature rises to critical.
• High decorative potential. Due to the abundance of shades, PVC sheets are used for finishing summer cafes, restaurants, commercial buildings, even greenhouses. A variety of sizes allow you to choose the most economical options.

Important! Transparent slate is less durable than materials made of metal or asbestos cement. Therefore, during installation, you should not stand or lean on it. Any mechanical impact can cause deformation of the sheet. To maintain the integrity of the roof, temporary wooden flooring is installed on it during installation.

All types of slate have wide areas of application in private and commercial construction. When choosing among the varieties of this material, pay attention to the reputation of the manufacturer, check the integrity of the sheets before payment.

Video instruction

IN Soviet time used when arranging the roof asbestos cement slate. Until today, this type of roofing material is considered one of the most budget-friendly and easiest to install options. Since the appearance of the product, almost no one has thought about what slate is made of, whether it is dangerous to human health, and if it is dangerous, then in what way. During the installation work, only the reliability of fastening the sheets was taken into account, so that the material did not fall from the roof during operation, and cracks and leaks did not appear. Later, many began to wonder what the product was made of, and scientists began to be interested in questions regarding the safety of materials for human health. To understand the harm caused by roofing material, you should first familiarize yourself with the production process and its components.

How slate is made

Many consumers are interested in questions not only about the health risks of slate and what it is made from, but also how exactly it is produced. It is important to take into account the fact that during the production process a solution is formed, which necessarily includes asbestos, water and Portland cement.

Exists a large number of factors that can have a direct impact on the following final properties finished products:

• mineral and chemical composition of asbestos;
• specifications;
• grind thickness;
• storage process.

In order to significantly increase the technical characteristics of the finished product, the roofing material is painted using silicate or phosphate-binding coloring compositions for these purposes. As practice shows, these compositions contain special pigments that can create protective layer on the surface of the product. Thanks to the presence of this layer, the finished product becomes resistant to low temperatures. temperature conditions. In addition, this approach can significantly increase the service life.

Types of slate

The popularity of roofing material dates back to the times of the USSR. It is important to take into account the fact that previously finished products were produced exclusively in gray shades; today the product range is becoming more diverse. During production, raw materials are poured into special containers, in which the product reaches the required level of reliability and becomes strong. A large number of varieties can be found on the market for goods and services.

Semivolnova. In this case, the name speaks for itself - the sheet of asbestos-cement material has 7 waves. Among the parameters, the following points can be noted:

• length – 1.75 m;
• thickness – 5.8 mm;
• width – 0.98 m;
• weight – 32.2 kg.

During installation work, it is recommended to use special nails or an adhesive solution for fixation to the roof. The step of each wave is about 15 cm, while their height can reach 4 cm. As practice shows, the outermost wave is smaller in size than the others, but it is worth taking into account the fact that this in no way violates the requirements and standards of GOST.

Eight-wave. At the moment when roofing material is being made, the requirements established by GOST 30340-95 are adhered to. Thus, thanks to the declared details, it is possible to quickly distinguish the original from the fiction.

Finished products are made in the following sizes:

• length – 1.75 m;
• width – 1.13 m;
• thickness – 5.8 mm;
• sheet weight – 26.1 kg.

The step of each wave is 15 cm and the height is 4 cm.

Soft. This type The material began to be made relatively recently, as a result of which such slate is a novelty on the market of goods and services. A feature of this product is complete safety and environmental friendliness not only for humans, but also for the environment. This type of roofing material is made from natural mineral components.

The main component included in the finished product is mineral fibers, which are pre-impregnated with special bitumen-based compounds. The main advantage is low weight and long service life.

Metal. When this type of material is made, galvanized steel sheets are used, resulting in metal corrugated slate. Thanks to the introduction of innovations, the finished product is driven under a press, as a result of which the material becomes wavy. This type of coating is actively used for arranging the roofs of industrial buildings.

Flat. As practice shows, the composition of this roofing material is not much different from other varieties. The main components are asbestos and cement mixture. This type is actively used in the construction high-rise buildings, country houses, outbuildings.

As practice shows, almost every consumer, when hearing the word slate, imagines an asbestos-cement mixture, which the manufacturer has given a wavy shape. It is important to take into account the fact that a large number of varieties of material can be found on sale.

Attention! If we consider the composition flat slate and harm, it is worth noting that it is still not known for certain which components are used in the production process of finished products.

What is slate made of?

If we consider the composition of slate and its harmfulness, it is worth noting that previously natural roofing material was made from slate. These products, as a rule, were used for arranging roofs, as a result of which the slate protected the living space from snow, rain and strong gusts of wind. Pretty slate slate long period time was considered convenient to use and wear-resistant. Gradually, oil shale was replaced by more accessible view- asbestos-cement slate, which in a short period of time conquered not only the Russian, but also the European market.

As you know, slate was invented and patented by the Australian engineer L. Gatchek. Thanks to its development, a company was formed in 1902 that made slate and sold it on a production scale. Gradually, the industry began to conquer the markets of France, Italy, and the Czech Republic. In 1908, roofing material began to be made in Russia.

The first production of slate in Russia was concentrated in the village of Fokino, which was located near the Bryansk region. As a result of the fact that Russia contains the world's largest mineral reserves from which roofing material was made, slate began to gain popularity. Thus, before the start of the Second World War, 6 factories were created where slate was made, and they were located in the following cities:

• Rostov-on-Don;
• Voskresensk;
• Kramatorsk;
• Dry Meadow;
• Novosibirsk;
• Volsk.

During the fighting, it was decided to move some enterprises to the east. Many factories were destroyed during the war and were not subject to reconstruction in the future. Slate gradually became the main roofing material. It was used not only for roofs, but also as facing material, for the construction of fences.

As a result of the fact that competition gradually grew, prices for finished products began to fall significantly, and demand only increased, as a result of which slate became in demand in many areas of construction. Slate began to be actively used as a roofing material. In the event that the building had to be dismantled, the asbestos-cement slate was carefully removed and subsequently reused.

During perestroika, the number of manufactured products decreased sharply. After the breakup happened Soviet Union, there was a reduction in factories, as a result of which out of 58 only 28 continued to operate, which significantly reduced the range of finished products.

If we consider the full name of the finished product according to GOST, then it sounds as follows - asbestos-cement wave or flat sheets. During production, the following raw materials were used for slate: asbestos fibers, cement, water. It is important to take into account the fact that asbestos fibers are a component from which slate is made. Many experts tend to assume that the asbestos from which slate is made has negative impact on human health.

Important! Initially asbestos cement sheets called "eternite", which translated meant eternal.

Is slate harmful to health?

Whether slate is harmful or not is a point that worries many consumers. In this case, opinions differ: some claim that the material is harmful to the human body, others tend to assume that this myth was created by manufacturers of more expensive roofing materials.

When mixing the mortar from which slate is made, asbestos fibers are included. This component is considered quite harmful, as a result of which a person can become seriously ill if this element enters the body.

However, it is worth taking into account the fact that asbestos fibers are divided into 2 groups:

• arizotyl;
• amphibole.

In this case, the second option is considered harmful, but it is used only in European countries due to the lack of the first component. That is why we can conclude that slate, which is made from chrysotile asbestos fibers, is the least hazardous to health.

Conclusion

Slate is made from chrysotile asbestos fibers, cement mixture and water. This type of roofing material is not harmful environment and human health, as a result of which slate can be used without fear.

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At its very beginning, the term “slate” referred to chipped sheets of slate rock. Later, slate began to be called all materials that have a sheet profile shape and are used for arranging the roof of the most different types. Therefore, many of us will be interested to know what slate was made from before and what slate is made from now.

The most ancient raw material for slate is slate tiles

Slate tiles have been used to make slate since the Middle Ages. Such natural slate was mined from rocks under the name slate. I wonder what rock The arrangement of this material is very interesting: the minerals are arranged in layers that are almost parallel to each other. Therefore, it was practically not difficult to extract slate from these rocks; it was possible to break off a piece with very little effort.

The composition of slate intended for roofing usually consists of clay shale. Hue finished material depends on the type of impurities that are added to the clay mass. Coal, brown iron ore and feldspar can be added to this mass.

Slate is usually mined by hand, which is why it costs much more than other materials. This material can be classified as “elite”, which not everyone can afford. Slates have always had an inherent shine, so this material also has value in the decorative field.

It is worth highlighting the main positive properties slate made from natural slate:

Manufacturing method and properties of asbestos-cement slate

Among all roofing materials, slate remains the most common since the time of our parents.

There are several main types of slate:

Euroslate - closer to modernity

As you can see in the photo, by appearance Euroslate is practically no different from its “relative”; their compositions and, as a result, properties are very different.

Euroslate is a soft and deformable material (more details: " "). It consists of materials such as cellulose fibers, polymer and fiberglass, bitumen or rubber compounds. Therefore, fiberglass slate and fiberglass slate are usually included in the Euro slate group. This category also includes polymer sheets made by extrusion, that is, pressing the material through a molding hole.

Euroslate has some undeniable advantages:

• light weight;
• relatively low cost;
• high performance;
• high environmental friendliness;
• installation on surfaces with a bending radius of more than 5 m.

The most common type of Euro slate in our area is ondulin. It consists of processed waste from cardboard production, which has then been high pressure and temperature are impregnated with bitumen. It also contains other materials, such as various resins, pigments and minerals. It is interesting that ondulin was not initially developed as a separate roofing material; it was intended for the repair of dilapidated roofs. And much later, ondulin gained such popularity that it was able to become a separate type of roofing material.

The colors in which ondulin is made can be very diverse; its working palette includes 14 colors. The sheathing for it is not continuous; its pitch depends on the angle of inclination of the roof.

The service life of ondulin is 50 or even more years. A sheet that has not lost its original properties can withstand snow pressure of up to 300 kg per square meter and winds of up to 200 km/h. In addition, the material is resistant to bacterial and chemical influences and does not contain asbestos.

It is worth noting that high load bearing capacity ondulin is achieved primarily due to the multilayer structure. The cellulose thread, which is subsequently pressed, forms 14 layers when intersecting layer-by-layer.

Since acrylic is colorless and transparent, it is also called plexiglass. This material is elastic and able to accept various shapes at high temperature. It is also durable and can withstand considerable loads. The leaf itself contains small channels that can be filled with air. Since the product transmits ultraviolet radiation well and has excellent thermal insulation properties, it is successfully used in roofing solariums and swimming pools.

But polycarbonate is more common than acrylic. Its main advantages: non-flammability, resistance to chemical, impact and wind influences.

But the common advantage of all polymer materials remains plasticity. This property makes it possible to completely manufacture the most various designs, regardless of the shape of their base. When constructing arches or vaults, you can use polymer materials without any load-bearing support.

The process of making slate, watch the video:

But polymer roofing materials also have disadvantages that must be taken into account when designing. For example, their coefficient of thermal expansion is quite high, which entails significant consequences with poor planning.

If we compare the types of materials that were used in construction earlier with those that are used now, we can see that in Lately More and more projects are using environmentally friendly materials, whereas this was not the case a few decades ago. special attention. We hope that in the future even more people will choose the most environmentally and technically safe materials.