Specific Weight of Asbestos, Its Weight, Characteristics and Types

Asbestos is used not only in construction but also in many other fields. The term “asbestos” unites minerals that differ in composition and properties, are capable of forming thin fibers, and are characterized by good strength, heat resistance, alkali resistance and elasticity. Asbestos is considered a fibrous mineral consisting of amphibole and serpentine groups and having a number of useful properties, such as the ability to split into flexible, thin fibers and the ability to twist into a thread. Compounds of magnesium, sodium and iron may be present in different types of asbestos.

The stability of asbestos and its biological behavior in the environment are regulated by the length and diameter parameters of fiber bundles. The length of fibers can reach a couple of centimeters, while their diameter in most cases does not exceed a millimeter-scale value. Due to this, asbestos crystal fibers are considered a mineral-type polymer.

Table of the Specific Weight of Asbestos

The density of asbestos depends strongly on the mineralogical type. For calculations with solid material, an approximate range of about 2.1-3.3 g/cm³ is usually used, which corresponds to 2100-3300 kg/m³. The exact value should be taken from the asbestos type and laboratory data. The table below gives reference values for asbestos weight:

Types of Asbestos

As mentioned above, asbestos differs by type and consists of amphibole and serpentine groups, which differ in the type of crystal structure. In particular:

• Serpentine minerals have a layered or plate-like structure, such as chrysotile
• Amphiboles have a chain structure, such as crocidolite, tremolite, amosite, anthophyllite and actinolite

Depending on the type of asbestos, the color of the product differs. It is precisely by this feature that distinctive names are assigned to them. The main types of asbestos are:

• White asbestos - chrysotile, a white shade with possible minor changes in color. This type differs from others by the actual presence of iron and some other elements in its composition. White asbestos fibers are hollow in the form of tubes. Melting begins at 1550 °C. It has increased thermal insulation properties, but low acid resistance and thermal conductivity.
• Blue asbestos - crocidolite, always has a blue shade due to the presence of iron ions in the fiber layer on the surface. The thickness of this type is 0.9-1.8 μm. In strength it is not inferior to white asbestos and ranks among the highest by this parameter. Melting occurs within the temperature range from 930 to 1150 °C. The average fiber length is 20 mm, but sometimes it can reach 50 mm or more.
• Brown asbestos - amosite, a brown shade with possible minor changes in color. It has very long fibers, about 100-250 mm, with a thickness from 0.7 to 0.2 μm. The main difference from chrysotile is that it splits an order of magnitude worse.

Important characteristics of asbestos include heat resistance and chemical resistance of the fibers, but these properties differ by type. Chrysotile is less resistant to acids, while amphibole varieties are generally more acid-resistant. At the same time, any asbestos is hazardous when dust is released, so old asbestos-containing materials should not be cut, drilled or removed without proper safety procedures.