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 average specific weight of asbestos is 2.1-2.8 g/cm³, which, when converted, corresponds to the weight of one cubic meter of asbestos from 2100 to 2800 kg/m³. It is not possible to calculate the specific weight of asbestos types manually; this is done only in special chemical laboratories. However, for reference, the table below shows the weight of asbestos:

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 degrees Celsius. 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 degrees Celsius. 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.

The most important characteristic when using asbestos is its heat resistance. The decomposition temperature ranges from 400 to 1040 degrees Celsius. All types also have excellent resistance to bases and acids, except for chrysotile, which has a low decomposition limit under the action of acids.