Basalt Fibre — Mineral Reinforcement for Concrete & Composites

Primary uses

• Mineral fibre reinforcement
• Thermal-resistant reinforcement
• Alternative to glass reinforcement

Applications

• Cementitious and polymer composite reinforcement
• Applications where a mineral alternative to glass is specified
• Thermal and fire-exposed component reinforcement
• Specialty architectural and industrial composites

Advantages

• Mineral chemistry that does not corrode, which is attractive where steel reinforcement is a durability liability
• Available in both chopped and roving forms, so it fits several existing processes
• Considered by specifiers as an alternative reinforcement where glass or steel is unsuitable

Limitations to consider

• Narrower supply base than glass fibre, which makes second-source planning a genuine commercial issue
• Process behaviour differs from glass, so a like-for-like substitution is not a safe assumption
• Mechanical, thermal and durability properties are supplier-declared for the exact product and must be verified in your system
• Where the finished element goes into a building, the performance that matters is the performance of your element under the applicable code and project specification, not the property of a single ingredient. Testing and conformity evidence for the finished product are the responsibility of the producer and are established by project-specific testing.
• Mix ratio, pot life, working time, demould time, full-cure schedule, hardness, tear strength, elongation, shrinkage, viscosity and temperature resistance are properties of one specific supplier system. They are never quoted here from memory or by analogy with a similar product; they are read from the supplier data sheet for the exact material offered and confirmed at quotation.

How to choose the right grade

• Start from the matrix — polymer resin or cementitious mix — because reinforcement is selected against the matrix it has to bond into
• State the process: hand lay-up, spray-up, premix, or addition at the mixer, since each demands different fibre handling
• Describe the failure you are trying to prevent, whether that is cracking, low flexural performance or handling damage
• State whether the driver is durability, thermal behaviour or specification preference, since that shapes the product form
• Plan a comparative trial against the incumbent reinforcement rather than substituting on paper
• Mould-making and casting behaviour depends on the pattern, the shop temperature and humidity, the mixing method and the operator. A production-representative trial on your own pattern and in your own shop conditions is the only honest way to qualify a material before a run is committed.
• Exact specification is confirmed against supplier documentation at quotation.

Typical grades

• Chopped strand and roving forms as the supplier offers them
• Products the supplier distinguishes by sizing and intended matrix
• Buyers search this category by grade name, and those names describe what the workshop needs rather than what is asserted here. Which grade a specific offer corresponds to, and what the supplier declares for it, is read from the technical documentation issued for the exact material quoted.
• Materials in this category interact: rubbers, releases, sealers, resins, pigments and fillers can inhibit cure, stain a surface or shorten mould life when they are combined outside the combinations the supplier has tested. State every material already in the process at enquiry so compatibility is checked against supplier documentation rather than discovered on the shop floor.
• Reactive materials age in the container, and moisture-sensitive systems age faster once opened. Order against real consumption rather than against a discount, and confirm the shelf life the supplier states for the exact product and pack.