flat slate

The modern building materials market offers a wide range of facing and roofing materials. Despite this, flat slate occupies a leading position in the list of the most popular building materials. Good performance characteristics can ensure the strength and reliability of any design, and the texture - aesthetics and beauty.

 

 

Characteristics and parameters of flat slate

Material characteristic

To begin with, it is worth saying that flat slate is made from artificial stone composite material. It is obtained by hardening mixtures of water, asbestos and Portland cement.

The mechanical properties of the finished material depend on a number of factors:

• The content of asbestos in the finished composition.
• The qualities of asbestos (characteristics of the average length and diameter of the fibers).
• Uniformity of asbestos filling of the cement composition.
• Asbestos parameters (grinding fineness, stone density, etc.).

The quality of finished slate sheets also directly depends on the technology and equipment of the manufacturer.

Asbestos fibers, which are evenly distributed in the cement mortar, form a reinforcing mesh that has the ability to split into very fine fibers. They are very strong in tension, resilient and elastic. Due to these properties, flat sheet slate is characterized by very high strength, frost resistance and water resistance.

Benefits of flat slate

The main advantages of flat slate include:

• Low thermal conductivity.
• High level of strength.

Advice! This building material is good to use for arranging the roofs of buildings, since it withstands snow and wind loads well.

• Frost resistance. It is worth noting that, on average, after fifty freeze-thaw cycles, sheet flat slate loses no more than ten percent of its strength.
• Waterproof. This indicator is almost 100%.
• Fire safety.
• Ease of installation.
• Resistant to the damaging effects of the environment.
• Long service life.
• mechanical processing.
• Low cost.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the aesthetic characteristics. Today sheet slate flat can be made in different colors. It is dyed during production. For this, silicate paints, paints with phosphate binders and various pigments are used.

 

In addition to the decorative function, staining improves the characteristics of slate. The paint creates an additional protective layer on the surface of the material, which prevents the destruction of the material, saves from moisture and increases resistance to low temperatures.

Please note that the layer of paint on the surface of the slate significantly reduces the amount of asbestos that is released into the environment.

 

Scope of flat slate

To date, flat sheet slate is used in various cases:

• For roofing.

 

• When installing wall coverings, which is carried out according to the "sandwich" type.
• For the manufacture of "dry screeds".
• In the manufacture and installation of structures with a wide profile.
• For fencing balconies, loggias, etc.
• For various commercial and horticultural purposes. For example, slate is used for fencing beds, when building a fence, etc.
• For interior and exterior cladding of industrial, commercial, public and residential buildings or structures. For example, in private construction, a flat slate facade is very popular.

 

Types of flat slate

Unpressed slate

Currently, manufacturers offer unpressed flat slate and pressed.

Non-pressed sheets are used both for arranging the roof, and in carrying out almost all types of construction and finishing works. It is applied:

• when installing partitions;
• when installing wall panels;
• when installing cabins;
• for facade cladding;

 

• during the installation of flooring;
• when installing window sills and window lintels;
• when installing ventilation shafts;
• when installing boxes, formwork, etc.

Pressed slate

The scope of pressed slate is also quite wide. Like slate, flat unpressed pressed sheets are used in cladding and construction works:

• when arranging the roof of buildings for industrial and economic purposes;
• when creating floor slabs and partitions;
• when installing floors and suspended ceilings;
• when arranging beds, fences, composters, aviaries;

 

• when facing the facades of buildings;
• when strengthening the walls of various structures

Differences between pressed slate and non-pressed slate

The main differences between pressed slate sheets and non-pressed slate sheets include:

• Bending strength. For pressed slate - 23 MPa, for non-pressed sheets - 18 MPa.
• The density of the material. Pressed sheet - 1.80 g/, unpressed - 1.60 g/.
• impact strength. Pressed sheet - 2.5 kJ / m², unpressed – 2.0 kJ/m².
• Resistance to influence of low temperatures. The pressed sheet is able to withstand 50 freeze / thaw cycles, unpressed - 25 cycles.
• Residual strength. Pressed sheet - 40%, non-pressed - 90%.

 

GOST marking

Like other types of building materials, it has flat gost slate, which is marked with digital and alphabetic characters. They are decoded as follows:

• LP-P - flat pressed slate sheets have such a marking;
• LP-NP - this is how manufacturers designate non-pressed flat sheets of slate.

The numbers that indicate in the marking reflect the size of the sheet - length, width and thickness. The marking inscription must necessarily end with GOST.

For example, the marking "LP-NP-3x1.5x6 GOST 18124-95" means that this material is a sheet of flat unpressed asbestos-cement slate. Its length is 3000 mm, width - 1500 mm, and this slate has a thickness of 6 mm. The material is manufactured in accordance with certain requirements of GOST:

• rectangular sheets;
• deviation in squareness does not exceed five millimeters;
• deviation from the plane is not more than eight millimeters;
• deviation in size does not exceed five millimeters.

 

Thus, pressed flat slate can be distinguished from non-pressed slate by the GOST marking.

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