Quality Assessment of Melanocratic Basalt for Mineral Fiber Product, Southern Urals, Russia

Basalt fibers have recently come into the spotlight due to their superior physical and
chemical properties, which rank only below expensive carbon and silicon carbide fibers. The
suitability of raw material for basalt fiber production is mainly determined by the mineral
composition and crystallization properties of basalt melts. In this article, we present the
results of integrated petrographic and mineralogical analyses of melanocratic basalts from
the Southern Urals, in order to assess their suitability for the production of high quality
basalt fibers. The low acidity and viscosity parameters indicate the possibility of producing
brittle fibers with poor chemical resistance. Moreover, the refractory impurities decrease the
quality of products made from these fibers. However, acceptable insulation properties are
exhibited by the melanocratic basalts and therefore their significance in the construction
industry is still high.

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