Characteristics of heat insulating foam aluminum silicate under change of heat treatment parameters

Abstract

In case of heat insulation, work material choice depends on the type of protected object, materials available and usage convenience. Durability match between heat insulation and basic building material lies at the core of insulation choice. Foam glass and its derivatives (e.g. foam aluminum silicate) have properties meeting the strictest requirements of today. These rigid highly porous foam insulation materials have closed cell structure, representing solidified glass foam with either polyhedral or rounded cells. For these reasons, usage of highly efficient environmentally friendly foam insulation materials is so relevant today. A process was developed for batch heat treatment using local natural raw materials found in Vladimir region. The process consists of components joint grinding, produced batch preparation, blank pressing, foaming and heat annealing, and property research for produced materials. It turns out that foaming parameters are strongly intervened with batch composition, therefore requiring constant adjustment for each batch composition change. Researches show that specific heat treatment parameters provide foam formation with high foaming ratio and closed pore structure. Furthermore, we managed to create a foam aluminum silicate having the following features: density 130-350 kg/m3, coefficient of thermal conductivity 0.07 – 0.11 W/m·K, compressive strength 0.7 – 3.0 MPa.