Woolly topic: The challenges of analysing artificial fibres
By IM Staff
Published: Monday, 02 October 2017
Mineral wools are artificial fibres typically made from spinning or drawing molten minerals and widely used as insulating and building material, in close proximity to humans. Here, three experts* on chemical analysis of mineral wool outline some of the most important considerations when evaluating these products for safe use in everyday applications.
We often come across fibrous materials in everyday life.
These fibres are either natural ones like cellulose, hemp and
asbestos, or artificial ones like polyester or viscose (see
Figure 1).
The artificial kind comprise crystalline fibres such as
carbon fibre and silicon carbide, but also amorphous fibres
like glass...