Quartz sand is a material that is of natural origin and is characterized by such characteristics as chemical inertness, resistance to destruction, strength, and the possibility of sorption. Most often it is used in the filtration of oil products and water, for the production of finishing and building materials, as well as in the creation of swimming pools. Now about everything in more detail.
Filtration capacity
Quartz sand for filters is used much more often than any other natural material. The fact is that its porosity is much higher in comparison with ordinary crushed sand. This, in turn, provides it with a higher dirt holding capacity and sorption capacity, due to which even elements such as manganese and dissolved iron are removed from the water. For the same reason, quartz sand for a pool, artificial pond or lake, or rather, for their filtration system, is almost always used. The recommended fractions in these cases are in the range from 0.4 to 6.0 millimeters.
Use in construction
Quartz sand is widely used in the construction industry, in particular, in the creation of polyurethane and epoxy floors. In this case, it must have a coarse-grained fraction. The use of this material in the manufacture of plaster is due to its high chemical resistance, mechanical resistance to crushing and abrasion, as well as color stability. Fine fractions are well suited for sandblasting in concrete and metal. The material is also used in the production of artificial stone.
Other areas
The use of quartz sand is not limited to all of the above. It is often used in the construction of greenhouse drainage systems, drilling water wells, as a feed for poultry, and also as a filler for electrical insulators, and recently it can be found in aquarium and landscape design.
Production
Quartz sand, being a fairly common natural material, does not go directly from the quarry to filters, building materials or other areas of application. This can be primarily explained by the nuance that in order to solve certain problems it is necessary to select a suitable faction. In addition, sand usually contains a large number of various impurities, and therefore the material needs preliminary processing, which is a rather complicated process.
Application features
The emergence of ready-to-use quartz sand is preceded by several operations at once, including purification of raw materials from impurities, drying, fractionation, dosage and packaging. At the same time, in no case should the importance of the fraction for this material be underestimated, because in certain industries (for example, in the production of glass) it plays a key role. Another important criterion that characterizes quartz sand is the absence of a chemical reaction. This applies, first of all, to construction, because after the hardening of cement mortars or concrete, undesirable consequences may occur.
What is the difference between river sand and quartz sand? Pit or river material is inferior to quartz in terms of monominerality, intergranular porosity and homogeneity. The sorption capacity of white sand makes it possible with its help to purify water from oxidized manganese and iron. Also among its features is high resistance to chemical, mechanical, water and atmospheric influences. That is why it is so actively used for the production of finishing materials and glass, in landscape design, plasters, the operation of water cleaning filters, for sandblasting, grinding and sawing, backfilling.
By itself, this type of sand is divided into two subtypes: artificial and natural origin. The first type is obtained by crushing and sieving milky white quartz into fractions, and the second is obtained from quarries, soil, rivers, ravines, the sea or mountains. In quarries, the origin of the material is determined by the destruction of quartz by water, wind and other natural factors. Among deposits for the extraction of quartz sand in Russia, the following are especially popular: Chulkovskoe (Moscow region), Kozlovskoe (Bryansk region), Elshanskoe (Volgograd region) and Berezichskoe (Kaluga region).
Sand is mined in both open and closed ways:
- the first requires the availability of such construction equipment as dump trucks, excavators, scrapers, bulldozers and aerial ropeways: first, the top layers of soil are removed, and then trenches are laid;
- the second is used in underwater fields using dredgers and floating installations with pumps: first, the rock is loosened and sucked in, separated from the water and returned to the reservoir, and then the sand dries up and is poured into dump trucks for delivery to the processing site.
Quartz sand after the mining process contains a sufficiently large amount of foreign inclusions, therefore it is necessary to carry out additional cleaning and processing. After rinsing, it is important to dry the material to a predetermined desired moisture level. The natural type is called rounded, since it is distinguished by the rounded shape of the grains of sand. Its usually buy for the construction of sports and playgrounds... Artificial, first of all, goes through a stone crushing machine to release particles of different sizes with an uneven shape. At the final stage quartz sand production in Russia it is sieved and divided into fractions. It is this species that is characterized by increased purity of the composition, resistance to chemical influences and homogeneity of the mineral composition. Its price per kg will be significantly higher than the cost of natural. can be in bags, usually 25, 50 kilograms or a ton.
Fractional composition divides sand grains into five basic sizes (fractions):
- up to 0.14 millimeters;
- up to 0.18 millimeters;
- up to 0.23 millimeters;
- up to 0.28 millimeters;
- more than 0.28 millimeters.
For the clay component, five groups are distinguished with established percentages, from 0.2 to 2.0%. Sand is also grouped according to the content of silicon dioxide, from 99 to 93%. In addition, gas permeability, the content of metal oxides and the surface area of the particles are standardized in the composition of sand.
Quality material supplied with a certificate of conformity and is regulated by GOST 2138-91 and regulatory documents GOST 8736-93, GOST 22551-77, GOST R 51641-2000.
Main technical characteristics of sand displayed by parameters:
- Fractions of sand granules, on average, can be from 0.1 to 3 mm.
- Normal moisture content of raw material does not exceed 6.0%, wet material - 4.0%, and after drying should not exceed 0.5%.
- The true density is determined in the range of 2600 - 2700 kg / m3, and the bulk density is between 1300 and 1500 kg / m3.
- The maximum melting point is 1050 ° C.
- Thermal conductivity varies up to a limit of 0.30 W / (m ∙ ° C).
Quartz sand is a granular material of mineral origin. Formed as a result of the destruction of quartz-containing rocks. The distribution in the earth's crust is very wide.
The size of the sand fractions varies in the range of 0.1-6 mm. The composition of quartz rocks often contains various impurities in the form of clay carbonates, iron oxides, feldspars and other rocks. They give quartz (naturally transparent or white) different shades. The color range changes from yellow to red-brown and even black.
Pure quartz sands have a minimum of inert impurities: up to 99% of the composition is silica. Chemical formula SiO2. The color of quartz sand without impurities is milky.
Quartz sand is divided into two types: material of natural and artificial origin.
The first is found in the form of enriched quartz sand of different fractions and is extracted mechanically from the developed deposit. The second also has a natural origin: the raw material is crushed vein quartz - a customary rock (pure quartz). For mining, a drilling and blasting method is used, and then the resulting material is crushed for further use.
Quartz sand is classified into several categories based on its origin. River, mountain and burial sand is mined, respectively, on the banks of rivers, in places where rocks emerge and under the soil at a certain depth. The river variety contains minimal amounts of contaminants.
Quartz sand is also divided according to the shape of grains into rounded and crushed. Rounded looks like rounded grains, crushed looks like uneven chipped grains.
Quartz sand mining and production
The extraction of quartz fractional sand is carried out by an open method from a quarry or by a dredger from natural deposits in the floodplains of rivers and lakes.
A small amount of impurities and a large amount of quartz - this is the difference between developments in which quartz sand is mined from quarries in which ordinary construction sand is mined. The mined raw material undergoes a number of technological processes: washing from mud deposits and cleaning from impurities by a chemical method.
This process is called beneficiation, it serves to obtain sand of the required quality. As a result, the content of quartz rock increases, and the purest material is obtained, which, after drying in special installations, passes through a series of sieves and is divided into fractions. The resulting products are called fractional quartz sand.
The process of extraction by a dredger is as follows: a mixture of sand and water from the bottom of the reservoir is pumped in and transferred through a special pipeline to the storage site. The water is gradually separated from the extracted soil and goes through the drains back into the reservoir. The resulting material is sent to the enterprise for its further enrichment and separation into fractions.
Artificial quartz sand is obtained from vein quartz rock, which is first sent to a crushing plant. There the raw materials are crushed into grains. This is followed by procedures similar to those when working with quarry sand: the material is washed, dried and separated by a technical sieve into fractions.
Characteristics and properties of quartz sand
Features of quartz sand
The peculiarity of quartz sand, which distinguishes it from other types of sand, is that this material is monomineral, that is, it consists of only one mineral - quartz. This uniformity makes it a valuable industrial raw material. A small proportion of impurities makes it possible to obtain glass with a high degree of transparency from the raw material.
Another feature is intergranular porosity. Compared to other materials, quartz sand provides the greatest dirt holding capacity. In addition to this property, there is a low degree of wear of the grains of sand, and quartz sand already performs well as a filtering material.
Chemical properties of quartz sand
The crystalline structure of quartz gives it and the sand obtained from it exceptional characteristics of strength and resistance to the action of alkaline and acidic materials. The very high hardness, refractoriness and chemical composition of quartz sand determine its increased refractoriness and fire safety. The material is dielectric in terms of its properties and is inert to a wide range of chemicals.
Physical properties of quartz sand
All properties of quartz are characteristic of sand:
- bulk density 1300-1500 g / cm3 abrasion - 0.1 crumbling - 0.3 hardness (Mohs scale) - 7 (for comparison, diamond hardness - 10) use by radioactivity - class 1
The density of quartz sand is determined by two different approaches.
There is a bulk density, and there is a true density. Bulk is calculated as the ratio of the mass of the material in the free-flowing state to its volume. This value includes pores in sand grains and air spaces between them.
That is, this value may vary depending on the moisture content of the material. True density is a constant value, it is the ratio of a substance in an absolutely dense state to its volume. The moisture content of the sand does not matter.
To change the density, the chemical composition or molecular structure must be changed. Bulk density is less than true. The density of the material is an important characteristic that must be taken into account when calculating storage spaces, transporting it and moving it with lifting and transport equipment.
Abrasion, crushing and hardness of quartz sand are indirect indicators of its strength. To determine the values, the grains are tested on a rotating abrasive metal wheel, the mass of fractions is compressed by a mechanical method and scratched with the grain of the standard and, conversely, with the standard of grain.
Quartz sand fractions:
- dusty - less than 0.1 mm fine-grained: 0.1 - 0.8 mm medium-grained: 0.8 - 1.6 mm; coarse: 1.6 - 6.0 mm
Quartz sand, dusty and fine-grained, is used as part of various building materials, such as building mixtures, putties, groutings, abrasive materials, thin plasters and paints.
Quartz sand of medium grain size is used for filtration and purification of liquids, for sandblasting, for building mixtures, facade and interior plasters, self-leveling floors, concrete solutions, in landscape design, for backfilling of sports grounds.
The material of large fractions is used for the manufacture of paving slabs, concrete blocks, and landscape decoration. It is also used for filtering.
Sand of all fractions is used in the glass, foundry and chemical industries.
Application of quartz sand
For water purification and filtration
The chemical and physical properties of quartz sand make it ideal for use as a water filter. Drinking or technical water, including in swimming pools, can be efficiently and easily cleaned from mechanical impurities and reducing the content of iron, fluorides, chlorides, sulfates, heavy metal salts and other harmful impurities. Excellent adhesive properties help to attract dirt to the surface of the grains of sand.
Quartz sand for filters is used in the first stage of multistage household and industrial filters for mechanical preliminary cleaning. Multiple use is possible, since the material is easily washed out in case of contamination by means of water-air rinsing. The use of a quartz sand filter extends the life of the subsequent filter stages.
Sandblasting works
One of the most effective surface cleaning techniques is sandblasting. Quartz sand or other abrasive is sprayed onto the surface (glass, metal, stone, wood) to be cleaned using a compressed stream of air or water.
Grains of sand fly at great speed and destroy the top layer of the surface, cleaning it from scale, corrosion and other coatings. Care must be taken not to damage the stone itself together with the removed layer, for example mold on old masonry. Quartz sand for sandblasting must be selected taking into account the surface material, the degree of its contamination and further processing.
The main areas of work:
- cleaning metal from rust and other contaminants; degreasing surfaces; glass matting; cleaning concrete and masonry; roughening the surface for further processing.
There is a wide variety of abrasives available today, but dry quartz sand remains the most sought after for sandblasting.
Quartz sand for self-leveling floors
Polymer floors filled with quartz sand are durable, seamless, non-slip and hygienic flooring that is easy to clean. Quartz sand for self-leveling floors is a good way to reduce the cost of a traditional self-leveling floor.
This material is suitable for both new coatings and existing concrete floors. Most often, polymer floors are used in rooms with significant abrasive loads on the concrete surface. Self-leveling floors in this case are used as a finishing decorative coating.
It has a smooth and attractive surface, excellent resistance to stress. Such a floor is characterized by low abrasion, since the polymer in this case acts as a binder, and the main functional load associated with wear is borne by a quartz filler, the abrasion of which is extremely low. To preserve the decorative properties, the floor must be covered with mastic, protective varnish or wax.
Quartz sand in the foundry industry
Molding quartz sand is used in the metallurgical industry for the manufacture of molds for casting and cores. The quality of casting in one-off molds is directly related to the characteristics of the foundry sand.
The accuracy of the casting, the quality of its surface, the structure and properties of the cast alloys, the likelihood of developing defects and the need for complex finishing operations are highly dependent on the characteristics of the sand. The complex of operations associated with the manufacture of the mold accounts for approximately 60% of the labor costs for obtaining castings. Molding quartz sands have a uniformity coefficient of 72 to 80% and are characterized by increased strength and refractoriness.
Glass production
The glass industry is one of the main consumers of quartz sand. Glass quartz sand intended for the manufacture of glass must meet special requirements. The proportion of silicon oxide in the material must be at least 95%, clay impurities must be no more than 1%, and iron oxide must be no more than 1%.
In high grades, the silicon oxide content reaches 99.8%. The moisture in the dried sand should be no more than 0.5%. The proportion of impurities in the sand directly affects the transparency of the glass made from it.
Quartz sand is the basis for the manufacture of all types of glass. Conventional window, medical, fiberglass, laboratory, electronics, and so on are made from one material. Therefore, great attention is paid to the purification of raw materials in the production of quartz sand.
Depending on the chemical composition, sand is classified by brands that have a letter designation and purpose:
- OVS - products of particular responsibility with high translucency; OVS - products with high translucency; VS - products with high translucency; C - translucent products; B - colorless products; PB - semi-white products; PS - products with reduced translucency; T - dark glass -green.
For sports surfaces
When organizing sports grounds with a surface in the form of artificial grass, a backfill of quartz sand in combination with rubber granulate or only quartz sand can be used. On football fields, a composite compound is used: crumb rubber softens friction in the event of a sliding fall of a player. On tennis courts, multifunctional playgrounds, school stadiums and training areas, only quartz sand is poured between the grass.
Excellent drainage properties of sand, provided that the grass is laid on the field correctly, is a guarantee that, even with precipitation, puddles and dirt will not form on the field. Quartz sand for sports surfaces is environmentally friendly, environmentally neutral and proven to be durable. Thus, the use of quartz sand as an artificial turf substrate gives a special comfort when playing and training on sports grounds.
For road surfaces
Quartz sand for road surfaces can be used to indicate hazardous areas and special attention.
Colored material can be used to highlight road crossings, public transport stops, entrances to industrial facilities or schools. Sharp turns on highways, covered with quartz chips, will reduce the risk of passing through such sections. The increased roughness will increase traction and reduce the risk of uncontrollable skidding.
You can use quartz sand for garden paths and paths, as well as pedestrian areas. Excellent decorative and hygienic properties will allow you to keep the walking alleys in proper shape without much effort.
Quartz sand is practically indispensable in a variety of applications and is one of the most important components for home and manufacturing.
Technologies with its application have been worked out to perfection. The attractive natural color, as well as the possibility of coloring in any shade due to its excellent absorbent properties, expands the usual scope of application. For practicality, the material can be given the highest score.
Quartz sand is a material that is of natural origin and is characterized by such characteristics as chemical inertness, resistance to destruction, strength, and the possibility of sorption. Most often it is used in the filtration of oil products and water, for the production of finishing and building materials, as well as in the creation of swimming pools. Now about everything in more detail.
Filtration capacity
Quartz sand for filters is used much more often than any other natural material. The fact is that its porosity is much higher compared to ordinary crushed sand.
This, in turn, provides it with a higher dirt holding capacity and sorption capacity, due to which even elements such as manganese and dissolved iron are removed from the water. For the same reason, quartz sand for a pool, artificial pond or lake, or rather, for their filtration system, is almost always used. The recommended fractions in these cases are in the range from 0.4 to 6.0 millimeters.
Use in construction
Quartz sand is widely used in the construction industry, in particular, when creating polyurethane and epoxy floors. In this case, it must have a coarse-grained fraction.
The use of this material in the manufacture of plaster and building mixtures is due to its high chemical resistance, mechanical resistance to crushing and abrasion, as well as color stability. Fine fractions are well suited for sandblasting work on glass, concrete and metal. The material is also used in the production of artificial stone.
Other areas
The use of quartz sand is not limited to all of the above. It is often used in the construction of greenhouse drainage systems, drilling water wells, as a feed for poultry, and as a filler for electrical insulators and waterproofing material. Recently, this type of sand can be found in aquarium and landscape design.
Production
Quartz sand, being a fairly common natural material, does not go directly from the quarry to filters, building materials or other areas of application. This can be primarily explained by the nuance that in order to solve certain problems it is necessary to select a suitable faction. In addition, sand usually contains a large number of various impurities, and therefore the material needs preliminary processing, which is a rather complicated process.
Application features
The emergence of ready-to-use quartz sand is preceded by several operations at once, including purification of raw materials from impurities, drying, fractionation, dosage and packaging.
At the same time, in no case should the importance of the fraction for this material be underestimated, because in certain industries (for example, in the production of glass) it plays a key role. Another important criterion that characterizes quartz sand is the absence of a chemical reaction. This applies, first of all, to construction, because after the hardening of cement mortars or concrete, undesirable consequences may occur.
Quartz sand is made from quartz, a natural mineral that is found in abundance. Quartz is crushed into small fractions, resulting in fractions ranging in size from 0.01 to 3 mm in diameter.
Depending on the size of the fraction, not only the price changes, but also the purpose of the sand. Bulk material is obtained as a result of either natural crushing or artificial crushing. As a result, the mineral is transformed into fractions of different sizes, which are further used for various purposes.
Composition and chemical-physical properties of quartz sand
The composition of quartz sand is regulated by GOST 21-38, TU. According to this GOST, at least 95% of silicon oxide must be present in the composition, the presence of clay is not more than 1%, iron is not more than 1%.
Humidity should not exceed 10%. The color of the sand depends on the impurities in it, so the presence of titanium in the composition gives the sand a pink color, iron - brown, pure quartz has a milky tint or has no color. Burnt sand is usually yellow.
However, there are other requirements as well.
For example, if the sand is intended for the silicate industry, it can be divided into three classes. Class A must have at least 70% silicon oxide, B - at least 60%, C - at least 50%. The sand for the glass industry is divided according to the level of transparency.
Quartz sand is a very hard, refractory and refractory material, resistant to acids and alkalis, is not afraid of temperature changes, and is also a dielectric.
These properties allow it to be used in various industries. Moreover, the use of quartz sand in a particular area depends on its specific characteristics. The quartz sand that we offer has undergone heat treatment, which is required to remove moisture and improve the quality of the sand.
Applications of quartz sand
Calcined quartz sand is used:
- for sandblasting, in the manufacture of dry building mixtures, in landscape design, in urban landscaping, when laying paving slabs, in shotcrete.
Calcined quartz sand is more expensive than other types, the cost of quartz sand is explained by the fact that the processing process itself is quite expensive. However, the quality of this type of sand is significantly higher - the firing process allows you to thoroughly clean the quartz sand from impurities, including clay and gravel, after which the sand is sifted pro-fractionally and packed into big bags - special synthetic containers that protect the material from dirt and humidity. This also affects the quality of the sand.
In sandblasting works, fine-grained quartz sand is usually used. In many countries, dry sandblasting is prohibited due to the high risks, while in Russia this process requires the use of a cleaning suit and strict adherence to safety precautions. In addition, hydrotreating is used - the supply of abrasives under a stream of water, it is safer.
For dry building mixtures, various types of quartz sand are used, both fine and coarse. The latter are in demand in the manufacture of decorative plaster and other decorative mixtures.
In landscape design and urban landscaping, quartz sand is used for sprinkling paths, creating gardens, even in sandpits.
When laying paving slabs, sand is used as a substrate, and in gunning - as sand in a cement-sand mortar.
Conclusion
Quartz sand is required in many areas, from construction and renovation to landscaping, sandblasting and landscaping. The properties and characteristics of quartz sand make it a unique material, strong, reliable and durable.
Ordinary white quartz sand is also actively used for landscape design; designers are very fond of using it as a cover for paths. You have probably seen colored coarse sand in souvenir shops and aquariums, fine and medium-grained sand is also used for cleaners and filters, including for swimming pools. Quartz flour is used in glass production, foundry and many other industries.
Sand is the most important material, without which it is almost impossible to imagine any large construction or any minor repairs. Today, there are three main types of such material: river, quartz and gully. Accordingly, each has a name for its origin.
The main applications of quartz sand are: decoration materials, glass production, road marking paint, filtration and water treatment.
But quartz sand is becoming more and more popular every day. What is it?
And what is its main purpose? All this is very important to know if you want to use such a material in construction. Therefore, we will consider these points in more detail.
Characteristics and basic properties of quartz sand
Quartz sand application table, depending on the fraction.
Quartz sand is free-flowing quartz - the most durable material in nature. Such sand can be obtained both naturally, when natural stone crushing occurs, and artificially, when quartz is deliberately crushed. But most often quartz is crushed on its own.
Quartz sand is most often a very free-flowing homogeneous material, which, depending on the specific subspecies of quartz and the nature of its crushing, differs in fractions. The minimum size of grains of sand will be about 0.05 mm, the maximum - 3 mm. Quartz material very often contains additional impurities in small amounts, but it can also contain up to 90% silica.
Whichever method it is extracted, it undergoes additional thorough cleaning, sieving, and also sorting into fractions. This makes it possible to divide the material into grades, as well as weed out low-quality sand and debris from it.
It has several more properties that distinguish it favorably from all other types of sands. This is a high adsorption capacity, unusual resistance to mechanical and temperature influences, as well as a high degree of adhesion to various materials and mixtures.
What miracles have not been prepared for man on Earth! For example, an amazing sight - white sand. From a distance you will not immediately understand: are these snowdrifts in the middle of summer, or mountains, or maybe table salt or some other chemical? And only when you get closer, take it in your palm and spill it through your fingers, you realize that this is white sand, a photo of which is given in this article. And it consists of quartz - a mineral common on Earth. Quartz is a part of the mineral composition of oligomictic and polymictic sands that make up the dunes of deserts, dunes of sea coasts, and shallows of water bodies.
Natural sand white
Deposits are found in river valleys. White river sand is the purest, usually it does not contain pollutants, as well as mountain quartz sand, weathered vein outcrops. It is quite possible to find nuggets of precious metals or their minerals in deposits of natural quartz sand. Sometimes white sand is buried under the strata of other sedimentary rocks and is quarried. It usually contains pollutants in the form of an admixture of clays, sandy loams, loams, polymictic sands, which are found in the thickness of quartz sands in the form of interlayers and lenses.
Creation of nature and human hands
White sand, consisting of 90-95% of quartz, is not so common and is highly valued as a raw material for many. The lack of natural sand can be replenished - artificial quartz sand can be obtained using crushing and screening equipment. For the production of sand, monolithic blocks of milky white quartz are used, crushing and sifting the destroyed rock, sand with certain and required sizes (fractions) of particles is obtained. Artificial sand differs from natural sand in exceptional monominerality, acute-angled grains of sand.
Where is quartz sand used?
White sand is used for the production of glass. The following requirements are imposed on it: it consists of 95% quartz, must be medium-grained (diameter of grains of sand 0.25-0.5 mm), without admixture of substances that are hardly soluble in the glass mass, without harmful admixtures of minerals containing iron, chromium, titanium (they color the glass and increase its light absorption). Good glass sand is one that is 98.5% quartz and includes iron oxide no more than 0.1%.
It is necessary for the manufacture of chemical glassware, in instrument making - it can withstand significant temperature changes. For molds and cores in the foundry of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, quartz sand is also used, which is called molding in metallurgy. The quality of this sand is determined by it and the shape of the particles, which affect the gas permeability, and the amount of impurities that reduce the refractoriness of the sands. It is necessary that the sands do not contain minerals with a high content of sulfur and phosphorus, which are harmful to metal casting. Quartz sand is used for production and "sandpaper" - for this, sand is melted with graphite and carborundum is obtained, second in hardness only to diamond. The exceptional dirt holding capacity (sorption capacity) of quartz sand is used in filters to purify water from iron and manganese oxides. This sand is used in construction for plastering surfaces and for the production of finishing panels, Used in landscape design. And even coffee warmed up in a bowl filled with white quartz sand will delight you with its aromatic taste.
Quartz sand - a material with unique properties, which is used in a wide variety of industries and areas. Before considering what quartz sand is for, let's find out what properties it has.
The main characteristics of quartz are:
- homogeneous composition, no impurities;
- grain strength, resistance to mechanical stress;
- high porosity;
- high cleaning ability;
- chemical inertness;
- pliability to staining.
Inorganic origin classified into the following varieties:
- - the highest quality, cleanest and most expensive;
- sea sand- may contain particles of clay and silt impurities;
- mountain sand- has a rough surface;
- ravine sand- with an irregular grain shape;
- soil sand- has an uneven shape with sharp corners and rough granules.
Depending on the processing, a distinction is made between dry, molded, fractionated, rounded, calcined.
Strength of granules, resistance to various negative factors, the ability to purify liquids from radionuclides, microorganisms, heavy metals and solid impurities caused the widespread use of quartz in hydro filters, as well as during various construction and finishing works.
The use of material in construction
Consider the properties and application in the construction industry... It has valuable characteristics for various construction and repair work, including a homogeneous composition, no clay impurities, a density of 1.5 tons / cubic meter. meter.
The material is used in the production of blocks which have high strength and attractive appearance. They are used for cladding the facades of buildings, as well as for creating landscape design objects. Refractory and durable kiln bricks are also produced using this filler.
The highest quality cement also contains quartz, which ensures high adhesion of the mortar to the surface. It is used in the construction of high-traffic motorways.
Also material is part of plaster mixes designed for finishing walls. Thanks to the homogeneity of the mass, a smooth and durable coating is obtained.
Where else is quartz sand used?
Chemical and physical parameters of the material allow it to be widely used in the following areas:
- Filtration of water... The use of aquafilters with quartz filler is the most effective way to purify water in hydraulic structures. Such a filler is able to retain common solid contaminants, chlorine, aluminum, viruses and bacteria, nitrates.
- Sandblasting surfaces... High pressure abrasive is directed to the area to be cleaned, thereby removing all types of contamination. Using this method, they eliminate signs of corrosion, grease stains, clean concrete and stone, make the surface rough, matte glass and mirrors, and create interesting patterns.
- Self-leveling floor... The technology allows you to create a durable, wear-resistant, flat base. in this case, it plays the role of a filler and provides a reduction in the cost of polymer coating production.
- Metallurgical industry... Foundry sand is a raw material for making molds and cores. It differs from other types of quartz in its increased strength and homogeneity, which is 80%.
- Glass production... Enterprises in this area are the main consumers of sand. It is the main raw material for the production of fiberglass, glass for medical, laboratory and other purposes.