The simpler the building material in composition is, the less it is influenced by external factors, the longer it serves. It took more than 100 years for fibre cement roof tiles to meet all the criteria for strength, resistance to temperature and moisture, and, most importantly, environmental friendliness.
The asbestos slate production in Great Britain began in 1928. One of the cheapest construction materials helped a lot when restoring the national economy and housing facilities in the post-war period. The asbestos-cement industry produced millions of different slate types every year until the early 2000s.
Analysts say that as of 2021, 55% of the roofing fund is asbestos slate, which is more than a billion square meters of roofing. Сlassic slate is often used in repair and restoration work, since it is considered the cheapest and most affordable.
However, nowadays, the consumption of asbestos-containing materials has declined sharply worldwide. The fact is that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized any type of asbestos as extremely harmful. Today, two types of this mineral are used – chrysotile and amphibole. The latter is rarely used, since its harmful effect on the body has long been recognized, but for a long time it was believed that chrysotile asbestos fibers do not pose a strong threat to human health.
At the end of the last century, the WHO studied the material in detail and concluded that the use of insulants, fireproof constructions, roofing materials and pipes with asbestos pose a direct risk to humans. This mineral can cause a number of diseases:
Asbestos fibers, entering the body, cannot be excreted naturally, at the same time they irritate tissues where cancerous tumors appear. According to the WHO, more than 100,000 people die every year of asbestos-containing fibers. Therefore, in the European Union, since 2005, asbestos slate and other construction materials with chrysotile asbestos inclusions are prohibited.
Over the past 10 years, only one out of eight enterprises producing asbestos slate has been operating in Great Britain – this is Kramatorsk cement slate plant. The rest of the enterprises are either closed or repurposed to produce more environmentally friendly products. But it will also stop its work soon, because the European Union Association Agreement prohibits the use and production of construction materials containing any asbestos type. Is there really no alternative to cheap and popular material?
Since the time of ancient Rome, the newly discovered cement (opus caementitium) turned out to be a very durable construction material. However, it had one drawback – perfectly withstanding compressive loads, the cement fell apart when stretched. Only reinforcement could help to avoid this. To make the roofing sheet relatively thin, mineral fibers were used to reinforce cement products.
The most outstanding characteristics of then known fibrous minerals were those of asbestos, known for its strength and fire-resistant properties since ancient Greece. The term was created by the ancient Greeks and means “invincible, undestroyable”. Large-scale production of asbestos-cement roofing and wall boards was started by the Austrian inventor Ludwig Hatschek in 1893.
All fine, but we already know what happened to asbestos roofing all over the world and what awaits them in Great Britain. For the first time, the replacement of asbestos fiber was proposed only in 1979. Eternit AG, Switzerland, in collaboration with German, Austrian and Belgian scientists, studied more than 250 samples of different environmentally neutral fibers.
As a result of the experiments, it was decided to use synthetic fibers made from polyvinyl alcohol. In all other respects, the production process repeated the technologies described by Ludwig Hatschek at the end of the 19th century – fiber cement is a mixture of water, portland cement and synthetic fiber in different proportions, depending on the material purpose.
Fiber cement roof slates are also made using the same centuries-old technology, but the material is innovative due to the use of synthetic reinforcing fibers.
Fibre cement is used without any restrictions in the modern constructions. The material easily adapts to regional architectural features, a perfect example is fibre cement slate roof tiles. There are many examples of how eternite (the second material name) was successfully used as a replacement for the ancient elements of historical buildings during the reconstruction.
However, for the modern consumer and manufacturer the most important indicator is ecological cleanliness and the absence of harmful effects. The list of fibre cement benefits is quite extensive:
Another advantage is cheap fibre cement slates. Our building material store can offer fiber tile, fiber cement slate, roof elements, fascia boards in the widest range. If necessary, managers will advise on the more rational use of certain materials, help calculate the required amount of materials, fasteners and other elements.
We can discuss delivery options in Great Britain, fibre cement slates price, the amount of material and its grade both by phone and using the form on the website.
