Origin and the mechanical properties of asbestos

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6717100

O'Hanley, D S

Dual networks and chemographic analysis are used to investigate the stability of lizardite and chrysotile in the simplest multisystem that describes serpentinization. Phase diagrams for Mg serpentinites described by MgO-SiO/sub 2/-H/sub 2/O are constructed for systems of five, six and seven phases using dual networks. The seven-phase system brucite, forsterite, lizardite, chrysotile, antigorite, enstatite, and talc describes the serpentinization of Mg peridotites. The chrysotile asbestos deposits of southeastern Quebec occur in serpentinized peridotites of Ordovician ophiolites. The asbestos is localized in veins within blocks of partly serpentinized peridotite bounded by zones containing schistose serpentinite and granitic masses. A simple, rapid microscopic test was designed to obtain semi-quantitative measurements of the bending strength of acicular or fibrous crystals. The instrument was tested on samples of asbestiform tremolite from Baltimore, Maryland, and non-asbestiform tremolite from the Warren Head mine in New Hampshire. The samples ranged in size from 0.3 to 0.8 mm in length and 0.9 to 15 ..mu..m in diameter. The asbestiform tremolite was stronger than the non-asbestiform tremolite at every diameter, with an order of magnitude higher strength at small diameters. This indicates that asbestiform tremolite behaves as a whisker, whereas non-asbestiform tremolite does not.

• Research Organization: Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6717100
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360603* -- Materials-- Properties
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ASBESTOS
CRYSTALS
DIAGRAMS
FLEXURAL STRENGTH
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM SILICATES
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
MONOCRYSTALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
SERPENTINE
SILICATE MINERALS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
WHISKERS