Klingerite - asbestos age
Klingerite is the commercial
name of the sealing material of the German company
Klinger,
patented by its founder
Richard Klinger as early as
1898. This unique material of its time acquired its specific properties by using
chryzotil asbestos fibers (so-called white asbestos). Asbestos is
highly heat and chemical resistant, and
Klingerite contained 70-90% of it. This enabled it to function as a versatile sealing material with a wide range of applications.
However, its distribution is now banned in the European Union due to the health hazards of asbestos. Klingerite has been replaced by other materials such as:
Composition of sealing plates
| |
Asbestos (Klingerite) |
Fiber-rubber (asbestos-free) |
| Threads |
70 - 90 % |
15 % |
| Binder |
5 - 20 % |
25 - 40 % |
| Fillers |
5 - 20 % |
40 - 60 % |
Compared to Klingerite, today´ s asbestos-free boards have a different composition with a higher ratio of binders. In particular, elastomers (SBR, NBR,...) are used as binders, which themselves have a lower temperature resistance ending at approximately 150 °C.
The dangers of asbestos
The problem with asbestos is its
long and thin fibres, which are so small that they are
invisible to the
naked eye and have no smell. When inhaled, the fibres
go deep into the lungs, where they do not decompose but settle for a long time. Overtime, the asbestos particles cause a reaction in the body that can result in
asbestosis (scarring of the lungs) or lung cancer.
Banning asbestos
The
dangers of asbestos materials
were first
warned about it 1898 by British inspector Lucy Dean, who warned of
respiratory and lung diseases in workers who were exposed to asbestos on a daily basis. However, her warnings were initially
downplayed.
It was not until 1991 that asbestos was first banend in the European Union, and only 5 of its types. The particular chryzotil
used in Klingerite was not banned, but only regulated. The extension of the ban to include chryzotil came in 1999 with an amendment to the Dangerous Substances Directive 76/769/EEC.
Replacement of Klingerite
Klingerite is now being
replaced by other sealants such as
graphite,
fibre rubber materials or
Teflon. The appropriate material is selected based on application parametrsr such as
temperature,
pressure and
medium. The most versatile material
today is
graphite, which has the larrgest temperature range of application and even surpasses Klingerite in the range of applicable parameters.
Installation of Klingerite and new materials
The Klingerite gasket was once
easy to install. The flange joint was enough to
knock of the "blood". The materials that replaced it required a
different approach to assembly. For these reasons, the requirement for
training of flange joint installers to EN 1591-4, which discusses these procedures, came to the fore.
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