Gilsonite in Bituminous Membranes

Bituminous membranes which are vastly used in construction and buildings, come in many forms, compositions and applications. The basic composition of a bitumen adhesive membrane is made of viscous and waterproof materials which will result in a pressure sensitive membrane resistant to water. Main usage of such membranes goes for roofing of commercial and residential buildings.

During the production of the membranes, adding a certain amount of Gilsonite powder 30-40 or 100-mesh can greatly increase the shear strength. Gilsonite particles act as fillers among the membrane composition.

Since the membrane business is much cost sensitive and competitive, the manufacturers of bituminous membranes all over the world tend to use inexpensive fillers, including limestone for strengthening their end product. Therefore any high-priced Gilsonite which is sold as an additive to other applications will not eventually prevail. Utilizing a low-priced supply of Gilsonite, such as Iran Gilsonite with ash content of 15-25% will create a great result here. Iranian Gilsonite is currently used vastly in India, Middle East and recently in Europe (mainly in Italy and Belgium). The membrane made with Iran Gilsonite filler has already passed EU standards for this application.

Using Gilsonite powder as an adhesive can strongly improve the membrane characteristics, while its bitumen content also increases the waterproofing effect. The only trick will be to find a Gilsonite with optimized value and enough bitumen content, since ash content does not play an important role in this application.

 

References:
– Patent US4600635 A – Abstract Section Only
– www.zistagilsonite.com

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *