Gypsum plasterboard is a popular finishing material widely used for facing walls, ceilings, and creating various kinds of decorative structures. This material is made using a rather simple technology. But the equipment in its production, of course, uses the most modern.
What is the material
The composition of drywall is very simple. The same goes for its structure. The basis of GKL sheets is gypsum plates. To give such a brittle material strength, it is glued with cardboard on both sides. Otherwise, drywall is also called dry plaster. Sheets of this type can be used to align walls and ceilings of premises of almost any purpose.
This decoration material was invented in the USA in the last century by the American Utsman. Drywall sheet weight is not relatively small. But nevertheless, it is usually fixed to the walls only with the help of a wooden or metal frame.
What are the types of GCR
When decorating premises at the moment, the following types of drywall can be used:
Also in construction supermarkets you can find universal sheets of this type, which can be used both in dry and in wet rooms.
Drywall Composition
As already mentioned, the procedure for manufacturing drywall is not particularly complicated. The main components of this material are:
gypsum;
cardboard;
starch;
synthetic foaming agent.
In most cases, at least 85% of natural gypsum is used in the production of drywall. The remaining 15% is artificial. Natural gypsum is a fairly common rock in the quarry. Before the production of GCR, such a material is first ground into powder. Then the gypsum is cleaned and dried.
Cardboard included in drywall is produced by pressing recycled wood into sheets. For enterprises engaged in the production of gypsum plaster, such material is supplied in rolls. Typically, cardboard with a thickness of 0.3-0.46 mm is used to make drywall. Starch in the manufacture of gypsum plaster is modified with a maximum dust content of 2%.
According to the regulations, gypsum plasterboard in small quantities can also include impurities such as cellulose, sodium chloride, caustic soda. GCL are also constituents of phosphogypsum, as well as borogypsum.
What makes drywall for use in ordinary conditions, it is now clear. The composition of the sheets for special purposes of this type may include various kinds of additional substances. Moisture-resistant drywall, for example, among other things, contains special antifungal antiseptic additives. Fire-resistant sheets of this type are made with the additional use of fiberglass.
Specifications
Drywall manufactured by modern industry is a material:
In terms of use, GKL sheets are divided into wall and ceiling. They differ primarily in thickness. For ceiling gypsum plasterboard, this indicator is 9.5 mm. For wall, since during operation they are subjected to heavy loads, the indicator is greater - 12.5 mm. The weight of drywall, of course, will primarily depend on its thickness. So, for sheets of 9.5 mm thick and a size of 1200x2000, it will be equal to 18 kg. Wall drywall of the same size will weigh 23 kg.
How do
Of course, in production such sheets are made on conveyors. In the process of releasing gypsum plaster, natural gypsum is first fed to a feed hopper and fired. Further:
gypsum gets into a screw mixer, where, if necessary, moisture-enhancing substances or fiberglass are added to it;
the resulting composition is sent to a continuous mixer for foaming;
foamed gypsum is fed to the molding table, covered with a sheet of cardboard with curved edges, and distributed into the formation;
the gypsum board is covered with a second sheet of cardboard;
the drywall obtained is stretched between the forming rolls;
after setting the gypsum, the tape is cut with a guillotine into sheets 2.5 m long.
At the final stage, drywall made in this way is marked, tipped and sent to the drying chamber. Next, the sheets are stacked in pairs with the front side to each other and aligned. At the final stage at the enterprise, drywall is packed in packs and sent to the packaging.
Equipment: automatic lines
Conveyors for the production of all types of drywall, since the material is very popular, are presented on the market in a large assortment. Many companies are engaged in the production of such sheets today. In most cases, the following types of equipment are part of automatic GKL production lines:
There are drywall conveyors, because the equipment is structurally complex enough, of course, quite expensive. On average, depending on capacity and productivity, the price of such lines in the market is 5–9 million rubles.
Semi-automatic machines
Conveyors for the production of drywall are installed, of course, usually at fairly large enterprises. Small workshops specializing in the manufacture of this material are most often equipped with semi-automatic machines for this purpose. A feature of such industries is that many operations on them are carried out manually. Such machines are slightly cheaper than lines - ranging from 900 thousand rubles. up to 2 million
A feature of automatic and semi-automatic lines designed for the production of gypsum fiber, among other things, are quite large dimensions. To install such equipment, therefore, of course, it is only possible in a fairly spacious room.
Is it harmful to health
Of course, various types of chemical additives are also part of the brand-name quality drywall. This is especially true of moisture-proof and fire-resistant varieties of it. However, the main components of such a material are still gypsum and cardboard, that is, materials made from natural raw materials.
It is believed that, therefore, high-quality drywall cannot cause any harm to health. The material is actually environmentally almost completely clean. The only thing is that such sheets can cause some harm to the health of employees of enterprises engaged in their production. In the manufacture of gypsum plaster, a lot of gypsum dust is usually formed. Her inhalation, of course, can adversely affect the condition of the human lungs.
What to look for when buying
High-quality drywall, therefore, can not cause any harm to human health. However, there are a lot of companies engaged in the production of this material today. And often the owners of apartments and houses acquire for the decoration of walls and ceilings GKL, produced by few well-known companies. Such sheets are usually cheaper, for example, the same Knauf drywall or from any other well-known manufacturers. However, the composition of them, unfortunately, in some cases may differ from the standard.
In the production of cheap GCR, unfortunately, in some cases, various kinds of harmful chemical additives are used. Most often it is phenol or formaldehyde. Such substances, of course, can be harmful to humans, and significant.
Also low-quality drywall is often affected by mold. In this case, among other things, mycotoxins can also enter the room. Such substances are also considered quite harmful to human health.
How to choose the right
Thus, to purchase for the decoration of an apartment is still not too cheap quality drywall. The best brands of such material, of course, are Chinese. Also, domestic gypsum board is usually distinguished by good technical and operational characteristics. In our country, such sheets are supposed to be produced in compliance with certain sanitary standards.
In most cases, the domestic GCR delivered to the market, among other things, is supplied with accompanying documents. For example, consumers consider GKL Volma rather high-quality.
Experienced builders are not advised to purchase primarily cheap Chinese drywall. It is this material that most often contains all kinds of harmful impurities. In addition, cheap GCR from the Middle Kingdom is significantly inferior to European and domestic in terms of durability and performance.
How to reduce the harm of cheap drywall
Sometimes owners of houses and apartments who are experiencing financial difficulties still have to purchase inexpensive Chinese drywall. When installing such material, in order to reduce possible harm from it, certain rules must be observed. First of all, it is advisable to install such sheets only in well-ventilated rooms. Also, when installing a cheap GCR, you should try:
The use of elastic putty will reduce the risk of defects at the edges of the sheets and the possibility of penetration into the room of harmful fumes of the filling. A good dye will create a protective film on the surface of such drywall, which in the future will also retain harmful substances.