History of use of gypsum in building materials

At the person far from construction and a finishing work, gypsum, first of all, associates with medicine - plaster bandages at crises of bones are known to everyone. But the history of gypsum began with construction and refinishing.
Gypsum - the unique building material received from the same stone of a sedimentary origin. Uniqueness of gypsum speaks that at calefaction of the breed, a water containing in gypsum evaporates, and the stone is easily milled in a powder. At add-on of water gypsum again becomes similar to a stone.
Pathbreakers of gypsum became ancient Egyptians. They used an overfired powder of gypsum (plaster) as a finishing material at construction of the well-known pyramids. Hieroglyphs on perfectly kept plaster facing plaster are visible till now though has passed many thousand years. Then the secret of gypsum has got to the Ancient Greece where local masters used it not only for refinishing, but also as a material for manufacturing a stucco moulding for temples. It is necessary to notice, to what exactly ancient Greeks have given gypsum the name. In translation with Greek «гипрос» means a boiling stone. Up to them gypsum was known under the name of plaster.
 After ancient Romans, having received manufacturing techniques and applications of gypsum from Greeks, have transferred its Europe, the modern history of gypsum has begun. In Middle Ages gypsum began to use as facing plaster. Legislators of a new direction in application of gypsum became the Frenchmen. At that time gypsum was extracted in one of suburbs of capital of France and has received the name « the Parisian facing plaster ». Owing to that plaster facing plaster ecologically pure, nonflammable, rather low-cost - it has instantly extended worldwide.
But, applying gypsum as facing plaster, it has been noticed, that occurrence of cracks on walls after a while is possible. Has solved this problem Августин Сакетт - the owner of own paper-mill. On May, 22nd, 1884 it has received the patent for the invention: the machine on manufacture of paper boards. It also was the first prototype of gypsum cardboard. Gypsum cardboard Августина Сакетта represented ten layers of a paper stuck together among themselves gypsum. After a while its invention was improved by other American engineer Klarens Utsman. Owing to it gypsum cardboard has got modern structure: 93 % of gypsum, 6 % of a cardboard and 1 % of various additives.
Now some sorts of gypsum cardboard are known: usual, пожаростойкий, water-resistant, the raised durability, etc. From gypsum panels of wall, panels of a false ceiling, a stucco moulding are made. Gypsum cardboard became an ideal substitute of plywood and ДСП at the device of interroom parting walls.
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