Building-stones—elements of strength in their constitution and structure

Abstract Two examples of granitic stones from Brittany (western France) commercialized under the names of “gris-bleu de Louvigné” and “bleu de Lanhélin” were characterized in order to explore how the provenance of a building stone can be traced back with a maximum of confidence. For this purpose, petrographical, geochemical and magnetic characteristics, representing more than 70 quantitative and qualitative variables, were compiled for a total of 32 samples. We have defined two reference populations for these building stones and have extracted their discriminative characteristics. We have then compared four randomly selected samples and two foreign commercial counterparts of these stones to the reference populations. Discriminative variables differ from one case of comparison to the other, which indicates that a combination of various tools and variables will be generally required to unequivocally fingerprint the origin of a given granitic stone. Where several quarries are mining a single geological unit within a composite intrusion, the provenance of a granitic rock can be defined at the scale of the intrusion. In addition, stones coming from two different intrusions from the same batholith can be distinguished. We conclude that the provenance of any granitic building stone is identifiable, especially if the intrinsic variability of a population of samples representative of that stone has been previously circumscribed. This study underlines that the compilation of databases for building stone identity cards is an essential first step toward the creation of official labels guaranteeing stone provenances.

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Understanding the decay of stone-built cultural heritage

Progress in Physical Geography Earth and Environment ◽

10.1177/0309133308098119 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 439-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

B.J. Smith ◽

M. Gomez-Heras ◽

S. McCabe

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Natural Environment ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Building Stone ◽

Stone Decay ◽

Building Stones ◽

The Public ◽

The Past ◽

Built Heritage ◽

Common Misconceptions

The problem of the decay and conservation of stone-built heritage is a complex one, requiring input across many disciplines to identify appropriate remedial steps and management strategies. Over the past few decades, earth scientists have brought a unique perspective to this challenging area, drawing on traditions and knowledge obtained from research into landscape development and the natural environment. This paper reviews the crucial themes that have arisen particularly, although not exclusively, from the work of physical geographers — themes that have sought to correct common misconceptions held by the public, as well as those directly engaged in construction and conservation, regarding the nature, causes and controls of building stone decay. It also looks to the future, suggesting how the behaviour of building stones (and hence the work of stone decay scientists) might alter in response to the looming challenge of climate change.

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Role of particulate matter from vehicle exhaust on porous building stones (limestone) sulfation

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/0048-9697(96)05124-8 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 187 (2) ◽

pp. 79-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 133

Author(s):

Carlos Rodriguez-Navarro ◽

Eduardo Sebastian

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Building Stones ◽

Vehicle Exhaust

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Nomenclature of Building Stones and Stone Masonry

Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers ◽

10.1061/taceat.0000280 ◽

1877 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 297-304

Author(s):

J. James R. Croes ◽

William E. Merrill ◽

Edgar B. Van Winkle

Keyword(s):

Stone Masonry ◽

Building Stones

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The Relationship between Strength and Abrasion Characterizations in Granite Building Stones

Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology ◽

10.1144/qjegh2020-045 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. qjegh2020-045

Author(s):

A. Cheshomi ◽

M. Moradizadeh

Keyword(s):

Dimensionless Parameter ◽

Empirical Relationship ◽

Building Stones ◽

Brazilian Tensile Strength ◽

Strength Parameters ◽

Empirical Relationships ◽

Quartz Content ◽

Simultaneous Impact ◽

Rock Abrasion ◽

The Relationship

The wear of cutting blades during the preparation of building stones is an inevitable issue that occurs due to the contact of the blade with rock components. The present study aims to investigate the feasibility of proposing experimental relations of strength parameters and mineralogical hardness with Cerchar and LCPC tests. For this purpose, 18 samples of granite building stones were selected and Equivalent Quartz Content (EQC), compressive and Brazilian tensile strength (UCS and BTS), Cerchar, and LCPC abrasivity indices (CAI and LAC) were determined. The results showed the lack of any significant relationship between strength and abrasion properties. However, when evaluating the simultaneous impact of EQC and UCS using the rock abrasion index (RAI=UCS×EQC), significant valid empirical relationships between RAI-CAI and RAI-LAC were derived. To investigate the simultaneous effect of UCS, BTS, and EQC, a dimensionless parameter, i.e. modified rock abrasion index (MRAI=(UCSBTS)×EQC) was introduced. Moreover, it was found that the empirical relationship between MRAI-CAI was more significant and valid than the previous relations. Verification of the proposed relationship with the values of other researchers and 6 new samples for estimating CAI and LAC based on UCS, BTS, and EQC was found to be highly accurate for granite building stones.

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