Stones

Stones played important roles in construction fields. Stones are often used due to their properties; hard, durable, and naturally good looking. You can even find stones in your house, like roof, floor or kitchen! Stones are mostly used for road base, paving, garden walls, paths, roof tile in form of slates and so on.
Stones can be classified into 2 categories: Artificial and Natural stones.


ARTIFICIAL STONES (ENGINEERED STONES)

Artificial stones floor

Kitchen table

The combination of crushed natural stones and very low water/cement ratio of Portland cement. Pigment is added during the combination process to match the colours of the stones.




#Manufacturing process
Natural stones used :
 -Calcareous stone (marble,limestones or dolomite) 
 -Siliceous stone (granite, quartzite, sand, porphyry)

Process of manufacture artificial stones  

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NATURAL STONES
Natural stones are found and quarried throughout the world. Each natural stone is unique, different types of natural stones have their own properties.
Natural stones can be classified into 3 types:

• IGNEOUS STONES
• SEDIMENTARY STONES
• METAMORPHIC STONES

IGNEOUS STONES

Granite

Granite
Magmatic rocks which can found from the deep of the earth's crust are consisted in granite.
Properties:
-high compressive strength
-hard and durable
-less porosity
-high thermal stability 
#Applications
-can be used as external wall claddings
-floorings
-internal wall tiles 

Granite flooring

Granite wall

By using these stones, it made interior or exterior of the building attractive.

SEDIMENTARY STONES

Sedimentary stones formed by the solidification of material transported and deposited, primarily by water and ice.

How it make from?

(75% land surface) Igneous rocks + physically/chemically or biochemically weathered (wind) + >1000/ 10,000 years = Sedimentary Stones

Example: Such as sandstone, limestone, dolomite and shale.

Process of how sedimentary stones were formed

Limestone

Limestone

Limestone may be composed that contain either carbonate of lime (calcite), or carbonate of lime-magnesium (calcium magnesium carbonate, dolomite)

It comes with many different colors, structures and textures. Common types of limestone which have in gray or buff (structures), brown, yellow, red (iron oxide) , blue, black or gray (carbon impurities).

Properties:

#Porous

#Vary widely and hardness

#Soluble in water containing carbon dioxide

Limestone

-        #Attacked by acids ( rapid decay to softer limestone)

Application:

#Used as raw material in manufacture of cement

#Quicklime (CaO)

Do You Believe?

Sphinx of Giza & the pyramids behind it were mostly built with limestones

METAMORPHIC STONES

Metamorphic Stones formed by the gradual changes in structure and character of

Igneous/Sedimentary stones+ heat, water, pressure = Metamorphic Stones

Example: slate, marble, serpentine, quartzite, etc.

Properties of Metamorphic stones: Coarser, Denser, Less porous.

Different types of marble floor tiles

Marble

Commonly applied to any limestone or dolomite that can get good polishing, that have been exposed to metamorphic action and become partly crystalline.

Properties:

# varying colours and veins

# very hard, dense and scratch proof

# excellent self-polish that improve its appearance

# vulnerable to acid attacks and surface is not lasting if used externally in a polluted atmosphere

Marble floor tiles

# colour of marbles may be fade due to the sugaring that exposed on surfaces

# impermeable, but in dampness condition may staining

Do you believe?

Taj Mahal is built by using marble as building material.

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Different Stones, Different use - Construction Industry

*Fieldstone – rough stones obtained from river beds and fields.

*Rubble – irregular quarried fragments that have at least one good face.

*Dimension stone- quarried and cut into rectangle form.

*Cut stone - quarried and cut into large slabs.

*Ashlar – small rectangular blocks.

*Flagstone –used for flooring and paving, regular or irregular shape, thin slabs of stone

*Crushed stone – used for freely draining fill material, pavings, surfacing materials and aggregates.