Characteristics of Good Building Stone
The material which is used for construction work in its original form is known as construction material.
It may be termed as building material or civil engineering material. Selection of suitable material for a particular work entirely depends upon the properties of the material. In this Blog, we will study the different building materials like Cement, Lime, Marble, Plastic, Material, Brick, Timber, Paint, Glass etc in details. Let us know about Characteristics of Good Building Stone.
Must Read :Â Building Stones and Quarrying of Stones
A good building stone should have the following qualities:
- Appearance
- Structures
- Strength
- Durability
- Hardness & Toughness
- Specific Gravity and Weight
- Work ability
- Resistance to Fire
- Cost
Appearance of stones
The appearance of stone should be good whenever used face work of a building. Stone should be hard enough so that due to atmospheric action it should not change. Stones should able to receive good polish light colored stones are generally preferred.
Structures of stones
A broken stone should have a uniform and dense texture. It should be free from cavities, cracks, and patches.
Strength of stones
The strength of stone should be high so that they can withstand against various loads on them and disintegrated actions of weather. Stones should be tested for their strength before they are used for loaded and heavy structures.
Durability of stones
The durability of stones depends upon its chemical composition and physical structures. Stone should possess a natural durability to withstand the destructive effects of various agents which are continuously operating on them.
A porous stone disintegrates rapidly, as the absorbed water freezes and expands and causes cracking. So, a good stone should have compact and crystalline structures.
Hardness & Toughness of stones
The stone should be hard enough to resist the abrasive forces (Caused due to wear and tear) and frictional forces. Good stone should be tough enough to withstand stresses developed due to vibrations of machinery and moving loads over them.
Specific Gravity and Weight of stones
For good quality of building stones specific gravity of stones should be high. It should lie between for the construction of massive structures such as dams, barrages, retaining walls, heavier stones are preferred whereas for arches, roof covering, dams etc.
Workability of stones
Stone should be such that it’s cutting, dressing, shaping is not so hard otherwise to work with it becomes uneconomical i.e. stone should be workable.
Resistance to FireÂ
Stone should be such that it is able to resist high temperature whenever it comes in contact with fire and heat.
Cost of stones
The cost of a stone depends upon the ease with which it can be quarried out the proximity of the quarry to the place of use and the transportation facilities available.
The cost of dressing a stone should also low.
In addition to all above requirements of good building stone: stone should be able to receive good polish, easy to season, should not porous, having low absorption values and able to resist chemically reactive gases such as sulfur dioxide carbon dioxide etc.
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Very good articles