1. Department of Civil Engineering
Iqra National University Peshawar
BUILDING STONES
Civil Engineering Materials (CE-116)
Lecture 4
Engr .Muhammad Farhan
Khattak
3. Building Stone
• Stone: A construction material derived
from rocks in the earth’s crust and mixture
of two or more minerals.
• Mineral is a substance which is formed by
the natural inorganic process and
possesses a definite chemical
composition and molecular structure.
3
4. Building Stones
• Stones used in most historical places
– Pyramids of Egypt
– Taj Mahal of Agra, India
– Great wall of China
– Greek and Roman structures
– Quaid’s tomb in Karachi
– Shahi mosque in Lahore
– Forts at Rohtas, Lahore
– Lloyd’s Barrage at Sukkur
4
6. Civil Engineering Uses
• Construction of residential and public buildings
• Construction of dams, weirs, harbors, bridge
abutments, etc
• Face work of structures for appearance and
ornamental value
• Road metal and railway ballast
• Aggregate for concrete
• Stone dust as substitute for sand
• Thin slabs for roofing, flooring and pavements
• Limestone for manufacture of lime, cement, etc
6
7. Building Stones
• Stone as building material lost its
importance due to
– Advent of cement and steel –
– Structural strength can not be rationally
analyzed
– Transportation difficulties
– Dressing problems
7
10. Classification of Rocks
• Geological classification
– Igneous rocks (primary, un-stratified, eruptive) –
cooled down molten volcanic lava (magma). Basalts
and granites.
– Sedimentary rocks (aqueous, stratified) – gradually
deposited disintegrated rocks. Sand stones and lime
stones
– Metamorphic rocks – transformed due to great heat
and pressure. lime stone to marble, shale to
slate(Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is
a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other
minerals, especially quartz)
10
14. Classification of Rocks
• Physical classification
– Stratified rocks – separable distinct layers.
Cleavage(Cleavage is the tendency of crystalline materials to split
along definite crystallographic structural planes) plane of split
visible. Slate, sandstone, lime stone
– Un-stratified rocks – no sign of strata, cannot
be easily split into slabs. Granite, basalt, trap
– Foliated rocks – having tendency to split up
only in a definite direction
14
18. Classification of Rocks
• Chemical Classification
– Siliceous rocks – containing silica SiO2 (sand)
and silicates. Granite, basalt, quartzite, etc
– Argillaceous rocks – containing clay or
alumina Al2O3. Slate, laterite, etc
– Calcareous rocks – containing calcium
carbonate or lime. Limestone, marble, etc
18
19. Characteristics of Good
Building Stones
• Appearance & color – uniform color, lighter shades
preferred, free from clay holes, bands or spots
• Structure – Not dull in appearance, crystalline
homogenous close grained is good, stratification should
not be visible.
• Weight – heavier are compact, less porous, good for
hydraulic structures
• Strength – generally compressive strength needed,
igneous rock stones are stronger
• Hardness– resistance to abrasion, friction and wear.
Hardness scale 1 to 10
• Toughness – Withstand impact, vibrations, moving loads
• Dressing – uniform texture and softness for fine surface
finish
19
20. Characteristics of Good
Building Stones
• Porosity and Absorption – exposed surface absorbs rain
water forming acids causing crumbling action. Cyclic
freezing and thawing of pore water
• Seasoning – hardening and weathering affect due to
evaporation of quarry sap and formation of crystalline
film. 6 to 12 months for proper seasoning
• Weathering – resistance to action of weather
• Resistance to fire – free from calcium carbonate or
oxides of iron
• Durability – compact, homogenous and less absorptive
is more durable
• Cost – quarrying, transportation, dressing and
installation
20
22. Quarrying and Dressing
• Quarrying: An art of extracting stones from
the rock beds of different varieties used for
general building work and broken stones
for roads and concrete work, etc
• Quarry: The place from which stone is
obtained by digging or blasting etc
22
23. Selection of Stones
• Heavy engineering works bridges, piers, abutments,
break waters, docks, light houses – granite
• Buildings facing the sea – granite, fine grained
sandstone
• Buildings in industrial area – granite, compact sandstone
• Arches – fine grained sandstone
• Building face work – marble, close grained sandstone
• Fire resisting structure – compact sandstone
• Road metal and aggregate for concrete – granite, basalt,
quartzite
• Railway ballast – coarse grained sandstone, quartzite
• Electrical switch board – slate, marble
23