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The selection of ornamental stones for specific applications requires technical guidance since it should be based on the durability, service life, and aesthetic value of the stones. In most cases, these fundamentals provide quantitative data on the usability and performance of ornamental stones. The present study attempts to put forward a quantitative classification system for natural stone products concerning critical rock properties. For this purpose, fundamental physical and mechanical rock properties are listed based on European standards. Then, minimum limit values are proposed for different applications of natural stone products based on retrospective analyses of numerous ornamental stone applications. The suggested limit values based on several physical and mechanical rock properties can guide relevant engineers to initially consider possible rock types for use as natural stones in a wide range of applications. In this context, it is believed that the present study contributes to the natural stone industry by discussing the minimum limit values for the consideration of a wide range of rock types possibly usable in the dimension stone industry.

This paper focuses on the unidirectional dynamic shake-table test performed on a prototype of a natural stone masonry building aggregate. The half-scale prototype was designed to reproduce the features of existing unreinforced stone masonry building aggregates, typical of the historical centres in many European cities, including the city of Basel, Switzerland. The three-storey-high aggregate prototype consisted of two weakly connected structural units, with double-leaf undressed stone masonry walls incorporating a limited percentage of river pebbles. The specimen included flexible timber floor diaphragms and side-gabled timber roofs with different heights above the two units. Scaling the material mechanical properties of the specimen was necessary to satisfy similitude relationships without altering accelerations and material densities. An incremental, unidirectional dynamic test was performed up to near-collapse conditions of the prototype, using input ground motions selected to be compatible with realistic seismic scenarios for the region of Basel. This paper summarizes the main characteristics of the specimen and illustrates the evolution of its dynamic response and damage mechanisms.

For the countries with a developed stone industry the waste generated in the natural stone processing plants pose environmental and economic problems. The utilisation of stone waste in various areas is still under research. In addition, there are only a limited number of studies concerning the use of stone waste obtained from processing plants in the stabilisation of clayey soil. Furthermore, none of the studies in the literature investigated the effect of the characteristics of the stone on the stabilisation of the soil. This is the first study that compares the efficiency of the waste calcitic marble, dolomitic marble and granite powder as additives for the stabilisation of clayey soil. Artificial soil samples were prepared in the laboratory using bentonite and kaolinite. Natural stone waste powder was added to the soil samples at different percentages, and the index and compaction parameters of the stabilised soil were analysed. The results showed that the types of waste powder used in this study, like lime, could be used as stabilisers. As the percentage of additives increased, the plasticity index of the clayey soil decreased and the physical properties of the soil changed from clay to silt. In terms of compaction parameters, the use of all types of natural waste powder in the study resulted in a decrease in the optimum water content and an increase in the maximum dry unit weight. The lowest optimum water content and the highest maximum dry unit weight were obtained from the dolomitic marble powder.

Natural building stones must be analysed according to a legally defined procedure to prove that the natural radioactivity they emit is below the so-called activity index given by European Commission. This applies in particular to rooms inside buildings or apartments that are used by people for longer periods of time. Gamma spectrometric measurements were determined for all nuclides involved, 40K, 226Ra and 232Th, which were finally summed up to a total dose for each sample. Measurements are prescribed to check whether the reference value of 1 milli-Sievert per year can be exceeded by radionuclides in the respective building materials. Natural stones, 82 in total from all over the world, such as various igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, which are currently used as building stones for interior and exterior finishing, as kitchen worktops, floor tiles, wall cladding, table tops, furniture cover plates, paving stones, terrace slabs, paving slabs, stairs, street furniture, etc., were selected. Additionally, Rn-222 and Rn-220 exhaled per unit mass were determined simultaneously on 54 selcted from the total 82 rocks by using the accumulation method. In addition, our results were statistically compared with literature data, according to which fesic igneous rocks, gneisses and clay mineral-rich rocks have the highest potential to be radiologically threatening. Limestones, marbles, quartzites, mafic igneous rocks and sandstones are generally less radiologically harmful, but even here there are exceptions depending on the geological formation history and mineralogical composition. The highest activity index of 1.87 was determined for the gneiss Giallo California. Model calculations to determine the expected radiation exposure for a human were used by applying two less complex approaches. Even with the extreme model “coffin”, which consists of the Gialo California, a human experiences only a maximum dose rate of 1.29 mSva−1, which is far below the maximum dose rate of 20 mSv a−1 allowed for occupational radiation exposure. The 220Rn and 222Rn are often neglected; however, their contribution to the dose rate received by the population may be significant. Model simulations for a room with 4 m × 3 m × 2.5 m where the walls and the floor coverd with tiles of 1 cm thickness show a maximum indoor radon concentration of less then 100 Bg m−3. With increase in thickness of the tiles up to 3 cm, 10 cm and 20 cm and for poorly ventilated rooms especially some granitoids, gneisses and the copper-rich shale are above the allowed limit of the European Commission.

The exploitation of granite resources and the consequent processing create several economic opportunities that provide the creation of infrastructures and services. This flourishing activity is based on the available resources which need to be identified and protected through an effective land use planning. In this study, the evaluation of the granite resources in an exploitation area was performed. The fracturing and the quality of the outcrops are fundamental factors to be considered during ornamental stone exploration, but for the evaluation of the available resources, land use planning constraints should be considered. All the collected data were processed in a geographic information system to determine the potential extractive areas. Considering the several limitations, namely active quarries and legal constraints, only 41.3% of the study area can be used for installing new quarries. Considering the fracturing limitations, these new quarries, with a mean depth and mean deposit yield of 12.5 m and 12.5%, respectively, will supply about 2.67 × 106 m3 of granite. The results highlight the importance of an integrated evaluation of the natural stone resources since large areas not necessarily mean abundant resources.

The Santo Antonio de Padua natural stone cluster in the state of Rio de Janeiro is considered one of the most successful small mining initiatives in Brazil, having seen the creation of around 150 small- and medium-sized companies operating quarries and stone saw mills. Initially used as corral flooring material, the natural stone was later used in large urban projects such as the Porto Maravilha, a project supported by the city of Rio de Janeiro to modernize the city port before the 2016 Olympic Games. Such a step forward was made possible by a multistakeholder approach that brought together local stone business representatives, government agencies, non-governmental institutions, and other authorities that supported a regional development plan stablishing natural stone production as a priority. This paper describes historical events associated with the development of the Padua stone cluster that may offer practical examples for similar initiatives worldwide.

Low-income regions do not have the economic strength to use conventional isolators; therefore, low-cost alternatives are needed. The recent series of earthquakes in Turkey has once again demonstrated the destructive power of this natural disaster and highlighted the need for high-quality earthquake-resistant structures. In this context, a comprehensive experimental parametric study on the use of natural stone pebbles (ASL-1) and stone pebbles in combination with a geogrid layer (ASL-2) as suitable materials for a GSI system is conducted and the main results are presented. The seismic behavior of five different models was tested using four different acceleration diagrams with different peak ground accelerations (PGAs). Characteristic displacements, accelerations, and strains were measured. The results and conclusions presented are based on the integration and synthesis of several previously conducted studies.

The biodeterioration of the natural surface on monuments, historical buildings, and even public claddings brings to the attention of researchers and historians the issues of conservation and protection. Natural stones undergo changes in their appearance, being subjected to deterioration due to climatic variations and the destructive action of biological systems interfering with and living on them, leading to ongoing challenges in the protection of the exposed surfaces. Nanotechnology, through silver nanoparticles with strong antimicrobial effects, can provide solutions for protecting natural surfaces using specific coupling agents tailored to each substrate. In this work, surfaces of two common types of natural stone, frequently encountered in landscaping and finishing works, were modified using siloxane coupling agents with thiol groups. Through these agents, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were fixed, exhibiting distinct characteristics, and subjected to antimicrobial analysis. This study presents a comparative analysis of the efficiency of coupling agents that can be applied to a natural surface with porous structures, when combined with laboratory-obtained silver nanoparticles, in reducing the formation of microbial biofilms, which are a main trigger for stone biodeterioration.

Now more than ever, the construction sector is aiming to adopt more sustainable solutions. To achieve this purpose, more durable solutions must be adopted, making rational decisions at the design and maintenance stages regarding the conditions of environmental exposure and use. In this sense, knowledge regarding the service life of building components is crucial. This knowledge should not be a general concept, or a standard value, and adapting practices from one country to another is extremely challenging. In this sense, this study analyses the service life of natural stone claddings. We adopt a methodology initially proposed for Lisbon (Portugal), intending to evaluate its applicability to other geographical contexts, in order to perform a more reliable service life prediction of stone claddings located in Tehran (Iran). An estimated service life of 65 years was obtained for a sample of 162 stone claddings directly adhered to the substrate, located in Tehran, which were analysed by in situ inspections. The impact of different conditions (e.g., type of stone and environmental exposure conditions) on the service life of stone claddings in Tehran was quantified, which revealed that the exposure to environmental agents, such as wind, rain and pollutants, is the main cause of degradation of the natural stone claddings.

Volcanic tuffs have a historical tradition of usage in Northern Hungary as dimension stones for monumental construction, Ottoman architecture, common dwellings, etc., admirable at its best in the medieval castles of Eger and Sirok. This research explores tuff deterioration in the castle walls, dealing with the mineralogical composition, microstructure, trace-element geochemistry, and microporosity of the surface weathering products and the near-surface stone substrate. The classic microscopic and mineralogical techniques–optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, and XRD–were supported by ICP-MS and nitrogen adsorption analyses. The textures and mineral assemblages of the tuffs are partly diverse, and so are the weathering characteristics, although including common features such as secondary crystallization of gypsum, swelling clay minerals, and iron oxides-hydroxides; deposition of airborne pollutants, i.e., carbon particles and heavy metals; formation of crusts and patinas; decreased surface microporosity. Nonetheless, the entity of deterioration varies, in relation to air pollution–involving changing emissions from road and rail transport–and the specific tuff texture, porosity, and durability–affecting pollutant absorption. The studied stone monuments offer the possibility to examine materials with analogue composition and petrogenesis but utilized in different environmental contexts, which allow pointing out the environmental and lithological constraints and cause-effect relationships related to surface weathering.