Stone- Buidling Construction Material

1. Building Construction Materials
Mr. K. R. Patil
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
D. Y. Patil College of Engineering &
Technology, Kolhapur

2. Introduction
• Construction materials contribute to about 30 to 50 % cost of total
expenditure incurred in any construction.
• The materials are primarily classified in to two types, namely
natural materials such as stone, sand etc. & artificial materials such
as cement, brick, tiles etc.
• The availability of material & his availability in form i.e. ready or
required process decide the speed of construction.
• Use of proper materials not only speeds up construction & reduces
the cost but they also contribute in providing better structural
strength, functional efficiency & aesthetic appearance.
• In this unit we study various materials used in construction activity
& its properties.

3. 1. Stone
• Building stones are obtained from the rocks in quarries.
• The quarried stone may be in the form of stone blocks, stone
aggregate, stone slabs etc.
• The stone is properly dressed & shaped as per requirement where
it is used.
• They are used for following civil engineering works,
1. Construction of buildings.
2. Construction of dams, weirs, bridge abutments, harbours, etc.
3. Ornamental (attractive) face works of buildings.
4. Used as road metal and railway ballast.
5. Used as aggregate for concrete making.

4. Classification of Rocks
• Geological Classification
• Rocks are geologically classified as Igneous rocks, Sedimentary
rocks and Metamorphic rocks.
• Igneous rocks are formed by cooling of molten rock material
(magma or lava) blowup from a volcano.
• The foam of this hot magma gets cooled and consolidated quickly
to form porous rocks like pumice.
• The layer below the foam gets cooled and consolidated to form
non-crystalline rocks like trap and basalt.
• The rest of the molten rock material which remains inside the
earth gets cooled and consolidated at slower rate to form
crystalline rocks such as granite.
• They are very hard and tough.

5. Classification of Rocks
• Sedimentary rocks are formed by gradual deposition of
disintegrated rocks, vegetation and clay at the bottom of rivers.
• The disintegration takes place due to action of various weathering
agencies like rain, wind, sun, snow, etc.
• Due to seasonal variations, sedimentation takes place in layers.
• With passage of time, the sediments get consolidated in horizontal
beds due to pressure of overlying material.
• These rocks are stratified and show well defined bedding planes.
• These rocks are soft and can easily split along the bedding planes.
• The examples of sedimentary rocks are sand stone, lime stone,
shale, etc.

6. Classification of Rocks
• Metamorphic rocks are formed by metamorphism (action of heat
and pressure) on igneous and sedimentary rocks.
• Granites gets converted to gneiss, sandstone gets converted to
quartzite, limestone gets converted to marble or schist, shale gets
converted to slate.

7. Classification of Rocks
2. Physical classification
• Physically the rocks are classified as stratified and unstratified
rocks.
• Stratified rocks show discrete layers along which the rocks can
split.
• The examples are sandstone, limestone, marble, slate, shale, etc.
• Unstratified rocks do not show any stratification and cannot be
easily split into layers.
• The examples are granite, trap, basalt, quartzite, etc.

8. Classification of Rocks
3. Chemical classification
• Chemically the rocks are classified as argillaceous, silicious and
calcareous.
• In Argillaceous rocks the main constituent is clay (Al2O3). These
rocks are hard and brittle.
• The examples are slate, laterite, etc.
• In Silicious rocks the main constituent is silica (SiO2). These
rocks are very hard and durable.
• The examples are granite, basalt, trap, quartzite, gneiss, etc.
• In Calcareous rocks the main constituent is lime (CaO).
• The examples are limestone, marble, dolomite, etc.

9. Requirements of good building stone
• A good building should have the following qualities,
1. Appearance: The stones used in face work should have
uniform colour and compact texture.
2. Structure: A broken stone should have uniform texture free
from cracks, cavities and patches of soft material.
3. Strength: A stone should be strong and durable to withstand
the adverse effects of weathering agencies. The compressive
strength of building stones varies between 60 to 200 N/mm2.
4. Weight: It is an indication of specific gravity and density. A
heavy stone resist higher load.
5. Hardness: The stone should be hard enough. Hardness is
resistance to abrasion. This property is more important for
floors, pavements, etc.

10. 7. Toughness: The stone should be tough enough. Toughness is
resistance to impact. This property is more important when the
stone is subjected to moving loads as in the case of railway ballast,
road metal, etc.
8. Porosity and absorption: Highly porous stones are not suitable
as building stones as the absorbed water cause disintegration. In
cold climate the absorbed water may freeze and split the stone.
9. Durability: The resistance of stone against the wear and tear due
to natural agencies should be high.
10. Seasoning: The stone should be well-seasoned and it should be
free from quarry-sap.
11.Workability: The stone should be workable so that cutting,
dressing and bringing it to required size and shape is easy and
economical.
12. Fire resistance: The stone should be fire resistant.

11. Common building stones and their properties and
suitability for different works
Sr.
No.
Type of stone Properties Suitability
1 Granite
(Igneous)
1. Sp. Gr. 2.6 to 2.7
2. Water absorption < 1%
3. Compressive strength 100 to
250 N/mm2
4. Difficult to work
5. Takes high polish
6. Available in variety of colours
For heavy engineering works
such as bridge piers,
abutments, dams, retaining
walls, sea walls, break
waters, docks, harbours,
light houses.
Flooring, Cladding
2 Trap and Basalt
(Igneous)
1. Sp. Gr. 2.8 to 3
2. Compressive strength 200 to
350 N/mm2
3. Difficult to work
For masonry work of sub
structure and super structure,
as road metal, railway ballast
and concrete aggregates
3 Sandstone
(sedimentary)
1. Sp. Gr. 2.65 to 2.95
2. Compressive strength 20 to
170 N/mm2
3. Water
Road metal, paving in form
of flag stone, ornamental
work

12. Common building stones and their properties and
suitability for different works
Sr.
No.
Type of stone Properties Suitability
4 Limestone
(sedimentary)
1. Sp. Gr. 2 to 2.75
2. Compressive strength 55
N/mm2
Flooring, paving, roofing, in
the manufacture of lime and
cement
5 Gneiss
(Metamorphic)
1. Strong and durable
2. Can split into thin slabs
Rough stone masonry, stone
pitching, road metal
6 Laterite
(Metamorphic)
1. Porous or cellular structure
2. Soft and easy to work
Rough stone masonry, road
metal
7 Marble
(Metamorphic)
1. Sp. Gr. 2.65
2. Compressive strength 70
N/mm2
3. Hard and compact
4. Takes high polish
Monumental works,
flooring, decorative and
ornamental works.

13. Uses of stones
• Broken stones & stone chips are used in foundation, roofs & floors
of building & as road metal & railway ballast.
• Stone blocks are mainly used in walls, foundations & ornamental
fascia work.
• Quartzite is used for rubble Masonary, road metalling also as a
aggregate for concrete.
• Lime stone slabs are used for flooring , paving & roofing.
• Slates are used as roofing & flooring materials.
• Granite is used in vary common in kitchen ota.
• Marble is extremely suitable for ornamental & superior type of
building work.

14. Artificial stones
• Artificial stone are prepared by mixing lime or cement, sand & grit
under pressure & heat.
• Required shape is given to the artificial stone by taking the mixture of
lime or cement, sand and grit in moulds.
• This stones can be made by various methods such that it seems like
original stone in composition & properties.
• This stones are prepared at site under construction or in factory also.
• Concrete blocks, hollow blocks, light weight concrete blocks named
as Siporex, bricks are some of the examples of artificial stones.
• The artificial stones have a maximum homogeneity & they can be
rebated & grooved very easily.
• This stones are more resistance to weathering &acid attack.