20-09-2017, 04:16 PM
The term building minerals is used to describe all the minerals and rocks used by the construction industry, for example, in road construction, in housing construction and as railroad ballast. The largest component of construction minerals and the most bulky materials extracted in India are "aggregates", a term used to describe granular or particulate material that is suitable for use alone or with a binder such as cement, lime or bitumen, under construction as concrete. The two main types of aggregates are crushed rocks (limestone, igneous rock and sandstone) and sand and gravel.
The stone of dimension was for centuries the main supporting material of buildings, bridges, port works, etc., a function now widely assumed by concrete and steel. The common building stones are massive granite and sandstones and limestones, which can be extracted into large rectangular blocks free of internal fractures, without producing an undue proportion of waste fragments. High compressive and shear strengths are required for load bearing structures. A wide variety of porphyritic igneous rocks, marbles, tuffs, fossiliferous limestones and travertines are used as decorative stone for claddings, pavements and interior walls. The slate, characterized by a closely spaced division developed by crustal tensions, which facilitates the separation of thin layers, is a traditional roofing material. The volume and weight of dimension stone required for major construction sites require easy transportation from the quarry to the construction site.
The most durable building stones used as both aggregate and dimension stone are granites and similar plutonic rocks with massive texture, low porosity and stable minerals. Sandstones, especially those with calcareous cement, are subject to the effects of water permeation, and limestones to solution and reaction on a larger scale. Despite these disadvantages, the limestones have provided some of the most beautiful building materials.
The stone of dimension was for centuries the main supporting material of buildings, bridges, port works, etc., a function now widely assumed by concrete and steel. The common building stones are massive granite and sandstones and limestones, which can be extracted into large rectangular blocks free of internal fractures, without producing an undue proportion of waste fragments. High compressive and shear strengths are required for load bearing structures. A wide variety of porphyritic igneous rocks, marbles, tuffs, fossiliferous limestones and travertines are used as decorative stone for claddings, pavements and interior walls. The slate, characterized by a closely spaced division developed by crustal tensions, which facilitates the separation of thin layers, is a traditional roofing material. The volume and weight of dimension stone required for major construction sites require easy transportation from the quarry to the construction site.
The most durable building stones used as both aggregate and dimension stone are granites and similar plutonic rocks with massive texture, low porosity and stable minerals. Sandstones, especially those with calcareous cement, are subject to the effects of water permeation, and limestones to solution and reaction on a larger scale. Despite these disadvantages, the limestones have provided some of the most beautiful building materials.