Developing a stone testing program to help you ensure you get the stone you want and ask for.

1. Developing a stone testing program Why, How, When & What For? Jim Mann Dimension Stone Specialist Principal Stone Initiatives www.stonemtg.biz

4. To correctly determine HOW to test, we need to understand what the tests can tell us…

6. Test Categorisation Determination of inherent physical properties. TEST METHOD TEST ASTM C97 Water Absorption SI-THERM-06 Thermal Expansion SI-DIM-06 Dimensional Stability ASTM C170 Compressive Strength ASTM C99 Modulus of Rupture ASTM C880 Flexural Strength ASTM C97 Bulk Specific Gravity

7. Test Categorisation Testing for design (job specific testing) AS/NZS 4456.5 Breaking Load of Segmental Pavers AS4459.14 Stain Resistance AS/NZS 4586 Slip Resistance ASTM C1353 Abrasion Resistance ASTM C1354 Anchorage Strength TEST METHOD TEST

8. Test Categorisation Qualitative / semi-quantitative analysis Freeze-Thaw Cycling Dye Penetrant Testing Durability (Resistance to Salt Attack) - AS/NZS 4456.10-A Petrography Schmidt Hammer Rebound Hardness Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Chemical / X-Ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD) TEST

12. Exploration Testing Phase water absorption / density compressive strength petrography / XRD durability dimensional stability Selection of drill core representative of the range exploitable .

13. Exploration Testing Phase Comparison of results with those of an established sandstone to determine the likely performance. (Sandstone X has historically been found to perform well as ashlar, paving and façade curtain wall cladding) -0.02 -0.06 Dimensional Stability (%) 0.8 0.6 (1.0 – 0.4) Resistance to Salt Attack (Wt%) 45 / 32 102 / 75 (150 – 50) Compressive Strength (MPa) 2.30 2.43 (2.45 – 2.35) Bulk Specific Gravity (t.m-3) 3.8 2.3 (3.8 – 2.0) Water Absorption (Wt%) Sandstone X New Sandstone Property

14. Processing Testing Phase Why ? Produce a material with consistent physical and/or aesthetic properties. Maximise output by grading of blocks and identifying the material with the lowest wastage factor (highest recovery).

15. Processing Testing Phase The adopted testing or inspection regime must be relevant to the intended use/s of the stone and not unnecessarily interfere with production – it should be considered as an integral part of the processing procedure. How ?

17. Design & Fabrication Testing Phase Why ? Deliver a finished product that meets the specified strength and structural requirements. Validate engineering designs and calculations.

20. Quarry Development Testing Phase How ? By using historical data gathered from QA testing and tender documents and identifying the basic physical properties that are reliable indicators of the performance of the stone. The example below gives data collected over time for a sandstone… 60 10.3 / 7.0 2.35 2.9 S1 49 7.6 / 5.4 2.29 3.9 S2 58 9.1 / 6.2 2.35 3.1 S3 32 3.8 / 1.1 2.28 4.7 S4 56 42 Compressive Strength (wet) 10.6 / 8.1 8.9 / 5.8 Flexural Strength W / D 2.34 2.33 Bulk Specific Gravity 3.1 3.2 Water Absorption S6 S5 Property

21. Quarry Development Testing Phase We can see a relationship here between flexural strength and bulk specific gravity. If our aim is to produce stone with a minimum flexural strength of 6 MPa, we should target stone from the region where the drill core has an SG of at least 2.3; this can be used as a basic criterion.

22. Quarry Development Testing Phase Hand samples or drill core can be used to determine the physical property that has been found to be a performance indicator. These results can be used to interpolate approximate physical properties of the material remaining within the different regions of the quarry.

31. Project Testing Phase Production Quality Control Testing The volume and frequency of testing may vary depending on the variation in the test results gathered during the previous testing stages. For example: For an exterior paving project, the quality control testing specification may include statements such as …

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