Chapter Six

CHAPTER 6
THE USE OF NATURAL

MATERIALS FOR
CONSTRUCTION
Continued…
6.1 Quarry
Quarry: is place where rock is separated from its natural beds and
processed for use in construction.
Quarrying is the process of breaking and obtaining stones from their

natural rock out crops.
6.2 Types of quarries

There are two types of quarries: Open and under ground quarries.
Open quarries may be shelf quarries, where the rock is extracted

from hillside, or pit quarries, where the rock is extracted from a
certain depth in the ground.
Quarry products are dimension stone, crushed stone, and broken
stone (riprap).
Continued…
Figure: Open pit quarry-early phase

Continued…
Figure: Open pit quarry-with benches

Continued…
Figure: Open shelf quarry

6.3 The controlling factor for selection of quarry site
The search of rock material for building stone, crushed rock, or riprap is
controlled by factors
♣ quality
♣ supply of the material (quantity) and
♣ economics of production and delivery.
6.4 Quarrying methods
Quarrying is done by one of the following 4 methods after
investigation of its quality, quantity and economic benefit.
i) Excavating ii) Wedging iii) Heating iv) Blasting.
i) Excavating: This method is employed when stones to be quarried are
lying buried in earth or are under loose overburden before
excavating.
ii) Wedging: This method is suitable for quarrying soft stratified

rocks. The operation is started near a vertical face.
iii) Heating: This method is suitable where only small blocks of more or
less regular shape are required and suitable rocks bedded in
horizontal layers, which have not much thickness to be quarried.
iv) Blasting: It is the quarrying of stones using explosives.

6.5 Quarry hazards
Accidents in quarries mostly are due to:
♣ Falls of the over burden or slides of the rock slopes.
♣ Mishandling of explosives.
♣ Poorly organized haulage transport of the rock material together
with carelessness and of fatigue a rear tiredness of the drivers.
♣ A serious occupational disease of stone cutters is silicosis, a
lung infection that develops as a result of inhaling quartz powder
during working hours. For protection against the disease dust
respirators are used.
6.6 Rocks as building materials

Building materials (stones) are products of rocks that are used in
construction of buildings, dams, bridges etc.
The rock materials used for construction include:
♣ Building stones in the form of masonry blocks.
♣ Rubble-in the form of small irregular fragments.
♣ Crushed stones-to make concrete
♣ Limestone-to make lime and cement.
6.7 Properties of Building Stones
♣ Mineral composition
♣ Texture
♣ Structure
♣ Porosity
♣ Permeability
♣ Durability
♣ Strength of rock
♣ Resistance to fire
6.8 Rocks used as building and industrial materials

♣ Granites : suitable for construction works.
♣ Gneiss: suitable for construction works.
♣ Basalts and Dolerites: suitable for construction works except as building stone
because of their color.
♣ Sandstones: siliceous sandstone is suitable for construction works.
♣ Quartzite: suitable for construction works except as
building stone because of its non-workability.
♣ Limestone and marble :Since they easily dissolve with acids not suitable except
Limestone used as cement raw material and
Marble for ornamental works.
♣ Slates: Not suitable for construction works.
Continued…
Granite
Granite can be used as:
•Slab
•Tiles
•Paving stone or cobble
•Wall brick
•Wall stone
•Building column
•Kitchen table
•Garden table and bench
•Decorative structures
Continued…
Figure: Granite slab

Continued…
Figure: Granite building stone

Continued…
Figure: Granite tiles

Continued…
Figure: Granite cubic rock

Continued…
Figure: Granite paving stone

Continued…
Figure: Granite rectangular paving stone (Cobble)

Continued…
Figure: Granite stone flooring

Continued…
Figure: Granite wall brick

Continued…
Figure: Granite wall stone

Continued…
Figure: Yellow granite wall stone

Continued…
Figure: Granite office building

Continued…
Figure: Granite column building stone

Continued…
Figure: Granite stair handrail

Continued…
Figure: Granite in chicken work

Continued…
Figure: Granite table in garden

Continued…
Figure: Granite decorative building stone

Continued…
Gneiss
Gneiss can be used as:
•Slab
•Tiles
•Wall brick
•Wall stone
•Building column
•Kitchen table
Continued…
Gneiss
Continued…
Figure: Gneiss blocks

Continued…
Figure: polished Gneiss building stone

Continued…
Figure: Polished gneiss

Continued…
Figure: Gneiss tiles for flooring

Continued…
Figure: Gneiss stone used as column of building

Continued…
Figure: Gneiss wall rock

Continued…
Figure: Building built of gneiss stone

Continued…
Figure: Gneiss as a paving stone

Continued…
Sandstone
Sandstone can be used as:
•Slab
•Tiles
•Wall brick
•Wall stone
•Building column
Continued…
Figure: Red sandstone block

Continued…
Figure: sandstone as wall stone in building

Continued…
Figure: sandstone as wall stone in building

Continued…
Figure: Red sandstone pavement

Continued…
Figure: Sandstone shower tray

Continued…
Figure: pink sandstone pavement

Continued…
Figure: Sandstone cobble

Continued…
Figure: Sandstone mosaic tiles

Continued…
Figure: sandstone tiles

Continued…
Figure: Sandstone brick

Continued…
Figure: Sandstone slab

Continued…
Figure: Red sand

stone erosion
Continued…
Figure: sandstone church

Continued…
Figure: sandstone building

Continued…
Figure: Sandstone art stone sink

Continued…
Marble
Sandstone can be used as:
•Slab
•Tiles
•Wall brick
•Wall stone
•Building column
•Kitchen table
Continued…
Figure: Marble rock

Continued
Figure: green marble tiles

Continued
Figure: blue marble tiles

Continued…
Figure: white grey marble tiles

Continued…
Figure: white grey Marble slab

Continued…
Figure: Marble wall stone

Continued…
Figure: Marble arch

Continued…
Figure: Marble bathtub

Continued…
Figure: Marble bath

Continued…
Figure: Taj Mohal building

End of class
(
c
)

Chapter Six

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Chapter Six

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CHAPTER 6

THE USE OF NATURAL

Quarrying is the process of breaking and obtaining stones from their

6.2 Types of quarries

Open quarries may be shelf quarries, where the rock is extracted

Figure: Open pit quarry-early phase

Figure: Open pit quarry-with benches

Figure: Open shelf quarry

ii) Wedging: This method is suitable for quarrying soft stratified

iv) Blasting: It is the quarrying of stones using explosives.

6.6 Rocks as building materials

6.8 Rocks used as building and industrial materials

Figure: Granite slab

Figure: Granite building stone

Figure: Granite tiles

Figure: Granite cubic rock

Figure: Granite paving stone

Figure: Granite rectangular paving stone (Cobble)

Figure: Granite stone flooring

Figure: Granite wall brick

Figure: Granite wall stone

Figure: Yellow granite wall stone

Figure: Granite office building

Figure: Granite column building stone

Figure: Granite stair handrail

Figure: Granite in chicken work

Figure: Granite table in garden

Figure: Granite decorative building stone

Figure: Gneiss blocks

Figure: polished Gneiss building stone

Figure: Polished gneiss

Figure: Gneiss tiles for flooring

Figure: Gneiss stone used as column of building

Figure: Gneiss wall rock

Figure: Building built of gneiss stone

Figure: Gneiss as a paving stone

Figure: Red sandstone block

Figure: sandstone as wall stone in building

Figure: sandstone as wall stone in building

Figure: Red sandstone pavement

Figure: Sandstone shower tray

Figure: pink sandstone pavement

Figure: Sandstone cobble

Figure: Sandstone mosaic tiles

Figure: sandstone tiles

Figure: Sandstone brick

Figure: Sandstone slab

Figure: Red sand

Figure: sandstone church

Figure: sandstone building

Figure: Sandstone art stone sink

Figure: Marble rock

Figure: green marble tiles

Figure: blue marble tiles

Figure: white grey marble tiles

Figure: white grey Marble slab

Figure: Marble wall stone

Figure: Marble arch

Figure: Marble bathtub

Figure: Marble bath

Figure: Taj Mohal building

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