Abstract
The degradation of natural rocks due to severe environmental conditions can influence their durability over an extended period of time. This research aims to investigate the long‐term durability or disintegration rate of rocks used as construction materials under severe climatic conditions using frost damage action, and the deterioration rate was assessed using mathematical decay function approach. The mathematical model assumes an initial order operation and gives purposeful properties for the deterioration rate of rocks due to frost action. For this reason, six different limestone types used as building materials were quarried from limestone mine in China and subjected to a series of laboratory tests to determine the mineralogical, petrographical, physical, and mechanical characteristics. Then, 50 cycles of frost damage process was performed, and after each 10 cycles, the unconfined compressive strength, point load strength, and Schmidt rebound were determined. The disintegration rate or integrity loss characteristics of each rock type were assessed using the mathematical decay function approach parameters. This approach proved that the disintegration rate varies for the rocks of the same type especially which were extracted from the same areas, the rock durability under frost damage conditions can be estimated with good accuracy, the parameters of this model saved a lot of time and provided important practical features to assess a rapid durability, and hence, there is no need to carry out the frost damage test which is slow and consumes time.
Highlights
Natural rocks have commonly been used as building stones and construction materials in many engineering projects [1] especially in historical monuments and modern buildings from past until present times [2]
E main objectives of this study are to (1) investigate the long-term durability of different limestone types used as building stones and construction materials subject to severe environmental conditions by using frost damage process; (2) estimate the integrity loss or deterioration rate of rocks depending on the mathematical decay function approach using unconfined compressive strength, point load strength, and Schmidt hammer rebound; and (3) determine whether the different rocks of the same type can provide sufficient information according to their durability under frost damage condition action or not
Erefore, these significant parameters save a lot of time and provide important practical features to assess fast long-term durability. e mathematical model showed response of all the studied different rock samples to frost-weathering process. e parameters of the decay function model obtained are in good accuracy to estimate the disintegration rate of studied rocks, and there is no need to carry out the artificial frost-weathering test which is slow and consumes a lot of time, and this is suitable for rocks of the same type especially which were extracted from the same areas because of its near physical and mechanical characteristics
Summary
Natural rocks have commonly been used as building stones and construction materials in many engineering projects [1] especially in historical monuments and modern buildings from past until present times [2]. In spite of most of the previous researches, different methods of the influences of frost-weathering process on the rocks have been studied for many times; the numerical modeling methods are not enough to estimate the deterioration rate of rocks used as building stones and construction materials under frost-weathering conditions [15, 18, 20]. E main objectives of this study are to (1) investigate the long-term durability of different limestone types used as building stones and construction materials subject to severe environmental conditions by using frost damage process; (2) estimate the integrity loss or deterioration rate of rocks depending on the mathematical decay function approach using unconfined compressive strength, point load strength, and Schmidt hammer rebound; and (3) determine whether the different rocks of the same type can provide sufficient information according to their durability under frost damage condition action or not
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