Petrophysical and mechanical properties of the Struganik limestone (Vardar zone, western Serbia)

Abstract

The Struganik limestone has been increasingly popular in recent years for interior and exterior building applications, due to easy workability, low cost and multi purpose suitability. The quality of limestone is determined by its mineralogical and textural characteristics and physico-mechanical properties. The Struganik stone corresponds to marl, clayey limestone and limestone (micritic and allochemical). The limestone is commonly layered, either thinly bedded or banked. Chert concretions are present in all varieties. The Upper and the Lower Campanian age were deduced by the abundant foraminifers. Micrite limestone is an autochthonous rock generated in a deep marine environment, whereas allochemical limestone is related to a shallow marine environment but subsequently brought into a deep-water system. The mass quality of the Struganik limestone is controlled by variability of lithology and layering. The values of physico-mechanical properties, such as density, porosity, water absorption and strength, were statistically analyzed and the obtained data were used to assess the rock quality in the quarry. The relationship among the quantified properties is described by regression analyses and the equations of the best-fit line. The Struganik limestone was qualified by its petrological and engineering properties coupled with statistical analysis. It satisfies the majority of the requirements of the Main National Standard as a decorative stone, but with a limiting factor regarding abrasive resistance.