Model to Assess the Quality of Magmatic Rocks for Reliable and Sustainable Constructions

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 9; no. 10; p. 1925
• Main Authors: Toderaş, Mihaela, Moraru, Roland Iosif, Danciu, Ciprian, Buia, Grigore, Cioca, Lucian-Ionel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2017
• Subjects: Basalt; Evaluation; Experimental research; Gabbro; Geomechanics; Granite; Green buildings; Igneous rocks; Lava; Mechanical properties; Quality assessment; Sustainability; Volcanic rocks
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su9101925

Geomechanical assessment of rocks requires knowledge of phenomena that occur under the influence of internal and external factors at a macroscopic or microscopic scale, when rocks are submitted to different actions. To elucidate the quantitative and qualitative geomechanical behavior of rocks, knowing their geological and physical-mechanical characteristics becomes an imperative. Mineralogical, petrographical and chemical analyses provided an opportunity to identify 15 types of igneous rocks (gabbro, diabases, granites, diorites, rhyolites, andesites, and basalts), divided into plutonic and volcanic rocks. In turn, these have been grouped into acidic, neutral (intermediate) and basic magmatites. A new ranking method is proposed, based on considering the rock characteristics as indicators of quantitative assessment, and the grading system, by given points, allowing the rocks framing in admissibility classes. The paper is structured into two parts, experimental and interpretation of experimental data, showing the methodology to assess the quality of igneous rocks analyzed, and the results of theoretical and experimental research carried out on the analyzed rock types. The proposed method constitutes an appropriate instrument for assessment and verification of the requirements regarding the quality of rocks used for sustainable construction.