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Design 2 CH 1
Design 2 CH 1
MARBLE
1 AGGLOMERATED MARBLE
1.1 BACKGROUND
Marble is a metamorphic rock originating
from limestone or calcium carbonate
(CaCo3).
Agglomerated
marble,
also
Fig. 1.1 Raw material for agglomerated marble: Selected marble boulders.
In natural marble production, large rocks are acquired from quarries. After cutting
the selected rocks, the remaining boulders are classified as residue. In the past,
the excess material was treated as waste or used as substrate for roads. This is
not an efficient use of limited natural resources and does not contribute positively
to environmental sustainability. The need to make full use of the natural stone
substance to produce a product similar to natural marble led to agglomerated
marble as a natural stone substitute.
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Marble Boulder
Aggregates
MixingLoadingMoulding
Under Vibro-compression
Calibration
Polishing
Proprietary Formula
Block
Gang Saw
Cutting
Un-Polished Slob
Fig. 1.7 Polishing tools are similar to those for natural marble.
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Fig. 1.8 Dry lay requires additional manpower and sufficient space for segregation and storage.
Fig. 1.9 Direct installation (without dry lay) saves time and cost in construction.
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Fig. 1.10 Sorting stones by production batch code to minimize tone varitation.
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Fig. 1.12 Difficult to address inherent flaws in natural stones, especially after installation.
Fig. 1.13 Liquid ingress and acid reactions are main reasons for stain and etching.
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MARBLE
ADHESIVE
SUBSTRATE
5 Apatite
4 Fluorite
3 Calcite (Most Marbles)
2 Gypsum
1 Talc
Agglomerated marble MOH value:
3.5 to 4.5
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Fig. 1.17 Use of compatible adhesive and grout enhances the performance of agglomerated marble.
d. Maintenance
Agglomerated marble can react with acids and alkalis. Thus it is advisable to apply
compatible impregnator to prevent or minimize stain ingress and other reactions. Also,
it should be cleaned only with pH neutral detergents. Some other tips to maintain the
original surface finish are:
Avoid using cleaning agents containing soluble salts like sulphate or chloride
TEST STANDARDS
PURPOSE OF TEST
BS EN 14617-12: 2005
BS EN 14617-15: 2005
BS EN 14617-10: 2005
BS EN 14617- 1:2005
5
6
BS EN 14617- 4:2005
EN 101:1991
products
should
be
specific
type
of