CHAPTER 7: THE PLACE AND USE OF

NATURAL MATERIAL FOR CONSTRUCTION

7.1 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.

7.2 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).
7.3 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.
7.4 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.

Quarrying by blasting requires the following steps:
a) Drilling of blast holes of calculated dimensions at
predetermined places in the rock.
b) These drilled holes are charged with the explosives of suitable
quality in a carefully selected manner.
c) Igniting or firing of charge or shot, which explode with in the body
of the rock and thus rocks, break in to parts and thrown into at
distances that depend upon the quantity and quality of the
explosives used in the shot.

The two basic kinds of explosives are : black blasting powder and high
explosives.

(1) Black blasting powder: is used in dimension stone quarries.

♣ Black blasting powder may be either “A” blasting powder of “B”

blasting powder type.

♣ “A” blasting powder that is mixture of charcoal, potassium

nitrate, and sulfur in proportion of about 15:75:10 respectively.
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 ♣ “B” blasting powder is mixture of charcoal, sodium nitrate, and
sulfur in proportion of about 16:72:12 respectively. “B” blasting
powder is slower and less expensive than “A”

♣ Blasting powder or Gunpowder can be ignited by means of fuse.

(2) High explosives: are used in crushed stone quarries and in most
civil engineering excavation operations.

High explosive may be:

♣ Those containing mainly Nitroglycerin and Nitroglycol both are
designated by symbol NG.
♣ These are the main types used in civil engineering.
♣ They commonly referred as dynamite, and they may have either a
granular or gelatinous nature.
♣ Nitroglycol is less expensive than Nitroglycerin.
♣ Those, which do not contain NG-types (mostly military type
explosives). Dynamite should not explode by detonation.

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7.5 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.

7.6 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.
7.7 Properties of Building Stones
♣ Mineral composition
♣ Texture
♣ Structure
♣ Porosity
♣ Permeability
♣ Durability
♣ Strength of rock
♣ Resistance to fire

7.8 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.