A practical study to predict uniaxial compressive strength of turkish marbles after freeze thaw test

Natural stones have been used as construction and decoration materials for centuries. They have been used for these purposes because they are both durable and aesthetic. However they are constantly exposed to external influences such as excessive cold and excessive hot due to climatic conditions. For this reason freeze-thaw characteristic of stone is important because it will determine performance of stone during climatic changes. Freeze-thaw test is performed to determine the deteriorations of stones due to freeze-thaw cycling. The amount of strength loss is an important parameter which shows deterioration amount. Freeze-thaw test very reliable to determine strength loss but it is demanding and time consuming. Because of this hardness, predicting the after test strength (strength loss), previous studies were reviewed and a model constructed from 50 different natural stones. Moreover freeze-thaw tests were applied on 6 samples for controlling the model. In addition, 12 different natural stones from previous studies are also held as control group. All samples are from different places of Turkey. A statistical model developed to predict after freeze thaw test uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) values from UCS values. This model is simple and reliable (R² = 0.85) and this model can be functional for predetermination of uniaxial compression strengths of lime stones after freeze-thaw test without testing.