A study of some Egyptian carbonate rocks for the building construction industry

A number of geotechnical analyses were carried out on selected carbonate rock samples from eight sites located in Egypt. This analysis was to assess the suitability of these rocks for building construction aggregate. The analyses included properties of uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, porosity, water absorption, and dynamic fragmentation. The success of building construction depends to a large extent on the availability of raw materials at affordable prices. Raw materials commonly used in the building industry include sands, gravels, clays and clay-derived products. Despite the widespread occurrence of carbonate rocks throughout Egypt, the low premium placed on their direct application in the building sector may be explained in two ways: firstly, the lack of awareness of the potential uses of carbonate rocks in the building construction industry (beyond the production of asbestos, ceiling boards, roof sheets and Portland cement); and secondly, the aesthetic application of carbonate rocks in the building construction depends mainly on their physical attributes, a knowledge of which is generally restricted to within the confines of research laboratories and industries. Thus this paper addresses the physical and mechanical characteristics of some Egyptian carbonate rocks, evaluating them for their suitability as building construction aggregates.