Correlative relations between three-body abrasion wear resistance and petrographic properties of selected granites used as floor coverings

Stone tiles used as flooring materials in buildings are subject to three-body abrasion wear due to pedestrian traffic. Hence, wear resistance characterization of stone materials is an important issue in civil engineering projects for appropriate selection and design of floor coverings. The objective of the present work was to identify the most influential quantitative petrographic properties of granites affecting their wear resistance values determined by the Wide Wheel Abrasion (WWA) test. For this purpose, petrographic analyzes and abrasion wear tests were performed on selected granites showing variations in their mineral modal composition, grain size distribution, hardness, porosity and density values. Results of the statistical analyzes indicate that the abrasion resistance of the tested granites is more influenced by modal mineral composition than the grain size. The overall Rosiwal hardness (HR) and the presently proposed petrographic index 'quartz to all cleavable minerals ratio' (Q/CLV), both have the potential to be employed as effective tools for obtaining preliminary estimations of abrasion resistance in similar granite types. Micro-hardness determined by the Knoop indenter did not prove to be a reliable indicator of granite wear resistance, which is in disagreement with the Archard's classical wear law formulated for relatively homogeneous and isotropic materials.