ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR NATURAL STONE|INOVSTONE 4.0-IMPORTANT RESULTS FROM A RESEARCH PROJECT ON NATURAL STONE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS SELECTION AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The natural stone as a building material has been revealed to have much lower life cycle costs than other materials as concrete, glass and steel. For this reason, it has a positive impact on the environment. However, several incidents with different pathologies on distinct lithologies has led to an increase in maintenance costs. The lack of knowledge on a stone performance over time and the frequent absence of a solution has a significant negative effect on the entire stone trade. Therefore, less sustainable, and less durable construction solutions are used as an alternative. The work-package “Tools for value” of the Inovstone 4.0 project (Advanced Technologies and Software for Natural Stone) addresses the need to highlight the dynamic capacity of the Portuguese Ornamental Rocks Sector (RO) based upon in-depth knowledge on natural stone performance regarding dissimilar testing conditions and, at the same time, strengthen its competitiveness in relation to the new digital procurement model, namely in the context of the Building Information Modeling (BIM). This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the main project findings. The main objectives were: I) Classifying the stones by petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical analysis; ii) To understand and explain the mechanisms of the loss of strength caused by thermalageing cycles; iii) To study the effect of biodeterioration on marbles, slates and limestones; iv) To develop a concept for assessment of Portuguese natural stone products, including a monitoring system to predict strength development and improve safety and reliability; v) To address quality control issues to optimize the production conditions. The research was performed on twenty-five different lithotypes, from various locations in Portugal. Project results eased the development of Portuguese natural stone construction products selection, performance guidelines and critical influence factors. Biosusceptibility and colour evaluation have been performed in the laboratory and revealed crucial results, including the suitability under certain environments, potential durability, and cleaning ability after exposure. Guidelines for selection and product control have been proposed and developed aiming at natural stone construction products with improved service life