Key parameters of volcanic tuffs used as building stone: a statistical approach

Volcanic tuffs naturally show a strong heterogeneity in their petrography and petrophysical properties. The arrangement of the components in tuffs can create a very wide spectrum of porosities and fabrics, which in turn can lead to a highly differential weathering behavior. Considerable amounts of clay minerals and zeolites are common and can contribute to a high sensitivity to expansional processes and salt crystallization. Understanding the influence of the rock properties on material behavior and durability can help to make predictions on future material behavior and evaluate the suitability of the material for construction purposes. This study presents the petrographic and petrophysical data of 15 selected tuffs and 513 tuffs from the literature used as building stones. Regression analysis show if parameters are comparable and if key parameters can be identified. Key parameters can potentially be used for the estimation of the material behavior, without the use of expensive analytics or weathering simulations. © 2021, The Author(s).

Key parameters; Prediction of material behavior; Statistics; Volcanic tuff Regression analysis; Volcanoes; Weathering; Zeolites; Building stone; Differential weathering; Keys parameters; Material behaviour; Petrophysical properties; Prediction of material behavior; Statistical approach; Strong heterogeneities; Volcanic tuffs; Wide spectrum; Building materials; building stone; durability; heterogeneity; parameter estimation; petrography; rock mechanics; statistical analysis; weathering

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