PETROPHYSICAL, PETROGRAPHICAL AND MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CALCARENITE ROCK USED FOR MONUMENTAL BUILDING IN MOROCCO

Abstract

International audienceThis article consists in studying the petrophysical, petrographical, mineralogical and structural properties implemented stones. Our study was conducted on one of the stones most commonly used in building monuments of coastal cities in Morocco, particularly in the Rabat-Sale region: the Plio-Quaternary calcarenite. This work is a first phase of a more overall study taking into account the severe conditions to which these building materials were subjected. At this level of advancement, no expertise can be conducted. A good knowledge of various calcarenite stone characteristics allows to better understanding the alteration mechanisms of this material and to consider solutions limiting their progress. So, we have also chosen to work on unaltered samples taken from the original quarry. Experimental analysis performed on sample fragments of unaltered calcarenite rock using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations, allow characterizing the stone both from the mineralogical and the structural point of views. Moreover, the pore size distribution according to pressure-volume analysis has been established by using the mercury intrusion porosimetry method. We will also present petrophysical results concerning the imbibition kinetics, thermal conductivity and permeability for tests performed on specimens taken parallel and perpendicular to the sediment bedding