The Suitability of Limestone from Pilaspi Formation (Middle-Late Eocene) for Building Stone in Koya Area, NE Iraq

  • Hemn M. Omar Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Koya University, University Park, Danielle Mitterrand Boulevard, Koya KOY45, Kurdistan Region.
  • Nawzat R. Ismail Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Koya University, University Park, Danielle Mitterrand Boulevard, Koya KOY45, Kurdistan Region.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14500/aro.10068
Keywords: Building materials, limestone, physical properties, Pilaspi formation, slake durability.

Abstract

Suitability of limestone rocks has a crucial importance when stones are used for constructing modern structure. The purpose of this study is to clarify the links between physical, mechanical properties of limestone rocks, also their quality to use as building materials. A total of six limestone rock samples were collected from three different outcrops locations within Pilaspi Formation in Koya area. Engineering geological and geotechnical properties of the limestone rocks in the study area were determined based on the field studies and laboratory tests. The field studies included observations/ measurements of rock mass characteristics such as color, grain size, orientation, bedding thickness and weathering state of the rock materials also spacing, persistence, roughness and infilling material of the discontinuities. Laboratory tests were carried out for determining water content, water absorption, density, uniaxial compressive strength, slake durability and porosity of the rock materials. The study results go well with the national and international standards (Iraqi Standards, 1989; American Society for Testing and Materials, 2004; International Society for Rock Mechanics, 1981) and have shown that the limestone rocks are acceptable for building stone.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Hemn M. Omar, Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Koya University, University Park, Danielle Mitterrand Boulevard, Koya KOY45, Kurdistan Region.
Hemn M. Omar is a lecturer at the department of Geotechnical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, KoyaUniversity since 2004. He has a B.Sc. degree in Geology and M.Sc. degree in Geotechnical Engineering. His main research area is geotechnical investigation and engineering geological assessment. Hemn is a Consultant at the Kurdistan Geological Union.
Nawzat R. Ismail, Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Koya University, University Park, Danielle Mitterrand Boulevard, Koya KOY45, Kurdistan Region.

Nawzat R. Ismail is a lecturer at the department of Geotechnical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Koya University since 2004. He has a B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in sedimentology and stratigraphical geology from Mosul University, Iraq. Nawzat's main research interests are in the sedimentology & stratigraphy of Cenozoic Era of formations (rock units) for Kurdistan region and suitability in engineering projects.

References

American Society for Testing and Materials, 2004. C568: 2004 Standard specification for limestone dimension stone. America: ASTM.

Anon, 1972. The preparation of maps and plans in term of engineering geology, Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology, 5(4), pp.293-383.

Bellen, R, Dunnigton, H, Wetzel, R. and Morton, D 1959, Lexique stratigraphique international Intern Geol. Conger. Comm., 3, 10 Asie, Iraq, 333pp.

Benavente, D., Garcia del Cura, M, A., Fort, R. and Ordonez, S., 2004. Durability estimation of porous building stone from pore structure and strength. Journal of the Engineering Geological, 74(1-2), pp.113-127.

Buday, T., 1980. The Regional geology of Iraq, vol. 1: stratigraphy and paleontology. Baghdad: Publication of GEOSURV.

Buday, T. and Jassim, S., 1987. The Regional geology of Iraq, vol. 2: Tectonism, Magmatism and Metamorphism. Baghdad: Publication of GEOSURV.

Dhaher, K.A., 2009. Study of physical and geotechnical properties of some rock units of Pilaspi, Fatha and Injana Formations in Shaqlawa area, northern Iraq, M. Sc., University of Baghdad.

International Society for Rock Mechanics, 1981. Suggested methods for determining swelling and slake durability index properties. ISRM Suggested Method: Rock characterization testing and monitoring. Oxford: ISRM.

Iraqi Standards, 1989. IS No. 1387: 1989 Natural building stone. Baghdad, IS.

Jacobsen, S. and Aarseth, LI., 1999. Effect on wind on drying fram wet porous building material surfaces- A simple model in steady state. Journal of Material and Structure, 32, pp.38-44. Jassim, S.Z. and Goff.J. C., 2006. Geology of Iraq. Prague: Dolin.

Khanal, S. and Tamrakar, N. K., 2009. Evaluation of quality of crushed limestone and-siltstone for road aggregates. Bulletin of Department of Geology, 12, pp.20-42.

Miglio, B. and Willmott, T., 2010. Durability of stone for construction. Journal of ASTM International Selected Technical Papers STP 1514; durability of Building and construction, Sealants and Adhesives, 3, pp.241-246.

Naghoj, N.M., Yuossef, N. A. R. and Maaitah, O. N., 2010. Mechanical properties of natural building stone: Jordanian building limestones as an example, Jordan Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 3(1), pp.37-48.

New Zealand Geotechnical Society, 2005. Field description of soil and rock, New Zealand: Publication of NZ Geotechnical Society.

Ross, K.D., Hart, D. and Butlin, R. N., 1990. Durability tests for natural building stone. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Durability of Building Materials and Components. Brighton, pp.97-111.

Saleh, D.G., 2012. The suitability of limestone of Fatha Formation for building and road aggregates in Nineveh governorate/ North Iraq, Journal of University of Anbar for Pure Science, 6(2), pp.1-13.

Youkhana, R. and Sissakian,V., 1986. Stratigraphy of Shaqlawa-Koisanjaq area. Journal of the Geological Society of Iraq, 19(3), pp.137-154.

ARO Journal: Volume 3, No. 2 (2015)
Published
2015-09-11
How to Cite
Omar, H. M. and Ismail, N. R. (2015) “The Suitability of Limestone from Pilaspi Formation (Middle-Late Eocene) for Building Stone in Koya Area, NE Iraq”, ARO-THE SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF KOYA UNIVERSITY, 3(2), pp. 18-23. doi: 10.14500/aro.10068.
Issue
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2015): Issue Five
Section
Articles

Copyright (c) 2015 Hemn M. Omar, Nawzat R. Ismail

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who choose to publish their work with Aro agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain the copyright to their work and grant the journal the right of first publication. The work is simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License [CC BY-NC-SA 4.0]. This license allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

  • Authors have the freedom to enter into separate agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work. This includes options such as posting it to an institutional repository or publishing it in a book, as long as proper acknowledgement is given to its initial publication in this journal.

  • Authors are encouraged to share and post their work online, including in institutional repositories or on their personal websites, both prior to and during the submission process. This practice can lead to productive exchanges and increase the visibility and citation of the published work.

By agreeing to these terms, authors acknowledge the importance of open access and the benefits it brings to the scholarly community.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC