Petrography | Durability | Test Results
Technical Data Sheet
Chilmark Limestone
Wessex Dimensional Stone Ltd
Teffont Quarry, Chilmark
Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 5BP
T 01722 716815 F 01722 716818 E info@wessexdlstone.com
Grid Reference: SU 049 298
Compiled March 2000
This data sheet was compiled by the Building Research
Establishment (BRE). Where possible, data collected in earlier surveys has been
used to help interpret the test results. The data sheet was compiled in
September 1999 using the results of tests carried out to the proposed European
Standards. The work was carried out by BRE as part of a Partners in Technology
Programme funded by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
and the Rare Stone Group and does not represent an endorsement of the stone by
BRE.
General
The stone is mined near Teffont, close to the A30 in
Wiltshire. The stone has a long history and was used extensively at Salisbury
Cathedral. The maximum block size is 2700 x 1200 x 500mm.
Petrography
The stone is a fine grained dense glauconitic limestone from
the Portlandian formation (Jurassic). It is usuall a greenish grey colour.
Expected Durability
and Performance
It is important that the results from the sodium sulphate
crystallisation tests are not viewed in isolation. They should be considered
with the results from the porosity and water absorption tests and the
performance of the stone in existing buildings. Stone from Chilmark has been
used for many years in a wide range of locations. The low saturation
co-efficient indicates a stone that will have good resistance to weathering. The
crystallisation test results show the stone to be Class A which BRE Report 141
suggest is suitable for most uses and that it should have good resistance to
both salt and frost. Based on current research it seems likely that the stone
would weather at a rate of between 1 and 2 mm per 100 years but it could be
greater in severe exposures or on the edges of stonework. The strength is at the
top end of the range for limestones.
Test Results
- Chilmark
(Chilmark Mine)
Safety
in Use |
Slip Resistance (Note 1) |
N.D.
|
Values > 40 are considered
safe |
Abrasion Resistance
(Note 1) |
N.D.
|
Values <23.0 are considered
suitable for use in heavily trafficked
areas |
Strength
under load |
1) Compression(Note 2) |
131.5 MPa
|
Loaded perpendicular to the
bedding plane ambient humidity |
2) Bending (Note 1) |
N.D.
|
Loaded perpendicular to the
bedding plane ambient humidity |
|
N.D.
|
Loaded parallel to the
bedding plane ambient humidity |
Porosity
and Water Absorption |
1) Porosity (Note 3) |
7.6%
|
|
2) Saturation Coefficient (Note 3) |
0.65
|
|
3) Water Absorption |
1.97% (by wt)
|
|
4) Bulk specific gravity |
2496kg/m3
|
|
Resistance to Frost |
Freeze/Thaw Test (Note 1) |
N.D.
|
|
Resistance to Salt |
Sodium Sulphate Crystallisation Test
(Note 3) |
-0.20% Mean wt loss
|
|
(Test methods Note 1 = EN1341, Note 2 = EN 1342, Note 3 = EN 1341 /BRE 141,
Note 4 = BRE 141, Note 5 = based on earlier BRE data)
Tests were carried out at BRE in 1997-98. N.D. = not
determined
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