Mechanical behaviour of granite: a compilation, analysis and correlation of data from around the world

Abstract

Granite is a building material used in old masonry structures. The aim of the work presented here is to help engineers and researchers in their choice of the mechanical parameters used to calculate these structures. A database was compiled from the international literature published between 1965 and 2016 and new tests on granite from southern France were added to it. From all these experimental results obtained with 178 different granites, the mechanical behaviour of the granites in compression and tension was analysed. Considerable variability was observed in the measured parameters, except for the bulk density. The cracking and damage thresholds of granite were estimated with respect to its compressive strength. Correlation relationships between the physical parameters of granite (bulk density, porosity, ultrasonic P-wave velocity) and its basic mechanical parameters (compressive strength, tensile strength, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio) are proposed with a 90% confidence interval.

Keywords:

• granite
• mechanical behaviour
• crack
• strength
• ultrasonic velocity

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the ISRFMP, “Institut Supérieur de Recherche et de Formation aux Métiers de la Pierre”, for free access to their rocks database, and M. Plo, director of the Sidobre quarry “Carrières PLO” for supplying granite free of charge.