An Investigation of the Effect of Freezing on Strength and Durability of Dimension Stones Using Fuzzy Clustering Technique and Statistical Analysis

Western and North-Western regions of Iran feature very cold winters, a lot of snow, and freezing temperatures during most nights in December, January, February, and March. This directly influences the selection and applications of dimension stones in these areas. Freezing influences both mechanical and physical properties of rocks. Therefore, measuring the changes in values of these parameters before and after freezing can be used to study the effects of freezing on rocks. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of freezing on the strength and durability of dimension stones. In this research, fourteen types of frequently utilized stones in North-Western parts of Iran were studied. Five freezing and thawing cycles were done on prepared cores. The results of statistical analysis showed that the uniaxial compressive strength and durability of stones respectively reduced by 7.99% and 1.07% after freezing. The uniaxial compressive strength reduced by 3.03% and durability by 0.6% in the case of the best stone. Using the fuzzy clustering technique, all rocks were classified in two separate clusters according to their properties and the reduction rate of uniaxial compressive strength and durability before and after freezing.