Study of physical and mechanical properties for some of Eastern Desert dimension marble and granite utilized in building decoration

Decoration Granite and marble stones have a wide variety in their physical, mechanical and petrographic properties. Some Egyptian granite and marble samples was tested to assessment the physical and mechanical properties and their effect on utilization in building decoration. The studied ornamental stones including; Halaib granodiorite (grey granite), Zafarana marble and south Dawi marble were prepared for mechanical and physical and chemical tests. The final results indicate that the abrasion resistance is ranging from 0.11 to 1.61, porosity gives very low reading (0.42–1.98), which comply with the percentage of water absorption results (0.082–1.075). The compressive strength test of granite is ranging from 1050 to 1358 kg/cm2, for marble the results ranging from 827 to 1020 kg/cm2. A dry density result of granite is 2.69 and marble dry density is 2.62. The obtained results confirm the suitability of studied samples as a decorative stones for building ornamentation and garden tiles. Keywords: Compressive strength, Granite, Marble, Decoration stones, Physical properties