This study aimed to investigate the durability characteristics of natural building stones of different origins, namely, İscehisar andesite, Döğer tuff, Emirdağ silver travertine, Şuhut limestone, and Afyon gray marble, produced in the Afyonkarahisar region of Turkey, following salt crystallization experiments. Three different saline solutions and water were used to determine the resistance of these natural building stones to salt crystallization. This study was composed of three stages. The first step involved characterizing the test samples through mineralogical-petrographic, chemical, mercury porosimetry, and mechanical-physical tests and analyses. In the second stage, laboratory salt crystallization experiments were conducted using water, sodium chloride, sodium sulfate decahydrate, and magnesium sulfate solutions. The third stage involved examining the physical and mechanical properties of the samples after the salt crystallization experiments. Additionally, SEM-EDX analyses were employed to study the disintegration process and impact of salt crystals. The results of the salt crystallization experiments indicate that the fragmentation of natural stones is influenced by factors such as the type of salt, porosity, stone permeability, and environmental conditions. Salts, such as sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate, tend to cause more damage to natural building stones. The main objectives of this study were (i) to characterize the physical, chemical, mineralogical, and microstructural properties of five natural building stones from the Afyonkarahisar region, (ii) to evaluate their durability through accelerated salt crystallization tests using NaCl, Na₂SO₄·10 H₂O, and MgSO₄·7 H₂O solutions, and (iii) to analyze the relationship between pore structure, type of salt, and extent of stone deterioration.
Çeli̇k et al. (Tue,) studied this question.