Investigation of Physicochemical and Mechanical Property of UTAN Granites for Building Applications

The granite formation for production of dimension stone blocks at Utan was investigated in three different locations A, B and C in a view to examine the physical properties of Utan granite using saturation and Buoyancy technique; evaluate some of its mechanical properties; determine its rate of emission of radioactive elements with Geiger Muller Counter; examine its polish-ability; and carry out chemical analysis of the granite samples with the aid of energy dispersive x-ray florescence (ED-XRF). The average porosity obtained is 0.53, 1.08; and 0.86 while the respective average density of 2.58, 2.62 and 2.60 g/cm3 were obtained for A, B and C. The compressive strength of 207.5, 204.6 and 203.4 MPa; and tensile strength of 13.86, 13.68 and 13.60 MPa were obtained for A, B and C respectively. Rockwell hardness values obtained are 89.0, 89.9 and 86.6 while the morh？ˉs hardness values are 6.90, 6.96 and 7.03 respectively for sample A; B and C. The impact values obtained are 0.089, 0.092 and 0.094 for A, B and C respectively. The radioactive rates of samples A, B and C are 6.42, 8.86 and 8.16 Mrem respectively. Sample B is observed to be more radioactive. Both samples are polish able. Conclusively, the three tested granite rocks have suitable physical and mechanical properties that meant the requirement for building purposes; from the polish-ability test, it shows that the three (3) granite outcrops are suitable for the production of granite tiles; countertops; slabs. The chemical analysis revealed that the granite is dominated by quartz (SiO2) which contributes greatly to the hardness of the rock. Also from the radioactive test, the granite samples proved conclusively that the rate of radiation found occasionally in a slab of granite is not harmful to humans when exposed to it. Hence, granite the formation of Utan will be a good building stone material