Stone Testing: Accelerated Weathering

One of the increasingly common requests in stone properties is that of its resistance to freeze/thaw cycling. Historically, stone product performance evaluations were done via research of existing exemplar projects using the same stone in similar climatic exposures. However, this is not feasible when evaluating products that are relatively new to the marketplace. Development of a standardized method for accelerated weathering testing of stone has been a research topic within ASTM and other committees for decades. This session will provide the background of the research completed, a summary of the current research being conducted, and an overview of what type of testing is currently being implemented in the absence of a published, consensus-based protocol.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the extensive accumulation of completed research in freeze/thaw degradation of natural stones.
• Understand the mechanism of freeze/thaw attack on natural stone and why some applications are more vulnerable than others.
• Gain knowledge of the difference between submerged and intermittently flooded test methods.
• Familiarize oneself in the testing options available to specifiers until a procedure is ultimately published.

This course has been approved for CEU credit through the following organizations:

• AIA: NSISE6-OD, 1 LU|HSW
• LACES: NSISE4-OD, 1.0 HSW PDH