ARTIFICIAL STONES

Properties of Artificial Stones

Artificial stones are being called engineered stone. It is consist of Portland cement with very low water/cement ration of less than 0.32.

There are 2 types of stones that can make the artificial stones.

1. Calcareous stone materials; such as marble, limestone or dolomite.

2. Siliceous stone materials; such as granite, quartzite, sand, porphyry.

Siliceous rocks are sedimentary rocks that have silica (SiO₂) as the principal constituent. However, calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. Calcareous is more prone to  rust stains are formed by various mechanisms . the metal (usually iron or iron alloys) oxidises in the presence of humidity and oxygen (air) and thereby transfers its ions to the stone, forming rust that is absorbed and retained in the porosity of the material itself.

 The colour of the cement can be altered by adding inorganic dyes match the colours of the stones.

Functionalities of Artificial stones

One of the most important factors that promotes the use of artificial stones is the aesthetic value that being provided by the stones. 

Versatility is one of the major features of artificial stones. The wide dimensional range and aesthetic appearance make them ideal for;

·         outdoor and indoor floorings,

·         outside claddings,

·         internal facings,

·         steps,

·         raised floor systems,

·         window sills

Moreover, artificial stone has a number of uses in landscaping . You can create stones for a pond or fountain, 

or even a hollow rock to hide something with the duplication of real stone.

Waterfall fully made from artificial stones.

Manufacturing Process

A mixture of the raw materials; crushed stones and the bonding agent (cement or sometimes polymers), is compacted by vibration under vacuum to produce:

1.  Slabs (tiles),

      Where thin monolayer tiles of the required sizes are produced.

2.  Large-size blocks.

      These blocks are then sawn into slabs to be transformed into finished products with the required sizes.

Steps of manufacturing of artificial stones are as below:

An artificial Yorkstone rocks

An artificial stone wall