Paper contribution

Thermal effects on the strength of marine psammitic building stones

Marek Brabec; Lukáš Krmíček

Proceedings
EUROCK 2026
Pages
1237-1242
Submitted
28 January 2026
Accepted
15 June 2026
Published
12 August 2026

Summary

Abstract

Natural stones have been widely used as building materials for important structures and monuments. Such structures can be significantly damaged during fire incidents (e.g., the Notre-Dame fire in 2019), as prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures may substantially alter the properties of most rock types. Therefore, understanding the temperature impact on rock properties is crucial for assessing fire-induced damage and designing effective remedial procedures. The main objective of this study is to present a preliminary analysis of the thermomechanical behaviour of three marine psammitic building stones from the Czech Republic: (1) Hořice-type quartz-rich sandstone from the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, (2) Godula-type glauconitic sandstone from the Outer Western Carpathians flysch belt, and (3) Myslejovice formation greywacke from the Lower Carboniferous Culm Basin. These lithotypes were selected to represent different strength and porosity levels, enabling a general overview of the thermomechanical response of marine sandstones. Cylindrical specimens were prepared from sampled blocks and subjected to heating following a firing curve. This procedure also allowed investigation of the temperature effect on bulk density and volumetric changes of the sandstones. The fired specimens were then tested under uniaxial compression to determine rock strength. The temperature limits were selected based on the amount of available material and the response of each rock type: 800 °C for glauconitic sandstone, 1200 °C for greywacke, and up to 1600 °C for quartz-rich sandstone. The obtained data were subsequently interpreted with respect to rock composition and density.

Contributors

Authors

  1. Marek Brabec Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic ORCID 0000-0002-8515-2374
  2. Lukáš Krmíček Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic ORCID 0000-0003-0943-9776

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References

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