Statistical Models for Predicting the Mechanical Properties of Travertine Building Stones After Freeze-Thaw Cycles

Freeze-thaw is one of the most powerful weathering agents that may cause a rapid change in the mechanical properties of stones, and thus limit their durability. Consequently, determining the mechanical properties of stones after freeze-thaw is important to select the natural building stones for outdoor applications, which are exposed excessive freeze-thaw cycles. The purpose of this study is propose statistical models for predicting the mechanical properties of travertine building stones after freeze-thaw test. For this, 12 travertine samples were selected and their physical and mechanical properties including density (rho), water absorption (Wa), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), and P-wave velocity (V-P) were determined. Then, freeze-thaw test up to 60 cycles was carried out and mechanical properties including the UCS and V-P of the samples were measured. Using data analysis, statistical models for predicting the mechanical properties of deteriorated samples after freeze-thaw test were proposed. In these models, the mechanical property of samples after freeze-thaw was considered to be the dependent variable-dependent on the independent variables of the initial mechanical property of the samples and their water absorption. The results show that statistical models are in good accuracy for predicting the mechanical properties of samples, and thus a rapid durability assessment.