Ultrasonic Characterization of Polymer Based Sille Stone Powder Composite Mortars

Abstract

The Sille stone mined in the Sille Region of Konya province in Türkiye, is an andesitic rock. This stone is a material used in the construction of traditional and modern buildings. The Sille stone is cut while being used in buildings. The Sille stone powder (SSP) is formed during this cutting process. The SSPs cause environmental pollution. Therefore, this study was carried out to produce durable and eco-friendly new restoration mortars from the SSP that can be used in the restoration of historical buildings. The SSP composites were prepared by contributing SSP into epoxy and polyester resins in varied ratios such as 60‒75 wt.%. The effect of resin types and SSP contribution ratios on the elastic properties of epoxy resin (ER)/SSP and polyester resin (PR)/SSP composites was investigated by the ultrasonic pulse-echo method. Additionally, the morphology of these composites was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Experimental results figured out that both longitudinal and shear wave velocity values of the PR/SSP composites were higher than of the ER/SSP composites. Furthermore, a linear increase was observed in the elastic properties of obtained composites with the increasing amounts of SSP.