Petrography is routinely performed on dimension stone for many construction projects in which new stone is being used, and it is often required in technical specifications. In order to facilitate this process, ASTM International Committee C18 on Dimension Stone has developed a new standard, ASTM C1721, Guide for Petrographic Examination of Dimension Stone. The new standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee C18.01 on Test Methods.
According to Laura Powers, a petrographer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., and an ASTM member, ASTM C1721 will serve as a practical standard to guide petrographers who analyze dimension stone in describing, analyzing and reporting the characteristics that are important to architects and engineers in determining how the stone will behave or has behaved in service.
“In this standard, the petrographer who examines stone is directed to determine the proper scientific classification and to investigate characteristics important to the performance of the stone,” says Powers, who notes that there are certain performance expectations for any type of stone.
“When purchasing dimension stone, the purchaser, often through an architect, can reference ASTM C1721 and be confident that characteristics of the stone relating to its future performance are identified and reported using standardized evaluation techniques,” says Michael Scheffler, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., and a C18 member. Scheffler says all interested parties are welcome to join C18.01 in work on future revisions to ASTM C1721, particularly in expanding the description of more advanced evaluation techniques now just briefly described in the standard.
ASTM International standards can be purchased from Customer Service (phone: 610-832-9585; https://www.astm.org/contact/). ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.
ASTM Committee C18 Next Meeting: April 21-22, April Committee Week, St. Louis, Mo.
Technical Contact: Michael Scheffler, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., Northbrook, Ill.,
ASTM Staff Contact: Jeff Adkins, Phone: 610-832-9738; jadkins@astm.org
Release #8432/Dec2009