Stone

Petra, Jordan  What are stones? **
 * [[image:petra_jordania.jpg width="583" height="458"]]

Stone is a material that is extracted naturally from the ground, consisting of minerals and are the result of a geological process of many years. Used by man from his first appearances, with this, they built their shelters, tools and even, their monuments. Is mainly used in construction, with it, you can do floors, walls, cladding, fencing, etc. It is also used in sculpture and jewelry.

How many kinds of stone do you know?

I know various **types of stones or rocks. ** **Are the sandstone, limestone, marble and granite. **  What characteristics do stones have?

Each type of stone has its own particular characteristics, there are a great variety of sizes and colors, however, generally the stone is a very strong material. These can withstand large external forces, have great durability and are very heavy.


 * Why are stones used in construction? **

Stone is widely used in construction due mainly to its strength, is able to withstand environmental conditions without any problems. It is also a material of great adaptability, durability and can use it in their natural state. Used mainly in the monumental buildings because they can be carved.

Paragraph 2.
Working with stone in construction has its advantages and disadvantages. This material is very well-known for its resistance, that is, it can protect the building from outside forces and it is of great durability; it has great adaptability to sculptural treatment, obtaining an excellent finish; and even, can be used on its natural state, that is, without being subject to physical or chemical processes. On the other hand, stone is a material very heavy and hard, **is difficult to quarry, transport or cut, so it is an expensive material on the market; structurally, stone cannot withstand tension **, **and finally it is often very unstable when the structure is very heavy and loads push at the angles. **

The easiest and most economical way of working with stone is through rubble which are broken stone in its natural state and is used with mortar. The other technique for working with stone is ashlar masonry, which is more complicated and expensive, which is cut into regular pieces of stone and that is used for entablature,for example. Finally, mortaris barely needed for bonding stones.


 * The entablatures of an ancient Greek temple, for example, were bonded by small dowels, but the weight of the structure becomes a problem when loads start pushing at the angles. The best stone bonding is the one which has various blocks located side by side and in a way that the vertical joints do not match. With this method, the stone resists deformation better than with any other bonding material **.


 * In conclusion, working ** with stone in construction has its advantages and disadvantages, it is mainly used in monumental architecture and has different techniques depending on what you desire to achieve.