The modern construction industry offers consumers a huge amount of materials that can accelerate, and lighten, and embellish the result of repair work or the construction of new premises. However, natural stone has not yet lost ground. He remains all the same in demand and popular. What can we say about our ancestors, who knew about the advantages of natural materials, perhaps much better than us. No wonder they say that granite is a mineral: thanks to it, architectural masterpieces and unique sculptures have survived to this time.
How was he educated
Thanks to the method of its origin, granite acquired its unique properties. All its varieties are formed by volcanic eruptions: pouring magma flowed into the earth cavities located very deep below the surface. The huge temperatures of these masses decreased gradually, and even under the significant pressure exerted on them by the strata of the earth located above. As a result, igneous rocks have fully crystallized, forming granite, a mineral.
Appearance and physical properties of the stone
Translated from the language of Ancient Greece, its name means "grain", "graininess". Moreover, the relative porosity of granite is rather low: even in coarse grades (the most “coarse” among all three structures) it rarely exceeds 6–7 mm. And in fine-grained varieties, the grain diameter does not reach even two. At the same time, the size of the "cells" seriously affects the strength and durability of the operation of structures made of this stone - the smaller their diameter, the stronger the granite.
Granite (mineral) in addition to its strength and density is also characterized by decorativeness. It increases with polishing. The most common black variety, it is also the least valuable. Color options have a pink (up to red) color, and green, and yellow. Such rocks are widely used in architecture and construction.
Building advantages of granite
This stone, especially its fine-grained varieties, is amazingly resistant to the influence of time: even after five hundred years, destruction is only beginning to manifest itself. Moreover, it very successfully counteracts friction, is poorly compressible and resistant to abrasion. Atmospheric effects also have little effect on granite. Minerals of this type are not susceptible to acids and practically do not absorb water, which makes it an ideal material for decorating embankments, including the coastal sea strip.
No less important is the fact that this natural stone is virtually not susceptible to frost (very important in our latitudes!) And it gets very dirty.
Granite is also the best suited for decoration, as it harmonizes with metal parts, and with wood, and with ceramic details, and with the most modern materials. And with all our choosiness, it’s worth recognizing that natural stone perfectly keeps cool in the summer and warm in the winter in the home.
Granite aesthetics
In addition to purely utilitarian advantages, this stone has a good appearance. Polishing shows its unique structure and richness of colors. But many designers are happy to use the unpolished granite structure, which perfectly absorbs light and creates wild and unusual interiors.
A variety of color tones can satisfy even the most picky esthete: among the richness of tones there will certainly be what he needs. Indeed, perhaps, among all the facing and building materials, there is no other so attractive as granite - the photos fully reflect its beauty.
What is the "guilty" of granite
As expected, this huge "barrel of honey" necessarily accounts for a "fly in the ointment." Among the shortcomings of this natural stone, it is necessary to note the residual radiation inherent in some varieties of granite. Therefore, it is mainly used for outdoor work. And those lumps that are intended for internal, must pass a rigorous test, so as not to subsequently harm the health of people.
In addition, the increased strength of the stone, which is already attributed to its undoubted advantages, is also its drawback. The production of granite is complicated by its hardness and the combined fragility. You have to resort to expensive tricks to get a large enough piece of stone intact, and then put a lot of work to bring it to mind. Therefore, granite work is so expensive.
Development Features
For most solid minerals, it is not so important in what form they will be extracted from the vein, because they are supposed to be further processed (smelting, burning, etc.). Therefore, crushing the surrounding rocks does not harm the extracted substance, the main thing here is the convenience of extraction. Facing materials to which granite belongs is a completely different matter. It is important for him to produce a monolithic block without cracks and chips, since these defects cannot be hidden by any subsequent tricks. Moreover, such restrictions apply both during storage and during transportation, which greatly complicates the whole process. And if a message has been received about minerals (granite among them), it is necessary to carry out a whole range of additional measures aimed at preserving the extracted whole.
Most common method
There are different ways of extracting granite, and the quality of the obtained stone directly depends on which one was used. At the moment, three methods are known, and, unfortunately, the most barbaric - explosive is most often used. It consists in drilling holes under the charge, which explodes the rock. Shards are sorted, blocks are cut out from the largest. For most miners, this method is attractive for its low cost. However, the quality of granite in this case is very low: a blast wave creates a mass of defects in the blocks, as a result of which their strength decreases. And there are not so many large fragments at the exit - at least a third of the granite crumbles and is suitable only for processing into gravel.
Air extraction
This is a more gentle way. The beginning is similar to the first option: a well is drilled in the right direction, a tank is placed in it, where air is pumped under pressure. This method allows you to more fully use the granite deposit, calculate the fault points and avoid damage to the block, including even microscopic cracks. There are much more monoliths, and much less waste. However, a mining company will need preliminary investments in equipment, and the method itself takes longer than an explosive one.
The most modern option
He is the most expensive. It is called the “stone cutting method” and requires the purchase of very expensive equipment and staff training. But granite (like any other natural stone) at the exit is of perfect quality, without the slightest defects (both external and hidden). And the field is being developed almost 100%.
Russian deposits
Mining of granite in Russia, sadly, is carried out mainly by a makeshift, explosive method. This is despite the fact that there are many deposits here. Such natural stone is mined in the Urals, in Primorye, in the Khabarovsk Territory, in Transbaikalia, in the Sayan Mountains. There are deposits in the suburbs. Mainly small private companies are engaged in production, whose volumes are steadily increasing, despite the fact that the main deposits are located in the Urals. They are developed with great difficulty due to climatic difficulties, which increases the required investment and increases the cost of granite. However, an increase in the number of people with high incomes increases the demand for natural stone and stimulates the development of this industrial sector.