Miscellaneous uses of Indian Limestone slabs

Indian limestone slabs are extensively used to build mega structures and monuments of relatively high importance. Most government buildings are made if limestone slabs owing to the strength and safety it prevents against natural and man-made calamities. They are known for the impenetrable structure and hence their use is evident in offices for government officials, prisons, banks and even medical research facilities.

Defence and Z-Plus Corridors:

Defence walls and bunkers are often made using the Indian limestone mortars. They are strong reinforcements against shelling fired from guns and canons. For a fortified structure, most architects and home builders would make a straight heading to the distributors selling Indian limestone slabs. The only issue one may find with these Indian limestone slabs is that it can’t be used to construct a high-rise building. Though, there have been hundreds of ancient monuments and natural structures that have stood the test of time despite being purely made from the limestone material without any support or backups. For instance, check out the Great Wall of China that runs through most of Chinese mainland. Another great historical structure built from limestone is the Pyramid of Giza. Tombs of pharaohs have lasted for more than 2500 years and even more without falling apart. So, modern world just has to find the right design to use the Indian limestone slabs in the right manner.

Apart from the usual construction of buildings, here’s a list of miscellaneous applications where Indian limestone slabs are used in abundance.

• Making of Cement

Limestone slabs are used to manufacture quick lime. It is basically a form of calcium oxide that is used along with sand, slaked lime and silica to prepare cement,concrete and mortar putties. Even if don’t see the huge blocks of Indian limestone slabs being used rampantly, most structures are actually armoured with these mortars and putties.

It is also used to make a solid base, especially for the asphalt concrete. It is used as an aggregate and not as a solid slab.

• Use as a soil conditioner

Limestone is used to manufacture alkaline soil conditioners. They are used in agriculture to condition the acidic nature of the soil before preparing them for irrigation. It is often done to neutralize the effect of the fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides that transform the natural properties of the soil. The Indian limestone slabs are often pulverized to get the desired physical properties.

• Petroleum Reservoirs

 Just like the natural landforms associated with petroleum, even commercial companies use limestone to store petroleum. They are among the best and most reliable forms of petroleum reservoirs known to mankind.

• Making of glass

Indian limestone slabs are supplied to major glass making companies and jewellery makers. It reacts with silica in the sand and then used for glass-blowing purposes.It is the cheapest raw material for making glass in different shapes and sizes.

• Desulfurization Process

In industrial belts and modern cities, most waste gas chimneys are attached with the limestone filters. It is used as a reagent in the flue-gas desulfurization to neutralize the particles of sulphur dioxide in the air. It prevents air-pollution.

What makes Indian limestone slabs best in the world?

What is the first building material that comes to your mind after hearing the word Indian natural stones? For most exotic builders, it would be a marble. For those who understand the market of the natural stones, Indian limestone will always be the top product from the sub-continent. Indian limestone slabs are known for their strength and longevity.

Only a few natural stone varieties can match the physical properties of the Indian limestone slabs. Other than its robust durability and material strength, the limestone slabs are also used for decorative purposes. Modern day sculpting, statue making, restoration of historic monuments and building of designer residential rooms rely a lot on the quality and quantity of the top-grade Indian limestone tiles, blocks and slabs. Contemporary limestone slabs are chiselled for the sake of maintaining their natural gradient and smooth finish. In countries where limestone slab making is still in its nascent stage, the gradient is inconsistent and non-uniform owing to the use of electrical and mechanical saw machines. It renders a very poor finish and that is the major reason why international clients heavily rely on the wholesalers of the Indian limestone slabs obtained from the quarrying of natural stones.

Appearance of the Indian Limestone Slabs

Indian limestone slabs have a rather rough and earthy appearance. It instantly connects with the mood and taste of the clients who prefer to buy them over other exotic natural stones like marbles, granite, sandstone, slatestone and quartzite. The very reason that the limestone slabs dug exported from India are chiselled, they can be catalogued into a multitude of designer tiles, slabs and claddings.

What are the common grains associated with the Indian limestone slabs?

The common grains of the Indian limestone slabs are based on the mode of chemical precipitation that gets deposited. They are classified as:

• Calcite Oraragonite
• Oolitic limestone slabs
• Speleothems

Speleotherms are found mostly in deep caves where they take the form of stalagmites and stalactites. Granular structures are quite evident in the Indian limestone slabs derived from the Oolite varieties.

Carbonate Grains found in the Limestone

Limestone pavements are world famous tiling structures that come with a natural look. They are formed from the skeletal remains of fossilized organisms. The Indian limestone slabs are basically a sedimentary type of rock largely comprising of coral remains and foraminifera. They are a grainy structure made of compounds of carbonates and calcites.

Other carbonate grains that are part of the Indian limestone slabs are ooids, intraclasts and extraclasts. Aragonites are the shell-like structures that are primarily found in the Indian limestone slabs.

 

Common Impurities in Indian Limestone Slabs

What imparts the Indian limestone slabs with its scintillating features and engrossing colours are actually oxides and impurities. Silica, sand particles and iron impurities are also present in variable amounts. Chert are also known to give the limestone slabs they vivid pattern. Together with flint, jasper and chalcedony, the various organisms that are engraved in the sedimentary rocks form an intricate system of beautiful structures. Other common impurities that are found in Indian limestone slabs are quartz, sandstone, dolomite and clastic sand particles.