Artificial stone

Artificial stone is a name for various kinds of synthetic stone products used from the 18th century through the early 21st century. They were used in building construction, civil engineering work, and industrial uses such as grindstones.

One of the earliest was Coade stone, a fired ceramic created by Mrs Eleanor Coade (Elinor Coade, 1733–1821), and sold commercially from 1769 to 1833. Later, in 1844, Frederick Ransome created a Patent Siliceous Stone, which comprised sand and powdered flint in an alkaline solution. By heating it in an enclosed high temperature steam boiler the siliceous particles were bound together and could be moulded or worked into filtering slabs, vases, tombstones, decorative architectural work, emery wheels and grindstones.

This was followed by Victoria stone, which comprises finely-crushed Mountsorrel (Leicestershire) granite and Portland cement, carefully mixed by machinery in the proportions of three to one and cast in moulds of the required shape. When the blocks are set hard the moulds are loosened and the blocks placed in a solution of silicate of soda for about two weeks for the purpose of indurating and hardening them. Many manufacturers turn out a material that is practically non-porous and is able effectually to resist the corroding influence of sea air or the impure atmosphere of large towns.

Most later types of artificial stone have consisted of fine cement concrete placed to set in wooden or iron moulds. It could be made more cheaply and more uniform than natural stone, and was widely used. In engineering projects, it had the advantage that transporting the bulk materials and casting them near the place of use was cheaper than transporting very large pieces of stone.

Modern Cast stone is an architectural concrete building unit manufactured to simulate natural cut stone, used in unit masonry applications. Cast stone is a masonry product, used as an architectural feature, trim, ornament or facing for buildings or other structures. Cast stone can be made from white and/or grey cements, manufactured or natural sands, carefully selected crushed stone or well graded natural gravels and mineral coloring pigments to achieve the desired color and appearance while maintaining durable physical properties which exceed most natural cut building stones. Cast stone is an excellent replacement for natural cut limestone, brownstone, sandstone, bluestone, granite, slate, coral rock, travertine and other natural building stones.

China

The artificial stone industry is mainly concentrated in Guangdong, Fujian, Shanghai, Jiangsu and other places. Due to natural sources of Stone becoming less and less, and the punishment of the blind extraction, artificial stone has seen a strong demand in Guangdong and Xiamen.

Artificial Marble and Engineered Stone Quartz in Guangdong, Shanghai and Fujian.

Also known as engineered stone, artificial marble is mixed with marble powder, resin and pigment, and then cast using the vacuum oscillation to form the block. Cutting, calibration, grinding and polishing are then done to output the slabs. Some factories have developed a special low-viscosity, high strength polyster resin, with which the mold-pressing artificial marble has high hardness, strength, good gloss, low water absorption, wear resistance, to meet exporting demand.

The processing of engineered stone quartz is quite similar to artificial marble, the difference is the use of different filler which is high wear-resistant quartz sand and quartz powder, about 90% filler content.Moths hardness of up to 7 anti-scratch, and its properties of stain, water and fire resistance will probably make this material as the most popular artificial stone in the future. Engineered stone quartz is widely used in United States, Canada and Australia for kitchen countertop, bathroom vanitytop, window sills, bar top and floor and wall covering.

Bibliography

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. , s.v. 'stone'
• George Ripley, ed., The American Cyclopædia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge, 1873 s.v. 'concrete'

References

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