Limestone is a type of limestone, this rock is a sediment consisting of calcite or calcium carbonate. The formation of this rock is due to seawater precipitation due to biochemical processes. Limestone mining can be found in various regions in Indonesia. One of its functions is as construction material.
Limestone Stone for Various Fields
Limestone or limestone contains mostly potassium carbonate minerals. The total can reach 95% which is converted into oxide by calcination. In this way, limestone is easier to purify to obtain calcium. Therefore, limestone is not only used for construction but also for other fields.
Infrastructure development, especially roads, requires quality and varied materials. With the rich limestone in Indonesia, all processes for providing materials are also easier.
Characteristics of Limestone (limestone)
The colors are white, brownish white, and some are grayish white
Has an irregular cleavage plane
The hardness level is 2.7 to 3.4 on the Mohs scale
The specific gravity of limestone is 2.387 tonnes/cubic meter
The nature of these rocks is hard and some are hollow.
With these properties, limestone or limestone is used in many fields, such as:
Building materials for road construction
Dam or dam construction
Material for making Portland cement and natural cement.
In the ceramic and glass industry
Water purifier
As a fix in the metal industry
Limestone Stone For Road Construction
Roads are transportation infrastructure that everyone uses. In this case, procurement of good materials will affect the quality of the road. With poor materials, the road will be susceptible to damage. One of them is because the lower foundation layer or subbase course is not perfect. Several factors that influence are:
The subgrade is unstable
Poor selection of pavement construction materials
The road compaction and paving process is not perfect.
As a road pavement material, limestone has been widely used. Especially for basic soil stabilization or stabilizing materials. Since ancient times, this natural material has been widely used. Apart from that, this limestone is also widely applied for backfill, foundations, and mixtures for making Portland cement.
Limestone Backfill
Especially for backfill, limestone is used because this stone has good bearing capacity. Meanwhile, for the foundation, limestone was chosen because the price is cheaper than other aggregates.
Limestone also has the potential to be used as a road pavement material for both the lower foundation layer, upper foundation layer, and mixed layers of road pavement in general.
It should also be noted that the road pavement layer is the layer that is above the base soil or subgrade where this part experiences compaction to support traffic. With a good layer, the subgrade will not receive excess allowable loads.
By choosing this road pavement material, a certain strength will be achieved to support traffic loads. Finally, the load on the wheels can be spread out. Because of its crucial function, aggregate for pavement, including limestone, has certain requirements.
One of these conditions is that it is free from organic matter and free from clay. Because if it is not clean, the pavement will not be perfect and the asphalt will not adhere well to the aggregate. This is where limestone or limestone has an important role for better road pavement to avoid road damage.