Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the Limestones from Istria (Croatia) Based on Visual Sample Characterization

As uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of rock material is influenced by petrographic characteristics, special emphasis is given to the visual assessment and determination of rock properties. Visual determination of properties such as lithology, fabric, defects and porosity were conducted on six petrographically different limestone varieties from Istria, Croatia. In addition to the macroscopic and microscopical determination of petrographic characteristics, measurements of ultrasound propagation velocity through samples were also conducted. According to the gained results of visual macro and micro assessment and ultrasound propagation, velocity estimation of uniaxial compressive strength was performed. Using predicted values of UCS, classification of samples according to different classifications was conducted where four out of six varieties of limestone were classified correctly. Based on the achieved results, the method has proven successful for rocks, which have uniaxial compressive strength over 100 MPa.