One of the most important aspects of designing dimension-stone cladding involves determining the configuration, size and spacing of the panels and anchorages that will affix the stone panels to the underlying building substrate. A laboratory study was carried out in order to determine the mechanical and physical behaviour of medium size granite panels. A significant number of samples were subjected to transverse pull out tests in accordance with EN 13364:2001, so that the breaking load at the dowel hole could be determined. The material strength was evaluated by determining flexural strength under a concentrated load (in accordance with EN 12372) and a under constant moment (in accordance with EN 13161). The flexural resistance and dowel force anchorage data were then processed and used to build a semi-empirical model for determining the value of the forces obtained. Finite-element computer analyses of the stress states induced in the stone panels by the dowels were also carried out. Recommendations are made for design formulae and the procedure to be used in the prediction of design resistance in granite stone cladding panels showing similar behaviour.

2This paper describes a study on kerf anchorage behaviour in three types of stones. Two limestone and various marble specimens were submitted to a series of tests -namely standard absorption, bulk specific gravity and flexural strength tests -to determine their physical and mechanical properties. The paper focuses on the results of tests carried out according to the ASTM Standard Test Method for Strength of Individual Stone Anchorages in DimensionStone. These tests were performed on a stiff rail continuous anchorage system on both the front and rear kerf legs.Stress analysis and finite element method calculations were the basis for the proposed semi-empirical formula to estimate this anchorage system's breaking load under the above-mentioned conditions. Through a general but practical example, it is shown that a design focused on the bending strength of stone panels, to the detriment of the kerf anchorage, is an unsafe and yet common practice. The paper emphasises that designing stone cladding systems with continuous kerf must take into account different effects in order to evaluate the effective stress in the critical region of the kerf geometry. Separate stress concentration factors are proposed to account for the kerf geometry and the specimens' specific properties. Construction MaterialsVolume 165 Issue CM3Dimension stone design -kerf anchorage in limestone and marble Camposinhos and Camposinhos