Durability Assessment of Ooidal Ironstones in Aswan Region, Egypt

Ali, Ali Ismail; Moubarak, Karem M.; Ismaiel, Hesham A.; Abdelkader, Karam A.

doi:10.21608/egjg.2025.387394.1114

Durability Assessment of Ooidal Ironstones in Aswan Region, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

² Geo-Quarry Mining Co., Commercial Street, El Corniche, Aswan, Egypt

10.21608/egjg.2025.387394.1114

Abstract

Ooidal ironstone, a sedimentary rock present in Aswan region of Egypt, its slaking durability susceptibility poses questions to its long-term performance and suitability for construction and infrastructure applications. In this study, the slaking behavior of ooidal ironstones of Timsah Formation are examined using the standard slake-durability test. A detailed analysis on their physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics was conducted to identify key controlling factors. The experimental results indicate that ooidal ironstones possess medium-high to high slaking durability indices (Id₂: 92.51–96.74%). Slaking durability was found to be strongly correlated with certain factors such as mineral composition, especially the occurrence of apatite and kaolinite and physical characteristics such as porosity, bulk density, and water absorption. Besides, it was also especially influenced by geochemical aspects such as Fe2O3, P₂O₅, and CaO contents. The study concluded that the studied ooidal ironstone can be showed potential for specialized uses such as aggregates for high-performance concrete in radiation-shielding structures. Additionally, non-destructive testing approaches, specifically ultrasonic P-wave velocity (UPV), exhibit a strong correlation with slake durability index (R² > 0.76), providing a practical tool for field assessments.

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