Strength of Sille Stone against Acid Rain

Sille stone, which has mine area in the Sille District of Konya, is a mined structural mineral stone which has been used since ancient times. Structures normally react with acid rain in the nature and acids formed for various reasons. Building materials generally lose their physical and chemical properties because of their reaction with acids. The aim of this study is to investigate the resistance of historical structures, which have been built with Sille stone by various cultures and civilizations, by acid rain. The pH value of rainwater, between 5.6 and 6, shows acidic characteristics. It has been also shown that the pH value of acid rain can be dropped below 5-3 in some cases. In this study, first, the chemical and physical structure of Sille stone was determined. The strength of Sille stone against atmospheric conditions, in the aquatic environment, citric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid and their mixtures is tested to see the effect of acid rain. For this purpose, samples were taken from the stone quarries in Sille District, and they were cut as 7x7x7 cm3 dimensions depending on the TS 1926 Turkish Standards description for strength tests. All samples were put into the acidic mixtures. 1 molar concentration has been prepared for each acidic mixture. Test duration was kept as 3 and 6 months. ResuIts were evaluated in each 3 months. It was seen that, the sample taken from the mine gained strength at first, however, there were decreases in strength with time.