Deriving the Pore Structure of Selected Jordanian Building Limestones

Making water absorption as the independent variable in the equations of Moh’d and Cranganu (2012), we have used these equations to predict the pore structure (porosity, pore size distribution, seepage radius, specific surface area, tortuosity and permeability) of 12 clean Jordanian building limestones. In the present work, first, the stones were subdivided into unimodal and bimodal pore networks (by plotting their porosity against the bulk volume water or modified saturation). Then, the 24-hour water absorption was used to derive the pore structure of unimodal and bimodal porosity limestone. The two chalky samples (Izrit and Hatem) stones gave anomalous results. This can be explained by the fact that the original Russian database, which the present work is based upon, did not include any chalky samples. The results are not thus recommended to be extended to the to chalky limestones; it is however recommended that a similar research be carried out employing a representative number of chalk samples for deriving the pore structure of chalk from water absorption.