Investigation of the Usability of Eastern Black Sea Region Natural Stones as Aggregate in Concrete Production

Aggregate is found in a very high amount (65-80%) in concrete, which is one of the most substantial building materials of the construction sector. In this sense, this research was designed on the investigation of the usability of natural stones (andesite, basalt, mudstone and travertine) brought from different locations of the Eastern Black Sea Region as aggregates in concrete production. Within this scope, some physical and mechanical tests were implemented on the natural stone samples prepared at different sample shapes (cylindrical core, cube and crushed aggregate), and the findings obtained from tests were evaluated in terms of aggregate standards determined by TS 706 EN 12620+A1 (2009). The findings showed that basalt rock, which provides the most favorable physical and mechanical performance, is suitable for usage as concrete aggregate.