Relationship between texture and mechanical properties of granites, central Sweden, by use of image-analysing techniques

Rock texture is of great importance in understanding the mechanical properties of a rock. Los Angeles and studded tyre tests were used to assess the mechanical properties of homogeneous acidic plutonic and volcanic rocks and these properties were related to the rock texture using image analysis and the more common optical microscopy. The image-analysing technique was based on SEM/BSE images, where the perimeter was measured on each mineral phase in order to numerically quantify a texture parameter. The results demonstrate that rocks with high perimeter values have the best resistance to fragmentation and abrasion. A high perimeter corresponds to fine-grained rocks where the minerals occur as individual grains rather than monomineralic aggregates. An increase in grain size and the formation of mineral aggregates of the same phase have a negative effect on the quality of the rock. Electronic Publication