Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the Limestones from Istria (Croatia) Based on Visual Sample Characterization

Maričić, Ana; Berghaus, Tin; Pollak, Davor; Barudžija, Uroš

doi:10.3390/min16020156

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the Limestones from Istria (Croatia) Based on Visual Sample Characterization

¹

Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

²

Croatian Geological Survey, Sachsova 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Minerals 2026, 16(2), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16020156

Submission received: 23 December 2025 / Revised: 19 January 2026 / Accepted: 28 January 2026 / Published: 29 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mineralogical and Mechanical Properties of Natural Building Stone)

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Abstract

As uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of rock material is influenced by petrographic characteristics, special emphasis is given to the visual assessment and determination of rock properties. Visual determination of properties such as lithology, fabric, defects and porosity were conducted on six petrographically different limestone varieties from Istria, Croatia. In addition to the macroscopic and microscopical determination of petrographic characteristics, measurements of ultrasound propagation velocity through samples were also conducted. According to the gained results of visual macro and micro assessment and ultrasound propagation, velocity estimation of uniaxial compressive strength was performed. Using predicted values of UCS, classification of samples according to different classifications was conducted where four out of six varieties of limestone were classified correctly. Based on the achieved results, the method has proven successful for rocks, which have uniaxial compressive strength over 100 MPa.

Keywords: uniaxial compressive strength estimation; limestone varieties; petrographic properties; visual determination

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MDPI and ACS Style

Maričić, A.; Berghaus, T.; Pollak, D.; Barudžija, U. Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the Limestones from Istria (Croatia) Based on Visual Sample Characterization. Minerals 2026, 16, 156. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16020156

AMA Style

Maričić A, Berghaus T, Pollak D, Barudžija U. Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the Limestones from Istria (Croatia) Based on Visual Sample Characterization. Minerals. 2026; 16(2):156. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16020156

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maričić, Ana, Tin Berghaus, Davor Pollak, and Uroš Barudžija. 2026. "Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the Limestones from Istria (Croatia) Based on Visual Sample Characterization" Minerals 16, no. 2: 156. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16020156

APA Style

Maričić, A., Berghaus, T., Pollak, D., & Barudžija, U. (2026). Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the Limestones from Istria (Croatia) Based on Visual Sample Characterization. Minerals, 16(2), 156. https://doi.org/10.3390/min16020156

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Estimation of Uniaxial Compressive Strength of the Limestones from Istria (Croatia) Based on Visual Sample Characterization

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