Natural Stone Institute Testing Lab Noted
OBERLIN, Ohio — The Natural Stone Institute’s testing lab has received three noteworthy distinctions.
USACE Validation
The lab received validation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the ASTM C97 test method for absorption and bulk specific gravity of dimension stone. Only one other lab in the country holds this designation.
Laboratory validation is a process by which the Materials Testing Center (located at the corps’ Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, Miss.) ensures that the lab is equipped, staffed, and qualified to perform material testing for the specified test. This process took two months from start to finish and included a documentation of how the association’s lab process complies with ASTM C97.
ASSIMAGRA S.TONE Network
The Portuguese stone association ASSIMAGRA selected the lab as one of two U.S.-based locations to join the new S.TONE network natural stone testing. The S.TONE network provides access to technical resources and exists to “close the gap that exists between those who need the services and those who provide them,” according to ASSIMAGRA.
Fischer Fixings USA
The Natural Stone Institute lab is the exclusive North American Fischer Anchor Pull Test Provider, providing ASTM C1354 Strength of Individual Stone Anchorages testing for North American projects utilizing the Fischer Fixings Systems with natural stone.
The institute’s lab remained fully functional during the pandemic and remains ready to accept new stone.
Current tests offering by the Natural Stone Institute’s lab include:
ANSI A326.3 Dynamic Coefficient of Friction of Hard Surface Materials
ASTM C97 Absorption and Bulk Specific Gravity of Dimension Stone
ASTM C99 Modulus of Rupture of Dimension Stone
ASTM C170 Compressive Strength of Dimension Stone
ASTM C880 Flexural Strength of Dimension Stone
ASTM C1353 Abrasion Resistance of Dimension Stone Subjected to Foot Traffic Using a Rotary Platform, Double-Head Abraser
ASTM C1354 Strength of Individual Stone Anchorages in Dimension Stone
ASTM C666 (and similar) Freeze/Thaw Testing
To learn more, visit www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/lab.
