Technical Data Sheet
Cadeby White Magnesian Limestone
Cadeby, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Compiled September 2005
This data sheet was compiled by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). It is base on data from tests carried out by BRE (1988), Stangers (1994) and Sandbergs (2003), and information collected in earlier BRE surveys. The data sheet was first compiled in September 1997 and revised in 2005. The work was carried out by BRE as part of a Partners in Technology Programme funded by the Department of the Environment and does not represent an endorsement of the stone by BRE. Cadeby Stone Ltd obtained the lease to extract limestone from Cadeby quarry for use as dimesnion stone in 2002.
General
The quarry is in the village of Cadeby, 3 miles west of Doncaster. It was first opened to extract dolomite for the glass industry, but the stone is now found to be of insufficient quality to meet the specifications on iron content, and so the quarry is currently used for lower grade purposes, generally road aggregates. The quarry occupies an area of 160 hectares, and has a face 40m high with an overburden of 1.5m. Material is extracted by pulling stone out along the natural bedding plane. Hardness may be variable with the lighter coloured stone tending to be softer. A depth on bed of 1200mm may be obtained from the larger blocks. ‘Sugar holes’ or vughs are common at Cadeby.
Petrography
This is a light coloured stone from the late Permian Age. In thin section the dominant structure is that of ooliths. The crystal size is variable, the smaller crystals compose the ooliths, the larger crystals occurring in the matrix. There is a high proportion of fine pores associated with the oolith structure, but there are some larger pores. Patches of iron oxide are quite common giving a speckled appearance to the surface.
Expected Durability and Performance
It is important that the results from the individual tests are not viewed in isolation. They should be considered together and compared to the performance of the stone in existing buildings and other uses. Magnesian limestones from the Permain series are a traditional building stone that has been used extensively in many towns around the area where the stone outcrops. Like othe rmagnesian limestones, Cadeby White appears to be durable and is suitable for many uses. The medium porosity and medium water absorption combined with the medium weight lost in the sodium sulphate crystallisation test indicates limited resistance to salt damage (for example in coastal locations or from de-icing salts) and that it may weather if used in exposed locations (for example copings). The compressive and flexural strengths of the stone are towards the upper end of the range for limestone but the results are extremely variable.
Overall, Cadeby White should be suitable for use in most aspects of construction including flooring, paving lightly trafficked areas, load bearing masonry and cladding but careful selection of the stone may be needed to reduce the possibility of long term performance problems.
Test Results
The test results are given as means but it should be noted that the spread of results within each set of specimens is very wide.
(Test methods Note 1 = BS EN1341, Note 2 = BS EN1926, Note 3 = prEn 1341 /BRE 141, Note 4 = BS EN13755,
Note 5 = BS EN13161, Note 6 = BS EN12371, Note 7 = BS EN 12370, Note 8 = BS EN1936)