Granite plates are largely used as floor finishings, in the form of tiles settled on a thin layer of industrialized mortar. Recently, there has been growing interest on using this such plates as non-adherent systems, i.e. without mortar. However, very little has been published in the literature on that topic. This study has evaluated the mechanical properties of three types of granites with great commercial acceptance, and also determined the necessary thickness for this type of plates to be used as slabs of 200 cm wide and 300 cm long, supported on the four edges by concrete beams. The properties tested for the structural design of the granite plates were: compressive strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity and Poisson's ratio. , The abrasion resistance and the slip resistance were also tested, in order to evaluate the performance of the plates as floor finishings, considering the use and the environmental conditions. The results indicated that charnockite should used with 30 mm of thickness, only for indoor uses. The syenogranite and the monzogranite should be used for both indoor and external uses. The thickness of monzogranite slabs should be 20 mm and the thickness of syenogranite slabs should be 30 mm.
Granites; Floor finishings; Non-adherent system
