Physicochemical and Petrographic Studies of Perlite Rock Classified by Density

Petrographic, silicate, X-ray powder diffraction, IR spectroscopic, and differential thermal analyses of perlite rock of the Aragats deposit, classified by density, were performed to establish the relationship between the average density of the rock, which is a representative criterion for assessing the quality of perlite raw materials, and the physical and chemical properties of the rock. The studies showed that a change in the average density cause changes in the main properties that influence expansion capacity, namely, the amount of magmatic water, which plays the role of a expanding agent.