Question

Stone quarries provided slabs of limestone, granite and marble since antiquity. An ancient technique, perfected by the Romans but probably predating them, was to widen existing cracks in the face of the rock enough to allow inserting a wedge made from a very dry wood. The quarrymen kept the wooden wedges continually wet until the swelling of the wood burst the rock allowing the recovery of a flat slab of stone. What is the property of the wood that allows it take in water and swell?

Answer 1

Woods are hygroscopic in nature. This property of wood allows it to take in water and swell up. This property is used by the Romans in quarries. The wedge of wood inserted between the rock are soaked in water. Due to this, the wood swelled up and the pressure created eventually broke the rocks.