Quantitative identification of marbles aesthetical features

Abstract

The use of image analysis for the aesthetical characterisation of stone slab surfaces has been studied during last ten years and has proved efficiency for an industrial and commercial application. This work aims to identify operational parameters specifically conceived for the classification of marble tiles. In this specific case the meaningful aesthetical properties are mainly linked to the anisotropy of the RGB intensities and, specifically, to the "veins". Starting from the classical geostatistical and morphological modelling (variograms, granulometries, etc.), specific operational parameters have been obtained for a quantitative measurement of veins density, colour, and geometrical features (width, shape, continuity, etc.). The actual methodology defines commercial categories on the base of a self-appraisal process, which identifies intervals of several parameters. The current procedure is too rigid and doesn't allow choosing in an intuitive way the discriminating properties. The proposed approach identifies understandable characteristics (vein features), and proposes quantitative indexes which actually satisfy the commercial classification of marbles. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.