The cutting and grinding (surface shaping) is well-established and has been duplicated using “standard” Egyptian copper tools. These “wells” of chipped stone around and under the obelisks remain, and several have unfinished obelisks still in the holes. (Same at Easter Island, by the way.)
The pyramid stones are actually quite rough - as you can see from close up pictures of people climbing the things. from afar, yes they look smooth: but only the cap stones, polished by sliding the stones across each other with a sand grinding powder between, allow the close fit. Machu Pichu is similar: the final fit is by polishing the adjacent stones. PS. You can't "pour" stones. Think lava.
I’ve always wondered what effects thermal expansion, contraction, not to mention a few seismic and millenia of wind loading might effect the joinery. Diffusion, corrosion, and creep from reshaped structures within the materials themselves might have led much more to the apparant tight fit than all the other forces combined.
Perhaps what is more impressive is that the stonework didn’t naturally deteriorate by the same expansion/contraction, inblown sand forces over the millenia.
One of these days I'm going to by God go over there and stick a human hair in between a couple of those rocks and look to see who's interested.
Sigh,..I read their white paper (the yellow one) found here: http://www.materials.drexel.edu/Pyramids/GeopolymerWhitePaper-Barsoum.pdf
The paper is intended to promote geopolymers en lieu of portland cement in the concrete mixing industry.
A good chunk on the paper emphasized the amount of CO2 which is released from making PC and casting PC concrete, then emphasizing the amount of greenhouse gases created from the use of concrete.
The white paper stresses the research effort in the past had been unfunded, but it is now seeking funds and states, “According to a United Nations Task Force “Science, technology and innovation underpin every one of the Millennium Development Goals” such as health, education, and deliverence from poverty. The Ancient Egyptians used a unique chemistry to create what ranks as one of humankind’s greatest architectural achievements. Today, once this chemistry is rediscovered, we believe it can be used to combat the lack of adequate housing in much of the developing world.
Previously in the same white paper, “.....We are now seeking funding to accelerate the project, reach our objective and commence a worldwide campaign to disseminate our knowledge, especially to Sub-Saharan Africa and other places where robust and sustainable shelter is lacking.”
IMHO, there is more effort to search for worldly advancement by appealing to political deep pockets than to sincere science.
The stones look rough now thousands of years later...but how about when they were built?