BUILDING MATERIAL &

CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY
ENCE 234
COURSE OUTLINE

Introduction Structural Finishing and

• Building/ Structure Materials decorative
Function & Material • Concrete • Stone
Role
• Aggregates • Ceramic
• Material Engineering
• Cementing • Insulation material
Concept
Materials
• Steel
• Asphalt
• Wood
TEXT BOOKS AND REFERENCES
LECTURE NOTES AND HAND
OUT
• STONE
• CERAMICS
• INSULATION MATERIALS

• CHAPTER 3,STEEL
CHAPTERS 1-10, 14, • CHAPTER 9, ASPHALT
16 AND 18-20 BINDERS AND ASPHALT
MIXTURES
• CHAPTER 10, WOOD
INTRODUCTION
1. WHY BUILDING MATERIAL?
In general Materials engineering is the crucial stepping stone to
innovation, allowing us to push technological boundaries.
In the race to make buildings stronger, cheaper, lighter, more
functional and more sustainable, the manipulation of materials, their
properties and processes is key.
 An understanding of the properties of materials is essential in both the design
and construction phases of any civil engineering or building project if this is to
prove satisfactory for its intended purpose
2. BUILDINGS FUNCTION
 Building shall provide a desired spatial environment within it continuously for a
given human activity, while being Safe, Comfortable and Economic.
BUILDING SAFETY
 Building safety implies that Structure shall Withstand forces of
nature without collapse during its design life frame

 Forces
of
Nature/
Basic
Loads
Snow Load Rain load
Flood loads Wind loads
Earthquake loads
BUILDING COMFORT
 Building shall provide comfortable internal environment against external
environment. So Building Envelop should act as filter, Allow Desirable aspect
(such as Light; Ventilation; View out) to come in and prevent undesirables (such
as: Excessive Heat; Noise; Dust; Water & Humidity; View in) aspects

 Building Comfort elements include

• Interaction with Climatic Background.
• Thermal conductivity, thermal
expansion.
• Permeability
• Sound Insulation/ absorption
• Fire Resistance.
• Durability - last long without getting
degraded
• Aesthetics
3. MATERIAL ENGINEERING CONCEPT

MATERIAL SELECTION CRITERIA INCLUDE

1. Economic factors
2. Mechanical properties
3. Physical properties
4. Production/construction considerations
5. Aesthetic properties
ECONOMIC FACTORS
I. Availability and cost of raw
materials Steel, concrete ,
Timber, Stone …….
II. Manufacturing costs
III. Transportation cost
IV. Placing/ construction cost
V. Maintenance cost
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
 The mechanical properties of materials refer to response of the material to
external loads.
 The important mechanical properties considered for building materials are
strength (compressive, tensile, bending), hardness, plasticity, elasticity, and
temperature effects.

 STRENGTH
 Strength is the ability of the material to resist failure
under the action of stresses caused by loads.
 strength is always defined by type, and is probably one
of the following (see Fig.), depending on the method of
loading.
Compressive strength Tensile strength
Flexural strength Shear strength
 Some materials have different strength for different
loading as for concrete
Stress
a measure of the internal resistance in a material to
an externally applied load. For direct compressive
or tensile loading, the stress is designated σ, and is
defined in the equation below, and measured in
Newton's per square meter (Pascal's) or pounds
per square inch.

Strain
a measure of the deformation produced by the
influence of stress. For tensile and compressive
loads:
ALLOWABLE STRESS

The allowable stress or strength

is the maximum stress (tensile,
compressive, bending or sheer)
that is allowed to be applied on a
structural material. The allowable
stresses are generally defined by
building codes.
 HARDNESS
is the ability of a material to resist penetration
by a harder body. Additionally, Hard materials
resist scratching, for example cast iron and
chrome steel.

 ELASTICITY
is the ability of a material to restore its initial
form and dimensions after the load is
removed.
 ELASTICITY:

Typical uniaxial stress–strain diagrams for some engineering materials:

(a) glass and chalk, (b) steel, (c) aluminum alloys, (d) concrete, and (e) soft rubber.
 PLASTICITY
is the ability of a material to change its shape under load without cracking and to
retain this shape after the load is removed. Some of the examples of plastic
materials are steel, copper and hot bitumen.

 Materials that do  Materials that

not undergo plastic display appreciable
deformation prior to plastic deformation,
failure, such as such as mild steel,
concrete, are said are said ductile.
to be brittle.
 DUCTILE VS. BRITTLE MATERIALS
 Generally, ductile materials are preferred for construction.
 When a brittle material fails, the structure can collapse in a catastrophic manner.
On the other hand, overloading a ductile material will result in distortions of the
structure, but the structure will not necessarily collapse.
 Ductile material provides the designer with a margin of safety.
 TEMPERATURE AND TIME EFFECTS
 The mechanical behavior of all materials is affected by temperature.
 some materials, such as viscoelastic materials, are affected by the load
duration.
 The longer the load is applied, the larger is the amount of deformation or
creep.
 Rate of loading
Many structures, such as bridges, are subjected to repeated loadings,
creating stresses that are less than the strength of the material. Repeated
stresses can cause a material to fail or fatigue, at a stress well below the
strength of the material
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
 characteristics of the material, other than load response, that affect selection,
use, and performance.
 There are several types of properties that are of interest to engineers, but
those of the greatest concern to civil engineers are density, thermal properties,
and surface characteristics.
Density And Unit Weight
Importance:
 The weight of the materials is an important design consideration as it determine
the dead load which can significantly contributes to the total design stress. So, If
the weight of the materials can be reduced, the size of the structural members
can be also reduced.
 in the design of asphalt and concrete mixes, the weight–volume relationship of
the aggregates and binders must be used to select the mix proportions.
Thermal Expansion

• All materials expand as temperature increases and contract as temperature

falls.
• The amount of expansion per unit length due to one unit of temperature increase
is a material constant and is expressed as the coefficient of thermal expansion
Water Absorption
• denotes the ability of the material to absorb and retain water. It is expressed as
percentage in weight of the volume of dry material.
• The properties of building materials are greatly influenced when saturated.
• The ratio of compressive strength of material saturated with water to that in dry
state is known as coefficient of softening and describes the water resistance of
materials.
• Materials with coefficient of softening less than 0.8 should not be recommended
in the situations permanently exposed to the action of moisture.
Surface Characteristics
• Corrosion and Degradation: Nearly all materials deteriorate over their service
Lives. The selection of a material should consider both how the material will react
with the environment and the cost of preventing the resulting degradation.
• Abrasion and Wear : Resistance to abrasion and wear is, an important property of
aggregates used in pavements.
• Surface Texture: The surface
texture of some materials and
structures is of importance to
civil engineers. smooth texture
of aggregate particles is
needed in concrete to improve
workability. In contrast, rough
texture of aggregate particles is
needed in asphalt to provide a
stable pavement layer and
adequate friction resistance
and prevent skidding of
vehicles
PRODUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION

• Production and construction considerations in

the local market may block the selection of a
material even if it is well suited to a specific
application.
• Production considerations include the
availability of the material and the ability to
fabricate the material into the desired shapes
and required specifications.
• One of the primary factors is the availability of
a trained work force.
• Preferences develop as engineers in the
region become comfortable and confident in
designing with one of the materials and
constructors respond with a trained work force
and specialized equipment.
AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS

• The aesthetic characteristics of a material refer to the appearance of the

material.
• Generally, these characteristics are the responsibility of the architect.
• The civil engineer is responsible for working with the architect to ensure that
the aesthetic characteristics of the facility are compatible with the structural
requirements.
• Engineers should understand that there are many factors beyond the technical
needs that must be considered when selecting materials and designing public
projects.