University of Alabama in Huntsville

Civil and Environmental Engineering

CE 380
Civil Engineering Materials

Spring 2010

Chapter 1
Materials Engineering Concepts

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 Materials Engineering Concepts
Civil and construction engineers are involved in the
selection of construction materials with the
mechanical properties needed for each project.

Selection process must weigh the following factors

Material’s ability to carry loads
Economic factors
Mechanical properties (strength and volume stability)
Non-mechanical properties (durability)
Production/construction considerations
Aesthetic properties

Materials used in Construction

Traditional Materials (most frequent)
Steel
Aggregate
Concrete
Asphalt
Wood

Lesser extent Materials

Aluminum
Glass
Plastics

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 Materials used in Construction
High-Performance Materials

Better quality, More economical, and Safer

Improved Materials by
• Polymers
• Adhesives
• Composites
• Coatings
• Synthetic Products
• Changing their molecular structures

High-Performance Materials
Superplasticizers / Additive / Produces stronger concrete.

Advanced composite materials (High Strength-Weight Ratio)

Fiber-reinforced concrete

Epoxy-coated steel reinforcement

Rapid-set concrete patching compounds

Light-weight aggregates

Polymer-modified asphalt

Fire-resistant building materials

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 Selection Process Factors
1. Economic Factors

2. Mechanical Properties

3. Non-mechanical Properties

4. Production/Construction Considerations
 The availability of the material
 The ability to fabricate the material into the desired shapes
and specifications

5. Aesthetic Properties
 The appearance of the material

1. Economic Factors
Availability and cost of raw materials

Manufacturing costs

Transportation

Placing

Maintenance

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 2. Mechanical Properties
Mechanical behavior and deformation of materials
depend on

Magnitude and type of load

Material properties

Geometry of the element

Loading Conditions
Static (Sustained = Dead Loads)

Dynamic (vibration or shock)

Periodic (Rotating equipments)
Random (Never repeats) (Earthquakes)
Transient (Impulse load) (Truck on bridge)

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 Stress-Strain Relations
Elastic Behavior: Material deforms under loading and
returns to its original shape when the load is removed
Linear and Nonlinear

Modulus of Elasticity (Young’s Modulus), E

For a homogenous, Isotropic, and linear elastic material
F

 F/A
E 
 L / L L

F D

Stress-Strain Relations (Cont.)

 l  D / D
Poisson’s Ratio  
a L / L

Tension Compression

F F

D
F F

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 Elastoplastic Behavior
Plastic Behavior: Permanent deformation of specimen
The atomic bonds stretch, then the atoms slip relative to each
other.

Elastoplastic material exhibits

linear elastic behavior followed
by plastic response.
If the load is removed after the plastic deformation , the stress-
strain will follow a straight line parallel to the elastic portion
Consequently, some of the strain in the material will be
removed (elastic strain/recovery) and the remainder of the
strain will be permanent (plastic strain)

Elastoplastic Behavior (Cont.)

Proportional limit is the transition point between
linear and nonlinear behavior

Elastic limit is the stress level (yield strength) at

which the behavior changes from elastic to plastic.

Offset method (0.2% strain )

Extension method (0.5% strain)

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 Elastoplastic Behavior (Cont.)
Brittle Materials do not undergo plastic deformation
prior to failure (Concrete)
If a brittle material fails, the structure can collapse in a
catastrophic manner

Ductile Materials display appreciable plastic deformation

(Mild Steel)
Preferred for construction
Overloading a ductile material will result in distortions but the
structure will Not necessarily collapse.

Elastoplastic Behavior (Cont.)

Toughness
Energy per volume
required to fracture a
Toughness
specimen
Area under the total curve

Modulus of Resilience
Max. energy per volume
that can be elastically
stored by a specimen
(absorbed energy then
recovered upon unloading)
Area under the elastic
curve ε
Modulus of
Resilience

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 Failure Modes
Fracture
Brittle Material fractures when the static stress reaches the maximum
strength the material can carry.
Ductile Material may fracture due to excessive plastic deformation

Fatigue
subjected to repeated loadings, creating stresses that are less than the
strength of the material
As the stress level decreases, the number of applications before failure
increases
Bridges and pavements

General Yielding in ductile materials and spreads in the whole

structure which results in a total collapse

Buckling

Excessive deformation

Factor of Safety
The factor of safety is defined as the ratio of the
stress at failure to the allowable stress for design
(maximum anticipated stress):
 failure
F .S . 
 allowable
σfailure = Failure stress of the material
σallowable = Allowable stress for design

The larger FS, the larger is the required cross

section of the structure (higher costs)

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 Factor of Safety (Cont.)
The proper value of the factor of safety varies from one structure
to another and depends on several factors:

Cost of unpredictable failure in lives, dollars, and time

Variability in material properties
Degree of accuracy in considering all possible loads applied
to the structure, such as earthquakes
Possible misuse of the structure, such as improperly hanging
an object from a truss roof
Degree of accuracy of considering the proper response of
materials during design, such as assuming elastic response
although the material might not be perfectly elastic

3. Non-Mechanical Properties
Density and Unit Weight

Thermal Expansion

L
L  T
L

αL= linear coefficient of thermal expansion

ΔL = change in the length of the specimen
ΔT = change in temperature

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Non-Mechanical Properties (Cont.)
Surface Characteristics
Corrosion and Degradation
• How the material will react with the environment
• Crystalline materials (metals) deteriorate through corrosion
• Polymer materials (asphalt) deteriorate by degradation

Abrasion and Wear Resistance

• Pavement must be designed to resist the wear and polishing from
vehicle tires to provide adequate resistance for braking

Surface Texture
• Smooth texture of aggregate particles is needed in portland
cement concrete to improve workability
• Rough texture of aggregate particles is needed in asphalt concrete
mixtures to provide a stable pavement layer to resist deformation
under the load

Examples
Example 1.2

Example 1.3

Example 1.5

Problem 1.9

Problem 1.13

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