CMT 1:30-3:30pm

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
These are the properties required to estimate the
PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL and quality and condition of the material without any
external force. The physical properties of engineering
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES of materials are as follows.
MATERIALS USED IN • Bulk density
• Porosity
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION • Durability
• Specific gravity
• Fire resistance
• Weathering resistance
• Water absorption
• Water permeability

Bulk Density is the ratio of mass to the volume of the

Porosity gives the volume of the material occupied by
material in its natural state that is including voids and pores. It is the ratio of volume of pores to the volume
pores. It is expressed in kg/m3. Bulk density influences of material. Porosity influences many properties like
the mechanical properties of materials like strength, thermal conductivity, strength, bulk density, durability
heat and conductivity etc. bulk density values of some etc.
of the engineering materials are given below. Durability
The property of a material to withstand against the
Building material Bulk density (kg/m3)
combined action of atmospheric and other factors is
Sand 1450 – 1650 known as durability of material. If the material is more
Steel 7850 durable, it will be useful for longer life. Maintenance
Heavy concrete 1800 – 2500
cost of material is dependent of durability.
Light concrete 500 – 1800

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Specific Gravity(Relative Density) is the ratio of mass Weathering Resistance

of given substance to the mass of water at 4oC for the The property of a material to withstand against
equal volumes. Specific gravity of some materials is
listed below. all atmospheric actions without losing its
strength and shape. Weathering effects the
Material Specific gravity durability of material. For example corrosion
Steel 7.82 occurs in iron due to weathering. To resist this
Cement 3.15 paint layer is provided.
Water 1.00 Water Absorption
Fire Resistance The capacity of a material to absorb and retain
The ability to withstand against fire without changing
its shape and other properties. Fire resistance of a water in it is known as water absorption. It is
material is tested by the combined actions of water and expressed in % of weight of dry material. It
fire. Fireproof materials should provide more safety in
case of fire. depends up on the size, shape and number of
pores of material.

Water Permeability MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

The ability of a material to permit water
Mechanical properties of the materials are find out by
through it is called water permeability. applying external forces on them. These are very important
properties which are responsible for behavior of a material in
Dense materials like glass metals etc. are its job. The mechanical properties are,
called impervious materials which cannot • Strength
• Hardness
allow water through it. • Elasticity
• Plasticity
• Brittleness
• Fatigue
• Impact strength
• Abrasion resistance
• Creep

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STRENGTH
The capacity of a material to resist failure
caused by loads acting on it is called as
strength. The load may be compressive, tensile
or bending. It is determined by dividing the
ultimate load taken by the material with its
cross sectional area. Strength is an important
property for any construction materials. So, to
provide maximum safety in strength, factor of
safety is provided for materials and it is
selected depending on nature of work, quality of
material, economic conditions etc.
Tensile Strength
The capacity of a material or structure to
withstand loads tending to elongate. Ultimate
tensile strength is measured by the
maximum stress that a material can withstand
while being stretched or pulled before breaking.
Properties of Construction Materials
CMT 1:30-3:30pm
Compressive Strength of any material is
defined as the resistance to failure under the
action of compressive forces. Especially for
concrete, compressive strength is an important
parameter to determine the performance of
the material during service conditions.
1. Proportional Limit Highest stress at which
stress is directly proportional to strain. It is
the highest stress at which the curve in a
stress-strain diagram is a straight
line. Proportional limit is equal to elastic limit for
many metals.
2. Elastic Limit is lowest stress point at which
permanent deformation can be measured.
3. Yield Point is the point in the stress–strain
curve at which the curve levels off and plastic
deformation begins to occur
4. Ultimate Stress is the capacity of a material or
structure to withstand loads tending to elongate
5. Rupture Stress the stress at which a
specimen fails via fracture. This is usually
determined for a given specimen by a tensile
test
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ELASTIC ZONE
Hardness of Building
The region of the stress-strain curve in Materials
which the material returns to the The property of a
undeformed state when applied forces are materials to resist
removed is called the elastic region. scratching by a herder
body. MOHS scale is
used to determine the
hardness of a
PLASTIC ZONE materials. Hardness is
The region in which the material deforms most important to
decide the usage of
permanently is called the plastic region. particular aggregate.
1. Yield Zone It also influences the
workability.
2. Strain Hardening
3. Necking

Elasticity of Building Materials

The capacity of a material to regain its initial shape and Plasticity
size after removal of load is known as elasticity and the When the load is
material is called as elastic material. Ideally elastic applied on the material,
materials obey Hooke’s law in which stress is directly
proportional to strain. Which gives modulus of elasticity as if it will undergo
the ratio of unit stress to unit deformation. Higher the value permanent deformation
of modulus of elasticity lower the deformations. without cracking and
retain this shape after
the removal of load
then it is said to be
plastic material and this
property is called as
plasticity. They give
resistance against
bending, impact etc.
Examples: steel, hot
bitumen etc.

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Fatigue
If a material is subjected to
Brittleness repeated loads, then the
When the material is failure occurs at some
subjected to load, if it point which is lower than
the failure point caused by
fails suddenly without steady loads. This behavior
causing any is known as fatigue.
deformation then it is
called brittle material Impact Strength
and this property is If a material is subjected to
called as brittleness. sudden loads and it will
Examples: concrete, undergo some deformation
cast-iron etc. without causing rupture is
known as its impact
strength. It designates the
toughness of material.

Abrasion Resistance Chemical Properties of Building Materials

The loss of material due The properties of materials against the chemical
to rubbing of particles
while working is called actions or chemical combinations are termed as
abrasion. The abrasion chemical properties. And they are
resistance for a material  Chemical resistance
makes it durable and
provided long life.  Corrosion resistance

Creep Chemical Resistance of Corrosion Resistance

Creep the deformation
caused by constant loads for
long periods. It is time
dependent and occurs at very
slow rate. It is almost negligible
in normal conditions. But at
high temperature conditions
creep occur rapidly.
Building Materials
The ability of a construction
materials to resist the effects
by chemicals like acids, salts
and alkalis is known as
chemical resistance.
Underground installations,
constructions near sea etc.
should be built with great
chemical resistance.
Formation of rust (iron oxide) in metals,
when they are subjected to
atmosphere is called as corrosion. So,
the metals should be corrosive
resistant. To increase the corrosion
resistance proper measures should be
considered. Otherwise it will damage
the whole structure.

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Thermal Conductivity
The amount of heat
transferred through unit area
of specimen with unit
thickness in unit time is termed
as thermal conductivity. It is
measured in kelvins. It
depends on material
structure, porosity, density and
moisture content. High porous
materials, moist materials have
more thermal conductivity.

Specific heat Specific Heat

Material
J/N oC Specific heat is the quantity of heat
required to heat 1 N of material by
Steel 0.046 x 103 1oC. Specific heat is useful when
we use the material in high
Wood 0.239 to 0.27 x 103
temperature areas. Specific heat
Stone 0.075 to 0.09 X 103 values of some engineering
materials are given below.

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