Advanced Diploma in Quantity Surveying Materials & Construction Technology-4

Construction Materials

The final product of any construction work is made of different types of construction materials.
The larger portion of construction cost is allocated for the procurement of materials. Therefore, it
is inevitable that the knowledge in construction materials is much important to anybody who is
working in the construction industry.

The cost for materials, labour and machinery is the basis to produce rate for any construction
work. The cost of materials depends on various factors such as quality, type, availability etc.
Therefore, a QS needs to acquire in-depth knowledge in construction materials in order to be
more efficient in making estimation, quotation, tender etc.

Form, Shape and Sizes

The materials are available in various forms, shapes and sizes in the market as given below.

1. Small units
 Bricks, blocks, floor tiles, roof tiles are available in units and countable
 Sanitary items, light fittings, door and window hardware

2. In volumes
 Course aggregate, Sand, Soil are available in cubes, cubic meter etc.

3. In weights
 Steel is available in tons.

4. In packing
 Cement, Lime are in bags of certain weights

5. Form of sheets and boards

 Asbestos sheet, plywood, gypsum board

6. Standard lengths
 PVC Pipes, R/f steel, timber sections, Aluminium sections etc.

7. Liquid form
 Paints, Bitumen.

8. In the form of rolls

 Polythene, Waterproofing Membrane, Vinyl.

Properties of materials

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Advanced Diploma in Quantity Surveying Materials & Construction Technology-4

The following properties are the major concerns in selecting any materials.
– Durability
 This is a major concern of any material. To be capable to last long.

– Strength
 This depends on the purpose and there are different kinds of strengths – Tensile
strength, compressive strength, toughness, hardness.

– Appearance or finishing
 Directly related with aesthetic.

Definition of properties
(1) Physical Properties:-
a) Density:-
It is defined as mass of material per unit volume

b) Bulk density or Unit weight:-

It is defined as weight of material per unit volume. Volume of the material is
found from the natural state of material (i.e.) volume of solids and voids together
from volume.

c) Specific gravity:-
It is the ratio of density of a material to density (unit weight) of water. It is a
dimension less quantity.

d) Porosity:-
It is the ratio of the volume of voids in material to the bulk/total volume of
material

e) Water absorption:-
It is the property of material to absorb water and retain it. It is expressed as
percentage in weight of absorbed water to weight of dry material.

f) Hygroscopic:-
It is the property of the material to absorb water form the atmosphere. Timber
possesses this property.

g) Permeability:-
It is the property of the material which allows water to flow through it. Soil
possesses this property. Materials like bitumen are impervious.

h) Moisture Movement
The process by which moisture moves through a porous medium, such as a wall
construction, as a result of differences in vapor pressure.
The effects of such movement on the dimensions of a material such as concrete,
mortar, cement paste, or rock

i) Fire resistance:-

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Advanced Diploma in Quantity Surveying Materials & Construction Technology-4

It is property of a material which resists the action of high temperature without

undergoing substantial change in shape and loss of strength. Steel has very poor
fire resistance. Concrete is better than steel in resisting fire. Bricks are very good
fire resisting materials.

j) Corrosion:-
It is destruction of materials due to slow oxidation. Steel has this property.
Corrosion rate is high in marine environment.

k) Soundness:-
Material is said to be sound, if it has good resistance to heat, alternate freezing
thawing, and other destructive actions of the atmosphere.

(2) Mechanical Properties:-

The mechanical properties of a material are those properties, which completely define its
behavior under the action of external loads or forces.
Most of the mechanical properties of materials are generally expressed in terms of
stress, strain or both.

Stress:-
It is the internal resistance set up in a material under the action of the external forces.
Mathematically stress is expressed as force divided by cross – sectional area.

Strain:-
It is deformation per unit length under the action of the external forces.
Mathematically, strain is expressed as change in length divided by original length. The “Strain”
may be classified into “Elastic Strain” and “Plastic Strain”. The “Elastic Strain” is a temporary
strain, what appears so long as the external forces are applied. It disappears after the removal of
the forces.

The “Plastic Strain” is a permanent strain caused by the external forces, when the
stress exceeds the elastic limit. The plastic strain takes place as a result of permanent
displacement of the atom inside the material.

a) Elasticity:-
It is the property of the material which regains its original shape and size after the
removal of external loads. The maximum stress level before which if the load is
removed the material regains its shape and size is called elastic limit.

For some materials the limit is very low and for some other materials it is quite
high. The elasticity is always desirable in metals used in structural members.

b) Plasticity:-
The term ‘Plasticity’ is defied as the permanent deformation (without fracture)
whenever the material is subjected to the action of external forces. The plasticity of a
material depends upon its nature and the method of manufacturing.

c) Toughness:-
The term ‘toughness’ may be defined as the property of a material, which can
absorb maximum energy before fracture takes place
d) Resilience:-

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Advanced Diploma in Quantity Surveying Materials & Construction Technology-4

The term ‘resilience’ is defined as the energy stored to resist shocks or impacts. The
resilience of a material is measured by the amount of energy that can be stored per
unit volume, after it is stressed up to elastic limit. The resilience of a material is also
of great importance in the selection of materials used for various types of springs.

e) Hardness:-
The resistance offered to any material by indentation, scratching, cutting or wear by
abrasion.
It is measured by the resistance of the metal which its offers to scratching.

f) Brittleness:-
The term ‘brittleness’ is defined as the property by which the material breaks with
little deformation
This property is opposite to the ductility of a metal, cast iron. Glass and concrete are
the examples of brittle materials

g) Ductility:-
It is the capacity to undergo large plastic deformation before actual failure. This
property allows the drawing of thin wire of a metal. It depends upon the grain size
of the metal crystals. The ductility of a metal is measured by its percentage of
elongation and percentage of reduction in the cross – sectional area before rupture.

h) Fatigue:-
Fatigue is known as the failure of material due to repeated variation of stress. This
kind of failure can take place when the material is undergoing cyclic motion,
vibration etc.

i) Creep:-
Creep is known as continues deformation of material under stress for a longer
period.

j) Abrasive resistance:-
This is the resistance offered against the forces acting on a contact surface when one
material moves over the other. This is to be studied for the materials used for road
surfaces and flooring.

k) Impact Strength:-
This property refers to the ability of material to resist the shocking loads due to
heavy loads falling on the surface or due to bomb blast etc.

l) Strength:-
The term ‘strength’ may be defined as the property of material by which it can
withstand or support an external force or load without rupture.

(3) Chemical Properties:-

Atomic weight, Equivalent weight, Molecular weight, Atomic number, Acidity,
Alkalinity, Chemical Composition, Corrosion etc

Materials

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Advanced Diploma in Quantity Surveying Materials & Construction Technology-4

Concrete Cement

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Advanced Diploma in Quantity Surveying Materials & Construction Technology-4

Aggregate, stone Sand

Tor steel Mild steel
Structural Steel Brick – Clay
Cement block, concrete block Timber
Aluminium Gypsum board
Durra board Glass
Plaster (Mortar) Lime
Putty, Skim coat Paint
Ceramic Tile, Homogeneous tile Granite
Marble Terrazzo
Roof tile - Clay Carpet (Fabric, loop wool, vinyl)
Mineral Fibre board Super flex board
Mild steel Stainless steel
Paving stone (Cement, concrete) Asphalt
Soil GI pipe
Rubber Stickers
Zinc alum Asbestos sheet
PVC, uPVC Ceramics