Granite Basalt

Roc Roc
k k
Quar t z Feldspar Pyroxene Albite

Cryst Minera Cryst Minera

al l al l
 Relevance of Crystallography in
Civil Engineering

• Minerals are used to the industry

and help in producing industrial
products and metals like iron, steel,
and are also components of
aggregate on concrete, asphalt,
road base, etc.
• Awareness about mineral
properties and its constituents are
important to civil engineers as it
helps ensure a stable and cost
effective model for construction
projects
CRYSTAL CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
A piece of a The study of crystalline
homogeneous solid solids and principles that
substance with govern their growth, external
atoms arranged in a shape, and internal structure
repeating pattern
shape The branch of science
Naturally occurring concerned with the structure and
and often are properties of crystals
composed of
minerals
Crystal lattice is defined as the three dimensional arrangement of constituent
particles.
Represented diagrammatically such that each particle is depicted as a point.
There are 14 three dimensional lattices known. These lattices are named
after Auguste Bravais who first discovered it. They are known as Bravais
Lattices.
 Unit Cells
These regularly repeating blocks are now known as unit cells, represented by three
edges (a, b, and c) and represented along x, y, and z axes of a three dimensional
entity.
The edges may or may not be mutually perpendicular to each other. When edges are
joined, they form angles

Unit
Cell
 Unit Cell

Primitive Centered

Body Centered End Centered

Face Centered
 a. Primitive
When the constituent particles are
present only at the corners of the unit
cell, then it is called “Primitive Unit Cell”
b. Centered
When the constituent particles are
present at other positions along the
corners, then it is called “Centered Unit
Cell”
 Body Centered Face Centered

If the constituent particle is present at If the constituent particles are present

the body center along with corners at the 6 face centers along with the
called corners called “Face Centered Unit

“Body Centered Unit Cell” Cell”

 End Centered
If the constituent particles are present at the
centers of any two opposite faces along with
corners, it is called “End Centered Unit Cell”
 CRYSTAL SYSTEMS
Method of classifying crystals according to their atomic lattice or structure.
LAW OF CRYSTAL SYMMETRY

• Center of Symmetry
• Axis of Symmetry
• Plane of Symmetry
Center of symmetry

It is defined as an imaginary point within the

crystal such that any line passing through
this points intersects the opposite face of
the crystal at equal distances.

Any line drawn through this point will

intersect
surface at equal distance in both the
directions
 Plane of symmetry Parallel plane of symmetry

It is an imaginary plane which

divides the crystal into two equal
parts such that one is the mirror
image of the other
Diagonal plane of symmetry
Ex. Regular cubic structure can
have 9 planes of symmetry. Three
planes of symmetry are parallel to
the cube faces and six diagonal
planes passing through opposite
cube edges
 Axis of symmetry
Axis of symmetry is a line about which the
crystal may be rotated such that it presents
the same appearance more than once
during the complete revolution through 360
degrees

If a crystal presents the same

appearance ‘n’ times in one complete
revolution, the axis is said to be ‘n’ fold
symmetry

Ex. The cubic crystal of NaCl has 13

axes of symmetry out of which 4 are
threefold, 3 are fourfold and 6 are
twofold
 CONCLUSION
This topic under geology is relevant in a way
that it provides a systematic study of the
structure and properties of construction
materials and their occurrences.

Every mineral including those that contains

crystalline structures serves their purpose in
the industry. May it be used as flux for the
production of construction materials or for
decorative purposes.
Thank
You!