Materials or supplies used in a

construction project and

incorporated in the constructed
building or
structure. The following are the
basic types of construction
materials:
- Soils (used in earthen dams and
embankments, and as base for road
pavements)
- Aggregates (used in making
Portland Cement Concrete or
Bituminous Concrete, and fills)
- Steel (used as concrete
reinforcement and structural
elements in buildings)
- Cement (used to bind aggregates
in making concrete when activated
by water)
- Concrete (material formed by
combining water, aggregates, and
cement)
- Bitumen (a binding material for
making bituminous concrete)
- Concrete Masonry Units (most
common in the Philippines is the
Concrete Hollow Blocks) -
Wood (at present, wood is a scarce
material)
Materials Testing and Inspection
Reports
Testing is the measurement of the
characteristics and behavior of
materials under various conditions.
Inspection means examining a
product or observing an operation
to determine whether or not it is
satisfactory. The inspection may
include scaling the dimensions,
weighing, tapping with a hammer,
sifting through the fingers, or
scratching with a knife, as well as
many other operations, some of
which
could conceivably be called tests.
However, the results of the
inspection and minor tests are not
generally measurable. Often an
inspection raises questions which
are then resolved by testing. The
data thus obtained can be used in
specifying the suitability of
materials for various construction
applications (research and
development), in making
adjustments for field conditions
(quality control),
and in making the decision to
accept the finished project or order
the contractor to repair defective
portions before turnover (quality
assurance or acceptance).
Therefore, materials testing is
conducted
before commencement, during
construction, and after completion
of the project.
Testing Standards
ASTM – American Society for
Testing and Materials
- an organization engaged in the
standardization of specifications
and testing methods and in
the improvement of materials. It is
made up of suppliers, designers,
builders, and others
interested in engineering materials.
The organization publishes the
ASTM Standards,
containing more than 11,000
standard specifications and testing
methods covering design,
manufacture, construction, and
maintenance for practically every
type of construction
material. The ASTM Standards
consist of 75 volumes, each
covering one field of interest
Materials or supplies used in a
construction project and
incorporated in the constructed
building or
structure. The following are the
basic types of construction
materials:
- Soils (used in earthen dams and
embankments, and as base for road
pavements)
- Aggregates (used in making
Portland Cement Concrete or
Bituminous Concrete, and fills)
- Steel (used as concrete
reinforcement and structural
elements in buildings)
- Cement (used to bind aggregates
in making concrete when activated
by water)
- Concrete (material formed by
combining water, aggregates, and
cement)
- Bitumen (a binding material for
making bituminous concrete)
- Concrete Masonry Units (most
common in the Philippines is the
Concrete Hollow Blocks) -
Wood (at present, wood is a scarce
material)
Materials Testing and Inspection
Reports
Testing is the measurement of the
characteristics and behavior of
materials under various conditions.
Inspection means examining a
product or observing an operation
to determine whether or not it is
satisfactory. The inspection may
include scaling the dimensions,
weighing, tapping with a hammer,
sifting through the fingers, or
scratching with a knife, as well as
many other operations, some of
which
could conceivably be called tests.
However, the results of the
inspection and minor tests are not
generally measurable. Often an
inspection raises questions which
are then resolved by testing. The
data thus obtained can be used in
specifying the suitability of
materials for various construction
applications (research and
development), in making
adjustments for field conditions
(quality control),
and in making the decision to
accept the finished project or order
the contractor to repair defective
portions before turnover (quality
assurance or acceptance).
Therefore, materials testing is
conducted
before commencement, during
construction, and after completion
of the project.
Testing Standards
ASTM – American Society for
Testing and Materials
- an organization engaged in the
standardization of specifications
and testing methods and in
the improvement of materials. It is
made up of suppliers, designers,
builders, and others
interested in engineering materials.
The organization publishes the
ASTM Standards,
containing more than 11,000
standard specifications and testing
methods covering design,
manufacture, construction, and
maintenance for practically every
type of construction
material. The ASTM Standards
consist of 75 volumes, each
covering one field of interest
Songduan, Nevin Jay D.
Construction Materials and Testing
BSCE 2B
INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TESTING
Construction Materials
Materials or supplies used in a construction project and incorporated in the constructed building or
structure. The following are the basic types of construction materials:

- Soils (used in earthen dams and embankments, and as base for road pavements)
- Aggregates (used in making Portland Cement Concrete or Bituminous Concrete, and fills)
- Steel (used as concrete reinforcement and structural elements in buildings)
- Cement (used to bind aggregates in making concrete when activated by water)
- Concrete (material formed by combining water, aggregates, and cement)
- Bitumen (a binding material for making bituminous concrete)
- Concrete Masonry Units (most common in the Philippines is the Concrete Hollow Blocks)
-Wood (at present, wood is a scarce material)

Materials Testing and Inspection Reports

Testing is the measurement of the characteristics and behavior of materials under various conditions.
Inspection means examining a product or observing an operation to determine whether or not it is
satisfactory. The inspection may include scaling the dimensions, weighing, tapping with a hammer,
sifting through the fingers, or scratching with a knife, as well as many other operations, some of which
could conceivably be called tests. However, the results of the inspection and minor tests are not
generally measurable. Often an inspection raises questions which are then resolved by testing. The data
thus obtained can be used in specifying the suitability of materials for various construction applications
(research and development), in making adjustments for field conditions (quality control), and in making
the decision to accept the finished project or order the contractor to repair defective portions before
turnover (quality assurance or acceptance). Therefore, materials testing is conducted before
commencement, during construction, and after completion of the project.

Tests Carried Out on Different Construction Materials

1. Soils (covered in your Soil Mechanics subject)
a. Specific Gravity
b. Grading Test/Sieve Analysis
c. Plasticity Test (Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, Plasticity Index)
d. Compaction Test
e. Field Density Test
f. California Bearing Ratio
2. Aggregates
a. Sieve Analysis
b. Moisture Content
c. Specific Gravity, Water Absorption and Density
d. Los Angeles Abrasion Test
3. Steel
a. Tensile Strength Test
b. Bend and Re-Bend Test
c. Shear Test
d. Impact and Torsion Test
4. Cement
a. Fineness Test
b. Soundness Test
c. Determination of Setting Time of Hydraulic Cement
5. Concrete
a. Flexural and Compressive Strength Test
b. Slump Test
6. Bitumen
a. Penetration of bitumen/Centrifuge extraction test
b. Marshall or Hveem Test
7. Concrete Masonry Units
a. Compressive Strength
8. Wood
a. Static bending/flexural
b. Compression parallel/perpendicular to grain
c. Tensil