Introduction to

Construction Materials
and Testing
TOPIC 1 – WEEK 1

Engr. Raymond Jay G. Severo

Civil Engineer
 CONTENT

01. Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Importance of Construction Materials

02. and Testing

Apparatuses Used for Construction

03. Materials and Testing
 Learning Objectives:
At the end of this topic, the student should be
able:
 To explain and understand the
importance of materials testing in
construction,
 To identify some apparatus used in
construction, and
 To explain functions of apparatus used
in construction.
 Learning Outcomes:
 Students should be able to explain the
importance of testing materials in
construction site.
 Students should be able to identify,
name apparatus used for specific
testing and explain its uses and how to
operate it.
Why is it important to test materials in
construction site?

1. Meeting requirements of
regulatory agencies;
2. Selecting appropriate
materials and treatments for
an application, and
3. Evaluating product design or
improvement specifications
 REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

Department of Public Works and Highways together with the

Provincial Engineering Office, Local Government Units and Department
of Labor and Employment are some of the regulatory bodies that set
compliance and requirements for construction industry. Contractors must
adhere and follow to the standards and requirements being set by the
bodies for compliance of the project and for the project to commence
work.
 MATERIAL AND TRATMENT SELECTION

Materials are tested by the manufacturing companies to ensure

quality products being sell and distributed. Steel bars, I beam, rivets and
fasteners are tested by the manufacturing company. In construction site
some materials being deliver are being treated and a sample is taken to
be tested in actual by the contractors to ensure the quality of the
delivered products, it is to ensure that the delivered materials was in
accordance with the specs being ordered in the manufacturing
company.
 PRODUCT DESIGN AND IMPROVEMENT

Testing materials also leads to an improvement of a new quality

product. Improving materials quality, strength capacity, mechanical and
physical properties give innovation to the design of structures. It may
lead to stronger structure or either cheaper structure without
compromising the quality and its standards. Research and development
on the materials, such as concrete, steel bars are now trend for
construction innovation and improvement.
 “Qualitymaterials and
workmanship in construction site
equals, standard and safe
structure”
APPARATUSES USED IN
CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING

Sieve Set
A sieve, or sifter, is a device for
separating wanted elements from
unwanted materials for
characterizing the particle size
distribution of a sample (aggregates,
sand, gavel, and other soil particles).
Characterizing, and determining
the particle size distribution of the
coarse and fine aggregates is called
sieve analysis.
 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Gravel Sand Silt Clay
>2mm 2 to 0.06 mm 0.06 to 0.002 mm <0.002 mm
US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Gravel Sand Silt Clay
>2mm 2 to 0.05 mm 0.05 to 0.002 mm <0.002 mm
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Office
(AASHTO)
Gravel Sand Silt Clay
76.2 to 2mm 2 to 0.075 mm 0.075 to 0.002 <0.002 mm
mm
United Soil Classification System (USCS)
Gravel Sand Fines (Silt and Clay)
76.2 to 4.75mm 4.75 to 0.075 mm <0.075 mm
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING

Balance – use in measuring the mass

or weight of the sample.
Graduated Beaker and Cylinder –
use to measure the volume of
samples. (sand, liquid, small part of
soil and etc.)
Calculator – use to compute
especially the data recorded during
the testing of materials. (e.g.,
density, moisture content, void ratio,
degree of saturation)
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING

• Slump Cone – A metal mold in a form

of truncated cone with a top
diameter of 4” (102 mm) a bottom
diameter of 8” (203 mm), and a
height of 12” (305 mm), used to
fabricate the specimen for the slump
test. Slump Test is an empirical test
that measures the workability of fresh
concrete. More specifically, it tests
the consistency of the concrete in
that specific batch.
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING

Tamping Rod – Tamping rods are

dimensionally accurate rods used to tamp
fresh concrete into cylinder molds and
slump cones to eliminate voids and excess
air.

wecivilengineers.wordpress.com
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING
Various Molds – use as a mold
of the sample for the testing of
concrete mixtures.
There are three types of
concrete Molds.
•Cube molds
1.Sizes of cube molds:
150 mm x 150 mmx 150 mm
100 mm x 100mm x 100mm
70.6 mm x 70.6 mm x 70.6 mm
• Cylinder Molds
1.Sizes of cylinder mold:
6 in x 12 in (15.2cm x 30.5 cm)
4 in x 8 in (10 cm x 20 cm)
• Beam Molds
1.Sizes of beam molds:
100 mm x 100mm x 400mm
100 mm x 100mm x 500 mm
150 mm x 150 mm x 600 mm
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING

Hydrometer – is an instrument
used to measure the specific
gravity (or relative density) of
liquids; that is, the ratio of the
density of the liquid to the
density of Water.
Hydrometer is usually made of
glass and consists of a
cylindrical stem and a bulb
weighted with mercury or lead
shot to make it float upright.
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING

Laser Infrared Thermometer – an

instrument for measuring and
indicating temperature, typically
one consisting of a narrow,
hermetically sealed glass tube
marked with graduation and
having at one end a bulb
containing mercury or alcohol
which extends along the tube as it concreteconstruction.net
expands.
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING

Concrete Mixers – a device that

homogeneously combines
cement, aggregate such as sand
and gravel and water to form
concrete. A typical concrete mixer
uses a revolving drum to mix the
components.
machinemotor.com
 APPARATUSES USED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR
MATERIALS TESTING

Universal Testing Machine – A machine,

designed that is capable of exerting a
tensile, compressive or traverse stress on
a sample specimen under test. The
machine has been named so because
of the wide range of tests it can
perform over different kind of materials.
Different tests like peel test, flexural test,
tension test, bend test, friction test,
spring test etc. can be performed with
the help of UTM.
 Two Main Parts of the Universal
Testing Machine
1. Loading Unit

A. Load Frame – made either by single support or by double

support. Consist of a table (where the specimen is placed
for the compression test), upper crosshead and lower
crosshead.
B. Upper and Lower Crosshead – used to clamp one end of
the test specimen. The lower crosshead in the load frame
is the movable crosshead whose screw can be loosened
for height adjustment and tightened. Both the crossheads
have a tapered slot at the center. This slot has a pair of
racked jaws that is intended to grip and hold the tensile
test specimen.
 Two Main Parts of the Universal
Testing Machine

C. Elongation Scale – the

relative movement of
the lower and upper
table is measured by an
elongation scale which
is provided along with
the loading unit.
 Two Main Parts of the Universal
Testing Machine

2. Control Unit
A. Hydraulic Power Unit – consist of oil pump that provides
non-pulsating oil flow into the main cylinder of the load
unit. This flow helps in the smooth application of load on
the specimen. The oil pump in a hydraulic power unit is
run by an electric motor and pump.
 Two Main Parts of the Universal
Testing Machine

B. Load Measuring Unit – a pendulum dynamometer unit

that has a small cylinder with a piston which moves
with the non-pulsating oil flow. The pendulum is
connected to the piston by a pivot lever. The pivot
lever deflects based on the load applied to the
specimen. This deflection is converted to the load
pointer and displays as the load on the dial. Load
measuring units ranges from 0 – 100 kN; 0 – 250 kN; 0 –
500 kN and 0 – 1000 kN.
 Two Main Parts of the Universal
Testing Machine

C. Control Device – can be electric or

hydraulic. Electric control device
makes use of switches to move the
crossheads and switch on/off the unit.
A hydraulic control device consists of
two valves, right control valve and left
control valve or release valve. A right
control valve is used to apply load ton
the specimen. The left control valve is
used to release the load application.
 The Universal Testing Machine

Amslabo.com
 Function of the Universal Testing
Machine

The main function of UTM is to test the

mechanical properties of materials.

1. Tensile test
2. Compression Test
3. Bending/ Flexural Test
 Thanks!
Raymond Jay G. Severo
Civil Engineer

raymond16severo@gmail.com

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