INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTION

MATERIALS AND TESTING

Objectives
 Be familiar with the different civil
engineering materials and its
classification
 Understand the factors considered in
determining the materials for a structure
 Be familiar with the general properties of
civil engineering materials and the
methods used in determining the
properties
Topics
 Materials and Types
 Civil Engineering Materials
 Classification of Civil Engineering
Materials
 Factors Determining the Choice of Proper
Materials for a Structure
 General Properties of Civil Engineering
Materials
 Determining the Properties of Civil
Engineering Materials
Introduction
 Civil Engineering consists of the design,
construction, maintenance, inspection, and
management of characteristically diverse public
works projects, from railroads to high rise
buildings to sewage treatment centers. Their
construction may be under or above ground,
offshore or inland, over mile-deep valleys or flat
terrains, and upon rocky mountains or clayey soils.
 At the core of civil engineering rests the
investigation of materials and methods that can
satisfy the need of the community.
Materials and Types
 A material is defined as a substance or thing from
which something else can be made.
 Materials can be divided into several categories:
 Amorphous materials
 Brittle materials
 Building materials
 Cementitious materials
 Ceramic materials
 Clay brickwork
 Composite materials
Materials and Types
 Materials can be divided into several categories:
 Construction materials
 Crystalline materials
 Ductile materials
 Elastic materials
 Elastomeric materials
 Electronic materials
 Insulating materials
 Magnetic materials
 Manufacturing materials
Materials and Types
 Materials can be divided into several categories:
 Masonry materials
 Metallic materials
 Polymeric materials
 Plastic materials
 Raw materials
 Repair materials
 Semiconductors
 Thermoplastic materials
 Thermoset materials
 Waste materials
Materials and Types
 Amorphous materials
 Materials in which the atoms are
arranged almost randomly, or those
that do not have crystalline structure.
 Generally, these materials are strong
but brittle
 Example: Glass
Materials and Types
 Plastic materials
 Plasticsare organic-based materials derived from
the petrochemical industry, which are capable of
being formed into any shape.
 Plasticare defined as synthetic organic materials
that can be molded under heat and pressure into
shapes that will be retained after the removal of
heat and pressure.
 Plastics are often referred to as resins, and
consist of few basic polymeric materials often
mixed with dyes, fillers, additives, or
reinforcement such as glass fibers.
Materials and Types
 Plastic materials
 Plastics are used for:
 Floor
coverings - vinyl tiles and
carpets
 Surface finishes – polishes and
sealers
 Adhesives – formaldehyde
 Wallpaper

 Pipes
Civil Engineering Materials
Basic materials used in civil engineering applications are:
1. Structural Materials
 Wood
 Cement and concrete
 Bitumens and bituminous materials
 Structural clay and concrete units
 Reinforcing and structural steel
2. Non-structural materials
 sealants
 Adhesives
 Floor and wall coverings
 Fasteners
 Doors and windows
Civil Engineering Materials
Basic materials most common to highway
construction are:
 Soils
 Aggregates
 Bituminous binders
 Lime
 cement
Civil Engineering Materials
Wood
 Derived from trees and can be put to use
directly, as pieces of lumber cut from a
log, or as raw material in the
manufacture of various wood products or
manufactured components.
 Plywood

 Glued-laminated timber
Civil Engineering Materials
Concrete
 one of the most common construction
material, in which Portland cement is the
essential ingredient.

Bitumen
 Is mixed with other raw materials for the
construction of pavements, roof shingles,
waterproofing compounds, and many
other materials.
Civil Engineering Materials
Structural clay and Concrete masonry units
 Commonly called bricks and blocks, which
are the principal elements in the
construction of masonry walls

Structural Steel
 Employed in the construction of railroad
ties, high-rise buildings, roof trusses, and
other structural elements
 CLASSIFICATION OF CIVIL
ENGINEERING MATERIALS

1. According to their phases

2. According to their internal structure & chemical

composition
Phase Classification

1. Gases : Air, oxygen, CO2

2. Liquids : Water, chemical admixtures

3. Semi-solids : Fresh pastes, mortars, asphalt

4. Solids : Metals, hardened concrete

Internal Structure & Chemical
Composition Classification
1. Metals : (formed by metallic bonds)
A. Ferrous (iron, cast iron, steel)
B. Non-ferrous (aluminum, copper, zinc, lead)

2. Polymers : (long chains having molecules of C,

H, O, N which are formed by covalent
bonding. The chains are bound to each other
either by covalent bonds or Van der Waals
forces.)
A. Natural (rubber, asphalt, resins, wood)
B. Artificial (plastics)
Internal Structure & Chemical
Composition Classification

3. Ceramics : (mainly aluminosilicates formed by

mixed bonding, covalent and ionic)
A. Structural clay products (bricks, tiles, pipes)
B. Porcelains

4. Composite Materials :
A. Natural (agglomerates)
B. Artificial (Portland cement, concrete)
Internal Structure & Chemical
Composition Classification
5. Reinforced Composite Materials : (reinforced
concrete, reinforced plastics)

 One of the most important tasks of an

engineer is to select the most suitable
material for a given civil engineering
structure.
Factors Determining the Choice of Proper
Material for a Structure
 Strength, rigidity & durability Requirements
 Permanent loading → Creep Strength
 Repeated loading → Fatique Strength
 Impact loading → Toughness & Resilience
 Surface loading → Hardness & Resistance to abrasion

 Environmental Requirements
 Temperature change → coefficient of thermal
expansion
 Moisture movement → permeability
 Chemical effects → chemical composition
Factors Determining the Choice of Proper
Material for a Structure

 Economy. Choose the cheaper & available materials

considering
 Initial cost
 Useful life
 Frequency of maintenance
 Cost of maintenance
 Salvage value, etc.
Example: Comparison of concrete
pavement vs. asphalt pavement for
economy.
Concrete Asphalt
Initial Cost – +
Useful Life + –
Frequency of Repair + –
Cost of Repair – +
Salvage Value + +
General Properties of Civil Engineering
Materials

 Physical **
 Mechanical **
 Chemical
 Other
 Thermal, Acoustical, Optical, Electrical

** Most CE Applications focus on physical &

mechanical properties
Physical Properties

 Properties of physical structure

 density  surface energy

 specific gravity  texture (micro, macro)
 porosity  other(color, thermal
 permeability expansion, shape)
Mechanical Properties

 Resistance to applied loads (stress)

initially & over time
 stiffness
 tension
 strength
 compression
 fracture / yielding  flexure (bending)
(brittle / ductile)  torsion

 direct shear
 multiaxial
Chemical Properties

 Chemical composition, potential reaction

with environment
 oxide content
 carbonate content
 acidity, alkalinity
 resistance to corrosion
Determining the Properties of Civil
Engineering Materials

 Properties of materials are determined by

• Laboratory testing
• Field testing

 To avoid inconsistencies in test results STANDARDS

are devised which describe the test apparatus and
the procedure.
Items that are usually
standardized in a test are:

 Obtaining test specimens and number of

specimens
 Size and shape of the specimen
 Preparation of specimens for testing
 Temperature & moisture during preparation &
testing
 Type of machinery
 Rate of loading
 Interpretation of test results
 Writing a report
Standardization Institutes
 Turkey - Turkish Standards Institute (TSE)
 England - British Standards Institute (BSI)
 Germany - Deutsche Institute Norm (DIN)
 U.S. - American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM)
 Europe - European Committee for Standardization
(CEN)