UNITY UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS (CEng-3072)

CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS
CONTENTS

Introduction
Classification of materials

Nature of materials

Interatomic attraction

Interatomic distances

Atomic arrangements
 1. INTRODUCTION
GENERAL
 A construction is a process of constructing something by man for
one purpose or another. It may be a road, bridge, a dam, a dwelling
place, an airport, a commercial building, docks and harbors etc.
 A building can be generally considered as a structure consisting of
floors, walls and roofs erected to provide covered space for
different uses such as residence, business, entertainment, workshop,
etc.
 The practice of planning,
planning designing,
designing constructing,
constructing and operating
construction projects are most usually a collective effort of different
groups of professionals and trades.

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 1. INTRODUCTION
 Depending on the size,size complexity,
complexity and purpose of a particular
project, the project team may include:
 A client or an owner: Individuals, government, real estate
developers etc.
 financial institutions or other investors that provide the
funding
 Local planning and code authorities
 Consultants or Licensed architects and engineers who
provide building design and prepare construction documents
 Contractors who provide construction services and install
structures
 Marketing or leasing agents
 Facility managers who are responsible for operating the civil
projects

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1. INTRODUCTION
BASIC RELATIONSHIP IN THE CONSTRUCTION
PROCESS
Owner
Architect /
Finance
Engineer

General Contractor
Supplier

Testing Laboratories

Sub-Contractor
 1. INTRODUCTION
THE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
 The project life cycle of a building may be viewed as a process through
which a building project is implemented from cradle to grave.

Project Life Cycle of a Building

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 1. INTRODUCTION
COMPONENTS OF A BUILDING
 A building has two basic parts:
Sub-structure
Super structure

Sub-structure: is the lower portion of the building, usually located

below the ground level, which transmits the loads of the super-
structure to the supporting soil.
Super-structure: is that part of the structure which is above the ground
level, and which serves the purpose of its intended use.
 The basic component of a building include:
♦ Foundations ♦ Walls ♦ floor
♦ structures ♦ Roof structures ♦ Building finishes
♦ Doors, windows and other openings ♦ Vertical transportation

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 1. INTRODUCTION

Floor
Beam
Column Roof
Footing Ceiling
Water Walls /
supply Partitions/
system Doors /
Windows
Sewerage
system
Mechanical Electrical Roads
System system
 1. INTRODUCTION

Masonry
Concrete - Brick Bitumen
Aggregate - Mortar -
-HCB Asphalt
Cement - Tar
Metal Rubber
- ferrous /
non ferrous Wood

Composite Paint
- FRP
Glass
Plastic
- PVC Adhesive
Ceramic
1. INTRODUCTION

Properties

Uses Material Testing

Manufacture
1. INTRODUCTION
SELECTION OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
 Factors need to be considered when selecting a material for a
specific use are:
i. Economic factors
 Manufacturing cost, transportation, maintenance, etc.
ii. Properties
 Ability to accept load (stress-strain) as required, weight,
thermal expansion, etc.
 Durability
iii. Production & Construction
 Availability of material & ability to fabricate into desired
shapes
iv. Aesthetic
 Appearance

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2. CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION
MATERIALS
 Due to availability of materials in a wide range, their classification
are also very wide.

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2. CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

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2. CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
iii. Based on their physical nature
 Solids
 Liquids
 Gas
iv. Based on their mode of manufacture
 Naturally occurring materials: are those which are
available in the nature and need to be extracted/recovered
and processed. E.g. Stones, sand, timber, etc.
 Industrially produced materials: are those which can
only be manufactured, by physical, chemical or/and
mechanical means in the industry. E.g. Cement, steel,
plastics, etc.
 Materials produced at the construction site: materials
not available in nature but produced at the construction
site. E.g. concrete, mortar, etc.

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2. CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

v. Based on use of materials

 Binding materials: are those materials which helps two
materials to bind or/and bond. E.g. Cement, lime,
bitumen, etc.
 Building materials: are those which help in raising a
structure/building. E.g. Bricks, stones, concrete, etc.
 Finishing materials: are those which are used for final
finishing of the surface. E.g. ceramics, paints, etc.
 Insulating materials: are those which are used for
insulating the buildings, may it be thermal insulation or
acoustic insulation. E.g. glass, wool, asbestos sheets, etc.

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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.1 GENERAL
 The behavior of construction materials such as solids, liquids, and
gases is mainly due to the way in which their atoms are bond
together.
 The basic structural unit of matter is the atom.
 Each atom is composed of a positively charged nucleus, surrounded
by a sufficient number of negatively charged electrons so the charges
are balanced.
 Electrons: -ve charge , this charge is equal to 1.6x10-
19
amp.sec. (coulomb)
- have a mass of 9.1x10-
28
gm
 Protons: +ve charge , carries a charge equal to electron
- have a mass of (9.1x10-
28
)x1840 gm
 Neutrons: electrically neutral and has the same mass as the
proton 16
3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.1 GENERAL
 Atomic weight is nearly proportional to the total weight of protons
and neutrons in its nucleus.
 Except for density and specific heat,
heat atomic weight has practically
no influence on the engineering properties of materials.
 It is the number of the electrons,
electrons especially the outer most ones,
ones
which is more significant as regards the engineering properties of
the material including its physical, chemical and mechanical
characteristic.
 The number of electrons (atomic number) determines the size of
the atom and establishes the nature of the inter-atomic bonding.

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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.2 INTER-ATOMIC ATTRACTION
 The attraction b/n atoms are caused by their electronic structures.
 Atoms are held together in molecules by various types of bonds.
i. Primary bonds - generally associated with formation of
molecules.
ii. Secondary bonds - generally associated with attraction between
molecules.
 Primary bonds are much stronger than secondary bonds
Primary bonds:
bonds
 Characterized by strong atom‑to‑atom attractions that involve
exchanging or sharing of valence electrons.
 The different types are ionic,
ionic covalent and metallic bonds.

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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.2 INTER-ATOMIC ATTRACTION
IONIC BOND
 Atoms of one element give up their outer electron(s), which are in
turn attracted to atoms of some other element to increase electron
count in the outermost shell to eight.

E.g. NaCl

forms of primary
bonding: (a) ionic
3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.2 INTER-ATOMIC ATTRACTION
COVALENT BOND
 Electrons are shared (as opposed to transferred) between atoms in
their outermost shells to achieve a stable set of eight.

E.g. O2, H2, N2, F2, HF

Forms of Primary
bonding: (b) covalent
3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.2 INTER-ATOMIC ATTRACTION
METALLIC BOND
 Sharing of outer shell electrons by all atoms to form a general
electron cloud that permeates the entire block.

Forms of Primary
bonding: (c) metallic
3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.2 INTER-ATOMIC ATTRACTION
SECONDARY BONDS
 Whereas primary bonds involve atom‑to‑atom attractive forces,
secondary bonds involve attraction forces between molecules.
 No transfer or sharing of electrons in secondary bonding, and bonds
are weaker than primary bonds.
 They are weak surface attraction forces.
 Three forms which are:
i. Dipole forces
ii. London forces
iii. Hydrogen bonding

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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.3 INTER-ATOMIC DISTANCES
 The space b/n atoms is caused by interatomic repulsive forces, forces
which exists in addition to the interatomic attractive forces.
forces
 The equilibrium distance b/n the repulsive and attractive forces,
creates the equilibrium distance b/n the atoms.
 In general the equilibrium distance b/n the centers of the
neighbouring atoms may be considered to be the sum of their radii.
 Factors which affect the bond length are:
 Temperature
 Number of adjacent atoms and ionic valence
 Mechanical forces

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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.4 ATOMIC ARRANGEMENTS
 Atoms can take different arrangements depending the type of
material.
 The arrangements, which strongly affect the properties of materials
may give
 Crystal structure:
structure a repetitious pattern of atoms.
 Amorphous structure:
structure structure with out specific form.
 Molecular structure:
structure grouping of atoms.
Crystal structures:
 Structure in which the atoms are located at regular and recurring
positions in three dimensions.
 Unit cell - basic geometric grouping of atoms that is repeated.
 The pattern may be replicated millions of times within a given
crystal .
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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
ATOMIC ARRANGEMENTS
Crystal structures:
 Characteristic structure of virtually all metals, as well as many
ceramics and some polymers.

Body centered cubic (BCC) crystal structure

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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.4 ATOMIC ARRANGEMENTS
Crystal structures:

Three types of crystal structures in metals:

(a) body‑centered cubic: E.g. Iron, Chromium
(b) face‑centered cubic: E.g. Aluminum, Copper
(c) hexagonal close‑packed: E.g. Magnesium, Zinc
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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.4 ATOMIC ARRANGEMENTS
Non crystal structures:
 Many solids are noncrystalline, i.e. their structures are not composed
of repetitive, three-dimensional patterns of atoms.
 Many materials are noncrystalline:
 Water and air have noncrystalline structure.
 A metal loses its crystalline structure when melted.
 Important engineering materials have noncrystalline forms in their
solid state:
 Glass
 Many plastics
 Rubber

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3. NATURE OF MATERIALS
3.4 ATOMIC ARRANGEMENTS
Non crystal structures:

Illustration of difference in structure between: (a) crystalline and (b)

noncrystalline materials. The crystal structure is regular, repeating, and
denser; while the noncrystalline structure is more loosely packed and
random.

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THANK YOU!

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