Chapter 1

Material Properties

1.1 Introduction of materials

Materials make up the basic elements, which all manufacturing processes have to work
with. Manufacturing high quality products at a low cost requires a detailed knowledge of
complex interactions among a large number of factors including product design requirements,
materials and their properties and manufacturing processes that convert these materials into
required forms.

The material assumed to be used in our group’s project is such as steel for beam and
copper for roof. All of this different type of material used has various properties that important
to give the structure build long lasting and stable. The choice of material was choosed based on
its own properties which is suitable for the construction work of guard house.

Figure 1: Steel for construction work of beam

1.2 Steel

We assumed the material used for beam is steel. The properties that need to be
considered by designers when specifying steel construction products are Strength, Toughness,
Ductility, Weldability, Durability . Steel derives its mechanical properties from a combination of
chemical composition, heat treatment and manufacturing processes. While the major
constituent of steel is iron, the addition of very small quantities of other elements can have a
marked effect upon the properties of the steel.

The strength of steel can be increased by the addition of alloys such as manganese,
niobium and vanadium. However, these alloy additions can also adversely affect other
properties, such as ductility, toughness and weldability. This type of alloy material was surely
suitable to form beam in construction work of the Guard house.

Figure 2: Solid copper

1.3 Copper

Copper was assumed to be used as material for making the roof of guard house. The key
properties of Copper Alloys is a tough, ductile and malleable material. These properties make
copper extremely suitable for tube forming, wire drawing, spinning and deep drawing. The
corrosion resistance of copper alloys comes from the formation of adherent films on the
material surface. These films are relatively impervious to corrosion therefore protecting the
base metal from further attack. Copper Nickel alloys, aluminium Brass, and aluminium
demonstrate superior resistance to saltwater corrosion.

The other key properties exhibited by copper and its alloys include Excellent heat
conductivity, Excellent electrical conductivity and good corrosion resistance. Hence, it is the
most suitable material to be used as the roof of guard house.
 Figure 3: reinforced concrete column

1.4 Reinforced Concrete

Reinforced concrete is a structural member designed to carry compressive loads,

composed of concrete with an embedded steel frame to provide reinforcement. For design
purposes, the columns are separated into two categories: short columns and slender columns.
Concrete by itself is an aggregate mixture of cement and stone. This mixture does not stick
together when dry but forms a rigid structure when water is added and then stirred.

With the addition of steel inside the concrete, the newly formed reinforced concrete
has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is similar with that of both the steel and the
concrete. As a result, internal stresses resulting from variations in the environmental
temperature are almost non-existent. Additionally, when the concrete cement hardens, it
corresponds to the surface features of the steel. This allows the stresses acting around the
reinforced concrete to be efficiently spread between the two materials. So, it is suitable for
building the column of the Guard house.