Construction Materials &

Structural Design

Eng. K. Soruban
Purpose
 Understanding on different options and
selection of alternative materials.
 Understand the basic principles of
reinforced concrete design.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding
of construction materials and their
applications.
 Demonstrate knowledge in Quality testing
methods, way of improving properties, and
protective / preventive methods of
distortion and storage requirements of
Construction Materials.
 Demonstrate basic knowledge in
understanding the principles of reinforced
concrete design.
LO 1: Construction materials
and their applications
 Introduction to materials used in
construction and their properties
o 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.

o 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.

o The thought that all these creative efforts are made

possible through the marvelous spirits of civil engineers is
in itself comforting and appealing, as well as challenging
for prospective civil and construction engineers.
o The gigantic achievements of the past stand
as a flashing beacon to promote the potential
of civil engineering.

o At the core of civil engineering rests the

investigation of materials and methods that
can satisfy the needs of the community.

o For example, shelter is provided for through

housing; dwellings are built in accordance with
a method that is appropriate for the material
selected the method of construction changes
with the material.
Materials and types
A material is defined as a substance or thing
from which something else can be made.

 Cloth
 Cement
 Sugar
 brick
 Aluminum
 soil, and
 water are all examples of materials.
o In engineering, materials are employed to design and build
structures, elements, or products.

o Buildings are made out of concrete, tennis rackets are

molded out of reinforced plastics, boats are carved out of
wood, and roads are made from asphalt concrete.

o The subject of materials science examines the behavior of

materials, making it possible to advance the development
of new materials.

o The term materials engineering refers to the

understanding and review of properties and uses of
materials commonly used in engineering.
Classifications of Materials
Materials can be divided into several
categories; some of the common groups of
materials are introduced in the following.
Brittle Materials
Brittleness denotes relatively little or no
elongation in length at fracture. A material
that exhibits brittleness is called a brittle
material.
Examples: Cast iron, concrete, and glass.
Ductile Materials
 Ductility is the property that makes it
possible for a material to be drawn out or
stretched to a considerable extent from a
significant sustained load before it rupture.
 It is usually measured as the percentage of
elongation (increase in length), or as the
percentage of the reduction in the cross-
sectional area, when the material is
subjected to tension.

Examples: mild steel, aluminum, and wood.

Building Materials
Materials that are used in the building
industry, such as cement, steel, brick,
plastics, wood, glass, ceramics, and concrete,
are called building materials.
Cementitious Materials
 Materials in which the principal binder is Portland cement or
another type of hydraulic cement are called cementitious materials.
 The most common cementitious materials are concrete, mortar,
grout, and roller-compacted concrete which are obtained by
combining cement, aggregates, and water.
 The products of the reaction between cement and water form
compounds that bind the aggregate particles together, so that the
resulting material can be considered homogeneous.
 The aggregates are of two types, fine and coarse; and both contain
particles of various sizes, from large to small.
 All cementitious materials are porous, the porosity depending upon
many factors, such as the amount and type of cement, and the
amount of water.
Ceramic Materials
 The word “ceramic” comes from the Greek, meaning
“burned earth” When something is burned, it combines
with oxygen in the air;
 Ceramic materials are non-metallic materials often
based on clay (silicate mineral).
 They are usually crystalline and brittle, do not conduct
heat or electricity very well, and can withstand high
temperatures.
 When loaded, they remain mostly elastic and exhibit
practically no plastic flow. Many ceramic materials are
used for insulation – thermal (firebricks), building
(fiberglass), and electrical.

Examples: glass, cement, stone and brick.

 Clay Brickwork
o Brick is a burned clay masonry unit, generally
rectangular and solid.
o The term “brickwork” refers to masonry built with
bricks and mortar, primarily as vertical members
subjected to compressive and bending forces.
o The coefficient of thermal expansion of brickwork is
approximately 5 to 7 x 10-6 per °C, which is about half
that of concrete and twice that of limestone.
o The expansion of clay brick from moisture is about one-
fifth that of concrete.
Construction Materials
A construction material is any material
used in the construction industry. Examples:
concrete, cement, soil, stones, aggregates,
plastics, and asphalt.
Elastic Materials
 Elasticity is the ability of a material to deform under a
load, without a permanent set or deformation upon the
release of the load.
 Springs, rubber bands, and cricket balls behave elastically.
 Elasticity can also be defined as that property of a material
by virtue of which deformations from a load or stress
disappear after the removal of the load.
 Some materials (gases, for example) possess elasticity of
volume only (that is, the volume is the only characteristic
that remains unchanged), but solids such as metals may
possess elasticity of form and shape as well.
• As an example, the top of a metal desk will not permanently
deform in shape, form or volume from the stresses caused by a
stack of books piled on the desk.
• A perfectly elastic material should recover completely its
original shape and dimensions when loads are removed. None
of the materials known today remain perfectly elastic
throughout the range of stress leading up to failure, but all
exhibit elastic properties up to some stress level.
• Metals such as steel remain elastic over very high stress levels,
whereas some materials such as polymers and concrete can be
considered elastic only at low stress levels.
• An elastic material behaves in-elastically when the stresses
exceed the elastic limit, beyond which changes in the volume,
shape, and form are observed
Plastic Materials (Plastics)
Plastics are organic-based materials
derived primarily from the
petrochemical industry, which are
capable of being formed into any
shape.
Insulating Materials
Materials that are provided for
sound, thermal (heat), or electrical
insulation are called insulating
materials.
Manufacturing Materials
 These are materials used in machinery or
in manufacturing industries (industries
that make products).
 Examples: Metals, Plastics, ceramics and
rubber.
Masonry Materials
 A mason is one who builds with bricks, stones, and
blocks.
 Masonry is the part of a building or structure that is
made from combining the masonry units: stone, block
or brick, and mortar.
 Mortar from bitumen was used to bond the bricks in
some early masonry construction.
 The common masonry units are clay bricks and
concrete blocks, although stones, mud bricks, and fly
ash bricks can also be used.
 Masonry units can be solid (such as burned clay
bricks) or hollow (such as hollow concrete blocks).
 The hollow spaces, called cells in hollow-block
masonry can be kept hollow or filled with grout.
Raw Materials
 Natural products or materials that are
transformed through manufacturing
processes are called raw materials.
Examples: coal, petroleum, iron ore, and
limestone.
Repair Materials
• These are materials used to repair a deteriorating
structure of concrete, masonry, or steel.
• They may include several classes of materials such
as fillers (materials used as the base for the sealant
in full–movement joints), sealants (to seal the
joints), waterproofing compounds, and materials
for general repair work.
• Examples: rubber (filler), cork (filler), mastics such
as asphalt (sealant) and hot-applied rubber-bitumen
compound (sealant), polyurethane (sealant and
repair mortar), cement mortar, and concrete.
Materials used in construction

The basic materials used in civil engineering

applications or in construction projects are:
 Wood
 Cement and concrete
 Bitumen and bituminous materials
 Structural clay and concrete units
 Reinforcing and structural steels
• These are sometimes called structural materials.
• Added to these are plastics, glass, soil, and aluminum.
• All these materials are employed in a variety of civil
engineering structures such as dams, bridges, roads,
foundations, liquid-retaining structures, waterfront
construction, buildings, and retaining walls.
• The basic materials most common to highway
construction are soils, aggregates, bituminous
binders, lime, and cement.
 Wood
• Wood is derived from trees and can be put to use directly, as pieces of
lumber cut from a log or as a raw material in the manufacture of various
wood products or manufactured components.
• Plywood, glue-laminated timber, and oriented strand- board are some of
the wood products most commonly found in the construction of buildings
and bridges.
 Cement & Concrete
• Concrete is one of the most common construction materials, in which
Portland cement is the essential ingredient.
• Portland cement (and other types of hydraulic cement) is also a key
ingredient in the manufacture of many other cementitious products, such as
masonry blocks, soil-cement bricks, and plaster.
• In combination with other materials such as reinforcing bars, polypropylene
fibers, and high–strength strands or wires, different types of concrete are
produced such as reinforced, fiber, and pre-stressed concrete.
Structural clay and concrete units

 Bitumen, which comes in a variety of

forms is mixed with other raw materials
for the construction of pavements, roof
shingles, waterproofing compounds, and
many other materials.
 Structural clay and concrete masonry
units, commonly called bricks and blocks,
are the principal elements in the
construction of masonry walls.
Reinforcing and structural steels
 Structural steel, which is fabricated in many forms and shapes, is
employed in the construction of railroad ties, high-rise buildings, roof
trusses, and many more structural elements.
 These basic materials or products are selected for their properties,
performance, availability, aesthetics, and cost.
 Knowledge of all these aspects is essential in selecting a suitable
material for a particular situation.
 In addition to the materials mentioned above, there are a significant
number of secondary construction materials common to engineering
projects.
 Sealants, adhesives, floor and wall coverings, fasteners, and doors and
windows fall into this category.
 Most of these, also called nonstructural materials, are chosen for
construction work to fulfill various purposes.