Engineering Department/CBE

Unit ( )
Properties and performance of
Construction materials

Assignment (1)

Student Name: Amira Bashar Al.Nas

Submission date: / /
 The Engineering Department / CBE
Level 5
P1.1:

I will discuss three structural failures that occur in steel and concrete, and failure mean loss of
ability to function normally.

1-Fracture:

It is a type of frailer and it is a cut happen in the material that lead to separate it into two parts or
more, and it happen in ductile like steel and brittle material like concrete.

Fracture in steel:

-Definition:

Fracture in steel present the fracture in ductile material which characterized by large plastic
deformation before and during the spreading of cracks and it is less dangerous than the brittle
fracture because ductile fracture happen in stages so that present a warning sign.

-Reason of failure occur:

Student Name: Amira Bashar Al.Nas Page | 2

Submission Date: 1 \ 4 \ 2018
 The Engineering Department / CBE
Level 5
Fracture can occur in steel due to over tension stress plus the changes in the temperature that
cause elongation to the steel lead to cut it.

-The bad effect of failure:

Fracture in steel lead to suppurate the steel from concrete that lead to weakening the structural
elements and by time cause collapses lead to financial and human losses.

Fracture in concrete:

-Definition:

Fracture of concrete consider as brittle fracture which is the separate of the concrete into two parts
or more and it is characterized by micro-deformation happen during form of crack.

-Reason of failure occur:

Fracture happen in concrete due to creep and

tension stress, and sometimes low temperature
affect the concrete and lead to weakening it, so all
these factor lead to cut the concrete into two
pieces.

-The bad effect of failure:

Fracture and separation of concrete cause real

damage to the whole structure and lead to failure in structural elements.

2-Fatigue:

Fatigue in steel:

-Definition:

Student Name: Amira Bashar Al.Nas Page | 3

Submission Date: 1 \ 4 \ 2018
 The Engineering Department / CBE
Level 5
It is the weakening in the steel happen due to repeatedly applied loads on it or due to exposure to
cyclic loading.

-Reason of failure occur:

It happen due to constant and concentrated load on the steel, also using uncoated steel with bad
quality can increase the ability of fatigue, or not follow standard by exposing steel to excessive
live loads, all these factors lead to occurrence of fatigue in steel.

-The bad effect of failure:

If the fatigue problem doesn't solve it can lead to dangerous collapses in steel structure, and it will
lead to fractures in reinforcement steel.

Fatigue cause material and economical losses, beside to the extra cost of maintenance.

Fatigue in concrete:

-Definition:

It is the weakening in the concrete happen due to repeatedly applied loads on it or due to exposure
to cyclic loading.

-Reason of failure occur:

It happen due to repeated tension load applied on the concrete elements and as we know concrete
has very low tension strength that lead to weakening it and may cause fracture on it by time lead
to cause fatigue.

Impropriate finishes also increase the ability of fatigue.

-The bad effect of failure:

Student Name: Amira Bashar Al.Nas Page | 4

Submission Date: 1 \ 4 \ 2018
 The Engineering Department / CBE
Level 5
Fatigue may cause cracks in the concrete lead to weakening it or cut it, so that cause human and
material losses, beside to the extra cost of maintenance.

3-Corrosion:

Corrosion in steel:

-Definition:

It is the reaction of the steel with the

atmospheric conditions, causing rust
lead to wear and decay of the steel.

-Reason of failure occur:

Steel is a material that affected by

thermal moisture conditions, so under moist condition steel react with oxygen by oxidation that
produces rust steel.

-The bad effect of failure:

Corrosion lead to reduce the thickness of steel so that lead to reduce the strength, so by time that
lead to weakening the structural elements may cause collapses lead to financial and human losses.

Corrosion in concrete:

-Definition:

Student Name: Amira Bashar Al.Nas Page | 5

Submission Date: 1 \ 4 \ 2018
 The Engineering Department / CBE
Level 5
Corrosion is defined as the degradation of the material or its properties as a result of its interaction
with external influences as mineral salts

-Reason of failure occur:

Corrosion can happen if we don’t follow the standard specifications in the design and
implementation of reinforced concrete also this failure happen if we doesn't insulate the concrete
from water and salts or not add the appropriate admixture to make it resist the interaction with
salts.

-The bad effect of failure:

It cause physical, human and economic losses and it directly affect the environment surrounding
it, plus it reduce the structural element efficiency.

Student Name: Amira Bashar Al.Nas Page | 6

Submission Date: 1 \ 4 \ 2018