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Introduction
Course Description: Provide Civil Engineers with a
broad knowledge of the engineering properties of
construction materials.
Strength, durability and maintenance of engineering
materials are important factors in the design of any
structure or facility.
With the selection of materials, it is essential that
engineers ensure that the materials meet technical
standards and are tested for conformance to these
standards.

Prerequisite: Mechanics of Materials

NDU-FE-CEE Dr. E.Awwad

Introduction

Textbook: Materials for Civil and Construction

Engineers, M. Mamlouk and Zaniewski, Pearson, 4th ed.

References:
- ACI 318M-14, “Building Code Requirements for
Reinforced Concrete” (code and commentary),
American Concrete Institute, Detroit, MI.
- ASTM, “American Society for Testing and Materials”,
https://www.astm.org/
- “Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and
Delivery”, Charles Kibert

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Introduction

Course Content (Tentative)

• Standards and Sustainable Concepts
• Aggregates
• Cement and Admixtures
• Portland Cement Concrete
• Steel
• Asphalt
• Masonry
• Composites
• Wood

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Introduction
Course Learning Outcomes
- Understand the empirical/mechanistic properties and
performance of commonly used construction materials.
- Understand the importance of professional and ethical
responsibilities in selecting proper materials and material
characteristics on structural safety and performance.
- Demonstrate an ability to conduct research on specific
issues related to construction materials.
- Develop learning skills by conducting studies and
reporting results in relation to new or innovative
construction materials.
- Learn and apply the concept of sustainability in
construction.
Grading (Tentative)
Midterm 40%, Final Exam 45%, and Project/Att. 15%
NDU-FE-CEE Dr. E.Awwad

CEN 304/612 - Construction

Materials

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Introduction

All Building Structures

composed of construction materials
Materials Cost
30-50 % of total project cost

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Introduction

Materials used for Construction

• Rock: aggregate, sand, stone
• Binder: Lime, cement, mortar, plaster
• Concrete
• Ceramic, bricks, and others…

Building Components
 Building Construction
 Building Tools
 Building Machinery
 Environmental Impact of Buildings

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Introduction

Construction Materials

NATURAL ARTIFICIAL
Wood Ceramics
Clay/Soil Glass
Gravel Paints and
Cement Varnishes
Lime Plastics
Bricks Tiles
Stones Marbles
Others… Granite
Others…

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Introduction

Materials Quality ?
Strength
Ability to withstand applied stresses without
failure

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Introduction

Materials Quality ?
Ductility (Ductile vs. Brittle Material)
Ability to deform under tensile stress - often
characterized by the material's ability to be
stretched into a wire
A measure of how much strain a material can
take before rupturing
Ability to withstand dynamic loads, fatigue…

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Introduction

Materials Quality ?
Ductility

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Introduction

Role of Material Science in CE ?

Combining several sciences
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Mechanics

Behavioral understanding
of materials is based on
knowledge of these sciences

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Introduction

Predicting Behavior
Civil Engineers design
complex systems
using relationships between

 Stress vs. Strength

 Strain vs. Deflection
 Exposure vs. Durability
 Risk vs. Consequence
 Cost vs. Aesthetics & Life Cycle
 Others

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Introduction

Engineering Properties

¤ Forces  Physical Properties

¤ Stresses  Chemical Properties
¤ Deformations  Thermal Properties
¤ Strains  Electromagnetic
¤ Stiffness  Acoustic
¤ Ductility  Biological
¤ Fracture

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Introduction

Materials Science
o Atomic nature of materials
o Microstructure
o Relationship between material structure
and engineering properties
o Altered structures to
customize properties

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Introduction

Material Selection

 Wood - Lumber, Asphalt - Hot-mixed,

Plywood, OSB, Cold-mixed,
Composites Composites,
 Steel - Shapes, Emulsions, Cutbacks
Rebar, Pipe, Cold- Aluminum - Shapes,
Formed, Cable Pipe, Cold-Formed
 Concrete - Cast, Stone and Masonry -
Precast, Grout, Clay, Concrete Block,
Cellular, Mortar Cut-Stone

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Introduction

Material Selection

 Composites - Architectural
Cable, Rebar, Materials - Tile,
Plate, Fabric Fascia, Glass,
 Polymers - Pipe, Acoustic Tile
Liners, Coatings, Aggregates –
Filters Base, Drains,
 Soil – Concrete,
Foundations, Fill, Asphalt
Embankment,
Liner

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Introduction

Measurement of Properties and Testing

Standards

 Consensus Standards
 Government Standards
 Industry Standards
 Research Standards

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Introduction

Accuracy and Reliability of Engineering Materials

• Design Safety
• Performance
• Durability
• Liability

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Introduction

Standards and Testing

“Standards generally go unnoticed. They are mostly

quiet, unseen forces, such as specifications,
regulations, and protocols, that ensure that things
work properly, interactively, and responsibly…”
John Gibbons, Forward to U. S. Congress Office
of Technology Assessment TCT-512, Global
Standards: Building Blocks for the Future, March
1992

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Introduction

Standards and Testing

What is a Standard?
A document, developed and used by consensus
of the stakeholders, which describes how a
product is to be obtained or used.

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Introduction

Standards and Testing

Features of an Ideal Standard
 Relevant and Necessary - provide specific
value to benefit development of a product
 Singular - focus on a specific concept
 Unambiguous - not being subject to multiple
interpretations
 Consistent - not conflicting with other
documents within its family of standards
 Auditable (measureable) - with a quantitative
exit criterion showing that the standard was
followed
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Introduction

Standards and Testing

What Does (and Does not) Go Into a Standard?

 Best practices (things that have worked well)

 Lessons learned (things that haven’t worked
well)
 Recent research results

• Able to stimulate further research in related

areas

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Introduction

Standards and Testing

What Does (and Does not) Go Into a Standard?

Standards cannot be created for every

situation
Sometimes necessary in real practice for a
subject matter expert to extrapolate from one or
more existing standards and design principles to
solve a specific need

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Introduction

Standards and Testing

Benefit of Standards
“The engine of national and global commerce is
driven by standards.”

Good standards – with credibility, integrity, and

marketplace acceptance – reduce procurement
costs, improve products, expand markets,
and/or lower risk

Standards do this by…

 Reducing duplication of effort or overlap and
combining resources
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Introduction

Standards and Testing

Benefit of Standards
Standards do this by…(Cont’d)

 Bridging of technology gaps and transferring

technology
 Reducing conflict in regulations
 Protecting from litigation
…and more…

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Introduction

Standards and Testing

Practicing Engineers Need Standards ?
To Produce Their Products Efficiently
 Deliverable products must be designed and
built - they make use of procured items and
must themselves be procured
 Each of these phases, procurement
especially, requires specification
 Effective specification requires standards

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Introduction

Standards and Testing

What You Need To Know ?
• Purpose of standards
• Types of standards
• Sources of standards
• Standards Development Processes
 Who controls the standards
 How to update/correct existing standards
 How to create new standards
• Most Important standards for their discipline
• Proper use of those standards
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Introduction

Standards and Testing

Product Testing?
According to a product’s nature, specifications
and international regulations, various types of
tests such as
 Safety tests
 Life tests (reliability)
 Functional tests, and
 Packaging tests
must be preformed to assure conformance
and quality
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Introduction

Selected Examples of Existing Standards

ASTM - American Society for Testing and

Materials International

BS - British Standards

EN - European Committee for Standardization

LIBNOR - (Local) - Lebanese Standards

Institution

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ASTM
American Society for Testing and Materials
ASTM are organized in the Sections & Volumes
Section 1 Iron and Steel Products
Section 2 Nonferrous Metal Products
Section 3 Metals Test Methods and Analytical Procedures
Section 4 Construction
Section 5 Petroleum Products, Lubricants, and Fossil Fuels
Section 6 Paints, Related Coatings, and Aromatics
Section 7 Textiles
Section 8 Plastics
Section 9 Rubber
Section 10 Electrical Insulation and Electronics
Section 11 Water and Environmental Technology
Section 12 Nuclear, Solar, and Geothermal Energy
Section 13 Medical Devices and Services
Section 14 General Methods and Instrumentation
Section 15 General Products, Chemical Specialties, and End Use
Products
Each section contains several volumes
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ASTM
ASTM Designation System
A letter designation: classification according to
material, product, system or service
A Ferrous metals and products
B Nonferrous metals and products
C Cementitious, ceramic, concrete, and
masonry materials
D Miscellaneous materials and products
E Miscellaneous subjects
F End-use materials and products
G Corrosion, deterioration, weathering,
durability, and degradation of materials and
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ASTM
ASTM Designation System
A sequential number following the
letter designation (ex. Specification C150)

Year Date (ex. Specification C150-01)

If the standard is revised again during the same
year, this is indicated by adding an “a” for the
second revision, “b” for the third revision, etc.

The designation numbers of standards

that have been discontinued are not reassigned

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ASTM
ASTM Specification Subjects
Title (mandatory) Preparation of Apparatus
† Designation (mandatory) Calibration and Standardization
† Introduction Conditioning
Scope (mandatory) Procedure (mandatory)
† Referenced Documents Calculation or Interpretation of Results
† Terminology Report
Summary of Test Method Precision and Bias (mandatory)
Significance and Use (mandatory) Measurement Uncertainty
Interferences † Keywords (mandatory)
Apparatus † Annexes and Appendixes
Reagents and Materials † References
Hazards (mandatory when applicable) Summary of Changes
Sampling, Test Specimens, & Test Units
† The headings marked with a dagger (†) should appear only
once in test methods that contain two or more test methods
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ASTM

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ASTM

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ASTM

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ASTM

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ASTM

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