Qassim University

College of Engineering
Civil Engineering Department

Properties of Structural Materials

CE 205

Lecture #8
Ceramics, glass, and insulating materials
Dr. Eyad Alsuhaibani
Trimester 443
References:
Building materials in civil engineering by Haimei Zhang
Building Materials by P.C. VARGHESE
CERAMICS

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Ceramics
❖ A ceramic is an inorganic material made up of non-metallic compounds that have been
shaped and then hardened by heating at high temperatures.
❖ Traditional ceramics include clay, silica, alumina and silicon carbide.
❖ Newer ceramics include carbides and nitrides.
❖ Ceramic materials are brittle, hard, strong in compression, weak in shearing and tension.

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Some Terminologies:
❖ Earthenware: it is used for clay product burnt at lower temperatures.
❖ Stoneware: it is a product of refectory clay to which a large amount of ground stone and pottery is
added. It’s burnt at higher temperature to vitrification.
• Earthenware and stoneware together is called pottery.

❖ Porcelain: it is used to white semitransparent, strong ceramic material made of kaolin and feldspar
with transparent glaze.
❖ Glazing: the provision of a transparent of opaque glass like coating is called glazing. It improves
appearance, provide a smooth surface and protect the surface from atmospheric and chemical action.
❖ Tiles: it is meant for thin slabs of burned clay which are used to cover roofs and floors.

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 Classifications of Engineering Ceramics
❖ The ceramics can be divided into three kinds: ceramic, porcelain and stoneware produces.

1) Ceramic 2) Porcelain 3) Stoneware

➢ The ceramic products can be
divided into two kinds: unglazed
products and glazed products and
are of high porosity and water
absorption quality.
➢ The porcelain products have
dense arrangement, and do not
absorb water, white and semi-
transparent, and the surface of it
is glazed.
➢ Used in daily tableware, tea
service, display porcelain, electro
technical porcelain and articles of
fine arts.
➢ The stoneware products sit
between the ceramic products
and porcelain products, hence
called semi-porcelain.
➢ Its structure is denser than that
of porcelain; the water
absorption is small but not as
white as porcelain.

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Other Ceramics Products

❖ Clay construction products

-bricks, clay pipe, and building tiles.

❖ Refractory ceramics
- ceramics capable of high temperature applications
such as furnace walls, crucibles, and molds.

❖ White ware products

- pottery, stone wares, porcelain and other table ware
based on mixtures of clay etc.

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Other Ceramics Products

❖ Ceramic insulators
- applications include electrical transmission components, spark plugs, and
microelectronic chip substrates

❖ Magnetic ceramics
- computer memories

❖ Bio-ceramics
- artificial teeth and bones

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Considerations in Choosing Ceramic Floor Tiles:
❖ Water absorption
Ordinary clay tile can have an absorption capacity of 10 % of its weight. However, some stoneware tiles
produced from a mixture of clay and silicon materials can have 2.5 % absorption capacity.

❖ Quality and thickness of glaze

It is very important factors in choosing the glazed floor tiles.

❖ Wall and floor tiles

Floors with people walking on it have traffic and hence, floor tiles should have better wearing surfaces.

❖ Aesthetics
Such as marble and terrazzo.

❖ Function
The floor materials should satisfy its function.

❖ Cost
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Properties of Ceramics
❖ Extreme hardness
➢ High wear resistance
➢ Extreme hardness can reduce wear caused by friction
❖ Corrosion resistance
❖ Heat resistance
❖ Low electrical
❖ Low conductivity
❖ Low thermal conductivity
❖ Low thermal expansion
❖ Low ductility
➢ Very brittle
➢ High elastic modulus
❖ Low toughness
❖ Low density
➢ Porosity affects properties
❖ High strength at elevated temperatures

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General Comparison of Materials

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GLASS FOR BUILDING

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Glass for Building
❖ Glass is a solid-like and transparent material that is used in numerous applications in our daily lives.
❖ Glass building material is one of the oldest & multifaceted materials utilizing in the building industry.
❖ Glass has been used to enhance the aesthetic view of structure and is fascinating material ever since
it was discovered.
❖ It is hard substance, transparent, or translucent material which can be molded into any shape.

A large glass pyramid admits light into an underground

An example of a typical all-glass
addition to the Louvre museum, Paris, France. 12
curtain wall building.
Manufacturing of Glass

❖ Glass is made from natural raw materials

(sand, soda ash and limestone) that are

melted at high temperature (1710 ℃).

❖ The molten glass is either drawn

continually as sheet glass or roller out

and polished on both sides as plate glass

or can be produced after floating on tin

as float glass. Manufacture of glass (a) Sheet glass (b) Plate glass (c) Float glass

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Glass

Advantages :- Disadvantages :-
-Can be made in different sizes -An expensive material
-Can be colored or colorless -Breaks easily
-Does not rust -Melts in high temperatures
-Waterproof -When broken, the pieces may be sharp

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Types of Glass and their Uses
The types of glass used in construction are:
➢ Float glass
➢ Shatterproof glass
➢ Laminated glass
➢ Extra clean glass
Float glass Shatterproof glass
➢ Chromatic glass

Laminated Glass Used in Extra Clean Glass Chromatic glass

Building Construction 15
Types of Glass and their Uses
The types of glass used in construction are:
➢ Tinted glass
➢ Toughened glass
➢ Glass blocks
➢ Glass wool
Tinted glass Toughened glass
➢ Insulated glazed units

Glass blocks Glass wool Insulated glazed glass

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Glass

The Properties of Common Glasses:

1) Transparence: 82% of the light can pass through the clean common glasses.

2) Fragility: It is easy to break under force.

3) Poor thermal stability: It is easy to shatter under extreme temperatures.

4) High chemical stability: It is good at salt resistance and acid resistance.

5) High apparent density: It is about 2450-2550 kg/m3.

6) High thermal conductivity: It is about 0.75W/ (m-K).

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Glass vs Ceramics

Parameter of Comparison Glass Ceramics

Ceramics can be crystalline or

Glass is non-crystalline and
Nature semi-crystalline in nature but
amorphous in nature.
never non-crystalline.

The main component of glass is The main component of ceramics

Composition
silicon dioxide. is clay.
Glass, evidently is almost always
transparent, unless tampered
with to make it look otherwise. It Ceramics are opaque in nature.
Transparency
can be made to look translucent Light cannot pass through them.
or opaque too, but naturally,
glass is transparent.

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INSULATING MATERIALS

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Thermal Insulation
❖ Thermal insulation is used to reduce the rate of heat transfer.
❖ Thermal insulation in building is the retention of heat within the building
irrespective of the outside temperature.
❖ In summer, the heat transfers from the outside to inside and in winter the
process is reversed.
❖ Fibrous materials are generally good insulators.

What Thermal Insulation Does?

❖ Creates an envelope outside the building

❖ Stops heat/cold ingress from outside
❖ Maintains at least 8-9 degrees temperature difference
❖ Maintains controlled temperature for longer periods
❖ Human comfort
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Advantages of Thermal Insulation:

❖ Maintains comfortable living conditions.

❖ Keeps the room cooler in summer and warm in winter.
❖ Results in lot of fuel saving and maintenance cost.
❖ Helps in reduction of noise level.

Where should a building be insulated?

❖ The insulation is required only in those components

of the building through which heat flow would occur.
❖ These include all components of the building
envelope: exterior walls, roof, floor above an
unconditioned basement.

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 Thank You!
Any Questions?

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