Dr.

Outline

1. Course objectives
2. Course Content
3. Civil eng. materials
4. Materials Selection Considerations
5. Classification Of Civil Engineering Materials
6. Factors Determining the Choice of Proper Material
for a Structure
7. General Properties of Civil Engineering Materials
8. Determining the Properties of Civil Engineering
Materials
9. Problems
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1. Course Objectives

To develop a basic understanding of

key material properties,
requirements, and related behavior
characteristics of typical construction
materials.

2. Course Content

◼ Types
◼ Production methods
◼ Uses in construction
◼ Properties and related tests of the following
materials of construction:
• Rocks • Cements
• Building Stones • Mineral Aggregates
• Metals • Concrete
• Clay Products • Asphalt
• Gypsum
• Lime 4

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3. Civil eng. materials

◼ Common civil engineering materials:

– Concrete
– Masonry
– Steel ◼ Less common materials
– Mineral aggregates – Aluminum
– Asphalt – Glass
– Wood – Plastic
– Soil for geotechnical – Fiber-reinforced
engineers composites

New Materials

◼ Advances in ◼ High performance

materials
– Polymers – Higher strength to weight
ratio
– Adhesives
– Improved durability
– Composites
– Lower costs
– Geotextiles
– Coatings
– Synthetics

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Material applications

These materials are used in all civil

engineering structures such as;

- Buildings - Tunnels

- Bridges - Dams

- Highways - Harbor structures

- Towers
- Railways
etc. 7

4. Material Selection
Considerations

◼ Economic factors ◼ Emphasis

◼ Mechanical properties – client’s needs
◼ Non-mechanical properties – facility’s function

◼ Production/construction
◼ Aesthetic properties
◼ Sustainable considerations

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4.1 Economic Factors

Factors to be considered:
– Availability and cost of raw
materials
– Manufacturing costs
– Transportation
– Placing
– Maintenance

4.2 Mechanical Properties

◼ Response of material to external loads

◼ All materials deform under load
depending on:
– material properties
– magnitude and type of load
– geometry of the material element

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Loading Conditions
◼ Static (Dead) Loads – long term
– Applied and removed slowly so no vibrations
– Usually due to gravity

◼ Dynamic (Live) Loads – short term shock or vibration

– Periodic : repeating wave form (rotating equipment)
– Transient : quick impulse that decays back to resting
(vehicles)
– Random : never repeats (earthquake)

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Stress-Strain Relations
All solid materials deform under load:
◼ stress is like force (or load) with the size
factored out so that we can directly compare
different sizes
– stress = force / area
 = F / A (psi, ksi, kPa, MPa, GPa)
◼ strain is like deformation with the size factored
out
– strain = deformation / original length
 = L / L0 (%, in/in, mm/mm)
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Typical Stress-Strain Diagrams

◼  –  is usually linear in the low stress range

but transforms into non-linear

Glass and Steel Aluminum Concrete Soft

chalk alloys rubber

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States definitions

◼ Proportional Limit
– transition between linear and non-linear behavior
◼ Elastic Limit (Yield Point)
– transition between elastic and plastic behavior –
maximum stress with full recovery
◼ Yielding
– strain continues with little or no increase in stress (after
elastic limit)
◼ Ultimate Stress
– maximum stress on the curve (tensile or compressive
strength) 14

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States definitions

◼ Rupture Stress
– point where specimen fractures or ruptures
◼ Brittle Material
– has little plastic deformation before failure (glass,
concrete)
◼ Ductile Material
– has lots of deformation before failure
(structural steel, rubber)

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5. CLASSIFICATION OF CIVIL
ENGINEERING MATERIALS

1. According to their phases

2. According to their internal structure &

chemical composition

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5.1. Phase Classification

1. Gases : Air, oxygen, CO2

2. Liquids : Water, chemical admixtures

3. Semi-solids : Fresh pastes, mortars, asphalt

4. Solids : Metals, hardened concrete

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5.2. Internal Structure & Chemical

Composition Classification

1. Metals : (formed by metallic bonds)

A. Ferrous (iron, cast iron, steel)
B. Non-ferrous (aluminum, copper, zinc, lead)

2. Polymers : (long chains having molecules of C, H, O,

N which are formed by covalent bonding. The chains
are bound to each other either by covalent bonds or
Van der Waals forces.)
A. Natural (rubber, asphalt, resins, wood)
B. Artificial (plastics) 18

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5.2. Internal Structure & Chemical

Composition Classification

3. Ceramics : (mainly aluminosilicates formed by mixed

bonding, covalent and ionic)
A. Structural clay products (bricks, tiles, pipes)
B. Porcelains

4. Composite Materials :
A. Natural (agglomerates)
B. Artificial (Portland cement, concrete)

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5.2. Internal Structure & Chemical

Composition Classification

5. Reinforced Composite Materials : (reinforced

concrete, reinforced plastics)

➢ One of the most important tasks of an

engineer is to select the most suitable
material for a given civil engineering
structure.

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6. Factors Determining the Choice of

Proper Material for a Structure

➢ Strength, rigidity & durability Requirements

– Permanent loading → Creep Strength
– Repeated loading → Fatique Strength
– Impact loading → Toughness & Resilience
– Surface loading → Hardness & Resistance to abrasion
➢ Environmental Requirements
– Temperature change → coefficient of thermal
expansion
– Moisture movement → permeability
– Chemical effects → chemical composition
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Factors Determining the Choice of

Proper Material for a Structure

➢ Economy. Choose the cheaper & available

materials considering
– Initial cost
– Useful life
– Frequency of maintenance
– Cost of maintenance
– Salvage value
etc.
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Example: Comparison of concrete

pavement vs. asphalt pavement for
economy.

Concrete Asphalt
Initial Cost – +
Useful Life + –
Frequency of Repair + –
Cost of Repair – +
Salvage Value + +

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7. General Properties of Civil

Engineering Materials

◼ Physical **
◼ Mechanical **
◼ Chemical
◼ Other
– Thermal, Acoustical, Optical, Electrical

** Most CE Applications focus on physical &

mechanical properties
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7.1. Physical Properties

Properties of physical structure

– Density – Surface energy

– Specific gravity – Texture (micro, macro)
– Porosity – Other (color, thermal
– Permeability expansion, shape)

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Physical Properties

– Density:
In many structures, the dead weight of the materials in the
structure significantly contributes to the total design stress.
If the weight of the materials can be reduced, the size of
the structural members can be also reduced. Thus, the
weight of the materials is an important design
consideration.
The weight–volume relationship of the aggregates and
binders must be used to select the mix proportions.
There are three general terms used to describe the mass,
weight, and volume relationship of materials.
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Physical Properties

- Density is the mass per unit volume of material.

- Unit weight is the weight per unit volume of material.
- Specific gravity is the ratio of the mass of a substance
relative to the mass of an equal volume of water at a
specified temperature.

By manipulation of units, it can be shown that:

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Physical Properties

Unit weight:

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Physical Properties

Specific gravity:

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7.2. Mechanical Properties

Resistance to applied loads (stress)

initially & over time:
– Tension
– Stiffness – Compression
– Strength – Flexure (bending)
– Fracture / yielding – Torsion
(brittle / ductile) – Direct shear
– Multiaxial
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Stress-strain curve

Generalized stress-strain curve for concrete

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Mechanical Properties
Modulus of Elasticity

That different elastic materials have different

proportional constants between stress and strain.
For a homogeneous, isotropic, and linear elastic
material, the proportional constant between
normal stress and normal strain of an axially
loaded member is the modulus of elasticity or
Young’s modulus, E, and is equal to:

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Mechanical Properties
Modulus of Elasticity
Strain that results from shear forces on a body. G varies
with the strength and temperature of the concrete.

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Mechanical Properties
Poisson’s Ratio
In the axial tension test, as the material is elongated,
there is a reduction of the cross section in the lateral
direction.

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Mechanical Properties
Poisson’s Ratio

In the axial compression test, the opposite

is true. The ratio of the lateral strain, to
the axial strain, is Poisson’s ratio:

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Mechanical Properties
Poisson’s Ratio

Ratio of lateral to axial strain is Poisson’s ratio, µ

A common value used is 0.20 to 0.21, but the value may

vary from 0.15 to 0.25 depending upon the aggregate,
moisture content, and compressive strength

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7.3. Chemical Properties

Chemical composition, potential

reaction with environment
– oxide content
– carbonate content
– acidity, alkalinity
– resistance to corrosion

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8. Determining the Properties of

Civil Engineering Materials

➢ Properties of materials are determined by

• Laboratory testing
• Field testing

➢ To avoid inconsistencies in test results

STANDARDS are devised which describe the
test apparatus and the procedure.

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Items that are usually

standardized in a test are:
◼ Obtaining test specimens and number of specimens
◼ Size and shape of the specimen
◼ Preparation of specimens for testing
◼ Temperature & moisture during preparation & testing
◼ Type of machinery
◼ Rate of loading
◼ Interpretation of test results
◼ Writing a report
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Standardization Institutes

➢ U.S. - American Society for Testing and

Materials (ASTM)
➢ England - British Standards Institute (BSI)

➢ Germany - Deutsche Institute Norm (DIN)

➢ Europe - European Committee for

Standardization (CEN)

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10. Problems

➢ Name Three materials used in wall construction.

➢ Name three materials used for slabs.
➢ Give two examples each of ductile and brittle
materials.
➢ State three examples of a static load application
and three examples of a dynamic load
application.
➢ Name three important physical properties of
materials.
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Problems
➢ A 25-in. long member deforms to a length of 26
in. when subjected to an axial force.
What is the strain?
➢ Define Poisson’s ratio.

➢ Define yield point, proportional limit, and offset.

➢ Draw typical stress-strain diagrams for (a)

concrete and (b) rock and (c) steel.

Name two ASTM standards.

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➢

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Problems
A The stress–strain relation shown in Figure below
was obtained during the tensile test of an
aluminum alloy specimen.

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Problems

Determine the following:

a. Young’s modulus within the linear portion

b. Tangent modulus at a stress of 45,000 psi

c. Yield stress using an offset of 0.002 strain

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