DMIoT

Civil Engineering Ac. Program

Construction Materials
CEng 2092

Instructor: Tesfaw.Y (MSc.)

Apri2021
 Chapter 1
Nature and Properties of
Materials

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1.1 Classification of Materials
Broadly materials used for construction purposes
are classified into Metallic and Non-metallic.
a) Metallic materials are inorganic substances,
usually combinations of metallic elements.
 Majorly grouped into Ferrous and Non-ferrous.
Ferrous metal is one in which the principal
element is iron, as in Steel, Wrought iron and
Cast iron
A non-ferrous metal is one in which the
principal element is not iron, as in Copper,
Aluminum, Lead, Tin and Zinc.
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b) Non-Metallic
 Cementing materials  Stone
(lime, cement, etc.)  Plastics.
 Concrete  Ceramics.
 Timber

• Based on their physical nature, materials can also

be classified as: Solid, Liquid, Gas).
Materials can also be classified based on their
mode of production as:
1. Naturally occurring materials
2. Industrially produced materials
3. Materials produced at construction site
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1.2 Properties of Materials

Properties which relate to materials

generally are: Physical, Chemical and
Mechanical.
a) Physical Properties: -
 Density and Specific Gravity
 Heat conductivity, moisture content
 Acoustic(sound), permeability
 Fire resistance, absorption, color
 Porosity, viscosity.
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b) Chemical Properties: -
 Corrosion resistance
 Combustibility
 Adhesion
 Toxicity
 Decay resistance
 Hardening
c) Mechanical Properties: -
 Resistance of a material to the action of
external static forces (compressive, tensile,
bending, shear, and torsion strength)
 Resistance of a material to various dynamic
external forces (impact and vibratory loads) 6
1.3 Behavior of Materials under Load
 Application of external forces on a solid
body in equilibrium results in:
 Internal resisting forces developed in
the body which balance the externally
applied force
 The body is deformed to varying degree
 The intensity of the internal force is
called Stress and the deformation per
unit length is called Strain
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1.3.1 Testing of Materials for
Mechanical Properties
Mechanical tests are those used to examine the
performance of construction materials under
the action of external forces. Mechanical tests
may be classified:-
A. With reference to the arrangement and
direction of the external forces.
B. With reference to the rate and duration of
the load Application.
C. With reference to the effect of the test on
the specimen. 8
A. With reference to the arrangement
and direction of the external forces.
Tension test
Compression test
Shear test
Bending test
Torsion test:

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 B) With reference to the rate and duration of
the load application
i. Static tests: made with gradually increasing load,
such as the ordinary tests in tension, compression tests
ii. Dynamic tests: made with suddenly applied loads, by
falling weight or pendulum such as drop impact test.
iii. Wear tests: made to determine resistance to abrasion
and impact as in the case of paving materials.
iv. Long-time tests: are made with loads applied to the
object under test for a long period. They are used for
materials such as concrete.
v. Fatigue tests: are made with fluctuating stresses
repeated many a times.
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C) With reference to the effect of the
test on the specimen
i. Destructive test: under these test methods the
specimens are either crushed or ruptured and
made useless at the end of the test. Examples
under this category of test are tension in steel
and compression test in concrete.
ii. Non-destructive test: these are usually used to
test the strength of members of existing
structures without causing damage and affecting
their performance. Example of this test is
hammer test in concrete.
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1.3.2 Stress-Strain Properties in Simple Tension Test

Consider a specimen is subjected to a gradually

increasing axial tensile force P by means of a
testing machine. At various increment of force,
the change in length ΔL of the specimen for an
initial gage length Lo are measured.

σ =P/A Where:
σ = the tensile stress
P = applied load
A= area of the cross section perpendicular to the
line of action of the applied force.
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Cont...d
It is also assumed that this uniform stress will
produce a uniform elongation ΔL.
The value of the elongation per unit length called
strain, is expressed as: ε = ΔL/ Lo
Where: ε = strain
ΔL= total elongation
Lo= original length of the specimen
With the values of the stress and strain known for
various tensile load values, a diagram showing the
relation between the stress and strain, called the
stress-strain diagram, can be plotted.
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 1.3.3 Stress-Strain Diagram for a Typical
Structural Steel in Tension
Ductile materials will exhibit a large
deformation before complete failure
whereas a brittle material will fail without
showing much deformation.
A stress-strain diagram for a typical
structural steel in tension where Strains are
plotted on the horizontal axis and stresses
on the vertical axis is shown below.
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Stress-Strain Diagram

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• Modulus of toughness is the amount of strain energy per unit
volume.
• Modulus of resilience is defined as the maximum energy that can be
absorbed per unit volume without creating a permanent distortion
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 1.4. Choice of Construction Materials
 Is the material produced locally, or is it partially or entirely
imported?
 Is it cheap, abundantly available, and/or easily renewable?
 Has it been produced in a factory far away (transportation
costs!);
 Does it require special machines and equipment?
 Does its production and use require a high energy input? and
cause wastage and pollution?
 Is the material and construction technique climatically
acceptable?
 Does the material and construction technique provide
sufficient safety against common natural hazards (e.g. fire,
biological agents, heavy rain, and earthquakes)?
 Is the material socially acceptable?
 Does it offend religious belief? 17