UNIT-1

CIV234
VARIOUS BUILDING MATERIALS THAT
ARE USED IN CONSTRUCTION
Bricks
Cement
Concrete
Timber
Glass
Aggregates
Water
Stone
Steel
Aluminium
Plastic Ceramics
Fly Ash
 BRICKS
Bricks is one of the oldest material and it is extensively used at
present as a loading material in construction method because of its
durability, strength, reliability, low cost, easy available etc.
Bricks are manufactured by moulding burnt clay or mixture of sand
and lime or of portland cement concrete, in rectangular blocks of
uniform size and then drying and burning these blocks.
Bricks are used for building-up exterior and interior walls, partition
walls, footings and other load bearing structures.
Standard size of brick (also known as modular brick) is 19*9*9cm
and 19*9*4cm
 CEMENT

Cement is a product obtained by pulverize clinker formed by

calcinating raw material primarily consisting of Lime, Silicate, Alumina
and Iron Oxide.

1 bag of cement is of 50 Kg.

Standard density of cement is 1440 kg/m3.

Hence volume of 1 bag of cement can be approximately ................?

 Concrete

Concrete is a composite man made material and is most widely

used building material in the construction industry.
It is a mixture of binding materials such as lime or cement, well
graded coarse and fine aggregates, water and sometimes
admixtures.
 Basic requirement of good concrete is that it should be
satisfactory in its hardened state and also in fresh state while being
transported from mixture and placed in from work.
 TIMBER

Timber is sawn or milled wood used for engineering purposes like

building, furniture and railway wooden sleeper construction.
 Timber processes a number of valuable properties such as low heat
conductivity, small bulk density, relatively high strength, resistance to
bending etc.
 Some drawbacks such as susceptibility to decay, fluctuations in
properties due to change in moisture content, variation in strength in
length and across fibers.
 AGGREGATES

Aggregates are the materials basically used as filler with binding

material in the production of motor and concrete.
They occupy 70 to 80 percent of the volume.
 Therefore, they exert consideration impact on the characteristics and
properties of concrete.
 They are derived from igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks or
manufactured from blast furnace slag etc.
 They should be clean, hard, strong, durable and graded in size to
achieve utmost economy from the paste.
 WATER

 Water is most important ingredient for production of concrete and

least expensive one also.

 Purpose of using water is to cause hydration of the cement.
 Water is also used for washing aggregates and curing.
 Lesser water makes concrete difficult to work with concrete and due
to non-uniform mixing the resultant concrete is weaker in strength.
 The excess water may leak through the form work, resulting in
honeycombing concrete and on evaporation makes the concrete
porous.
 STONES

Building stones are obtained from rocks.

Rocks are majorly classified on the basis of the mode of their

occurrence, also referred as Geological classification.

Igneous rocks (Granite, Basalt etc.), Sedimentary rocks (Gravel,

Sandstone etc.), Metamorphic rocks (Slate, Marble etc.)
 LIME

Lime is one of the oldest building materials to be used since ancient

times.

Lime was the most used cementing material in the ancient times.

In the present times cement has replaced the lime as the strongest,
stable and widely used cementing material.

 Lime may be classified as Fat Lime, Hydraulic Lime and Poor Lime.
 STEEL

Metals are most commonly employed materials in construction

after concrete.

The characteristic feature of metals is that their physical and

chemical properties can be altered as per the requirement.

 Ferrous metals contain Iron as their main constituent. (Cast Iron,

Steel)

 Non Ferrous metals are aluminium, copper etc.

 ALUMINIUM

Aluminium is one of the eight majorly used non-Ferrous

building materials.
Other non-ferrous materials such as Cobalt, Copper, Lead,
Magnesium, Nickel, Tin, Zinc.
Aluminium occurs in various forms such as oxides, sulphates
and silicates.
 It is a good conductor of heat and electricity.
 It possesses high resistance against corrosion.
 It is light weight and has a high strength to weight ratio.
 Ceramics

Ceramics are polycrystalline materials and products formed by

baking natural clays and mineral admixtures at a high temperature.

The word ceramic is of Greek origin (keromos) meaning potter’s

earth or clay.

Ceramics, in present days is used to denote wide range of silicates,

metallic oxides and their combinations.
 GLASS

Glass has been used as building material since ancient times..

Recent technological advancements have made one of the most
versatile and most used building material.
 Glass is a mixture of a number of metallic silicates.
Alkali metal is invariably found in this mixture.
 Glass absorbs, refracts and transmits light.
 It is extremely brittle.
 It can be polished finely and imparted with beautiful colours.
 PLASTICS

Plastics are organic substances consisting of natural or artificial

binders or resins.
Plastics are essentially compounds of carbon with other elements
such as hydrogen. Nitrogen and oxygen.
The characteristics feature of carbon to combine with itself, forming
long chains gives rise to plastics.
The form and behaviour of plastics depends on the temperature and
pressure acting on it.
 FLYASH

Fly ash is finely divided residue resulting from the combustion

of powdered coal, transported by the flue gases and collected
by electrostatic precipitators. It resembles a pozzolana i.e.
substance which although not cementious itself contains some
constituents which combine with lime to form a material having
cementious properties. It contains small amount of unburnt
carbon and its main constituents are silica, alumina oxide and
ferrous oxide
Technical Advantages of Fly ash Bricks
a. Better surface finish.
b. Good resistance against weathering.
c. Controlled dimensions and edges.
d. Light weight.
 SELECTION CRITERIA OF BUILDING
MATERIALS

All the structure are composed of different types of materials. For a

good civil engineer a through knowledge with regards to use of these
buildings materials is necessary. An engineer must be able to choose
the suitable type of material as per the conditions of environment,
strength, requirement and availability, simultaneously also be able to
compare the economics of construction between different
alternatives.
 Factors Influencing Selection of a Building
Material

A wide range of construction materials is available. The proper selection

of materials to be used in a particular construction project depends on
the following factors
Strength
Availability
Durability
Workability
Ease of Transportation
Cost
Aesthetics
Resistance to Fire
Ease of Cleaning
 Factors Influencing Economy of a Building
Material

Availability of Material
Cost of Raw Materials (Cost of Unprocessed Material)
Manufacturing Costs (Cost of Processed Material)
Transportation Cost
Cost of Placing
Maintenance Cost
QUESTION:

The volume of one bag of cement can be

approximately.......
a) 35 L
b) 0.0347 L
c) 0.347 L
d) 0.35 L
QUESTION:

Water is added in cement for hydration of cement?

a) True
b) False
QUESTION:

Depending upon the purity of the lime, lime can be

classified as:
a) Fat Lime
b) Hydraulic or Water Lime
c) Poor Lime
d) All of the above
QUESTION:

Segregation is a separation of coarse aggregates from fine

aggregates, paste from coarse aggregate, or water from
the mix and the ingredients of the fresh concrete no longer
remain uniformly distributed.
a) True
b) False
QUESTION:

Concrete is a .....
a) Composite Material
b) Man made material
c) Both a and b
d) None of the above
DEVELOPMENT OF BUILDING MATERIALS

Very initially, buildings were made of perishable materials like leaves,

branches and animal hides. With invention, materials like stone, clay and
timber were used. Slowly came the age of bricks and concretes. Then, with
industrial revolution, came metals and steel, which was considered as a
revolution of architecture. Today, we see buildings made of bricks, concrete,
wood, steel and glass. These materials are no more a revolution.

Now, other innovative materials are coming up in the industry of architecture.

With ongoing research and innovative technologies, a variety of modern
material options have become available today.
With the styles and designs on modern construction, we need
materials that can maintain structural strength while reducing its
impact on the environment. Polycarbonate is one of the latest
materials used in construction because they can withstand harsh
weather conditions like wind, rain, hail and snow. They are also
highly corrosion resistant and can also resist fire. Thus, 
polycarbonate roofing is one of the best and most popularity-
gaining materials today that is used in greenhouses, skylights,
sidings, sidelights and many other roofing applications.
Modern construction materials also need to be able to adapt to
various climatic conditions from freezing sub-zero temperatures to
dry heat or high humidity. Ever since man started constructing
dwellings to reside in, building materials have been evolving only in
an attempt to defeat weather. Let us look at the evolution in detail.

Mud and clay were among the first construction materials. Clay
would be easily formed into shapes. Mud was held together with the
help of hay, straw, sticks and other organic fibers and dung. Ice was
used in the Arctic areas to form igloos.
.
Then came the time when wood, logs, sticks and thatch were used. Large uncut
rocks were piled together to form historic structures. Further, man started
building structures with advanced composite materials like cement and concrete,
reinforced with steel or other metals.

Men then shifted from mud huts and tents to the age of skyscrapers made of
glass or metal, which has made buildings more practical than in history. Today,
most high-rise buildings are made with steel or other metals.

With steel and metals getting sensitive to corrosion, people started coming up
with other options that could last longer. This was when plastics came up that
are formed of polymers, and can be easily moulded while in liquid state.
Moreover, plastic is very light in weight and comparatively cheaper