CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

(CIV2161)

By Mr TUYISENGE Jean Claude

Dept. of Estate Management & Valuation (EMV)
College of Science and Technology (CST)
 Recall
Construction Material:

Article, item, material, or supply consumed or

used in a construction project and incorporated
in the constructed building or structure.

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 Topic 5: Metals
Definition:
• A metal is a material (an element, compound,
or alloy) that is typically hard, opaque, shiny,
and has good electrical and thermal conductivity.

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 Physical Properties
• The physical properties of metals include:
 Shininess
 Malleability
 Ductility and
 Conductivity
• Metals display a considerable number of
properties not found in any other major group of
materials
• For example, high tensile and compressive
strength, as well as the ability to deform
plastically without damage
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 Recall
• Ductility is a material's ability to deform under
tensile stress;
stress this is often characterized by the
material's ability to be stretched into a wire.
• Malleability is a material's ability to deform
under compressive stress; stress this is often
characterized by the material's ability to form a
thin sheet by hammering or rolling
• For example, copper can be made into thin
sheets and wire because it is malleable and
ductile
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 Physical Properties Cont’d
• Conductivity is the ability of an object to
transfer heat or electricity to another object.
• Most metals are good conductors
• In addition, a few metals are magnetic
• For example, iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), and nickel
(Ni) are attracted to magnets and can be made
into magnets
• Most metals are also solids at room temperature
• However, one metal—mercury (Hg)—is a liquid
at room temperature
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 Categories of Metals
• They are two major groups of metal: Ferrous and
non-ferrous metals.
 Ferrous metals: iron and iron based metals e.g.
Various steels and stainless steel
 Non-ferrous metals: Include aluminium, brass,
bronze, copper and zinc. They are more expensive
than ferrous metals because of their resistance to
corrosion and superior working properties .
• Copper is the main ingredient in brasses and is
added to other metal such as steel to increase the
resistance to corrosion.
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 Categories of ferrous metals
Ferrous metal Approximate carbon
content %
Pig iron 3.5-4.5

Cast iron 1.7-4.5

Wrought iron 0.05-0.15

Steel 0.25-1.5
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 Iron and Steel
• Iron in its various forms (steel alloy, structural
steel, cast iron and wrought iron) is the metal most
used in building
• Steel bars are used to reinforce concrete or in pre-
stressed concrete
• Uses of Iron:
 Iron is used as steel reinforcement in foundations,
columns, beams, walls, slabs etc
 It is used as members in roof trusses and girder
construction and to fabricate frames for some
buildings (Structural Construction)
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 Reinforcement
• Reinforcement steel also known as reinforcing
steel, or rebar (short for reinforcing bar), is a bar
commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced
concrete (RC) and reinforced masonry structures to
hold the concrete in tension. Concrete is strong is
compression but weak in tension, thus it is liable to
crack at those points that are under tensile stress
• Steel is strong both in tension and compression,
thus it is used to reinforced concrete that is under
tensile stress and the concrete protects the steel
from the effects of corrosion and fire.
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 Structural Construction
• Structural steel refers to steel construction material
with a profile of specific shape or cross section and
certain standards of chemical composition and
mechanical properties.
• Structural steel proves to be the most cost effective
material for construction members because it is
rapidly erected and durable if protective treatment
against corrosion is done.
• Steel frames are usually fabricated from universal
beams, universal columns, joists, channels, angles,
T-bars, round steel pipes, structural square steel
tubing, structural rectangular steel tubing etc
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Steel Structural Shapes
 Advantages of Steel Construction
- It allows rapid construction. Most of the
components are pre-cast
- Steel provides considerable flexibility for shaping,
thus building layouts can be tailored precisely to
needs
- It has capacity to sustain loads over large spans-up
to 100m clear span
- It provides better safety against fire, atmospheric
catastrophes, earthquakes etc
- Steel frames are durable and not easily attacked by
fungi and insects like timber frames
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 Advantages of Steel Construction Cont’d
- Components are produced under closely
controlled factory conditions, ensuring accuracy
and quality
- Steel has lower maintenance costs and a long life
- Steel components can be used again and again
- Steel frame construction is rigid in structure and
dimensionally stable
- Transportation and site handling are easier

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 Disadvantages of Steel Construction
- Since the components are pre-cast they involve
cost of transportation
- The structure require high skilled workmanship
and supervision during fabrication and erection
- It generates noise accompanied with air pollution
during construction
- It is easily attacked by corrosion and therefore
requires some protective treatment such as casting
or painting

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 Aluminium
• Aluminium is a lightweight yet durable material also
used extensively in building construction. It is mostly
used in the fabrication of door and window frames,
frames for partition walls and as roof covering materials.
• The important properties:
o It is a silvery white colour with a bright lustre
o It is more resistant to atmospheric corrosion
o It is very light and weight
o It is a good conductor of heat and electricity
o It is very soft and easy to work upon
o It is highly ductile and malleable
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 Uses of Aluminium and its alloys
Aluminium-has a wide range of uses, including the
following:
o Window frames
o Glazing bars
o Corrugated aluminium roofing sheets
o Structural members
o Wires, bars roads, etc
o As fine powder for pigments, in paints
o Its alloys with metal such as copper, magnesium,
manganese, silicon, etc have a high tensile strength
while still remaining light and durable
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 Aluminium
• Advantages of Aluminium:
- Corrosion resistant
- Attractive
- Cool in hot weather
- Light to handle
- High strength/density ratios
- Good workability

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 Aluminium
• Disadvantages of Aluminium:
- Their Young’s Modulus is low (than that of steel)
and therefore their deformation exceeds that of
steel
- Have high heat expansion
- Riveting, welding and soldering are possible only
under special supervision and techniques

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 Zinc
• This is not usually used in its bulk form but is
used to cover or galvanise other materials.
Corrugated iron sheets are usually coated with
zinc to prevent rusting and corrosion

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 Brass
• This is a strong, malleable, non-corrosive and
inexpensive alloy of copper and zinc; the
proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to
create a range of brasses with varying properties.
It is suitable for hinge making and other hardware
needs of furniture

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 Copper
• The element occurs naturally in form of ores
containing copper, iron and sulphur.
• Some impurities are removed by floatation and
then oxidation in a converter.
• The metal is thereafter, refined in furnace, or
electronically.
• The electrolytic process produces the purest
metal.
• There are several grades of pure copper.

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 Use of Copper
 Copper is mainly used for:
• Electrical wires and cables
• Light gauge copper tubing for hot and cold water
supply, gas and sanitation services
• Sheets for DPC roofing, cladding
• Lighting protective devices
• As constituent of brass and other alloys
• As a protective coating for other metals

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 Copper Alloys
• Copper can be alloyed with many metals, but
only brasses, copper-zinc alloys, and bronze,
copper-tin alloys are used to any extent in the
building and construction industries.
• Brasses are primarily, alloys of copper and
zinc but also may also contain small amounts
of other elements for the enhancement of
properties.

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 Production of Iron in the Blast
Furnace
• Much of the world’s iron is extracted in
Russia, Kazakhstan, and the Ukraine. Other
important producers are the USA, Australia,
France, Brazil and Canada; over 40 countries
produce significant quantities of ore.
• Chief iron ores are: Haematite (Fe 2O3),
Magnetite (Fe3O4), Sinderite (FeCO3) and
Limonite (2FeO3.2H2O)

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 Production of Iron in the Blast
Furnace
• In the extraction of iron the ingredients of the
furnace are iron ore e.g haematite (Iron(III)
oxide), coke (carbon), and limestone (calcium
carbonate)
• They are charged from the top in the blast
furnace.
• The coke is the fuel and provides the agent
(carbon monoxide) for the reduction of the iron
ore
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 Production of Iron in the Blast
Furnace
• The less dense impurities float above the
molten iron and are tapped off as slag
• The molten iron sinks to the bottom of the
furnace and is tapped off into moulds referred
to as pigs
• The solid mixture of haematite ore, coke and
limestone is continuously fed into the top of
the blast furnace

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 Production of Iron in the Blast
Furnace
• The coke ignited at the base and hot air blown
in to burn the coke (carbon) to form carbon
dioxide in an oxidation reaction (C gains O)
• The Carbon monoxide is the molecule that
actually removes the oxygen from the iron ore
• Reduction reaction (Fe2O3 loses its O) O and
CO is known as the reducing agent (The O
remover)

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 Production of Iron in the Blast
Furnace
 Reduction Reaction:
Fe2O3 + 2CO 2Fe + 2CO2

• The pig iron produced by the blast furnace has

relatively high carbon content of around 4-5%,
making it very brittle, and of little commercial
use.

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 Production of Iron in the Blast
Furnace
• Some pig iron is used to make cast iron.
• The majority of pig iron produced by blast
furnaces undergoes further processing to
reduce the carbon content and produce various
grades of steel used for tools and construction
materials.

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Production of Iron in the Blast Furnace
Quiz 3: Properties of metals