Lecture Notes in Construction Materials and Testing

Lesson I. GEOLOGICAL LINK OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

. Define and explain construction/engineering materials

. Understand clearly the objectives of studying engineering materials

. Identify the four broad divisions of engineering materials

. Enumerate the factors to consider in selecting construction materials

. Identify some construction materials and their laboratory tests

Time frame 4 hours

Introduction:

The science of engineering materials has its roots in geology because the source of materials are

raw materials. These raw materials principally come from the earth, water and air. It is therefore

considered that engineering materials can be found everywhere surrounding man’s environment.

Historians believed that stone was recognized as first engineering materials. This period marked

the general use of stone as tool by man. Bow and arrow were invented and became the principal hunting

equipment of man.

Geology – is concerned with the systematic observations and measurements of soil, rocks

Engineering/Construction Materials – substances which are used as materials of construction

- a broad group of materials are required in the building and

Construction industry

The study of engineering materials has for its objectives:

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 1. To familiarize students principals, characteristics, uses and limitations of the important

materials in engineering.

2. To acquaint the students with some of the methods of producing these materials.

3. To enable students to compare material which may be considered nearly equivalent

and to weigh the factors upon which a final choice may be based

The success of a project requires the combination of a:

1. good design

2. good materials

3. good workmanship

Four broad divisions of engineering materials:

1. Those used for making tools and machineries.

2. Those used in the construction of buildings and highways.

3. Those materials used in fabricating articles used by the general public

4. Those chemicals used in the production of a number of engineering materials.

Before assessing the suitability of any one material for a given situation, there are a number of other

important performance requirements for that situation must be identified:

1. Structural Safety – the ability to withstand stresses resulting from gravity, wind, etc.

2. Health/Safety – there should be no risk to health due to chemical or physical effects of the

material both during and after construction

3. Fire – the material must behave acceptably in resisting fire spread, release of dangerous

substances in fire and retaining satisfactory structural stability

4. Durability – the material should fulfill the above performance criteria as required for the

planned lifetime of the building

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 5. Availability/Cost – the materials are available and affordable

Construction Materials consist of both:

1. Organic Origin – source are living thing

Common materials used in engineering and construction are lumber, logs,

bamboo, rattan, etc.

2. Inorganic Origin – not made of plants or animal

Common materials used in engineering and construction are adobe,

blocks, stones and aggregates, marble, clay, and others

Construction of Materials include:

1. Naturally occurring materials such as wood and stone(organic origin and inorganic origin)

2. Materials made by processing natural materials into usable form such as steel, aluminum,

and plastics

 Steel is manufactured into beams, columns, doors, nails, screw, etc.

 Aluminum is used to make windows, sidings, roofing, gutters and other products especially

those exposed to the elements

 Wood is manufactured into lumber, plywood, doors, windows, siding, cabinets, flooring, etc.

 Plastics an ever increasing use in the construction and is widely used in piping, electrical

products.

 Stone is made into blocks

Before using the construction materials it must undergo testing to ensure the quality of these materials.

Some laboratory tests in construction materials:

1. Water Content or Moisture Content – is the quantity of water contained in a material

such as soil, rock, ceramics, crops or wood

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2. Sieve Analysis – is a practice or procedure used to assess the particle size distribution

of a granular material by allowing the material to pass through a series of

sieves of progressively smaller mesh size and weighing the amount of

material that is stopped by each sieve as a fraction of the whole mass

3. Specific Gravity – is the measure of the relative density of an aggregate. It is ratio of an equal

volume of water. It is used to determine the absolute volume occupied by

the aggregate

4. Abrasion Test – evaluates the structural strength of coarse aggregates

Is the measure of aggregate toughness and abrasion resistance

such as crushing, degradation and disintegration. This test is suggested

by AASHTO T 96 or ASTM C 131: Resistance to Degradation of Small –

Size Coarse Aggregate by Abrasion and Impact in Los Angeles Machine.

5. Impurities Test – is used for detecting the deleterious organic materials in fine aggregates

a simple and widely used test.

6. Concrete Slump Test – measures the consistency of fresh concrete before it sets. It is

performed to check the workability of freshly made concrete,

and therefore the ease with which concrete flows. It can also be

used as an indicator of an improperly mixed batch.

7. Compressive Strength Test – mechanical test measuring the maximum amount of

Compressive load a material can bear before fracturing.

The test piece, usually in the form of a cube, prism, or

cylinder, is compressed between the platens of a compression-

testing machine by a gradually applied load.The compression

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 testing machine is used for testing the compressive strength

of concrete.

8. Tensile Strength Test – tensile testing also known as tension testing is a fundamental

materials science and engineering test in which a sample is subjected

to a controlled tension until failure.Tensile testing is commonly used

to determine the maximum load that a material or product can

withstand.

Assignment:

1. Research the procedure of some laboratory tests in Construction Materials.

2. Give the ASTM No. or AASHTO No. of each procedure.

3. What is the meaning of ASTM? AASHTO?

References:

1. William P. Spence, Construction Materials, Methods and Techniques; Delmar Publishers

2. Moore and Moore, Materials of Engineering; Mc Graw Inc.

3. DPWH Manual