1

2
 Course Aims

• To familiarize students with the characteristics of construction materials used in Civil

Engineering.

• To familiarize students with the fundamental properties of concrete, admixtures, aggregates, mix
design and other latest and globally adopted modes and methods of concrete.

• To develop the understanding for identification of suitable construction materials for Civil
Engineering projects.

• To provide the knowledge about Materials Engineering to the students in order to make them able
to work as Material Engineers.

• To also provide knowledge about the behaviour of concrete and other challanges faced during the
construction of structures.

3
 Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

1) Describe the manufacturing, characteristics and use of civil engineering materials for
construction.

2) Explain different types of concrete, the characteristics of its constituents, its properties as a
structural material and selection of an appropriate concrete type based on varying field
conditions.

3) Apply the concrete mix design guidelines to calculate the proportions of various constituents
of conventional concrete.

4
Week-1

5
 Introduction

Civil Engineering:

• Civil Engineering is a professional Engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction,
and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment.

• It include public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewerage systems,
pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways.

6
 Introduction
Civil Engineering Materials:

• The Engineering Structures are composed of

materials.

• These materials are known as the Engineering

materials or building materials or materials of
construction.

• It is necessary for the Civil Engineer to become

familiar with the properties of such materials.

• The service conditions of buildings demand a wide range of materials and various properties
such as water resistance, strength, durability, temperature resistance, appearance, permeability,
etc. are to be properly studied before making final selection of any building material for a
particular use. 7
 Construction Materials

Common Civil Engineering Construction Materials are:

• Aggregates (Fine and Coarse. It include sand (‫ )ریت‬and stone (‫))پتھر‬

• Soil
• Cement
• Concrete
• Bricks
• Wood and timber
• Asphalt
• Iron and Steel etc.

8
 Construction Materials

Less Common Civil Engineering Construction Materials are:

• Aluminum
• Glass
• Plastic
• Geotextiles (use in soil as separators, filtration and drainage and to control erosions).

9
 Construction Materials

Aggregates (fine and coarse)

Sand

10
 Construction Materials

Stone
Bricks

11
 Construction Materials

Soil
Cement

12
 Construction Materials

Concrete
Concreting

13
 Construction Materials

Asphalt
Asphalt Paving

14
 Construction Materials

Wood
Steel Reinforcement (Rebars)

15
 Construction Materials

Glass
Aluminum

16
 Construction Materials and Properties
Engineering Materials Selection Consideration and Properties:

• Physical Properties
• Mechanical Properties
• Electrical and Thermal Properties
• Chemical Properties
• Economic Factors
• Production/Construction
• Aesthetic Properties
• Emphasis (Importance)
• Clients Needs

17
 Construction Materials and Properties

1) Physical Properties

Physical properties of Civil Engineering materials include:

• Density
• Specific gravity
• Porosity
• Water absorption
• Void Ratio
• Unit Weight etc.

18
 Construction Materials and Properties
• Density(ρ):

Density is defined as mass per unit volume for a material.

ρ =M/V
Here some densities of materials in kg/m3 are:
Materials Bulk density
(kg/m3)
Brick 1800-2200
Cement 2080
Glass 2530
Concrete 1:2:4 2400
Limestone 2750
Steel 7850
Mastic asphalt 2350
19
 Construction Materials and Properties
• Unit Weight (γ)

It is the ratio of material weight to material volume.

γ = W/V
γ = Unit weight (N /m³)
W= Weight (N)
V = Volume ( m³)

• Porosity (n):
It is the ratio of the volume of voids/spaces in the material to the total volume of material.
n = Vv/V
Vv = Volume of voids

20
 Construction Materials and Properties
• Void ratio (e):
Ratio between volume of voids to the volume of soil particles:
e = Vv/Vs

• Water absorption:
It denotes the ability of the material to absorb and retain water.

21
 Construction Materials and Properties

2) Mechanical Properties

It Include.

• Tensile strength
• Compressive strength
• Rigidity
• Hardness
• Creep, and fatigue etc.

In other words, it means how the material will respond to external loading.

22
 Construction Materials and Properties
Tensile strength: Compressive strength:
• The resistance of material to break under • The resistance of material to break under
tension. compression.

23
 Construction Materials and Properties
Rigidity:
• Ability to resist deformation

Hardness:
• Ability to resist abrasion

Fatigue:
• Ability to undertake repeated load/demand.

24
 Construction Materials and Properties

3) Electrical and Thermal Properties

• Materials are classified based on their electrical properties as conductors, semiconductors and
insulators.
And thermal property include:
• Heat Capacity
• Thermal Expansion
• Thermal Shock and other
• Thermal Conductivity
• Thermal Stresses

25
 Construction Materials and Properties
Heat Thermal Thermal Thermal Thermal
capacity conductivity Expansion Stress Shock

• External energy • Thermal • Increase in • Stresses due to • If the

required to conductivity is temperature may change in dimensional
increase the ability of a cause temperature are changes in a
temperature of a material to dimensional termed as material are not
solid mass is transport heat changes. thermal stresses. uniform, that
known as the energy through may lead to
material’s heat it from high fracture of
capacity. It is temperature brittle materials
defined as the region to low like ceramics. It
ability to absorb temperature is known as
energy. region. thermal shock.
• units:
J/mol-K or Cal/mol-
K.
26
 Construction Materials and Properties
4) Chemical Properties
It include
• Resistance to acids
• Alkalis
• Brines (high concentration of salt in water) and oxidation.

5) Economic factors/Characteristics
• Availability • Transportation cost

• Cost savings • Constructability

• Raw material cost • Maintenance cost

• Manufacturing cost • Life cycle cost

27
 Construction Materials and Properties
6) Production and Construction

It include
• Availability of the material that will be used by the constructor
• Form(shape) of the Structure
• Space
• Working force and experience for the required construction.

7) Aesthetic Characteristics
• It is concerned with the beauty of the structures. It include:
• Purview (‫ )وسعت نگاہ‬of architect
• Color
• Surface smoothness,
• The reflection of light etc.
28
29
30