UNIT 2:

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

(a) Basic materials for construction

 INTRODUCTION
• Construction material contribute to about 30 to 50% cost
of the total expenditure incurred in any construction.
• The material are primarily of two types, namely natural
material and artificial material. Some of the material like
sand, stone are natural while some materials like
cement,tiles,and bricks are manufactured (artificial
materials).
• Building material accounts for about 70% of the total
cost of construction.
• The correct use of materials leads to better structural
strength, efficiency and economy in the long run.
 Basic materials and their uses
• Basic materials used in construction are
cement,sand,bricks,stone and steel.
• Cement is used as a binding material in the
construction of work.
• Sand is used for making mortar and concrete.
• Bricks and stone are used for the construction of
masonry walls.
• Steel is used as reinforcement in reinforced concrete
constructions, and for fabricating steel
doors,windows,fastenings and sections like
flat,channel,and angle in steel structures.
 Cement
• Cement is a substance which acts as a binding agent
for materials. It is obtained by burning the mixture of
calcareous material(lime stone) and argillaceous
material(clay) at very high temperature. The product
then formed are called clinkers.
• A small quantity of gypsum is added to the clinker and
is pulverised into very fine powder known as
CEMENT.
• After setting, this cement closely resembles a variety
of sandstone found in Portland in England and is
therefore called Portland cement.
 Basic constituents of cement
(a) Lime-60 to 66%, gives binding property.
(b) Silica-19 to 25%, imparts strength.
(c) Alumina-3 to 8%, impart quick setting property.
(d) Iron-1 to 5%, impart grey colour to cement.
These compounds are mixed and burned to partial fusion
at a temperature of 1500 to 1600 ⁰C. By doing so the
product called ‘clinker’ (small hard balls) are obtained,
which is cooled and ground to required fineness.
 Chemical Composition

The major components are:

Tri-Calcium Silicate(C3S) – quick reaction

Di-Calcium Silicate(C2S) – slow reaction
Tri-Calcium Aluminate(C3A) - very quick reaction
Tetra-Calcium Aluminate(C4AF) - not very important
 Properties of cement
• It is an excellent binding material.
• It gives strength to masonry.
• It possesses a good plasticity.
• It offers a good resistance to moisture.
• It is easily workable.
• It hardens quickly after addition of water.
 TYPES OF CEMENT
1. Portland Cements
a)Ordinary Portland cement
b)Rapid hardening Portland cement
c)Low heat Portland cement
d)Sulphate resisting cement
e)Blast furnace slag cement
f)White and coloured cement
2. Super Sulphate cement
3. Natural cement
4. High Alumina cement
5. Special cements
a) Portland Pozzolana cement
b) Masonry cement
c) Oil-well cement
 ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENT
 Has a medium rate of hardening
 Suitable for most type of work
 Commonly used for structural purposes
• Has a medium rate of hardening
• Suitable for most type of work
• Can be attacked by acids & sulphates present in soil / groundwater
• Sulphates also occur in clay bricks
RAPID HARDENING PORTLAND CEMENT
Hardens more rapidly than OPC
 Similar composition of OPC but different proposition
 More finely grounded to increase rate of hydration that will increase rate of
early hardening
 Useful when concreting in cold weather
 It produces a strength approximately 50% higher than OPC at 3 days though
long term strength are similar.
 SULPHATE RESISTING PORTLAND CEMENT
 Sulphate resistance of a cement will improve as the quantity of Tricalcium
Aluminate decreases.
 Increasing content of Tetracalcium Alumino Ferrite by adding iron ore to the
raw materials
could decrease the content of Tricalcium Aliminate
 Concrete with SRPC can attacked physically by Sulphate if it is porous since
on drying
crystallization will take place inside the concrete, causing expansion &
disruption. LOW HEAT PORTLAND CEMENT
Contains small percentage of Tricalcium Silicate and Tricalcium Aluminate
that have the greatest heat evolution.
 Rate of gain of strength is slower than OPC but it's ultimate strength is same
as OPC
 Hardens and evolves heat slower than OPC
 Suitable for mass construction such as concrete dam and massive foundation
where heat must be avoided in order to prevent cracking
 BLAST FURNACE SLAG CEMENT

 Consist of Portland Cement clinker and gypsum ground

together with up to 65% ground granulated blast furnace
slag, that contains lime,silica and alumina.
 It has a higher sulphate resistance than OPC, hence its use
in Sulphate soils & for construction in or near the sea.
 Heat output and strength development are similar to those
of Low Heat Portland Cement.
 Slag is a waste product in manufacture of pig iron.
 WHITE CEMENT
 Made using china clay, that contains very
little iron.
 One of the most expensive Portland Cements
 Used for the production of white or coloured
concrete by adding pigments.
 It’s primary use is for architectural concrete
products, cement paints, tile grouts and
decorative concrete
OIL WELL CEMENT
Used for sealing oil wells
 Usually slow setting and resistant to high
pressures and temperatures.
 Also stable under highly corrosive
conditions.
SUPER SULPHATE CEMENT:

It is highly resistant to sea water and can withstand the

highest concentration of sulphates normally found in soil
or ground water and is also resistant to peaty acids and oil.

NATURAL CEMENT:

It is similar to portland cement.

Being heated at very low temp. ,it contains practically
no C₃S and is,therefore,it slowly hardens.
It is very rarely used, since manufacture of natural
cement cannot be controlled.
 HIGH ALUMINA CEMENT:
It is manufactured by the fusion of bauxite and limestone.
Bauxite consists of hydrated alumina,oxide of iron and titanium
with a small quantity of silica.
It is not attacked by carbon dioxide dissolved in pure water and
is,therefore,suitable for manufacture of RCC pipes.
SPECIAL CEMENT

(a) PORTLAND POZZOLANA CEMENT:

 It is a mixture of portland cement and pozzolana.
 Pozzolana is a natural or artificial material containing silica and
alumina in reactive form.
 Because free lime is removed,pozzolana concretes have high
resistance to chemical attack.
 It also has a lower rate of strength development.
 It is widely used for hydraulic structure such as dams,weir,etc
 Masonry Cement

•Consists of Portland cement with a fine inert admixture & air-

entraining agent as a substitute for lime.
•So it gives cement a consistent workability for use in mortars
for brickwork & block work.

OIL WELL CEMENT

Used for sealing oil wells.

 Usually slow setting and resistant to high
pressures and temperatures.
 Also stable under highly corrosive
conditions.
 Uses of cement

 Construction of buildings: ordinary Portland cement is

generally used for making cement mortar and concrete.
Construction of highway slabs: Rapid hardening cement.
Construction of dams, retaining walls, bridge abutment :
Low heat cement.
Marne structures and other underground works: Blast
furnace slag cement.
Sulphate resisting cement is used in the construction of
surface exposed to sulphate action.
White and coloured cement is used for ornamental works,
face plastering to give a decorative finish.
 Field tests for cement
• Colour of the cement should be uniform and grey
• When a handful of cement is thrown into a bucket of water it
would not float but sink.
• If one’s hand is plunged into a bag or heap of cement, he/she
should feel cool.
• Cement should be free from any hard lumps.
• Cement should feel smooth when touched or rubbed in
between fingers .
• A thin paste of Portland cement with water should be felt
sticky between the fingers.
• A thick paste of cement with water on a glass plate, kept
under water for 24 hours should not crack, but set.