Building Materials Overview

Building Materials

• Concrete:

  • Mixture of cement, water, and aggregates.
  • Widely used in foundations and slabs.
  • Strong in compression, weak in tension.
  • Not suitable for rapid construction, flexible applications, or environments with high moisture or significant temperature fluctuations.
  • High embodied energy, but lower than cement. Recycling reduces impact.
  • Can be recycled to reuse as road base.

• Steel:

  • Alloy of iron and carbon.
  • Widely used in structural elements.
  • High tensile and compressive strength.
  • Can cause cracking and displacement of adjacent materials.
  • Corrodes in contact with moisture and minerals.
  • High embodied energy due to manufacturing process.

• Masonry (Bricks):

  • Made from clay, filler, or cement.
  • Can be used in wide variety of building functions.
  • Porous, so not suitable for continuous exposure to moisture, salt, and corrosive elements.
  • High embodied energy related to firing process.

• Paint:

  • Liquid coating of polymers providing protection or decoration.
  • Moderate embodied energy.
  • VOCs contribute to air pollution during production.

• Plastics:

  • Made from polymers.
  • Used for various functions like pipes, insulation, windows, and doors.
  • Can be thermoplastics (recyclable) or thermosets (non-recyclable).
  • Relatively durable and resistant to moisture, rot, and corrosion. Prone to creep under sustained loads. High embodied energy.

• Timber:

  • Naturally occurring wood used in a variety of construction functions.
  • Classified as hardwood (decorative) or softwood (structural).
  • Good in compression, bad in tension.
  • Susceptible to pests, fungal attack, and sun exposure; preventative measures are crucial. Low embodied energy when harvested sustainably.

• Stone:

  • Naturally occurring material.
  • Used in applications as well as decorations.
  • High embodied energy associated with mining and transportation.
  • Resistant to chemicals. Natural defects and weathering affect durability.

• Ceramics:

  • Formed from clay and minerals.
  • Fired at high temperatures to create durable, hard, materials (bricks, tiles).
  • High embodied energy related to firing process. Can be impacted by high temperatures and water exposure

• Glass:

  • Made from soda, silica, and lime.
  • Relatively stable, high embodied energy, but recycling reduces impact.
  • High embodied energy related to extraction of raw materials and manufacturing.
  • Recycling reduces impact by 20%

• Adhesives:

  • Form bonds between materials via chemical or mechanical means.
  • Can improve appearance and durability of bonded elements but susceptible to deterioration factors, including UV light, moisture, and temperature.
  • High embodied energy.

Material Properties

• Embodied Energy: Total energy required for a material's entire life cycle.

• Thermal Mass: Material's ability to store and release heat.

• Ductility: Ability of a material to deform under stress without breaking.

• Brittle: Material's tendency to fail suddenly without significant deformation.

• Porous: Presence of pores or voids in a material.

• Creep: Material's tendency to deform over time under sustained stress.

• Fatigue: Weakening from repeated stress cycles.

• Yield Stress: Stress causing permanent deformation

• Ultimate Stress: The maximum stress a material can withstand before failure.

• Slump Test: Measures the consistency of concrete.

• Efflorescence: White deposits from salt crystals within the material.

• Corrosion: deterioration of a metal by reaction with its environment.

Factors Affecting Durability

• Temperature: Impacts material properties like expansion, contraction, and adhesion.
• Rainfall: Water can lead to chemical reactions and deterioration.
• Salty Environments: Accelerate corrosion and deterioration of some materials.
• Surface Treatment: Influences how well a substance adheres to a surface/resists damage.
• Chemical Exposure: Corrosive elements damage materials.