Construction Materials & Materials Testing

• Construction materials are any materials used for construction.
• The success of construction lies significantly on the materials, as it is important to test them against time.
• Durability is a relevant factor.

Types of Construction Materials

• Manufactured products include cement, pipes, ceramics, rebars, tiles, glass, and paints.
• Naturally occurring materials include stone, timber, sand, and soil.

Materials Testing

• Materials testing is performed for various reasons and provides information about tested materials, prototypes, or product samples.
• The data collected and the final test results are useful to engineers, designers, and production managers.

Reasons for Materials Testing

• Meeting requirements of regulatory agencies.
• Selecting appropriate materials and treatments for an application.
• Evaluating product design or improvement specifications.
• Verifying a production process.

Factors Determining Material Choice

• Strength, Rigidity, & Durability Requirements are key in material selection.
• Permanent loading relates to Creep Strength, which is the maximum stress a material can endure over time without extreme deformation.
• Repeated loading relates to Fatigue Strength, which is the highest stress a material can withstand for a given number of cycles without breaking.
• Impact loading relates to Toughness, which is the property allowing a material to withstand impact loading without fracture.
• Resilience enables a material to store energy without permanent deformation, which is also related to impact loading.
• Surface loading relates to Hardness, measured by depth of penetration, and Resistance to abrasion, measuring material removed by rubbing.
• Environmental Requirements also determine material choice.
• Temperature changes relate to the coefficient of thermal conductivity, a measure of a material's ability to conduct heat.
• Moisture movement relates to permeability, defined as the volume of fluid passing through a unit cross-section of a medium in unit time under a pressure gradient.
• Chemical effects relate to chemical composition, where reactants are converted into products.
• Economy is important, it is best to choose cheaper and available materials.
  • When considering economy, one must look at initial costs
  • Additionally, the material's useful life
  • Important to keep in mind frequency of maintenance required
  • Cost of maintenance needs to be within budget
  • Salvage value is important to keep in mind when costing materials
  • Comfortability of the material being used

Classification of Civil Engineering Materials

• According to their phases
• According to their internal structure & chemical composition

According to Phases

• Gases like Air, Oxygen, and CO2
• Liquids like Water and Chemical Admixtures
• Semi-solids such as Fresh pastes, mortars, and asphalt
• Solids like Metals and Hardened concrete

According to Internal Structure & Chemical Composition

• Metals such as Ferrous, including iron, cast iron and steel and Non-Ferrous, including aluminum, copper, zinc, and lead
• Polymers, which are long chains having molecules of C, H, O, N formed by covalent bonding.
  • They can be natural, such as rubber, asphalt, resins, wood, or artificial, such as plastic.
• Ceramics are mainly aluminosilicates formed by mixed bonding and can be structural clay products, such as bricks, tiles, and pipes, or porcelains
• Composite Materials include Natural like agglomerates, and Artificial, such as Portland cement and concrete.
• Reinforced Composite Materials include reinforced concrete and reinforced plastics

Determining Material Properties

• Laboratory Testing.
• Field Testing.

Standardization Institutes

• U.S.: American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and American Concrete Institute (ACI).
• Turkey: Turkish Standards Institute (TSE).
• Europe: European Committee for Standardization (CEN).
• Germany: Deutsche Institute Norm (DIN).
• England: British Standards Institute (BSI).

Overview of construction materials, including manufactured products, naturally occurring substances, and the importance of materials testing. Materials testing is performed for various reasons and provides information about tested materials. Factors such as strength, rigidity, and durability are crucial in determining material choice.