(a) Introduction to the “Material Testing Laboratory” and HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) measures.
Introduction to health and safety in the Laboratory of Civil and Environmental Engineering following the rules and regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Importance of Health and Safety:
Major Precautions:
(b) To introduce the Civil Engineering Materials most commonly used for construction.
INTRODUCTION TO BUILDING MATERIALS:
Building materials have an important role to play in this modern age of technology. Although their most important use is in construction activities, no engineering field is conceivable without their use. It is essential to have full knowledge of various types of materials used in the field along with relative usage. This lab is intended to provide a basic and general introduction to the types of materials that are most commonly used in the field of construction.
THEORY
There are some commonly used materials such as stones, bricks, aggregates, cement, steel, plastics, etc. Such kinds of materials are to be tested for their use.
Bricks: Bricks are artificial blocks of ceramic (Clay) material molded to a suitable shape and size and are used in masonry construction.
Stones: Stones have been defined as the natural, hard substance formed from minerals and earth material that are present in rocks. These are Mixture of two or more mineral grains and non-homogenous.
Aggregates: Aggregates are the materials used as filler with binding material in the production of mortar and concrete. They are derived from igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks or manufactured from blast furnace slag, etc. Aggregates form the body of the concrete, reduce the shrinkage, and affect the economy. They occupy 70-80 percent of the volume and have considerable influence on the properties of the concrete. Aggregates are broadly classified as under.
a. Fine Aggregates (Reeti, Sand): Aggregates passing through a 4.75 mm sieve are defined as fine. They may be natural sand deposited by rivers, crushed stone sand obtained by crushing stones, and crushed gravel sand. The smallest size of fine aggregate (sand) is 0.06 mm. Depending upon the particle size, fine aggregates are described as fine, medium, and coarse sands.
b. Coarse Aggregates (Crush, Grits): Aggregates retained on a 4.75 mm sieve are identified as coarse. They are obtained by natural
disintegration or by artificial crushing of rocks. The maximum size of aggregate can be 80 mm.
Cement: Cements in a general sense are adhesive and cohesive materials, which are capable of bonding together particles of solid matter into a compact durable mass. Civil engineering works are restricted to calcareous cement containing compounds of lime as their chief constituent, its primary function being to bind the fine (sand) and coarse (grits) aggregate particles together.
Steal (Sario): Steel is the most suitable building material among metallic materials. This is due to the wide range and combination of physical and mechanical properties that steel can have. By suitably controlling the carbon content, alloying elements, and heat treatment, a desired combination of hardness, ductility, and strength can be obtained in steel. Based on carbon content steel may be classified as under:
| Type of steel | Carbon content (%) |
| Dead mild steel | < 0.15 |
| Mild steel | 0.15-0.3 |
| Medium carbon steel | 0.3-0.8 |
| High carbon steel | 0.8-1.5 |
| or hard steel | (> 1 is also called cast steel or tool steel) |
Plastics: Essentially synthetic organic products made from natural or synthetic resins. It is a versatile Engineering Material developed recently. Excellent finish, attractive colors, designs, lightness, and high durability have enabled this material to replace other traditional materials. It is now associated with our day-to-day life, due to its highly varied kinds and uses.
Review Questions:
- Differentiate Stones and Rocks in your own words:
- Define the basic types of cement as the Binding Material: