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Common construction materials

Civil and construction engineers must be

familiar with materials used in the
Introduction to materials construction of a wide range of structures.
engineering concepts Materials most frequently used include
steel, aggregate, concrete, masonry,
CENG-6105 asphalt, and wood.
Lecture 1 Materials used to a lesser extent include
aluminum, glass, plastics, and fiber-
reinforced composites.
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Common construction materials Common

Civil and construction engineers must be Geotechnical engineers make a

familiar with materials used in the reasonable case for including soil as the
construction of a wide range of structures. most widely used engineering material,
Materials most frequently used include since it provides the basic support for
steel, aggregate, concrete, masonry, all civil engineering structures.
asphalt, and wood.
Materials used to a lesser extent include
aluminum, glass, plastics, and fiber-
reinforced composites.
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Recent advances in material technology Glimpses of high performance materials

Civil engineering materials have resulted in the Existing materials were enhanced by
development of better quality, more economical, changing their molecular structures or
and safer materials. including additives to improve quality,
These materials are commonly referred to as economy, and performance.
high-performance materials.
superplasticizers have made a breakthrough
Because more is known about the molecular in the concrete industry, allowing the
structure of materials new materials such as
polymers, adhesives, composites, geotextiles, production of much stronger concrete.
coatings, cold-formed metals, and various Joints made of elastomeric materials have
synthetic products are competing with improved the safety of high-rise
traditional civil engineering materials. structures in earthquake-active areas.
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Glimpses of high performance Selection criteria

The field of fiber composite materials has developed Materials engineers are responsible for
rapidly in the last 30 years or so.
Many recent civil engineering projects have used fiber- the selection, specification, and quality
reinforced polymer composites Eg. Gypsum board in control of materials to be used in a job
housing program.
These advanced composites compete with traditional considering the following criteria:
materials due to their higher strength-to-weight ratio 1. Economic factors
and their ability to overcome such shortcomings as
corrosion. 2. Mechanical properties
For example, fiber-reinforced concrete has much greater 3. Non-mechanical properties
toughness than conventional portland cement concrete.
Composites can replace reinforcing steel in concrete 4. Production/construction considerations
structures and also composites have allowed the 5. Aesthetic properties
construction of structures that could not have been built
in the past. 6. Environmental quality-sustainable
development.
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Economic factors Economic factors

The economics of the material selection Construction and the construction costs and
process are affected by much more than time is affected by the type of material
selected for a job.
just the cost of the material. For example, the structural members of a
Factors that should be considered in the steel-frame building can be fabricated in a
selection of the material include shop, transported to the job site, lifted into
place with a crane, and bolted or welded
Availability and cost of raw materials together.
Manufacturing costs In contrast, for a reinforced concrete
Transportation building, the forms must be built; reinforcing
Placing steel placed; concrete mixed, placed, and
allowed to cure; and the forms removed.
Maintenance

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Economic factors Mechanical Properties

All materials deteriorate over time and The mechanical behavior of materials is
with use.
the response of the material to
This deterioration affects both the
maintenance cost and the useful life of the external loads.
structure. All materials deform in response to
The rate of deterioration varies among loads; however, the specific response of
materials.
Thus, in analyzing the economic selection a material depends on its properties,
of a material, the life cycle cost should be the magnitude and type of load, and the
evaluated in addition to the initial costs of geometry of the element.
the structure.
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StressStrain Relations

Stressstrain behavior of plastic materials:

(a) example of loading and unloading, (b) elastic
perfectly plastic, and (c) elastoplastic with strain
hardening.

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Linearity and elasticity should not be confused. Mechanical Properties

A linear materials stressstrain relation follows
a straight line.
Modulus of elasticity or Youngs modulus,
An elastic material returns to its original shape E: is for a homogeneous, isotropic, and
when the load is removed and reacts linear elastic material, the proportional
constant between normal stress and normal
instantaneously to changes in load. strain of an axially loaded member.
Poissons ratio: The ratio of the lateral
strain to the axial strain.
In the axial tension test, as the material is
elongated, there is a reduction of the cross
section in the lateral direction.
In the axial compression test, the opposite is
true.
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Typical Modulus and Poissons Ratio Values

Mechanical Properties (Room Temperature)

Poissons ratio has a theoretical range

of 0.0 to 0.5, where 0.0 is for a
compressible material in which the axial
and lateral directions are not affected
by each other.
The 0.5 value is for a material that does
not change its volume when the load is
applied. Most solids have Poissons ratios
between 0.10 and 0.45.
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Viscoelastic Behavior Non-mechanical Properties

Previous discussion assumed that the strain was Nonmechanical properties refer to
an immediate response to stress.
characteristics of the material, other
This is an assumption for elastic and
elastoplastic materials. than load response, that affect
However, no material has this property under selection, use, and performance.
all conditions. There are several types of properties
In some cases, materials exhibit both viscous that are of interest to engineers, but
and elastic responses, which are known as
viscoelastic. those of the greatest concern to civil
Typical viscoelastic materials used in construction engineers are density, thermal
applications are asphalt and plastics. properties, and surface characteristics.
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Thermal Expansion Surface Characteristics

Practically all materials expand as The surface properties of materials
temperature increases and contract as
temperature falls. of interest to civil engineers
The amount of expansion per unit length include corrosion and degradation,
due to one unit of temperature increase is
a material constant and is expressed as the ability of the material to resist
the coefficient of thermal expansion. abrasion and wear, and surface
Joints are used in buildings, bridges, texture.
concrete pavements, and various
structures to accommodate this thermal
effect.

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Production and Construction Production and Construction

Despite well suited to a specific application, The aesthetic characteristics of a
production and construction considerations material refer to the appearance of
may block the selection of the material. the material.
Production considerations include the
availability of the material and the ability to Generally, these characteristics are
fabricate the material into the desired the responsibility of the architect.
shapes and required specifications. However, the civil engineer is
Construction considerations address all the responsible for working with the
factors that relate to the ability to fabricate architect to ensure that the aesthetic
and erect the structure on site. One of the
primary factors is the availability of a trained characteristics of the facility are
work force. compatible with the structural
requirements.
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Production and Construction Sustainable Design

In many cases, the mix of artistic and Sustainable design is the philosophy of
technical design skills makes the designing physical objects, the built
project acceptable to the community. environment and services to comply with
In fact, political views are often more the principles of economic, social, and
ecological sustainability.
difficult to deal with than technical
design problems. While sustainable design is a philosophy,
implementation of the concept requires
Thus, engineers should understand direct and measureable actions.
that there are many factors beyond To this end the Green Building Council
the technical needs that must be developed the Leadership in Environment
considered when selecting materials and Energy Design, LEED, building rating
and designing public projects. system.
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Sustainable Design
Based on the cumulative rating the
project is awarded a status of Certified,
Silver, Gold or Platinum.
For new construction and major
renovations the rating areas include:
Sustainable sites
Water efficiency
Energy and atmosphere
Materials and resources
Indoor environmental quality
Innovation in design
Regional priority
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