General

Properties
of
Materials
Prepared by: Engr. Pearl Mae L. Angus
PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

For a material to be considered as building material, it should have required

engineering properties suitable for construction works.

These properties of building materials are responsible for its quality and
capacity and helps to decide applications of these material.
PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

Such properties of building materials are categorized as follows.

• Physical properties
• Mechanical properties
• Chemical properties
• Electrical properties
• Magnetic properties
• Thermal properties
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

These are the properties required to estimate the quality and condition of the material
without any external force.

The physical properties of engineering materials are as follows.

• Density • Weathering resistance

• Bulk density • Water permeability
• Density index • Frost resistance
• Specific Weight • Fire resistance
• Specific gravity • Durability
• Porosity • Spalling resistance
• Void ratio • Coefficient of softening
• Hygroscopicity • Refractoriness
• Water absorption
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Density
It is the dry mass per unit volume of a substance under absolute compact conditions.

𝑚
𝜌=
𝑉

Where: 𝜌 = density
𝑚 = mass under dry condition
𝑉 = volume under absolute compact condition
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Density
Density of some building materials are as follows:

Material Density (kg/m3)

Brick 2500 – 2800
Granite 2600 – 2900
Portland Cement 2900 – 3100
Wood 1500 – 1600
Steel 7800 – 7900
Sand 2600 – 2900
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Bulk Density
It refers to the mass per unit volume of a substance under the conditions that powdery or
granular materials are packed.

It is the mass of a unit volume of material in its natural state (with pores and voids).

𝑚
𝜌𝑏 =
𝑉𝑜

Where: 𝜌𝑏 = bulk density

𝑚 = mass under dry condition
𝑉𝑜 = volume under packing condition
𝑉𝒐 = Vv + Vs
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Bulk Density
Bulk density of some building materials are as follows:

Material Bulk Density (kg/m3)

Brick 1600 – 1800
Granite 2500 – 2700
Portland Cement 1300 – 1700
Pine Wood 500 – 600
Steel 7850
Sand 1450 – 1650
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Density Index
It is the ratio of bulk density and density.

It indicates the degree to which the volume of a material is filled with solid matter.

𝜌𝑏
𝜌𝑜 =
𝜌

Where: 𝜌𝑜 = density index

𝜌𝑏 = bulk density
𝜌 = density
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Density Index

In nature, fully dense material is not available so, density index is always less than 1
for any building material.

High Density Low Density

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Specific Weight
It is also known as the unit weight per volume of a material.
𝑊
𝛾=
𝑉
𝑚𝑔
𝛾=
𝑉
𝛾 = 𝜌𝑔

Where: 𝛾 = specific weight

𝜌 = density
𝑔 = gravity
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Specific Gravity
It is the ratio of weight/mass of a given volume of solids to the weight/mass of an equal
volume of water at 4oC.

𝛾 𝜌
Gs = 𝛾 S = 𝜌 S
W W
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Specific Gravity
A. True or Absolute Specific Gravity

If both the permeable and impermeable voids are excluded for determining the true
volume of solids, the specific gravity obtained is called true or absolute specific
gravity.
𝛾 𝜌
Ga = 𝛾 = 𝜌
W W
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Specific Gravity
B. Apparent or Mass Specific Gravity

If both the permeable and impermeable voids are included for determining the true
volume of solids, the specific gravity obtained is called apparent or mass specific
gravity.
𝛾𝑏 𝜌𝑏
Gm = 𝛾W
= 𝜌W
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Porosity

It is the degree to which the volume of the material is interspersed with voids.

It is expressed as a ratio of the volume of voids to that of the specimen.

𝑉𝑣
n= 𝑉

Where: n = porosity
𝑉𝑣 = volume of voids
V = volume of material
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Void Ratio

It is expressed as a ratio of the volume of voids to the volume of solids.

𝑉
e = 𝑉𝑣
𝑠

Where: e = void ratio

𝑉𝑣 = volume of voids
Vs = volume of solids
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Porosity and Void Ratio

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Hygroscopicity
It is the property of a material to absorb water vapor from air. It depends on the
relative humidity, porosity, air temperature etc.

It can be expressed by moisture content. Moisture content is the percentage of

water contained in a material to its dry mass.

𝑊𝑤 𝑚𝑤
𝜔= =
𝑊𝑠 𝑚𝑠

Where: 𝜔 = moisture content 𝑚𝑤 = mass of water

𝑊𝑤 = weight of water 𝑚𝑠 = mass of solids
𝑊𝑠 = weight of solids
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Water Absorption

It refers to the property of absorbing water when materials are exposed to water.

It is expressed in % of weight of dry material.

It depends up on the size, shape and number of pores of material.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Weathering Resistance

The property of a material to withstand against all atmospheric actions without

losing its strength and shape.

Weathering effects the durability of material.

For example, corrosion occurs in iron due to weathering. To resist this paint layer
is provided.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Water Permeability

It is the capacity of a material to allow water to penetrate under pressure.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Water Impermeability

It is the ability of a material to resist the pressure water or the infiltration of other
liquids.

Materials like glass, steel and bitumen are impervious.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Frost Resistance

It is the ability of a material to endure repeated freezing and thawing with

considerable decrease of mechanical strength.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Fire Resistance

The ability to withstand against fire without changing its shape and other properties.

Fire resistance of a material is tested by the combined actions of water and fire.

Fireproof materials should provide more safety in case of fire.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Durability

It is the property of a material to withstand against the combined action of atmospheric

and other factors.

If the material is more durable, it will be useful for longer life.

Maintenance cost of material is dependent of durability.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Spalling Resistance

The ability of a material to undergo certain number of cycles of sharp temperature

variations without failing is known as spalling resistance.

It is the dependent of coefficient of linear expansion.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Coefficient of Softening

It is the ratio of compressive strength of a saturated material to its compressive

strength in dry state.

It affects the strength of water absorbent materials like soil.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Refractoriness

The property of a material which cannot melt or lose its shape at prolonged high
temperatures (1580oC or more).

Example: fire clay is high refractory material.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

Mechanical properties of the materials are found out by applying external forces on
them.

These are very important properties which are responsible for behavior of a material
in its job.

The mechanical properties are,

• Strength • Fatigue
• Hardness • Creep
• Elasticity • Impact strength
• Plasticity • Abrasion resistance
• Brittleness
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Strength

It is the capacity of a material to resist failure caused by loads acting on it.

The load may be compressive, tensile or bending. It is determined by dividing

the ultimate load taken by the material with its cross-sectional area.

Strength is an important property for any construction materials. So, to provide

maximum safety in strength, factor of safety is provided for materials, and it is
selected depending on nature of work, quality of material, economic
conditions etc.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Hardness

It is the property of a materials to resist scratching by a harder body.

MOHS scale is used to determine the hardness of a materials.

It is most important to decide the usage of aggregate.

It also influences the workability.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Hardness
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Elasticity

The capacity of a material to regain its initial shape and size after removal of
load is known as elasticity and the material is called as elastic material.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Plasticity

When the load is applied on the material, if it will undergo permanent

deformation without cracking and retain this shape after the removal of load then
it is said to be plastic material and this property is called as plasticity.

They give resistance against bending, impact etc.

Examples: steel, hot bitumen

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Brittleness

When the material is subjected to load, if it fails suddenly without causing any
deformation then it is called brittle material and this property is called as
brittleness.

Examples: concrete, cast-iron

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Fatigue

If a material is subjected to repeated loads, then the failure occurs at some point
which is lower than the failure point caused by steady loads. This behavior is
known as fatigue.

Creep

It is the deformation caused by constant loads for long periods. It is time

dependent and occurs at very slow rate. It is almost negligible in normal
conditions. But at high temperature conditions creep occur rapidly.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Impact Strength

If a material is subjected to sudden loads and it will undergo some deformation

without causing rupture is known as its impact strength.

It designates the toughness of material.

Abrasion Resistance

The loss of material due to rubbing of particles while working is called abrasion.

The abrasion resistance for a material makes it durable and provided

long life.
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

The properties of materials against the chemical actions or chemical combinations

are termed as chemical properties.

And they are

• Chemical resistance
• Corrosion resistance
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

Chemical Resistance

The ability of a construction material to resist the effects of chemicals like acids,
salts and alkalis is known as chemical resistance.

Underground installations, constructions near sea should be built with great

chemical resistance.
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS
Corrosion Resistance

Formation of rust (iron oxide) in metals, when they are subjected to atmosphere is
called as corrosion.

So, the metals should be corrosive resistant. To increase the corrosion resistance
proper measures should be considered. Otherwise, it will damage the whole structure.
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

The properties of a material to conduct or to resist electricity through them are

electrical properties of material.

For example, wood have great electric resistance and stainless steel is a good
conductor of electricity.
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

The magnetic properties of materials like permeability, hysteresis etc. are required in
the case of generators etc.

Iron is magnetic material and aluminum is non-magnetic material.

THERMAL PROPERTIES OF BUILDING MATERIALS

• Thermal capacity
• Thermal conductivity
• Thermal resistivity
• Specific heat
THERMAL PROPERTIES

Thermal Capacity

It is the property of a material to absorb heat when it is heated and to release heat
when it is cooled.
𝑄
𝐶=
𝑚 𝑇2 − 𝑇1

Where: C = specific heat of the material (J/g°C)

Q = heat absorbed or released by the material (J)
m = mass of the material (g)
T2 – T1 = temperature difference before and after heating or cooling (°C)
THERMAL PROPERTIES

Thermal Conductivity

The amount of heat transferred through unit area of specimen with unit thickness in
unit time is termed as thermal conductivity.

It is measured in Kelvins.

It depends on material structure, porosity, density and moisture content. High porous
materials, moist materials have more thermal conductivity.
THERMAL PROPERTIES

Thermal Resistivity

It is the ability to resist heat conduction.

And it is the reciprocal of thermal conductivity.

When it is multiplied by thickness of material it gives thermal resistance.

Thermal resistivity of soil varies from 30 to 500 oC-cm/W.

THERMAL PROPERTIES

Specific Heat

Specific heat is the quantity of heat required to heat 1 N of material by 1 oC.

Specific heat is useful when we use the material in high temperature areas.

Specific heat values of some engineering materials are given below.

Material Specific heat J/N oC

Steel 0.046 x 103
Wood 0.239 to 0.27 x 103
Stone 0.075 to 0.09 X 103