Civil Engineering Materials and Test methods

-Introduction to construction materials-

by
Yi, ChongKu PhD, PE

http://kucmm.korea.ac.kr

Outline :

1.

Classification of Construction materials

2.

Required performance of construction materials (and list of

properties related its performance)

3.

Selection of Construction materials

4.

Brief overview on the trend in production of construction

materials and available material standards and standard test
methods.

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Classification of Construction materials

Classification of construction materials:

by its chemical bonding/composition

by construction activity

by function

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Classification of Construction materials by its chemical

bonding/composition

1) Wood
Organic type
2) Polymer
3) Stone
4) Cement composite
5) Sintered clay

Non-metal

6) Lime / Gypsum
Inorganic type

7) Glass
8) Ferrous metal/steel
Metals
9) Nonferrous metals

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Classification of Construction materials by construction

activity
(e.g.) Building construction
common materials needed for the activity

activity

1) concrete/steel pile, sheathing board and others

Foundation

2) Rolled steel, Reinforced concrete, Brick, timber, precast

concrete panel and others

Structural frame

3) External wall, spray coat, Brick, Tile, Stone, Precast

concrete panel and waterproof

Exterior finish

4) Floor tiles, planks, ceiling panels , windows, partition

wall

Interior finish

5) Roof tile, Slate plate, Metal plate, Waterproof material

Roof / Waterproof

Classification of Construction materials by function

1) Structural materials

Steel, Timber(Wood), Concrete

2) Finishing materials

Tile, Brick, Stone, Metal plate, Interior materials, Board,

Timber(Wood), Plywood and others

3) Insulation materials

Waterproofing, Vapor proof

Asphalt, Sealant

Sound insulation, Sound

proofing, Sound absorption

Glass, Board, Metal panel

Heat insulation, Heat reserving

Glass fiber, Fiber board

4) Light transmitting
materials

Glass, Acrylic resin

5) Fire protection /
heat resistant
materials

Rockwool, Calcium silicate (cladding)

6) Radiation
Shielding materials

Heavyweight Concrete, Lead and others

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Required performance of construction materials

The performance of construction material can be defined as its

ability to control or resist the following interior / exterior
environmental factors subjected to a building for example.
Various loads
Fire
Harmful gas

Water/Moisture
Temperature
Sound / Vibration
Radioactive rays
Etc..

A material need to satisfy not all but a group of factors for a

specific application as set by Korean Industrial Standards.

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Material properties related to its performance

Performance
1) Mechanical
behavior.
2) Durability.
3)Waterproofing /
Vapor proof.
4) Fire protection/
Fireproof.
5) Thermal property.
6)Optical
characteristics/ color.
7) Acoustic
characteristics.
8) Sensuous
characteristics.
9) Other
considerations.

Related material properties

Compressive strength, Tensile strength, Bending strength, Shearing
strength, Fatigue strength, Modulus of elasticity, Hardness, Toughness,
Creep and others.
Weatherproof, Decay resistance, Freezing and thawing resistance,
Chemical resistance and others.
Absorptiveness, the coefficient of water permeability, Coefficient of
moisture absorption, Water Vapor Permeability and others.
Ignition temp, Softening point, Plasticity, Mechanics property in high
temperature and others.
Specific heat, the coefficient of heat conduction, the coefficient of heat
transmission, the coefficient of thermal expansion.
Optical reflectance, Optical transmittance, Brilliance, the degree of
freedom of colors.
Sound absorbing coefficient, Acoustic transmittance, Acoustic reflection
ratio.
Tactile sense, Visual sense, material texture
Processability, Workability, Uniformity of dimension/weight, economy
and others
8

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Selection of Construction materials

In order to select the most appropriate construction materials for

the project.
- One must have good knowledge of project site conditions
- e.g. location, landscape, weather, local law, soil etc.
-

One needs to clearly define the functions of the structure

e.g. interior comfort level, service life, and any other
required performance of the building.
One needs to specify the required performance of materials
To do so, one needs to have good knowledge of material
properties

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Overview on the development in production of construction

materials

Changes in the production method

Before - Each components/materials are made separately for

individual house, building, civil structures, and the
components were assembled at the job site.

Now More and more components/materials are standardized

and mass produced using automated facilities (e.g. refabricated
housing unit, precast panels.)

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Overview on the development in production of construction

materials (contd)

Now the following factors are considered for development and

production of new material

Needs thorough market research to predict future demand

Availability of technology and production system;

sometimes introduction of a new technique to the improve
efficiency is necessary

Secure stable supply of raw materials

Inform and educate the users (e.g. architect, structural

engineer, contractor, developer, government official)

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Available material standards and standard test methods:

Korean Industrial Standard (KS) consists of 15 parts among

which 4 parts relate to Civil and architectural engineering.
A : Basic
D : Metal
F : Civil and construction engineering
L : Ceramics

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Available material standards and standard test methods:

Other

international standard and technical specification

available
ASTM
ACI
BS

: American Society for Testing and Materials

: American Concrete Institute

: British Standards

DIN

: Deutsche Industrie Normen

NF

: Normes Francaises

JIS

: Japan Industrial Standard

ISO

: International Standardization Organization

AISI

: American Iron and Steel Institute

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