Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

MAR. 2017

FLORIN BOTA
HNC-CIVIL ENGINEERING

SATURDAY CLASS

Task 1.1 a) Outline briefly in simple language Young’s modulus and how it is used
to describe materials that rigid or flexible.

Young’s modulus, known as elas�c modulus, is a measure of s�ffness of a

solid material. The s�ffness is the ability of a material to resist elas�c
deforma�on. It’s expressing the ra�o between a stress that acts to change the
length of a body and the frac�onal change in length caused by the applied force.

The Yield Point is defined as the stress at which a material begins to plas�cally
deform... If the tension applied is over the yield point, the deforma�on will be
permanent and non-reversible.
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

The ultimate strength is the maximum stress applied before the material completely
fails.

Rigid materials have a very high Young’s modulus and change their shape only
slightly (diamond) whereas flexible materials have low Young’s modulus and change
their shape considerably (rubber).

Task 1.1 b) State simply where and why rigid materials are used in construction

The word rigid is defined as the ability to resist deformation. Rigid materials
given their performance criteria are used commonly to build the structural frame
of a building, load bearing walls, floor slabs and facade. Rigid frame structures
are defined as structures in which beams and columns are made monolithically
and act collectively to resist the deformation which is generated due to an
applied load. Rigid frame structures provide more structural stability.

Task 1.1 c) What two other characteristics are important for those rigid materials

Two other important characteristics for rigid materials in construction are:

• Durability
• Fire resistance

If it fulfils its performance criteria, a material can be durable for the lifetime of a
building.

Fire may endanger the structure of a building and that could cause the collapse.
Many materials when heated with the cause of a fire can produce toxic fumes
and could cause fatalities.

Task 1.1 d) where would much more flexible materials be used in a building?

Flexible materials have the ability to change shape without reaching the breaking
point. These materials are normally used in joints, gaps and also for weather
proofing in buildings.
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

A good example of a flexible material is silicone based products.

Silicone materials are largely used in vibration management of a building as they
act to absorb vibration, stresses and movement especially high structure that are
expose to small movements from ground vibration or high winds.

Silicone materials have very good sealing properties and protect joints and materials
from weathering, heat, sunlight, and excess of moisture.

Another example of a flexible material is waterproofing paints and varnishes that

contain synthetic resins and plastic which creates an excellent barrier against
moisture.

Task 1.2 a) Provide straight forward information concerning recent developments

in the use of alternative materials to make concrete which are more
environments friendly

Concrete is a mixture of cement, aggregates and water. Other materials added at

the mixer are named as “admixtures”. The most common cement used is
Portland cement.

The other alternative materials used to make concrete are:

• Ground granulated blast furnace slag (known in short term as GGBS)

Unheard of nearly 40 years ago with the only available source at
Scunthorpe whereas it is now commonly used in all ready-mixed
concrete which contains nearly 50% of GGBS
• Pulverised fuel ash (known in short term as PFA) is produced from coal
burning power stations. PFA properties are pozzolanic which means that it
reacts with lime to form a hardened paste.

Their extensive use has been determined by their low cost, a good resistance to
alkali-silica reaction, chloride ingress and sulphate attack and by their
significant reduction in embodied CO2.

Using these two materials as alternatives to cement, can make the concrete
durable and can reach the maximum strength when it settles. The only concerning
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

point using these two materials is the prolonged time taken for the concrete to
reach its maximum strength and could cause delays in the construction.

Reference: David Bennett 2010

Task 1.2 b) Name two commercially available wall insulation materials that
are commonly used to insulate the walls of buildings and state the U values at
two different thicknesses. Explain what the U value means and what the
current building standards for U value of walls are for a new-build property.

U- Value measures how effective a material is as a heat insulator. The lower the
u-value is, the better the material is as a heat insulator.

U-value, known as thermal transmittance, is the rate of transfer of the heat

trough a structure divided by the difference in temperature across the
structure. The U value is expressed as W/m^2*k, which means Watts per square
metre, per degree Kelvin.

Part L1A Building Regulations sets out at 0.18 W/m^2* K for external walls of new
buildings.

Four types of wall insulation materials commonly used are:

• Kingspan
• Celotex
• Knaufs
• Rockwool

Kingspan & celotex have very good thermal properties and are often used to insulate
walls, roofs, cavities and some ductwork (HVAC)

Their U-value depends on their thickness and where they are used in construction
(the building).

Here are some tables of their U values:

Celotex
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thickness U-value W/m^2*K

25 mm 0.91
40 mm 0.56

45 mm 0.5

50 mm 0.44
60 mm 0.37

65 mm 0.34

70 mm 0.32

75 mm 0.29

80 mm 0.28

90 mm 0.25

100 mm 0.22

Reference: planet insulation.co.uk

Kingspan

There are many types of external walls therefore I’ve chosen to calculate the U-
value for a block- cavity- block ( aerated blocks ) with 10 mm polymer render:

Kingspan

thickness U-value W/m^2*K

30 mm 0.35
35 mm 0.32
40 mm 0.3
45 mm 0.27
50 mm 0.25
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60 mm 0.22
70 mm 0.2
75 mm 0.19
80 mm 0.18
90 mm 0.17
100 mm 0.15
110 mm 0.14
120 mm 0.13
Reference: U-value calculator, King span website

Task 1.2 c) Examine the materials used to keep out draughts and water from
getting into the building through the gaps between windows, doors and walls.

The most effective materials to keep out the draughts and water out of the
buildings are silicone based materials. They have very good sealing properties to
water, dust and dirt.

Also waterproofing paints and varnishes, which contain special ingredients

(synthetic raisins and plastic), create a good barrier against moisture and water.
They‘re often used on timber clad walls and flat roofs.

There are others materials used on flat roofs like bitumen “a black viscous mixture
of hydrocarbons obtained naturally or as a residue from petroleum distillation”. If
it is applied correctly it becomes an effective barrier to stop the water ingress
coming through the roof.

The most common places we get draughts into the building are through any
“accidental gaps” that lead directly outside like:

• Windows
• Doors- key holes and letter box
• Loft hatches
• Suspended floor boards
• Pipe work leading outside
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

To prevent any heat loss, materials can be applied to these gaps like;

• foam strips (self adhesive)

• metal or plastic strips with brushes ( used at doors and windows) flexible
fillers , decorator’s chalks and mastic tape used on floors strip insulation
used for loft hatches. It can also be used for doors.

When covering these gaps, we have to consider the room’s ventilation in places
like kitchens, bathrooms and rooms with gas fire.

Task 1.3 a) List the more commonly commercially available materials for
external parts of the extensions including walling, windows and roofing. Provide
them with a choice of three different walling materials for outside of the wall;
also consider insulation and internal materials for these walls.

At the present there is a vast choice of materials to build an extension. It all

depends on the type of design a client goes for such as:

• brick wall can be a bit expensive but proves to be a very popular one, as the
bricks can come in a variety of colours
• Concrete blocks can come in different sizes; also some of them have good
thermal properties. The concrete blocks wall can be finished with a layer of
rendering with a variety of colours.

There are some other wall finishes that are more cost effective such as

• Timber cladding
• Pvc cladding
• Wall tiles

Under Buildings regulations any new building needs to be insulated so it

meets the energy efficiency criteria, therefore all the exterior walls are
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

build with a cavity that can be filled with different type of insulation(e.g.
Kingspan, Celotex, knaufs ,rockwool ,fibre glass).

The interior finishes also depend on the client vision, so there are a lot of materials
available such as:

• Plasterboard.
• Paints that come in different colours and have different properties. Tiles
• stones

Task 1.3 b) List suitable materials for external part of the roof

The roof is an integral part of the building so we have to be very careful when
we choosing the materials to build it. There is a vast choice of roofing materials
it all depends on the design of the roof:

- For pyramid like roof (pitched roof) there are roof tiles/slates that come in
different colours, shape and made of materials( concrete, clay, fibre
cement, shingles shakes, plastic)
- For a flat roof it’s used bitumen , a variety of paints that have high
waterproofing properties and elastomeric plastics

Another material used on roof is felt.

Task 1.3 c) Consider the windows, suggest frames, glazing and waterproofing
materials.

Windows are a very important part of the building. The bigger they are, the
better natural lighting, but there are concerns about the heat loss through
the windows, having a small U value make the window a thermally weak
point of the building. This can be reduced by choosing the right window.
They come in different type of frames made of:

- Metal
- Aluminium
- PVC( polyvinyl chloride)
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

- UPVC( unplasticised polyvinyl chloride)

- Wood

These frames can be single, double and triple glazed to tailor to a building needs.

A window‘s thermal performance is defined by the type of glazed materials used

and its properties. The various types of glazed materials are divided by:

- Their transparency( totally transparent, translucent or opaque with various

type of radiation and wavelength)
- The material that they made of (glass, polycarbonates, fibreglass, acrylics...)
- Their cross section of the element (one layer or two with air space in between
...)

Type of glazing materials:

- Regular transparent glass

- Double glazing
- Absorbing glass
- Dark glass
- Reflective glass( mirror)
- Polycarbonate
- Double polycarbonate
- Corrugated fibre glass
- Acrylic sheets

Waterproofing materials used for windows are:

- Silicone materials for all the frames

- Special paints for wooden frames

Task 2.1 a) State the meaning of the following terms in simple language
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

i) Compression

ii) Tension iii)

Torsion

iv) Find the mathematical relationships between force (stress) and

distortion(strain) related to each of these forces.

There are many performance aspects of materials that form a building

structure; one of them is the strength of a material which is the ability of the
material to resist failure or plastic deformation under stress. There are different
types of stresses like: compression, tension, torsion, bending and shear...

i) Compression(squeezing) is the stress applied to side of an object that is

supported on the other side. Applied excessive stress to the object through
compression can cause shear stress and eventually failure
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

ii) Tension (stretching) is the opposite of the compression. Once the stress is
applied to an object, there are pulling forces that act through the middle of the
object. Excessive stress through tension can also lead to failure.

iii) Torsion (twisting) happens when a load is applied eccentrically. For example
if a beam supports another beam across and the top one stands at middle( mid –
span) of the supporting beam, then the supporting beam will be under a torsion
stress .
iv) The mathematical relationship between stress and distortion (strain) is the
calculus of stiffness of a material developed by British scientist Thomas Young
known today as Young’s modulus.

Task 2.1 b) State the Euler equation which predicts the load that a column can
bear before it buckles and explain each of the symbols used in the equation.
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

Columns fail by buckling when their critical load is reached. Long columns can be
analysed with the Euler column formula

F = n π2 E I / L2 (1)

Where

F = allowable load (lb, N) n = factor

accounting for the end conditions

E = modulus of elastisity (lb/in2, Pa (N/m2))

L = length of column (in, m)

I = Moment of inertia (in4, m4)

Factor Counting for End Conditions

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• column pivoted in both ends : n = 1

• both ends fixed : n = 4
• one end fixed, the other end rounded : n = 2
• one end fixed, one end free : n = 0.25
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Task 2.2

Deflection = FL3/48 EI Second Moment of Area [ (BD3) -((D - 2T)3x(B-t)x0.5)] /

12

Dimensions
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

Distance
between the
supports Second
Young's under the Moment of Deflection at
ModulusE Force N beam L m D B T t Area I centre m
2.05E+11 120000 9
2.05E+11 120000 9 0.336 0.1 0.5 0.04 0.001779884 4.99E-03
2.05E+11 120000 9 0.28 0.11 0.061 0.041 0.000178288 4.99E-02
2.05E+11 120000 9 0.28 0.1109 0.059 0.041 0.000178108 4.99E-02
2.05E+11 120000 9 0.28 0.11 0.061 0.04 0.000178218 4.99E-02
2.05E+11 120000 9 0.29 0.1 0.06 0.039 0.000178267 4.99E-02
0.13

1.60E+09 120000 9 3 0.1015 0.228375 4.99E-03

3.00E+10 120000 9 0.5 1.1655 0.012140625 5.00E-03
3.00E+10 120000 9 3 0.1015 0.228375 2.66E-04 3.00E+10 120000 9 0.7 0.1 0.002858333 2.13E-02

Task 3.1 a) What is comfort? Give the group the simple definition of comfort.

Comfort for us, humans, is achieved when the environment that surrounds us,
provides the specific conditions to avoid being too hot or too cold.

There factors that affect our comfort in our way of living like:

• thermal comfort - air temperature , mean radiant temperature, air velocity,

relative humidity
• lighting comfort -artificial light, natural light, minimum level of
illumination
• acoustic comfort –sound transmission, sound absorption, sound insulation,
reverberation
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

Task 3.1 b) Using published information (state clearly where the information is
coming from) to give the following:

i) The range of comfortable indoor air temperatures

The “minimum comfort” required in a room for a person is 18 degrees Celsius

recognised by the World Health Organization and it’s a minimum standard in UK
cold weather plan
The comfortable room temperature standard varies between 18- 21 degrees Celsius.

A Government report from 1961named Homes for Today and Tomorrow, also
known as the Parker Morris standards is considered a benchmark for housing
standard in Britain. It’s mentioned that according to Parker Morris a minimum
required room temperature to be at the level of 16 degrees Celsius. References:
www.ovoenergy.com

www.designofhomes.co.uk ii)

The recommended humidity levels

The Environment Protection Agency lists indoor’s air quality along its top
environmental treats. To have an indoor healthy air, it needs to be fresh, clean
and have a relative humidity. A relative comfortable level of humidity should be
between 40-50% or we should maintain it below 50%. During the winter, the
levels of humidity should be lower between 30-40%. It’s measured with a
hygrometer.

Reference: www.thermastor.com iii) The recommended light levels

for three different area of building

Light level in a building, also known as illumination is measured in “foot candles”

( fcd,fc, ftcd) for imperial system or “lux” in metric SI system.
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According to the Engineering Toolbox we have an approximate table with the

recommended light level of different ways of living environments

Illumination
Activity ( lux, lumen/m 2)
Public areas with dark surroundings 20 – 50
Simple orientation for short visits 50 – 100
Working areas where visual tasks are only occasionally
100 – 150 performed
Warehouses, Homes, Theaters, Archives 150
Easy Office Work, Classes 250
Normal Office Work, PC Work, Study Library, Groceries, Show
500 Rooms,
Laboratories
Supermarkets, Mechanical Workshops, Office Landscapes 750
Normal Drawing Work, Detailed Mechanical Workshops,
1,000
Operation Theatres
Detailed Drawing Work, Very Detailed Mechanical Works 1500 – 2000
Performance of visual tasks of low contrast and very small size
2000 – 5000 for
prolonged periods of time
Performance of very prolonged and exacting visual tasks 5000 – 10000
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Performance of very special visual tasks of extremely low

10000 – 20000 contrast
and small size

Reference: www.archtoolbox.com , www.engineeringtoolbox.com

iv) One further factor which contributes to comfort inside a house

Another factor that contributes to our comfort is acoustic. One of the main key
factor for a structural designer when designing a building is to protect the people
that leave into that building from the sound produced on the outside
environment or sound from inside the building ( e.g. sound transmission from
one room to another). So using special materials that have acoustic properties
and special ways to build it (e.g. external walls, windows, doors and interior
walls) it reduces level of sound to a very acceptable comfort level.

Task 3.1 c) Excess humidity in a house has a number of associated problems

i) Personal comfort and health ii) Health and

the well being of the property State one

problem in each of these categories.

i) Humidity is the percentage of the water vapours saturation that is in the air. In
other word humidity can be described as the moisture from air.

Although humidity is present in every house, while some certain quantity is of

humidity is necessary, high amount can contribute to condensation and the
development of mould.
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

Condensation happens when the water vapours in the air transform into a
liquid due to cooling temperature called dew point which is the temperature at
which the point the vapours start to condense. Condensation occurs when
warm moist air comes in contact with cold surfaces in the house (walls,
windows, objects). Most common problems of condensation occurs on
windows ,window’s sills ,walls and ceiling and can cause paint to peel and this is
the start of the mould appearance. Condensation can take place in non visible
places that can dry rot and damage the wooden structure of the house.

These problems can be avoided if we maintain the temperature and air ventilation
to the required standard.

On the personal level excessive humidity cancan cause a lot of health problems to
us like:

respiratory problems
rheumatic problems
Stress problems...

ii) Another problem, particularly in older houses is the rising damp and occurs
when ground’s water rises up through walls, floors and masonry via capillary
action, which is the ability of water to flow on narrow spaces in opposition to
gravity ( upwards). Bricks, blocks or mortar can be very porous and contain may
fine capillaries, through which water can rise.

Rising damp is unsightly, potentially unhealthy, often leads to timber decay and
also can cause heat loss due to conductivity of the walls.
Reference: www.wisepropertycare.com

www.dryrods.com

Task 3.1 d) Outline how sound from outside of a building is kept out.

Sound happens as result of the back and forth vibration of sound waves
travelling across a medium (air). When a sound wave is reaching a surface it’s
either reflected or absorbed, it all depends on what the materials are made of.
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

So to have an acoustic building free from outside sound we need to take into
account which materials to build a house ( external walls , windows, doors ) in
terms of their acoustic properties. Also the way they are build together they’re in
a number of layers ,partitions ( e.g. walls- bricks, ,cavity , layer of insulation,
brick or block, acoustic plasterboard---window, glasses are come in different
number of layers, double or triple glazed).

This commonly used system of build (partitions) can reduce the level of sound from
the outside to a minimum level.

Task 3.1 e) Explain why reverberation would not expected to be a problem, make
use of the Sabine formula in you explanation.

As mentioned above the sound travels in waves through the air and soon as it hits
a surface it can be absorbed or reflected.

Reverberation is created when a sound is reflected causing a large number of

reflections to build up and the decay as the sound is absorbed by the surfaces of
the objects in an enclosure (room). The time from the moment a sound
produced to the time the sound decays and stops, is called reverberation time
and can be calculated using Sabine formula

RT_60= (0.16s/m)*V/Se=(0.049 s/ft)* V/Se

• V=volume of the enclosure

• Se=effective absorbing area

Reference: www.hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu

Task 3.1 f)
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 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

Task 3.2 a) Describe with the aid of a diagram how an unvented water supply
within a house operates and state the advantages of such a system over the vented
supply

As shown on the diagram (figure) above this is a vented water supply and
also the heating system. There are pros and cons about a vented water
system. This system is relatively simple in his construction but the biggest
concern is that they may deliver a lower pressure of water. The system also
requires a lot space in the house. The other concern with the vented system
is that water can get contaminated from dust, bacteria in the water tank
Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

installed at the top. Vented system on the bright side might be cheaper and
requires low maintenance.

The diagram above shows the unvented system.

The unvented system is pressurised system getting fed straight from the
cold water main; therefore it can deliver cold and hot water with the same
pressure. It doesn’t require a water storage tank which we’ll benefit from
more space. It’s more expensive than vented system and requires annually
inspection and service (high maintenance).
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

Task 3.2 b) Describe how electrical power is distributed throughout a house

especially showing the measures undertaken to prevent users suffering electric
shocks and the danger of fire

Figure 1

Figure 2
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Every single house is connected to electricity through a live cable with a voltage
of 230Volts AC. Contact with this cable can cause electric shocks, burns and
even deaths. This cable goes usually into a fuse box (fig.1) connected to the
earth. From there it’s separated into many circuits for sockets outlets and
switches and lights. These circuits are also separated for each floor of the
house or even sometimes each of the rooms to avoid overloading (fig.2)

Electric faults can cause fire especially where the house equipments contain a
source of heat such as heaters including water heaters, ovens, microwaves,
washing machines, etc). Also overloading a socket outlet or the use of an adaptor
can cause fire.

The whole electric system in a house needs to be inspected and tested to avoid any
danger from faulty components (sockets, light switches, lights) or house
equipments

Task 3.2 c) Suggest other BUILT IN services that a modern house would normally
have

There are several built in services that modern house would have these days such
as:
• Solar panel system- that generates electricity needed for house’s use
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

• Hot and cold water system

• Antitheft alarm system
• Phone and internet system
• Fire alarm system
• Smoke alarm system

Task 3.3 a)
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Task 3.3 b)
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Task 3.3 c)
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Task 4.1 and 4.2a) Measurement of the density and moisture content of brick
together with an estimate of the volume of the voids (air pockets) in brick
There is a vast choice of bricks these days for building purposes. We took as an
experiment in the laboratory by measuring the density of an engineering brick.
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

The density of an object is defined as the mass of that object divided by its volume
as it shows on the formula below:

Mass of Brick

Density = -----------------

Volume of Brick

We’ve measured the sizes of the brick as (length =210mm, height=60mm,

width=100mm and radius of void cylinder in the middle as r=23mm) giving us an
approximate volume of 0.000961m^3.

We’ve also measure the weight (mass) of the brick as w=2.219 kg

Applying to the formula it gave a density (D) of 2309.05 kg/m^3

We’ve also experienced the calculation of the moisture content from sand. To
find the percentage of the moisture content from a material we use the formula
such as:

Weight of water initial weight- oven dry weight

MC = ----------------- *100% which is MC=-------------------------------------*100%
Weight of dry material oven dry weight
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

We’ve used a beaker (weight of 57 grams) and we’ve topped up with wet sand
giving us a weight of 106.46grams. After 3 minutes on the microwave we weight
it again, reading a weight of 105.77 grams. Subtracting them will give us the
value of 0.69 grams as the weight of the water from sand.

Applying the formula from above of the moisture content;

MC=0.69*100/105.77-57=> MC=1.33%

This very important in construction as for example in the concrete mixes if the sand
from the concrete mix is got high moisture content missing to add these measures
will result in a wicker concrete mix.

Task 4.1 and 4.2 b) measurement of humidity of the air using a wet and dry bulb
hygrometer, dew point and the mass of water vapour per m^3 of air.

The figure above is a dry and wet bulb hygrometer that measures the
temperatures in a room that determines the humidity of air. The readings of the
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

temperatures and the differences between them produce by a hygrometer will

enable us to calculate the humidity of air.

The dew point (condensation point) is the value of the temperature (the
temperature at the point when air became saturated) where the vapours from
the air starts to condense. At the temperatures that are higher than this point,
the moisture remains on the air. If the dew point is close to the dry bulb
temperature readings then we have a high relative humidity and if it’s well under
the value of the dry bulb temperature readings then we have a low relative
humidity.

Task 4.1 and 4.2 c) the bending properties of various different materials and the
relationship between bending of beam and its thickness

Before using a beam for structural purposes in a building an engineer needs to find
the type of material to use, its bending properties and its sizes.
Bending (known as flexure) ,mechanically way, shows us the behaviour of
structural beam subjected to a applied force perpendicularly to the longitudinal
axis of the beam.

Using the dispositive shown in the picture below we’ve experimented in laboratory
the properties of beams of different materials but the same sizes.

What we’ve found out is that applying the same force to each beam of the
different materials (wood, brass, steel, aluminium) even they were the sizes it gave
us a different deflection value.
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

This table of deflection values below applying different loads that we have
experimented in the laboratory:

weight wood brass steel aluminium

0 0 0 0 0
100 0.53 0.32 0.18 0.36
200 0.93 0.59 0.27 0.72
300 1.39 0.88 0.43 1.11
400 1.8 1.19 0.57 1.47
500 2 1.37 0.66 1.7

Deflection of a beam is the movement of a point on the neutral surface of a beam

from its original position subjected to the applied loads.
Throughout this experiment we’ve concluded that deflection values determine the
stiffness of the material that the beam is made of. The smaller deflection makes
the beam stiffer.
There is a formula to calculate the deflection of a bending beam supported at each
end such as;

D=F*L^3/48*E*I  deflection

Where:
F= force applied to the beam F=M*A (linear force) M=mass, A= gravitational
acceleration
L= length of the beam between the support at each end
E= Young’s modulus

I= second moment of area

 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

Where h= height and b=breadth

We have experienced (as shown in the picture above) that the bigger value of
h(height) we get a bigger I (second moment of area) which results in a smaller
deflection making the beam much stronger. So positioning the beam with the bigger
side vertical (picture-fig1.) will give us better result structurally.

Task 4.1 and 4.2 d) the use of a multi-meter to measure current and voltage
and how this can be applied in ensuring electrical safety of an installation and
to construct a very simple electrical moisture meter.
 Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment

This a multi-meter (as shown in picture above) is an electrician’s tool ( kind of multi-
tool) that can be used to measure current, voltage and resistance.

Current (also known as the intensity) is defined as how much electricity is

flowing through a circuit and is measured in amperes (A), voltage is how hard
the electricity is pushed through a circuit and it’s measured in volts (V) and
resistance is how difficult it is for electricity to flow through a resistance and it is
measured in ohms (Ω).

These three are related to each other by the law of Ohm that states:

Voltage= current*resistance (V=I*R)

The multi-meter is a very handy in finding basic electric faults and also is used to
troubleshoot electrical problems in a wide range of household devices.

Task 4.1 and 4.2 e) one further experiment either concerning the vapour
permeability of materials (vapour barriers in buildings), compressive strength of
concrete or functioning of a damp proof membrane

A damp proof membrane is foil that is 100% watertight and acts to protect the
underlying materials against damp.

A damp proof membrane is a durable waterproof sheet installed beneath the floor,
in walls or a ceiling ( some insulation materials require a dump proof membrane to
prevent dump going through the insulation) to keep moisture out. This membrane
is always installed in conjunction with a damp proof course and to prevent the
rising of dump that could damage, the structure of the house, the walls (paints),
and windows and even contributes to our bad health.
Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment
Science & Materials for Construction and the Build Environment