CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ➡Sod Style – uses low clay soil

➡Rammed Earth – Old (compacting clay

AND TESTING soils between planks) and Newer (forms and
mechanical pneumatic compressors) take on
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION creating walls
1. On the basis of carrying prescribed 3. Plastic
load ➡Synthetic or semi-synthetic organic
➡Sufficient strength to carry load condensation or polymerization products
2. Serviceability ➡Advantages
➡Conditions which building is still a. Moldable
considered for the use b. Hard, resilient, heat tolerant
3. Aesthetically Pleasing c. Immune to water damage
➡Materials to be used should have a d. Cost effective
pleasing appearance ➡Uniformity of Composition and
4. Economy Lightness ensures use in almost all
➡Should be economical for the transport industrial applications
cost 4. Ceramics
5. Environmental friendly ➡Used as fixtures or coverings in
➡Should be eco-friendly buildings (Floors, Walls, Counter-tops,
➡Gives better environmental performance Ceiling)
5. Glass
BROAD CLASSIFICATION ➡Exceedingly important material in Urban
1. Natural Materials Scape (Façade Alternative)
➡Made from mixtures of Sand and Silicates
➡Obtained from Natural Sources
(Very Brittle)
➡E.g. Stone, Timber, Bitumen
➡Curtain Wall – cover entire facade of a
2. Artificial Materials building
➡Produced in the industries by chemical ➡Advantages
or mechanical processes a. Beautification
➡E.g. Bricks, Tiles, Cement
b. More sunshine
3. Special Materials c. Privacy
➡Produced for special purposes d. UV Resistant
(waterproofing, sound proofing, damp ➡Disadvantages
proofing, thermal insulating) a. Costly
➡E.g. Fibers, Adhesives, Epoxy b. High maintenance
4. Finishing Materials c. Security concerns
➡Produced for finishing purposes of 6. Metal
building constructions ➡Used in structural framework for larger
➡E.g. Lime mortar, Cement mortar, buildings
Special mortar ➡External surface covering
5. Recycled Construction Materials ➡Advantages
➡Recycled materials from waste a. Flexibility and Resilience
construction or destruction b. Weatherproof
➡E.g. Rich husk, Baggage, Straw c. Fire resistant
➡Disadvantages
COMMON CONSTRUCTION a. Prone to rust
MATERIAL b. Difficult to seal
1. Wood c. Expensive
➡Generic building material ➡Steel ➡ metal alloy
➡Very flexible (loads), keeping strength  Iron – Major component
(bending), and strong (compressed  Usual choice for metal structural
vertically) construction
➡Advantages  It is strong, flexible, and lasts a long
a. High tensile strength time
b. Heat & electrical resistance  Corrosion – prime enemy when it
c. Sound absorption comes to longevity
d. Aesthetic ➡Aluminium Alloys & Tin ➡ lower
2. Mud and Clay density and better corrosion resistance
➡Good thermal mass 7. Cement
➡The amount of each material used leads ➡Binder in construction
to different styles of buildings ➡Strong resilience to the construction and
➡Cob/Adobe Style – uses larger clay soil overall integrity of the building
 ➡Advantages 14. Coefficient of softening
a. Massive and better at Accumulating 15. Refractoriness
Heat II. Mechanical Properties ➡Behavior of a
b. Strong material when applied by external forces
c. Easily manufactured 1. Strength
➡Disadvantages 2. Hardness
a. High carbon footprint 3. Elasticity
b. Too hard or consequently very 4. Plasticity
brittle 5. Brittleness
c. Weather quickly 6. Fatigue
8. Bricks and Blocks 7. Impact strength
➡Made of kiln-fired material (clay or 8. Abrasion resistance
shale) but also may be of lower quality mud 9. Creep
➡Offers high strength to the construction III. Chemical Properties ➡Properties
➡Advantages against chemical actions or chemical
a. High thermal stability combinations
b. Made from local materials 1. Chemical resistance
c. Cheap to manufacture and durable 2. Corrosion resistance
to use IV. Electrical Properties ➡Conduct or
d. Offers a range of insulation, Resist electricity through materials
moisture absorption and resonance V. Magnetic Properties ➡Required in
properties generator cases
➡Clay Brick (1700s to 1900s) – widely ➡Iron: magnetic; Aluminum: non-
used as a construction material (flame magnetic
retardant and cheap) 1. Permeability
➡Cinder Block (late 20th century) – made
2. Hysteresis
mostly with concrete
VI. Thermal Properties
➡Sandcrete Block – low-cost material in
1. Thermal capacity
developing countries (weaker but cheaper)
2. Thermal conductivity
9. Concrete 3. Thermal resistivity
➡Combination of aggregate (composite)
4. Specific heat
and binder (cement)
➡Portland Cement Concrete – most
common MATERIAL TESTING
➡Testing can be
➡Rebars (steel rods or bars) – increases
tensile strength of concrete 1. Physical
➡Reinforced Concrete –strengthened
2. Chemical
concrete 3. Verifying quantity
➡Vibrator – minimizes air bubbles in
4. Checking for damage
➡Testing may be necessary
poured mixtures that would weaken the
structure 1. Part of Quality Control System
➡Predominant material due to its 2. Verify that materials comply with the
longevity, formability, and ease of required specification
transport 3. Achieve Certification
4. Demonstrate compliance with legislative
requirements
PROPERTIES
A. Testing Timber
I. Physical Properties ➡Quality
and
➡Testing Moisture Content (percentage)
Condition of the material without any
➡Formula:
external force
1. Bulk density
2. Porosity
3. Durability ➡Methods of Measuring
4. Density a. Oven Dry Testing ➡ Drying
5. Density index timber in a ventilated oven
6. Specific gravity ➡Accurate Method but is a Slow
7. Fire resistance Process
8. Frost resistance b. Using a Moisture Meter
9. Weathering resistance 1) Pin-type meters
10. Spalling resistance ➡Use two or more electrodes
11. Water absorption ➡Electrical Resistance is
12. Water permeability measured (More=Drier)
13. Hygroscopicity
 2) Pinless moisture meters ➡Uses Ultrasonic Pulse to
➡Uses electromagnetic wave measure vibrations
➡Reads average moisture ➡Reading correlates to
content compressive strength.
B. Testing Bricks
a. Compressive Strength Test
➡Pressure is applied until it fails
➡‘Ultimate Pressure’ level –
Compressive strength
b. Water Absorption Test
➡Weigh (dry) ➡Immersed in
fresh water (24 hrs.) ➡Weigh
(wet)
➡Less water absorbed = greater
the Quality
c. Efflorescence Test
➡Efflorescence – crystalline,
salty deposit (white powder) to test
for alkalis
d. Hardness Test
➡No surface scratched =
good quality.
e. Size, Shape and Color Test
➡Twenty bricks chosen at
random are stacked lengthwise,
width-wise and height-wise, and
inspected for uniformity
f. Soundness Test
➡Two bricks are held in each
hand and struck together (No
breakage and had clear metallic
ringing sound = good quality)
g. Structure Test
➡Should be no flows, cracks or
holes on the broken face.
C. Testing Concrete
a. Slump Test
➡Used to ensure that
subsequent concrete mixes are of
the same consistency References:
➡Slump specification ➡50-75 o https://theconstructor.org/building/types-
mm of-building-materials-construction/699/
b. Rebound Hammer Test o http://gosmartbricks.com/construction-
➡Schmidt Hammer (Swiss or and-building-materials/
Rebound) ➡measure the elastic o https://theconstructor.org/building/prope
properties or strength of concrete
➡Rebound Numbers ➡ impact rties-of-building-materials
and propagation of stress waves construction/14891/?
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compressive strength) p9L-
c. Penetration / Windsor Probe ykD1eCYKCUOZKeIXR1ahzOaeZOz_
Test yBo
➡Penetration of a steel alloy rod, o https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/w
fired by a predetermined amount iki/Testing_construction_materials?
of energy, into a concrete sample fbclid=IwAR0KGcLyHlGS61-
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d. Vibration test