22ESC-241 Notes M-1
22ESC-241 Notes M-1
Module-1 Notes
Civil Engineering Disciplines and Building Science
(Dr.M.B.ANANTHAYYA, Prof. & HOD, Dept.of.Civil Eng. SVIT, Bangalore)
• It involves the choice of technology, the estimation of the required resources and
durations for individual tasks etc,.
• A good construction plan is the basis for developing the budget and the schedule for
work
• In is the master plan that ensures a construction project runs smoothly
and meets all its deadlines, budget constraints, and quality standards.
• It involves the material storage, labours and equipment's required for the
manner such that the project is completed within specified time and
allotted budget.
Basic Materials of Construction
1. Brick:
Brick is a small rectangular block typically made of fired or sun-dried clay, used in
construction.
• The bricks should be table-moulded, well burnt in kilns, copper-coloured, free from
cracks and with sharp and square edges.
• The bricks should be uniform in shape and should be of standard size.
• The bricks should give a clear metallic ringing sound when struck with each other.
• The brick should not absorbs water more than 20% by weight, for first class bricks
and 22% by weight for second class bricks, when soaked in water for a period of 24
hours.
• No impression should be left on brick surface, when it is scratched with finger nail.
• The bricks should not break into pieces when dropped flat on hard ground from a
height of about one meter.
• The bricks should have low thermal conductivity and they should be sound proof.
• The bricks, when soaked in water for 24 hours, should not show deposits of white salt
when allowed to dry in shade.
Types of Bricks
1. Sun-dried bricks
Unburnt bricks or sundried bricks are the most basic example for bricks. They are not so
strong, have reduced fire and water resistance, and hence they are used in temporary
structures
Burnt bricks are good quality bricks and burnt bricks are classified into four types and they
are
• First class bricks: They are table-molded and burnt in large kilns. So, these bricks
contain standard shape, sharp edges and smooth surfaces.
• Second class bricks: Second class bricks are moderate quality bricks and they are
molded by ground-molding process. These bricks are also burnt in kilns. But because
of ground molding, they do not have smooth surfaces as well as sharp edges
• Third class bricks: Third class bricks are poor quality bricks which are generally used
for temporary structures like unburnt bricks.
• Fourth class bricks: Fourth class bricks are very poor quality bricks and these are not
used as bricks in the structure. They are crushed and used as aggregates in the
manufacturing of concrete.
3. Fly Ash Bricks
Fly ash bricks are manufactured using fly ash and water. These bricks have better
properties than clay bricks and great resistant to freeze thaw cycles
4. Concrete Bricks
Concrete bricks are manufacturing using concrete with ingredients as cement, sand, coarse
aggregates and water. These bricks can be manufactured in sizes as required.
Tests on Bricks:
Absorption test is conducted on brick to find out the amount of moisture content absorbed
by brick under extreme conditions. For a good quality brick the amount of water absorption
should not exceed 20% of weight of dry brick.
A good brick should resist scratches against sharp things. So, for this test a sharp tool or finger
nail is used to make scratch on brick. If there is no scratch impression on brick then it is said
to be hard brick.
Shape and size of bricks are very important consideration. All bricks used for construction
should be of same size
A good brick should possess bright and uniform color throughout its body
In this test, 2 bricks are chosen randomly and struck with one another. Then sound produced
should be clear bell ringing sound and brick should not break. Then it is said to be good brick.
2) Cement:
Cement is a powder of alumina, silica, lime, iron oxide, and magnesium oxide burned together
in a kiln and finely powdered and used as binding material in mortar and concrete.
Uses of Cement
• Ordinary Portland cement: This cement is used in general concrete construction where
there is no exposure to sulphates in the soil or in groundwater
• Portland pozzolana cement: PPC is used for the structures having direct contact with
water such as marine structure, dams, bridge piers, sanitation system like Sewers and thick
foundation where mass concrete is used.
• Rapid hardening Portland cement: It is generally used in road work and bridge
construction where the time factor is very important.
• Portland slag cement: It can be used in mass concrete structures such as retaining walls,
foundation, and dams.
• Sulphate resisting Portland cement: Since ordinary Portland cement is susceptible to
attack of sulphate hence sulphate resisting Cement is developed to use where the soil is
infected with sulphates
• Quick setting Cement: Quick setting cement sets very fast. This cement is used for
foundation where pumping of water is needed
1) Fineness of Cement
The size of the particles of the cement is its fineness. The required fineness of good cement is
achieved through grinding the clinker in the last step of cement production process. Fineness of
cement should not be more than 10%
2) Soundness of Cement
Soundness refers to the ability of cement to not shrink upon hardening. Soundness should not be
more than 10mm
3) Consistency of Cement
The ability of cement paste to flow is consistency. It is measured by Vicat Test. Generally the
consistency of cement is 29%.
4) Strength of Cement
• Compressive Strength: It is the most common strength test on cement. The test specimen
of 50mmx50mmx50mm are casted and after curing the specimens are tested under
compressive loads until failure
• Tensile strength: Split tensile test is conducted for determining the tensile strength of
cement.
• Flexural strength: This is actually a measure of tensile strength in bending. The test is
performed on a 40 x40 x 160 mm cement mortar beam, which is loaded at its centre point
until failure.
• Initial setting time: When the paste begins to stiffen which is typically occurs within 30-
45 minutes
• Final setting time: When the cement hardens, being able to sustain some load which
occurs in between6 to 10 hours
Specific gravity is generally used in mixture proportioning calculations. Portland cement has a
3 Mortars
Mortar is a bonding agent which is generally produced by mixing cementing or binding material
Types of Mortar
1) Cement Mortar
Cement mortar is a type of mortar where cement is used as binding material and sand is used as
fine aggregate. Depending upon the desired strength, the cement to the sand proportion of cement
mortar varies from 1:2 to 1:6. like Lime or Cement and fine aggregate sand or surkhi with water.
2) Lime Mortar
Lime mortar is a type of mortar where lime (fat lime or hydraulic lime) is used as binding material
and sand is used as fine aggregate.
3. Surkhi mortar
Surkhi mortar is a type of mortar where lime is used as binding material and surki is used as fine
aggregate.
4. Mud Mortar
Mud mortar is a type of mortar where mud is used as binding material and sawdust, or cow-dung
is used as fine aggregate. Mud mortar is useful where lime or cement is not available.
• The main quality that mortar should possess is adhesion. Good mortar should provide good
adhesion to building units (bricks, Stones etc).
• Mortar should be water resistant. It should have the capability of resisting the penetration
of water.
• Deformability of mortar should be low.
• Mortar should be easily workable in the site condition.
• It should possess high durability
• Cracks should not be developed in the joint formed by mortar.
• Mortar is used to bind together the bricks or stones in brick or stone masonry.
• It is used to give a soft even bed between different layers of brick or stone masonry for
equal distribution of pressure over the bed.
• It is used to fill up the spaces between bricks or stones for making walls tight
• It is used to fill up the spaces between bricks or stones for making walls tight
• It is used in pl astering works to hide the joints and to improve appearance
Plain cement concrete is the mixture of cement, fine aggregate (sand) and coarse aggregate
without steel.
1. Coarse Aggregate
Coarse aggregate used in the PCC must be of hard broken stone of granite or similar stone,
free from dust, dirt and other foreign matter. The stone ballast shall be 20 mm in size and
smaller.
2. Fine Aggregate
Fine aggregate shall be of coarse sand consisting of hard, sharp and angular grains and free
from dust, dirt and organic matter.
3. Cement
Portland Pozzolana cement (P.P.C) is normally used for plain cement concrete.
4 Water
Generally, potable water shall be used having a pH value not less than 6.
Disadvantages of RCC:
• RCC sections are heavier comparatively to the sections made with other
construction materials like Steel, wood, etc.
• It requires lots of formwork, centring and shuttering to be fixed
• RCC takes time to gain its full strength, because cement gains strength very slowly.
• RCC needs too much maintenance during its construction, like proper curing,
checking of cracks, prevention from direct sunlight, etc.
• RCC sections consume more space than other sections made with construction
materials like Steel.
Uses of RCC
• Reinforced concrete is used for the construction of roof slabs, columns, beams and
footings in residential and commercial structures.
• Reinforced concrete is used for construction of bridges of small, medium and long
spans resulting in aesthetically superior and economical structures in comparison
with steel bridges
• Reinforced concrete is used in the construction of roads that is designed to carry
heavy traffics loads.
• Pipes and conduits have been constructed from reinforced concrete
• Electric poles are made from reinforced cement concrete.
• For construction of bunkers the reinforced concrete is used.
8. Structural steel:
Steel is a kind of metal alloy that's made of iron and carbon. Due to its high strength it is
often used to build the framework of high rise buildings.
Structural steel is resistant to external forces such as wind and earthquakes. Hence the high
rise buildings are constructed using steel members.
Another benefit of structural steel is that it is cost effective and hence it is used in the
construction of industrial sheds
3) To Build Bridges
Steel has a high strength to weight ratio, which means, steel is a tensile metal and is used in
construction of bridges
Structural steel is useful to build parking garages. Due to light weight of structural members
it easier to construct structures.
They should be able to withstand external forces such as wind, earthquakes, and storms
hence used in residential buildings
Classification of steel
1) Low-carbon steel – This class of steel contains up to 0.30% C. Low carbon steel is used
for automobile body panels, tin plates and wire products.
2) Medium-carbon steel – This class is similar to low carbon, except it ranges from 0.30%
– 0.60% C. Medium carbon steel is mainly used for shafts, axles, gears, crankshafts,
couplings and forgings.
3) High-carbon steel– This of steel ranges from 0.60% – 1.00% C. High carbon steel is
used for spring materials and high-strength wires.
4) High-strength low-alloy steel – This steel alloy is designed to provide better mechanical
properties and greater resistance to atmospheric corrosion.
5) Low-alloy steels – This alloy’s primary function is to increase its strength and toughness
after heat treatment.
8. Construction Chemicals:
1. Concrete Admixtures
Admixture is a material which is one of the ingredients of concrete apart from cement,
water and aggregates. It is added to the batch immediately before or during mixing. In some
conditions, ordinary concrete fails to give the required quality performance or durability.
In such situations, admixtures are used to modify the properties of ordinary concrete so as
to match the requirement, thereby making it more suitable for the situation.
Some of the admixtures are given below:
i) Plasticizers (Water Reducers)
The organic substances or the combinations of organic and inorganic substances, which
offer a higher workability at the same water content, are known as plasticizing admixtures.
ii) Super Plasticizers
Use of super plasticizers allows the reduction of water to the extent up to 30 % without
reducing workability
iii) Retarders and Retarding Plasticizers
Retarders are admixtures that slow down the chemical process of hydration so that concrete
remains in the plastic state and it remains workable for a longer time than concrete without
the retarder.
Wooden planks, ordinary plywood, shuttering plywood, steel plates etc. are used as
shuttering materials. Concrete when set and hardened, adhere to the surface of the
formwork and it becomes difficult to de-mould. To reduce the bond between formwork
and concrete, special mould releasing agents are used.
1) Foundation:
Foundation is the lowest part of the building or the civil structure that is in direct contact
with the soil which transfers loads from the structure to the soil safely
Functions of foundation:
• Foundation are the main reason behind the stability of any structure. The stronger is the
foundation, more stable is the structure.
• The proper design and construction of foundations provide a proper surface for the
development of the substructure in a proper level and over a firm bed.
• Specially designed foundation helps in avoiding the lateral movements of the supporting
material.
• A proper foundation distributes load on to the surface of the bed uniformly. This uniform
transfer helps in avoiding unequal settlement of the building.
• The foundation serves the purpose of completely distributing the load from the structure
over a large base area and then to the soil underneath. This load transferred to the soil
should be within the allowable bearing capacity of the soil.
2) Plinth:
Part of the structure between the ground and the raised floor of the house ie, it separates
structure in to substructure and superstructure.
Functions of Plinth:
• It evenly distributes and disperses the load of the columns to the foundation evenly
• The plinth doesn’t allow the dampness and moisture of the ground floor to reach the
building’s top structure
• In framed structure houses and buildings plinth beams are used as a barrier for protection
from water seepage.
3) Lintel:
Types of lintel:
1.Timber Lintels
2. Stone Lintel
3. Brick Lintels
4. Reinforced Brick Lintel
5. Steel Lintel
6. Reinforced Concrete Lintel
Functions of Lintel:
• Lintel supports the walls above the openings like doors, windows, etc.
• Lintel withstands the imposed loads coming from above bricks or block including the
roofing members.
• The lintel is used to transfer all imposed loads to the side walls.
• Sometimes lintels are used as a decorative architectural element.
4. Chejja:
Chejja or Sun-Shade means a sloping or horizontal structural overhang, usually provided for
protection from sun and rain or for architectural considerations at lintel level.
Functions of Chejja
5. Masonry wall
Masonry is a term used to indicate the part of the construction that uses brick, concrete blocks,
structural clay tile, and stone. These materials are held together with mortar.
A reinforced masonry wall is made with any type of brick, stone or concrete, reinforced by steel
bars. This type of wall could be non-load-bearing or load-bearing.
Hollow masonry walls are made with hollow cement blocks. This type of masonry wall is used
to stop dampness from getting inside the building. It creates a hollow area between the outside
and inside of masonry walls
Composite Masonry walls are made with the combination of two or more building materials;
stones and bricks or hollow bricks and bricks.
Functions of walls:
• The use of materials such as bricks and stones can increase the thermal resistance of a
building.
• Masonry is a non-combustible product and can protect the building from fire.
• Masonry walls protect the structures from winds.
• Masonry walls protect the structures from direct sunlight.
6. Column
A column can be defined as a vertical structural member which transmits the loads from beam of
the building to foundation.
Types of Columns:
Square column is generally used in the building construction and for heavy structures.
2. Circular Column:
Circular column is mostly used for aesthetic view in the elevation of buildings.
7. Beam:
A beam is a horizontal structural member in a building to resist the lateral loads applied to the
beam’s axis.
Types of beams:
A simply supported beam is supported at both ends. These beams are primarily used in general
construction.
A beam that has more than two supports this kind of beam is called a continuous beam
A beam that is fixed at both ends is called a fixed beam. Fixed beams are not allowed the
vertical movement or rotation of the beam.
A fixed beam is one where one end is fixed and other end is free.
8. Slab
Types of slabs
Functions/uses of slab
9.Staircase:
A staircase is a set of steps leading from one floor of building to another floor. The staircase
provide access from one floor to another floor
Types of Staircase
• Straight Stair: In these types of stairs, all the steps are arranged continuously along in one
direction.
• Dogged-legged Stair: Dog Legged Staircase Dog legged staircase is the most economical
staircase in which stairs are arranged with two adjacent flights running parallel with the
mid-landing that is usually provided where there is less space or causing in economical use
of available space.
• Spiral Stair: A spiral staircase is a round stair system in which the individual steps connect
to a center column, hence forming a complete circle
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