Mindanao State University – Main Campus
Civil Engineering Department
CVE171 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND TESTING
Lecture 1
Introduction
Engr. Nhour R. Dibangkitun
Instructor
DEFINITION
Construction Material and Testing
deals with the properties of common construction materials;
examination of material properties with respect to design and
use of end product, design and control of aggregates, concrete
and asphalt mixtures, principle of testing; characteristics of test;
and materials testing and equipment.
Building Materials
?
Why do we need to study
the materials used in
construction?
Introduction
Building materials have an important role to play in this
modern age of technology. Although their most
important use is in construction activities, no field of
engineering is conceivable without their use.
Who is responsible for selecting the
materials?
Materials Engineer
Materials engineers are responsible for the selection,
specification, and quality control of materials to be
used in a job.
These materials must meet certain classes
of criteria or materials properties
(Ashby and Jones 2005).
Classes of Criteria
✓ Economic Factors (availability and cost of raw
materials, and manufacturing costs)
✓ Mechanical Properties
✓ Physical (Nonmechanical) Properties
✓ Production/Construction Considerations
✓ Aesthetic Properties
✓ Environmental Quality
Criteria: Sustainability
In 1997 the ASCE Code of Ethics was modified to
include “sustainable development” as an ethics
issue. Sustainable development basically recognizes
the fact that our designs should be sensitive to the
ability of future generations to meet their needs.
There is a strong tie between the materials selected for
design and sustainable development.
When engineers select the material for a specific
application, they must consider the various criteria and
make compromises.
Civil and construction engineers must be familiar with
materials used in the construction of a wide range of
structures. Materials most frequently used include steel,
aggregate, concrete, masonry, asphalt, and wood
including soil as the most widely used engineering
material, since it provides the basic support for all civil
engineering structures.
Material Advancement
Recent advances in the technology of civil engineering
materials have resulted in the development of better
quality, more economical, and safer materials.
These materials are commonly referred to as high
performance materials.
Material Advancement
▪ Polymers,
▪ Adhesives,
▪ Composites,
▪ Geotextiles,
▪ Coatings,
▪ Cold-formed Metals,
▪ Various Synthetic Products,
▪ Super Plasticizers (strengthens concrete),
▪ Lightweight Synthetic Aggregates, and
▪ Fiber Composite Materials
Material Advancement
The nature and behavior of civil engineering materials are as
complicated as those of materials used in any other field of
engineering.
Due to the high quantity of materials used in civil engineering
projects, the civil engineer frequently works with locally available
materials that are not as highly refined as the materials used in
other engineering fields.
As a result, civil engineering materials frequently have highly
variable properties and characteristics.
PHYSICAL
PROPERTIES
Physical properties refer to properties that can be observed or
measured without changing the composition of the material.
Physical Properties
Porosity (n) is the degree to which volume of
the material of the material is interspersed
with pores. It is expressed as a ratio of the
volume of pores to that of the specimen.
Void Ratio (e) is defined as the ratio of
volume of voids (Vv) to the volume of solids
(Vs).
Physical Properties
Water Absorption denotes the ability
of the material to absorb and retain
water. It is expressed as percentage
in weight or of the volume of dry
material.
Weathering Resistance is the ability of a material to
endure alternate wet and dry conditions for a long
period without considerable deformation and loss of
mechanical strength.
Physical Properties
Water Permeability is the capacity of a material to
allow water to penetrate under pressure. Materials
like glass, steel and bitumen are impervious.
Frost Resistance denotes the ability of a water-
saturated material to endure repeated freezing and
thawing with considerable decrease of mechanical
strength.
Physical Properties
Heat Conductivity is the ability of a material to
conduct heat.
Fire Resistance is the ability of a material to resist
the action of high temperature without any
appreciable deformation and substantial loss of
strength.
Physical Properties
Chemical Resistance is the ability of a material to
withstand the action of acids, alkalis, sea water and
gases.
Durability is the ability of a material to resist the
combined effects of atmospheric and other factors.
MECHANICAL
PROPERTIES
The mechanical properties are defined as the characteristics or
properties of any material that comprise a response to the
applied load.
Mechanical Properties
Strength is the ability of the material to resist failure
under the action of stresses caused by loads, the most
common being compression, tension, bending and
impact.
Compressive strength can be defined as the capacity
of material (concrete) to withstand loads before
failure.
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength can be defined as the maximum
stress that a material (steel) can bear before
breaking when it is allowed to be stretched or pulled.
Flexural strength or bending strength is the
mechanical parameter of material, which is defined as
the material's ability to resist deformation under load.
Mechanical Properties
Impact Strength is the measure of energy absorbed
by a material when it is broken by a sudden blow.
Abrasion resistance can be defined as the ability of
a surface to resist being worn away by rubbing or
friction (Scott and Safiuddin, 2015).
Mechanical Properties
Hardness is the ability of a material to resist
penetration by a harder body.
Elasticity is the ability of a material to restore its
initial form and dimensions after the load is
removed.
Plasticity is the ability of a material to change its
shape under load without cracking and to
retain this shape after the load is removed.
MATERIAL BEHAVIOR UNDER STRESS
The common characteristics of building materials
under stress are
➢ ductility,
➢ brittleness,
➢ stiffness,
➢ flexibility,
➢ toughness,
➢ malleability and
➢ hardness.
Stress-Strain Diagram
Why is materials
testing performed?
Why is materials testing performed?
Materials Testing is performed for a variety of
reasons and can provide a wealth of information
about the tested materials, prototypes or product
samples. The data collected during testing and the
final test results can be very useful to engineers,
designers, production managers and others.
Why is materials testing performed?
Here are some of the reasons material testing is
important:
▪ Meeting requirements of regulatory agencies
▪ Selecting appropriate materials and treatments for
an application
▪ Evaluating product design or improvement
specifications
▪ Verifying a construction/production process
1. Regulatory Compliance
Many materials/products are used in critical
applications where a failure could result in extensive
damage or injury.
Governments and regulatory bodies set compliance
requirements that must be met by manufacturers.
Companies must adhere to these standards, which
generally specify test procedures, to prove compliance.
1. Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory Bodies:
ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials
AASHTO - American Association of State Highway
and Transportation Officials
ACI - American Concrete Institute
DPWH - Department of Public Works and Highways
2. Material and Treatment Selection
Materials testing helps us to understand and quantify
whether a specific material or treatment is suitable
for a particular application.
With the wide variety of materials and treatments
available in the marketplace, testing can help narrow
down the choices to the most appropriate selection
for the intended use.
3. Project Design and Improvement
It’s typical for a firm/company to purchase mechanical
testing services when specifying material for a new
project. Testing may be performed to evaluate
mechanical properties such as strength, hardness,
elasticity and fracture toughness.
4. Construction/Production Processes
Testing is an essential part of both project and
construction processes, not only when safety is a
concern, but also for any company committed to
creating projects and minimizing damage and costs if
problems do surface.
Testing is often performed early on during the
construction to evaluate a planned construction
process.
Types of
Test Methods
There are a number of test methods which can be
applied in materials testing:
1. Non-Destructive Materials Testing
The quality of a material is tested without damaging it
when using non-destructive materials testing.
Using this approach, it can be ensured that the
material quality is high enough for further processing
and that it can stand up to loads reliably, for the
long-term.
1. Non-Destructive Materials Testing
Non-destructive test techniques include:
▪ Static and dynamic friction test
▪ Component testing
▪ Hardness test
▪ Function test
▪ Rebound test
2. Destructive Materials Testing
In destructive materials testing, the specimens are
taken from a material and tested for chemical or
mechanical loads.
The specimen is altered (on the surface) or
destroyed. The tested component, or material
specimen, can no longer be used after the test.
2. Destructive Materials Testing
Destructive test techniques include:
▪ Impact test ▪ Creep test
▪ Sheet metal forming ▪ Flexure test
▪ Drop weight test ▪ Fatigue test
▪ High-speed tensile test ▪ Puncture test
▪ Tensile test ▪ Torsion test
▪ Biaxial test ▪ Shear test
▪ Compression test/crush test
Other Testing Methods
▪ Dynamic Testing
▪ (Quasi-) Static Testing
▪ Cyclic Materials Testing
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End of Lecture 1
Thank You!
