BRE 361 Construction Technology and Materials II

Stone and Clay Products

JoonOh Seo, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Building and Real Estate
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Outline

Stone

Clay Product

Summary

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Introduction to Stones

Earth Crust Rock Stone

Stone
A natural, hard substance formed from minerals and earth
materials which are present in rocks
In construction, small piece of rock; may or may not refer to
ornamental material.
Rock
The portion of the earths crust having no definite shape and
structure
An indefinite mixture of naturally occurring substances, mainly
minerals

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Introduction to Stones

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History of Stone Construction
New Stone Age, 8,000 BC 3,000 BC
Farming, permanent settlement
Rectangular huts, communal house, stone structures (e.g., dolmen)

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History of Stone Construction
Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman period
City of Babylon Pyramid

Temple of Athena Colosseum in Rome

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History of Stone Construction
Modern

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Classification of Stones

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Classification of Stones
Igneous rock
is formed by the crystallization of molten magma, as granite,
obsidian and malachite
Metamorphic rocks
has undergone a change in structure, texture, or composition due
to the natural agencies, as heat and pressure, as marble and slate
Sedimentary rock
formed by the deposition of sediment by glacial action, as
limestone, sandstone and shale

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Properties of Stone
To qualify as a construction material, stone should have
the following qualities:
Strength
Hardness
Durability
Workability
Density
Appearance

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Properties of Stone
Strength
Most types of stone have more
than adequate compressive
strength.
The shear strength of stone,
however, is usually about 1/10
of its compressive strength

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Properties of Stone
Hardness
Hardness is the resistance of a stone to indentation, rebound or
scratch.
Hardness is important when stone is used for flooring, paving,
and stair treads.

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Properties of Stone
Hardness Test
It is tested by a pen knife with the aid of Mohs scale of hardness.

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Properties of Stone
Durability
Resistance to the weathering
effects of rain, wind, heat, and
frost action is necessary for
exterior stonework

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Properties of Stone
Workability
A stones hardness and grain texture must allow it to be quarried,
cut and shaped

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Properties of Stone
Density
A stones porosity affects its ability to withstand frost action and
staining
24-hours Water Absorption of Stones by Volume

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Properties of Stone
Appearance
Appearance factors include color, grain, and texture

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Different Forms of Stone

Rubble
Rough fragments of broken stone
Dimension stone
Quarried and squared stone 2 or
more in length and width
Used commonly for wall panels,
cornices, copings, lintels and flooring
Flagstone
Refers to flat stone slabs used for
flooring and horizontal surfacing
Crushed stone (aggregate)

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Types of Building Stones
Granite
Igneous origin, hard, strong, durable
and capable of taking high pressure
polish.
Red, pink, yellow, green, blue, white
and brown
Used for flooring, wall paneling, column,
mullion facing, stair threads, flagstone
etc.

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Types of Building Stones
Limestone
Sedimentary rock like dolomite
No cleavage lines, low in absorption,
smooth, uniform in structure &
composition.
High compressive & tensile strength
Used for wall & floor surface

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Types of Building Stones

Travertine
Sedimentary rock, pleasing texture with small natural pockets on
a cut surface.
Used for interior decorative stone

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Types of Building Stones

Marble
Metamorphic rock, a recrystallized limestone forming into carrara,
parian, onyx and Vermont
Used for flooring, wall & column facing

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Types of Building Stones
Sandstone
Class of rock of cemented silica grains with texture ranging from
very fine to very coarse.
Colors vary from buff, red and light brown.
Porous where as 30% of volume composed of pores

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Types of Building Stones

Slate Rock
Netamorphosis of clays and shale's deposited in layers.
May be separated into thin, tough sheets called slates
Colors are black, green red, grey, or purple
Used for flooring, window sills, stools, stair treads & facing

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Why Stone Is Losing Popularity?

Dressing of stones is tedious, laborious and time

consuming.
Desired strength and quality not available at moderate
rates especially in plain areas.
RCC, Steel are alternatives to stones and gives more
strength and flexibility.
Stone structure design cant give freeness and flexibility
to the designer.

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Outline

Stone

Clay Product

Summary

26
Introduction to Clay Products
Clay products are one of the most important classes of
structural materials
The raw materials used in their manufacture are clay
blended with quartz, sand, chamatte (refractory clay
burned at 10001400C and crushed), slag, sawdust and
pulverized coal
Structural clay products or building ceramics* are
basically fabricated by moulding, drying and burning a
clay mass.
Cemamics: polycrystalline materials and products formed by
baking natural clays and mineral admixtures at a high
temperature

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Clay Products in Building Construction
Bricks Tiles

Bricks
Tiles
Pipes Pipes
Terracotta Terracotta

Porcelain
Earthenware
Stoneware

Porcelain

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History of Clay Products
Bricks
The oldest known building materials dating back to 7000BC
Cheap, durable and easy to handle and work with
Sun dried and fired bricks (more resistant to weather conditions)
4:2:1 ratio which enabled them to be laid more easily
Roof tile
Fired roof tiles are found as early as the 3rd millennium BC
Fired tiles began to replace thatched roofs at two temples of Apollo and
Poseidon between 700 and 650 BC in archaic Greece

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73REgj-3UE&t=228s
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Properties of Clays

Plasticity, tensile strength, texture, shrinkage, porosity,

fusibility and color after burning are the properties which
are the most important in determining the value of clay
Admixtures are added to clay to improve its properties, if
desired
Generally, durable, high strength and resistance to fire

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Bricks
One of the oldest building material brick continues to be a
most popular and leading construction material because
of being cheap, durable and easy to handle and work
with.
Clay bricks are used for building-up exterior and interior
walls, partitions, piers, footings and other load bearing
structures.

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Bricks
Manufacturing process

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Bricks
Rectangular in shape and of size that can be conveniently
handled with one hand
Made of burnt clay or mixture of sand and lime or of Portland cement
concrete. Clay bricks are commonly used since these are economical and
easily available.
Brick can be made in multiple shapes and sizes, depending on
its application
UK: 215 102.5 65 mm with a nominal 10 mm (38 inch) mortar
US: 194 92 57 mm with a nominal 10 mm (38 inch) mortar

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Bricks
Characteristics of Good Brick
Size and Shape: uniform size and plane, rectangular surfaces with
parallel sides and sharp straight edges
Color: uniform deep red or cherry color as indicative of uniformity in
chemical composition and thoroughness in the burning of the brick.
Texture and Compactness: Not too smooth to cause slipping of
mortar. Precompact and uniform texture. A fractured surface should
not show fissures, holes grits or lumps of lime.
Hardness and Soundness: so hard that when scratched by a finger
nail, no impression is made. When two bricks are struck together, a
metallic sound should be produced.
Water absorption: not exceed 20% of its dry weight
Crushing strength: not less than 10 N/mm2

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Bricks
Concrete bricks and blocks for masonry
Not clay products, made of concrete
Used for structural purpose (walls or foundations)
Masonry walls
Relatively expensive (than lumber), but faster than concrete walls
Durable, fireproof and resists moisture
When damaged, not easy to repair
Masonry tends to be heavy and must be built upon a strong foundation

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Tiles
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material
such as ceramic, stone, or even glass.
Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls,
showers, or other objects such as tabletops.

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Tiles
Manufacturing process

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Tiles
There are many types of
tiles used for residential
and commercial
applications.
Roof tiles
Floor tiles
Pebble tiles
Ceiling tiles
Wall tiles

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Tiles
Required properties of tiles
The greater the hardness of the tile is, the lower its susceptibility to
scratching, wear and tear during walking and abrasions etc.
Should have freeze-resistance when exposed to negative
temperature
High bending strength, particularly in case of the floor tiles where
stresses caused by the movements of building walls can occur
Stain resistance (easiness of removal of the visible stains from the
tile surface)

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Terracotta
It is an Italian word, Terra means clay and Cotta means burnt.
Terracotta is refractory clay product and is used in ornamental
parts of buildings.
A type of earthenware, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic, where
the fired body is porous.
The clay used for its manufacture should be of superior quality
Terracotta is impervious, hard and cheap
When properly made the material weathers well and because of its glazed
surface can be cleaned easily.
Porous or polished terracotta

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Terracotta
Porous terracotta: manufactured by mixing sawdust or
finely fragmented cork in the clay
Light weight, resistant to weathering action, fire resistant, can be
nailed and sawn to various shapes. sound proof, but poor
strengthused only for ornamental works.

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Terracotta
Polished terracotta: highly glazed architectural terracotta
with relatively coarse body, made from refractory clays with
addition of quartz sand and fusing agents such as chalk.
hard, strong and durable; can be given different colors; is leak proof
(water absorption < 12 per cent) and can be easily cleaned; is
resistant to chemical action; is resistant to weathering action of
atmosphere; is fire proof.

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Terracotta
Applications in construction
Hollow blocks of terracotta are used for masonry.
Cornices and arches.
Ornamental works.
Being fire proof, terracotta is most suitable as casing for steel
columns and beams.
Porous terracotta is used for sound insulation.

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Porcelain
A high grade ceramic ware having white color, zero water
absorption and glazed surface which can be soft or hard,
consists of finely dispersed clay, kaolin, quartz and felspar, baked
at high temperature and covered with a colored or transparent
glaze.

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Porcelain
Properties
Low (zero) water absorption
Considerable strength
Hardness
Toughness
Glazed
Translucency
Good refractory material.
Good electric insulator
High resistance to chemical attack
and thermal shock.

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Porcelain
Applications
Porcelain Panels Porcelain Panels

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Outline

Stone

Clay Product

Summary

47
Metals & Alloys
Ferrous metals vs non-ferrous metals
Classification
Applications in construction
Stainless steel
Why use stainless steel in construction
Corrosion resistance
Differences between ferritic, austenitic and martensitic stainless steels
Properties and applications in construction
Aluminium
Why use aluminium in construction
Properties and applications in construction

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Wood
Properties (good or bad) of wood
Types of wood
Undesirable characteristics of wood
Moisture content and its impact on properties
Wood preservation: preservatives and methods
Different types of engineered wood (e.g., plywood, LVL, particle
& strand board, laminated lumber etc.) and their applications in
construction
Expanding use of wood

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Wood
Properties (good or bad) of wood
Types of wood
Undesirable characteristics of wood
Moisture content and its impact on properties
Wood preservation: preservatives and methods
Different types of engineered wood (e.g., plywood, LVL, particle
& strand board, laminated lumber etc.) and their applications in
construction
Expanding use of wood

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Glass & Plastics

Glass
Properties (transparency, low U-value etc.)
Types of glasses in buildings (e.g., heat treated, laminated, low-e,
double glazed units)

Plastics
Advantages of plastics
Classification of plastics (thermoplastics, thermo-setting)
Possible applications of different types of plastics

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Stone & Clay Products

Stone
Properties
Types of building stones
Why Stone Is Losing Popularity?

Clay products
Types of clay products (e.g., clay brick, tiles)
Properties of clay products
Applications in buildings

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Final Exam
10 multiple choice questions
Question 1. The followings are properties of stone. Which one is false?
1) Stone has high compressive and shear strength
2) Hardness is important when stone is used for flooring, paving, and stair treads.
3) Resistance to the weathering effects of rain, wind, heat, and frost action is necessary for
exterior stonework
4) A stones porosity increases its ability to withstand frost action and staining

5 short-answer questions
Question 1. This is one of the engineered wood products. Glue wood strands (flakes) together
with resin to form sheets. What is this?
Question 2. List one of the important properties of glass, and briefly describe the reason.
Question 3. Describe the advantages of using heat-treated glass over float glass.

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Final Exam
Question 1. The followings are properties of stone. Which one is false?
1) Stone has high compressive and shear strength (1/10 of its compressive strength)
2) Hardness is important when stone is used for flooring, paving, and stair treads.
3) Resistance to the weathering effects of rain, wind, heat, and frost action is necessary for
exterior stonework
4) A stones porosity decreases its ability to withstand frost action and staining

Question 1. This is one of the engineered wood products. Glue wood strands (flakes) together
with resin to form sheets. What is this? (Particle & strand board)
Question 2. List one of the important properties of glass, and briefly describe the reason.
(transparency, allows visual connection with the outside world)
Question 3. Describe the advantages of using heat-treated glass over float glass.
(stronger and safer than untreated glass)

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 Q&A

JoonOh Seo, Ph.D

ZN737
joonoh.seo@polyu.edu.hk

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