Engineering Materials

and Testing
Chapter I : Introduction
Properties of Engg Materials
Selection of Engg Materials
Standards
Chapter II : Aggregates
Chapter III : Concrete
and Other
Cementitious
Materials
Grading system
Term Exam 50%
Quizzes 40%
Part/AttenD 10%
_______
100%
Chapter I
Introduction
Civil engineering embodies professionals who
design, construct, maintain, inspect, and manage
public works projects.
 Railroads
 High-rise office buildings
 Sewage treatment centers

The construction maybe:

 Underground or above ground
Engineering Materials
Basic materials used in civil engg
application or in construction are:
Wood
Concrete
Bitumens
Structural clay and concrete units
Reinforcing and structural steel
These materials are sometimes called
structural materials.

Additional materials:
Plastics
Soils
Aluminum
 The most important highway materials are:
 Soils
 Aggregates
 Bituminous binder
 Lime and cement

Wood – derived from trees and can be used

directly as pieces of lumber obtained from the log
or as a raw material in the manufacture of various
wood products which are commonly used in
construction:
 Plywood
 timber
 Concrete – is a basic construction material
made with Portland cement as a primary
ingredient.
- is used in combination with other
distinctly different materials, such as steel
reinforcing bar, polypropylene fibers, and high
strength wires to produce different types of
concrete.
Portland cement - are also used in the
manufacture of many other construction
materials.
Bitumen (comes in variety of forms) – combined
with other raw materials in the construction of
pavements, roof shingles, waterproofing
compounds.
Structural clay and concrete units (commonly
called bricks and blocks) – are the principal
elements in the construction of masonry walls.
Structural steel – is used in many forms and
shapes for the construction of railroad ties, high
rise buildings, roof trusses, and many more.
Basic materials are selected for their:
 Properties
 Performance
 Availability
 Aesthetic
Secondary construction materials(also
called non structural materials) selected
based on quality guidelines and aesthetic
considerations

 Sealants
 Adhesive
 Floor and wall coverings
 Fasteners
 Doors and windows
Properties of Engineering Materials

Material used for highway bridge should have

 Adequate strength
 Rough surface
 Sufficient rigidity

Water-retaining structure
 Impermeable
 Crack-free
 Strong
 Do not react with water

A road surface can be built using materials that

 show little movement under load
 Water resistant
 Easy to repair

Properties of engineering materials:

o Physical properties
o Mechanical properties
o Chemical properties
Physical Properties – are those derived from
properties of matter or physical structure.
Include:
 Density
 Porosity or voids
 Moisture content
 Specific gravity
 Permeability
 Structure (micro or macro)
 Texture
 Color
 shape
 Evaluate materials in terms of:
 Appearance

 Weight

 Permeability

 Water retention

Mechanical properties – measure the resistance of a

material to applied loads or forces. Some reflect the
strength of the materials, others measure the
deformation capacity or stiffness.
Strength – is a measure of the maximum
load per unit area, and can be in tension,
compression, shear, flexure, torsion, or
impact.
Deformation capacity or stiffness – is
measured in terms of elastic modulus.
It is important to note that a knowledge of
both the strength and deformation
capacity of materials is absolutely
essential in the selection of a construction
material.
 A high strength material need not
possess a high deformation capacity
or stiffness.
Other properties: (reflects deformation
characteristics)
o Brittleness
o Plasticity
o ductility
Chemical properties – are those
pertaining to the composition and
potential reaction of a material.
Compounds of composition, such as
oxide and carbonates describe the
chemical nature of the material, which
explain the way a material behaves in
a certain environment.
 Other important properties in civil engineering:
 Thermal – represent the behavior of a material

under heat or temperature.

 Electrical conductivity– (E&M are needed in

materials used in electrical works.

 Magnetic permeability
 Acoustical – such as sound transmission and

sound reflection are important in selecting

materials that should provide sound resistance and
act as sound barriers.
 Optical– such as color, light transmission,

and light reflection are essential in

determining the energy consumption
capacity of a material.
In civil engineering construction, some
materials are selected based on their
physical properties or physical
characteristics, whereas, most others
are chosen because of their
mechanical properties.
For instance, lightweight aggregates
(pumice and shale) used in the
manufacture of lightweight concrete
floor slabs, due to their low density.
In an area of high seismic activity,
structural steel is chosen for columns in a
multistory building for its high tensile
strength and ductility.
“The goal of engineering design should be
to select the best material for a particular
job.”
Loads and Stresses
Load – a solid body subjected to external
forces. This causes deformation.
Ex. Rubber band
Stresses - the internal forces which act
between consecutive particles.
The stresses are proportional to the
external loads. This balancing act between
internal and external forces is stated to
maintain equilibrium conditions in the
body.
The principles of equilibrium applies to
a body at rest. When a body is in
motion, additional forces from the
acceleration should be considered.
Materials undergo extension or
contraction, depending on the type of
load and the direction of
measurement.
Deformation – the change in length
immediately following the application
of a unidirectional force.
 Strain Ɛ– the deformation per unit length.
Strain is thus a ratio between the change in
length and the length along which the
change is measured, called gage length,
usually expressed as inches per inch of
length.
Stress – measures the force acting on a unit
area of an imaginary section through the
body.
A force acting along the axis of the member
causes axial stress or direct stress.
When the axial force is in tension, the
resulting stress is a tensile stress.
 When the axial force is in compression, the
corresponding stress is compressive
stress.
Shearing stress – is produced by forces that
tend to slide one particle upon another, and
it acts along or parallel to the cross-
sectional plane.
Bending stress (or normal stress or flexural
stress) – is produced by external forces that
create bending moment.
Due to the action of bending moment, one
side of the cross-section has tensile
stresses, and the other side has
compressive stresses.
Strain
Deformation is also used to indicate the change
in form of a body and maybe the result of
more than one cause, like, thermal changes,
moisture loss, and applied loads.
The effect of direct stress, deformation is taken
to mean the change in linear dimension.
But the effect of shear force, deformation
(called shear deformation) is the change in
length measured parallel to the direction of
the shear forces.
 Shear strain is computed as the shear deformation
per unit length perpendicular to the direction of the
shear force.
Shear strain – is the change in angle between the
two sides and is expressed in radians.
Poisson’s ratio (named after the person who define
it in 1811) – when a body is stretched in one
direction, it contracts in the other perpendicular
directions, and when it is compressed in one
direction it extends in the other directions.
 Most materials of construction have a
Poisson ratio in the range 0.15 to 0.40.
glass – 0.24
steel – 0.28
granite – 0.25
concrete – lies between 0.1 & 0.18,
depending on the mix proportion, increase
in cement content increases Poisson's
ratio.
cement mortar – 0.16.
Volumetric deformation – change in the
volume of a material.
Volumetric strain – ratio between the change in
volume and initial volume.
For a material subjected to axial force, the
volumetric strain can be calculated by knowing the
axial strain and Poisson’s ratio.
change in volume = l b d(1- 2pr) e’.
where:
l,d,b, are dimensions of the member,
pr, Poisson’s ratio, and
e’ is the axial strain.
 lbd(1-2pr)e’
Volumetric strain = --------------------
lbd
= (1-2pr)e’
Stiffness
 Stiffness is a measure of relative
deformability of a material under load.
 The material that develops a high level of

strain under a given stress is less stiff

than is a material that has less strain when
subjected to the same stress.
 The greater the stress needed to produce

a known strain, the stiffer is the material.

 This is measured in modulus of elasticity.
 Elasticity is that property of a material that enables it
to change its length, volume or form in direct response
to the force applied, and to recover its original size or
form when the load is completely removed.
 Elastic limit is the max stress below which a material
will fully recover its original form on removal of the
applied forces. Greatest stress that can be applied
without causing a permanent deformation.
 Concrete, brick, stone – low elastic limit
 Yield point is the first unit stress at which deformation
continues without an increase in load. Some materials
do not have a yield point
 The ratio of stress to corresponding
strain below the proportional limit is
called modulus of elasticity or elastic
modulus or coefficient of elasticity. E
 The modulus of elasticity in tension or

compression is called Young’s modulus

(Thomas Young).
 E for steel = 200,000MPa
 E for Al = 72,350 Mpa
 Ultimate strength is the max stress that can
be applied to a material before it fractures.
Highest point on the stress-strain curve.
Ductile & Brittle Materials
 Plasticity is the property of a material that
enables it to retain permanent set or
deformation without fracture. This is the
opposite of elasticity.
 Important in forming ie clay, shaping,
 When subjected to tensile loads, a ductile

material is capable of undergoing a high level

of plastic deformation before failure.
 Ductility is the property that allows the material

to undergo change of form without breaking.

 Toughness represents the ability of the
material to support loads even after yielding
or forming cracks.
 Brittle materials have little or no plasticity.
 Brittleness expresses breakage with a

comparatively smooth fracture. This is

sudden & catastrophic.
Selection of Materials
 Materials have to perform the following
functions:
◦ Carry the prescribed load
◦ Satisfy serviceability requirements –
satisfactory performance at all times…
past records will support this.
◦ Be aesthetically pleasing
◦ Be practical economically
◦ Be environmentally acceptable