COMMON

BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION Jorge Recinos

MATERIALS
Table of Contents
1. Sand ................................................................................................................................................. 2
Types ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
How Is it made?........................................................................................................................................2

2. Stones (Gravel) ................................................................................................................................ 2

How is it made?......................................................................................................................................... 2
Types......................................................................................................................................................... 2
3. Steel & Wire………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

How is it made?.......................................................................................................................................3

Types………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

4. Cement (Ordinary, Portland, Cement)…………………………………………………………………………………………4

How is it made?.......................................................................................................................................4

Types………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4

5. Concrete Blocks…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

How is it made?.......................................................................................................................................4

Types………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
 1. Sand
Sands may be produced through mechanical crushing like stone, or be naturally
occurring like gravel. When sand has been specified as a filtering media, manufactured sand is
prohibited due to the properties of angular particles noted above. Manufactured sand, due to
the angular configuration, will knit together and significantly restrict flow of water through the
media. Rounded, naturally occurring sand particles will maintain a consistent flow rate over
time if not clogged by external materials. As noted above, “manufactured” sand is prohibited
as a filtering media due to its physical properties.
How is it made? Builder’s sand can be quarried, dredged from the sea floor, or mined from rivers.
Builders' sand typically comes from water sources. This is because water creates sand particles that are
more favourable for combining with other materials to form the likes of concrete or cement.

Types:
• Sand for Utility
• Sand for Masonry
• Sand for Concrete
• Fill sand
• Sand for Industry
• Sand made from crushed stone
• Limestone Gravel, Finely Crushed

2. Stones (Gravel)

Stone is the longest-lasting building material. The most ancient buildings in the world are made of stone.
Stone comes with smooth finish textures and rough ones in many different colours. Examples of stones
used in construction are sandstone, granite, and marble. Ordinary stone is cheap, but the prices go up
for unique finishes. For marble countertops, quality and colour increase the production time and cost.

How is it made? Stones for construction purposes are obtained by quarrying from solid massive rocks.
The stones used for masonry construction should be hard, durable, tough. They should be free from
weathered soft patches of material, cracks, and other defects that are responsible for the reduction of
strength and durability. Stone in construction is used in the following aspects:

• As rough aggregate in construction

• In masonry works for walls, dams, and bridge piers Types:
• As ballast for railways • Basalt
• For damp proofing of external walls • Granite:
• Stones like marble are used for making excellent polish finishes. • Limestone
 3. Steel & Wire
Steel is a composite material made from alloys of iron and carbon. Steel has high strength and
functionality. It is also lightweight, easy to work with, and cheaper to ship than other building materials.
Steel does not easily deform unless we place a tremendous amount of weight on it, and it retains its
structural properties even when it is bent. Due to its structural stability, we use steel to make tall
modern buildings' structural frameworks.

How is it made? The steel production process begins by smelting iron ore to produce metallic iron,
which is then converted to steel by removing excess carbon and adding various alloys in a furnace. Steel
has distinguishing qualities such as high strength to weight ratio. It is less time-consuming to install than
concrete, and we can install it in any environment. If not correctly installed, however, steel is susceptible
to corrosion. One of the significant drawbacks of steel as a construction material is that it is likely to
break down during high-temperature levels. Its level of fire resistance depends on the type of steel.

Steel is used in construction for the following purposes:

• For structural sections: We use steel as reinforcing bars to increase the tensile strength of
structures.
• Roofing: We use steel to make roofing products such as purlins, internal walls, ceilings, and
cladding.
• Internal fixtures: We use it to make interior fittings such as rails and stairs.
• Utilities: We construct underground water, fuel, power, and gas lines using steel.

Types:
• Plain steel wire for • Plain bars and rail • Low carbon steel
concrete steel deformed bars. bars.
reinforcement. • TMT steel bars.
• Epoxy-coated steel • Stainless Steel.
bars for welded • Low-alloy steel.
deformed Steel. • Axel steel.
 4.Cement (Ordinary, Portland, Cement)
Ordinary- Ordinary Cement, is widely used in construction work. It is made of Argillaceous or silicates of
alumina (clay and shale) and calcareous or calcium carbonate (limestone, chalk, and marl). It is used for
general construction purposes and most masonry work.

Portland- Portland Cement in concrete for bridges, walls, culverts, floors, pavements, sidewalks, pipe,
railway structures, reinforced concrete buildings, tanks and reservoirs, as well as for masonry units and
other precast products.

How is it made? Cement manufacturing is a complex process that begins with mining and then
grinding raw materials that including limestone and clay, to a fine powder, called raw meal, which is
then heated to a sintering temperature as high as 1450 °C in a cement kiln.

Types:
• Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) • Low Heat Cement.
• Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) • Sulfates Resisting Cement.
• Rapid Hardening Cement. • Quick Setting Cement.
• Extra Rapid Hardening Cement. • Blast Furnace Slag Cement.

5. Concrete Blocks

Concrete is one of the most common construction materials. It is a composite material from fine and
coarse aggregate mixed with a binder like cement and water. The mixture is then left to cure and set
over time. Concrete takes seven days to cure and an average of 28 days to attain maximum strength.
Reinforced concrete is most common in construction, whereby steel is embedded in the concrete to
increase the structural tensile strength. Concrete comes in many forms, with examples such as
lightweight concrete and waterproof concrete. The project type dictates the type of concrete used. One
of the most significant advantages of concrete is that it can be poured into any shape and hardened into
a stone-like material.

How is it made? To make concrete a mixture of portland cement (10-15%) and water (15-20%) make a
paste. This paste is then mixed with aggregates (65-75%) such as sand and gravel, or crushed stone. As
the cement and water mix, they harden and bind the aggregates into an impenetrable rock-like mass.

Because of its cost and versatility, concrete is a common material in construction. Concrete is used for:

• Foundations • Bridge construction

• Residential building construction • Culverts and sewers.
• Commercial building construction
Types:
• Normal Strength • Air Entrained • Pervious Concrete
Concrete Concrete • Vacuum Concrete
• Plain or Ordinary • Ready Mix Concrete • Pumped Concrete
Concrete • Polymer Concrete • Stamped Concrete
• Reinforced Concrete • High-Strength • Limecrete
• Prestressed Concrete Concrete • Asphalt Concrete
• Precast Concrete • High-Performance • Roller Compacted
• Light – Weight Concrete Concrete
Concrete • Self - Consolidated • Rapid Strength
• High-Density Concrete Concrete
Concrete • Shotcrete Concrete