11/28/2024

Chapter: One
Basics of Civil Engineering
Materials

Introduction

 The main objective of this subject is to give information on

the structure, manufacturing, quality testing, and properties
of materials used in civil engineering design.

 Civil Engineering materials basically deals with the study of

construction materials with respect to:
 Physical and chemical composition
 Different properties like physical, Mechanical, chemical,
Thermal etc.
 Method of their Manufacture and testing of quality
 Usage
 Selection of appropriate Construction materials for
efficient, economical and long lasting

1
 11/28/2024

 1.1 Materials used in engineering construction

Building
 Concrete, Steel, Brick, Wood, Masonry like concrete blocks,
tiles, stone etc. Glass, Plastics, Gypsum,
 Insulating materials like foam, board, mineral wool etc;
aluminium, copper etc.
Road and bridges
 Asphalt, Concrete, Steel, Wood, Bitumen, Culverts and
drainage pipes, Paints and markings, Expansion
 joints
Irrigation and hydropower
 Pipes, Pumps, Valves, Electronic control systems, Reservoir
liners
 Concrete, steel, aluminum, copper, Turbines and generators of
copper, steel or other materials, pipelines
 made of steel, geotextiles or riprap (large rocks)
Water, gas and petroleum supply
 Pipes, valves, fittings and regulators made up of brass or
stainless steel, compressors of steel, gasket of
 rubber or silicone. FBR (fiberglass reinforced plastic

Factors Affecting Selection of Civil Engineering

Materials
 Properties of Materials: Physical, Chemical, Mechanical ,
Thermal ,etc.
 Performance Requirements: a material used for a
purpose must perform its
function without failure
 Durability:
 Availability :
 Reliability: stable and well-functionable throughout
its intended life
 Environmental Concern :
 Disposability:

 Economical:
 Safety requirements:

2
 11/28/2024

Classifications of Civil Engineering Materials

Improves living Standard

Metals:
 Elements with valency 1, 2 or 3, ready to lose electrons
and form electrically conductive materials and provide
metallic bond.
 Backbone of civil engineering construction.

 Ferrous- Iron as main constituent, cast iron,

wrought iron , steel …
 Non- ferrous- iron is not main constituent, Al, Zn,
Cu, Pb, Cr…
 Alloys- Stainless steel, Vanidium Steel

3
 11/28/2024

Ceramics:
 A ceramic is hard, brittle, heat-resistant and
corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and
then firing a nonmetallic mineral, such as clay, at a
high temperature.

 Inorganic compound formed by

combination of metals and non- metals..
Metal oxides, carbides, nitrides, silicates…

 Ionic bond

Ceramics:
 Properties:
◦ Brittle
◦ Rock like appearance
◦ Hardness ,good insulator, corrosion resistance
◦ Opaque to light

4
 11/28/2024

Polymers:
 organic compound / long chain of carbon and hydrogen
 Properties:
◦ Non-corrosive
◦ Light weight
◦ Ductile
◦ Poor conductor of heat and electricity

◦ Natural organic polymers; - Natural wood, Natural rubber

etc.
◦ Artificial organic polymers;- Plastics, Paints, nylon

Composites
◦ Combination of two different types of materials may
produce a third material with different properties from that
of parent material, known as composites.

Properties of Civil Engineering Materials:

◦ Physical Properties
◦ Characteristics of materials that are displayed when
external forces are not considered
1. Dimension of Material: shape and size

2. Density: mass by volume( unit- kg/m3 or g/cm3)

 Sometimes call unit weight.
 Bulk Unit Weight = Total Weight / Volume,
3. Specific Gravity =
 weight of material per unit volume
 weight of water per unit volume (equal volume) at given
physical condition
 Reference Material – water- densest at 4 degree celcius
 - 1 kg/cc or 9.8 KN/m3
 Pressure – 1 atm

5
 11/28/2024

◦ Physical Properties
4. Specific Gravity :
ratio of density of material to density of water ( reference
material) at same physical condition
cement= 3.5
steel = 7.8 to 7.9
sand = 2.6 to 2.9
5. Porosity =
◦ volume of voids( air + water) in material X 100 %
Total volume of material
◦ Measure of denseness of looseness of material
◦ Expressed in percentage
◦ Less than one

◦ Physical Properties
6. Water Absorption Capacity
◦ ratio of weight of absorbed water to dry weight of
same material in specific time period
◦ Measured in percentage
◦ Depends of volume, shape and size of pores present in
material

= weight of absorbed water X 100%

Dry weight of material
◦ 24 hours - cold water- 1st class brick- < 15% absorption
2nd class brick- < 20% absorption
3rd class brick < 25% absorption

6
 11/28/2024

◦ Physical Properties
7. Permeability
- Property of material which permits flow of water
through it
- Measure of water passing through material per unit
surface area perpendicular to direction of flow
- Depends upon size, material type and porosity

8. Soundness
- Resistance capacity of material against effect of heat
and moisture attacks

◦ Physical Properties
9. Frost Resistance
- Resistance capacity of material against repeated action
of freezing and thawing, without considerable decrease in
its mechanical strength or disintegrating
- Depends upon density of material, degree of saturation with
water

10. Fire Resistance

- Resistance capacity of material against action of high
temperature without any considerable deformation and
substantial loss of strength

11. Hygroscopy
- Ability of material to absorb moisture from atmosphere
- Cement, lime

7
 11/28/2024

Mechanical Properties

- Characteristic of material that are displayed under

account of external force application to material
- Important properties in selection of material for
structural components
- Determines load resistance capacity , durability and
flexibility

Mechanical Properties
1. Strength
- Defined as amount of force/stress that an object can
withstand before it undergoes plastic deformation.

- Strength = External load per unit applied area

- Tensile Strength / Stress

- Compressive Strength / Stress

- Shear Strength / Stress

8
 11/28/2024

Mechanical Properties
2. Hardness
- Ability of material to resist against stretching, abrasion,
cutting and penetration
- Measure of resistance of material to localized
deformation.

3. Toughness ( Tenacity )
- Ability of material to resist maximum external force
without fracture
- Amount of force that a material can absorb without
fracturing.
- Ability of material to absorb energy and plastically
deform up to fracture.
- Toughness indicated by area under stress strain curve up
to fracture

Mechanical Properties

Stress
Ultimate
Point

Non
linear

Elastic Plastic Ultimate Strain

Liner Limit Limit
Plastic Strain Strain
elastic
Region Hardening
Region
Region

9
 11/28/2024

Mechanical Properties
4. Elasticity
- Property of material to regain its original shape after
going through deformation , after the removal of applied
load
- Elastic limit is limit upon which material can regain its
original shape
- E = Stress/ Strain

5. Plasticity
-Property of material to undergo a permanent deformation
after removal of applied load

Mechanical Properties
6. Resilience
- Ability of material to absorb energy in elastic region
- Ability of material to absorb energy when it is deformed
elastically and then upon unloading to have this energy
recovered
- Area under curve in elastic region in stress-strain
diagram

…….. Proof Resilience

Strength, hardness, toughness

10
 11/28/2024

Mechanical Properties

7. Ductility
- Ability of material to undergo large plastic deformation under
tensile load without rupture

8. Brittleness
- Property of material due to which it doesn’t undergo much
deformation before breaking.
- Tendency to keep original shape until material suddenly breaks

9. Malleability
- Ability of material to withstand deformation under
compression without rupture
- Ability to be beaten into thin sheets or foils

Mechanical Properties

10. Impact Strength

- Strength of material to resist sudden shock or impact
over it.

11. Abrasive resistance

- Properties of material to resist wearing of surface of
material due to friction between one another
- Important property of material used in road construction

11
 11/28/2024

Mechanical Properties
12. Creep
- slow and progressive deformation of a material with time
under a constant stress mostly at high temperature
13. Fatigue
- fatigue is weakening of material caused by repeatedly
applied loads of cyclic loading.
- When a material is subjected to large no. of reverse,
fluctuating or repeated cyclic loading, it tends to develop a
characteristic behavior, different from that under steady
load.
- Breaking of wire twisting to and fro in same point

Ductile and Brittle Failure

 Fracture involves the forced separation of a material into two or more
parts.
 Brittle Fracture involves fracture without any appreciable plastic
deformation (i.e. energy absorption).
 Ductile Fracture in the converse involves large plastic deformation
before separation or breaking apart.
The process of fracture basically involves crack initiation and crack
propagation.

12
 11/28/2024

Ductile and Brittle Failure

Ductile Failure Brittle Failure

• Involves large plastic deformation • Involves minimum or no plastic

deformation ( undergoes elastic
• Plastic deformation is permanent deformation)
deformation. • Elastic deformation is temporary
deformation.
• Slow process and gives warning • Fast and sudden where no warning is
before failure given.
• Failure occurs at very large strain. • Failure occurs at less strain.

Material and environment interactions:

◦ Corrosion
◦ Weathering
◦ Erosion
◦ Thermal Strain
◦ Exposure to moisture, sunlight and chemicals

13
 11/28/2024

Thermal Properties

1. Specific Heat Capacity

- Amount of heat required to raise temperature of unit mass
of material by 1 degree Celsius
- dE= M.s.dT Unit: cal/ kg·C
2.Thermal Conductivity
- rate at which heat can flow through a material under
influence of temp. gradient
3. Thermal Stability
- Ability of material to resist deformation due to thermal
change
4. Thermal Expansion
- change in dimension of material upon addition of thermal
energy

Optical Properties
Electrical Properties
Magnetic Properties

14
 11/28/2024

THANK YOU

15