This document provides an overview of various common building materials used in civil engineering projects. It discusses the composition, properties, uses and testing procedures for water, concrete, cement, aggregates, paints/coatings, bricks, stones, metals/steel, timber and glass. For each material, key details are given around its history, ingredients, strengths and applications in construction. Standards and quality measures are also outlined. The document serves as a basic introduction to the principal materials that civil engineers work with.

1. Engineer
Tousif Ahmad

2. Topic:
Civil Engineering
Building Materials.

3. CONTENTS…
There are numerous building materials that we well familiar but here
we are going to explain a few but some basics of them.
• WATER
• CONCRETE.
• CEMENT.
• AGGREGATES.
• PAINTS AND VARNISHES/COATINGS.
• BRICKS.
• STONES.
• METALS & STEEL.
• TIMBER.
• Glass.
• CERAMIC MATERIALS.
• OTHER MATERIALS…
• Unusual Constructions in the world...

4. WATER
 Is there any need of introduction
to water???
“The beginning of earth; is the
beginning of water,even
before the Earth.”
 Perhaps it May be not needs
any definition but of-course
needs to define in terms of its
composition/use & properties
for civil engineering.
 Structurally it consist of 2
H-atoms & 1 O-atom.
 Water that we use for constr.
purpose, should contain
standard ingredients as given
in the tables.
Ingredi
ents
Standar
ds
Sulphate 250mg/L
Chloride 250mg/L
Flouride 4mg/L
Nitrite 1 mg/L
Nitrate 9 mg/L
Arsenic 110 µg/L
Cadmium 5 µg/L
Copper 1300µg/L
Lead 15µg/L
Iron 300µg/L
Mangane 50µg/L
Selenium 50µg/L
Silver 100µg/L
Ingredi
ents
Standar
ds
Zinc 5ng/L
Mercury 2µg/L
Ra-226 5 pCi/L
Ra-228 5 pCi/L
Radon^
2
300pCi/
L
throntiu
m
15 pCi/L
Uraniu
m
30 µg/L
Barium 2ng/L

5. Continued…
There is no compromise on the quality/properties of water that
we use in constructions.
 The quantities of CO2 , Dissolved Oxygen, Ammonia
Carbonates/Bicarbonates, Ca, Mg, Na, K, P,
Nickel, should not be enough to make water
as toxic.
 Water should not be acidic/basic/oily/salty etc.
 Water should be drinkable with the pH
of range 6.5-7.5
 Water should not be injurious and
should not contains any impurities,
because impurities leads to improper
bonding
with other materials.
 Water has world-wide usage,
& use in all basic constructional materials.

6. Concrete.
• Concrete is a composite material composed of
coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement(Portland or
hydraulic) with or without admixtures, that hardens over time.
• History: The word concrete comes from the Latin word
"concretus" (meaning compact or condensed) the perfect passive
participle of "concrescere", from "con-" (together) and "crescere" (to
grow).
Concrete is an ancient material of construction, first used during the
Roman Empire.
• Strength: Concrete today is a sophisticated material to which
exotic (foreign) constituents can be added and, with computer-
controlled batching, can produce a product capable of achieving
50,000 psi compressive strength
• Hydration: The water reacts with the cement, which bonds
the other components together, eventually creating a stone-
like material; the process is called hydration.

7. Ingredients :water, cement, aggregates, admixtures…
 Types of concerete
Concrete is divided into three broad categories :
1: plain cement concrete (P.C.C)
2: Reinforced cement concrete (R.C.C)
3: Pre-stressed cement concrete
Pre-stress concrete is further classified
into two types
• Pre-tension R.C.C
• Post-tension R.C.C
 Uses of concerete
Concrete has many applications and is
used to make pavements, pipe,
structures, foundations, roads, bridges/
overpasses, walls and footings for gates.

8. Fresh concrete Test:
 Flow test → measures the amount of flow to identify
transportable moisture limit of solid bulk cargoes.
 Kelly-Ball test → measures the amount of penetration.
 Slump test → To check the workability of fresh concrete .
Hard Concrete Test:
 compaction test → To
check the compressive
strength of concrete .
 Flexure strength test → To
check the flexure properties
of concrete
Properties: :
strength, durability, fire resistance,
density , toughness.Workability, shrinkage, fatigue,
economy, appearance etc…

9. Cement
Cement is a crystalline compound of calcium
silicates and other calcium compounds having
hydraulic properties (Macfadyen, 2006).
“In its History : in 1824 by Mason Joseph
Aspdin, a Portland cement was prepared by mixing
limestone & clay with water, it was named Portland
Cement, as it looks alike Portland Rock in England.
Lime and clay have been used as cementing material
on constructions through many centuries.”
 Cement should be stored off the ground in a
well-aired, clean, dry place, like plastic bags. They should not be placed on
directly on ground but on wooden platform. Bulk Cement
should be store in Silos.
Weight of one bag of cement: 50Kg
Volume of one bag of cement: 1.25 ft3
•Cement + water = cement paste
•Cement + water + sand = mortar
•Cement + water + sand + lime = masonry mortar
•Cement + water + sand + coarse aggregate = concrete
Compound %age
Lime 62
Silica 22
Alumina 7.5
MgO 2.5
Fe2O3 2.5
SO3 1.5
Na2O 1.0
K2O 1.0

10. Physical Properties…
 Feel smooth when touched or rubbed in between fingers.
 If it contains clay & silt as adulterant, it give earthy smell.
 If felt rough, indicates adulteration with sand.
 If hand is inserted in cement bag, hand feels
cool and not warm.
 If it immersed in water, it should sink and
should not float
 A paste of cement feel sticky
Uses
 Building (floors, beams, columns,
roofing, piles, bricks, mortar, panels, plaster
 Transport (roads, pathways, crossings, bridges,
viaducts, tunnels, parking, etc.)
 Water (pipes, drains, canals, dams,
tanks, pools, etc.)
 Agriculture (buildings, processing, housing,
irrigation)
 Civil (piers, docks, retaining walls, silos,
warehousing, poles, pylons, fencing)
quality tests
of cement:
Color test
Presence of lumps
Adulteration test
Temperature test
Float tests
Strength test
Setting test
Date of packing.

11. Aggregates/clay/sand
 Aggregates are inert granular materials such as sand, gravel, or
crushed stone that, along with water and Portland cement, are an
essential ingredient in concrete.
 For a good concrete mix, aggregates need to be clean, hard, strong
particles free of absorbed chemicals or coatings of clay and other fine
materials that could cause the deterioration of concrete.
Aggregates occupy 70 to 80 % of total volume of concrete.
“Fine aggregate” is defined
as material that will pass a
No. 4 ASTM sieve (4.75mm)
and be retained on a
No. 200 sieve (0.075mm). “
Coarse aggregate is a material
that will pass the 3-inch
screen and will be retained
on the No. 4 ASTM sieve.
Aggregates should be stored
where they will stay clean, separated from other materials and dry.
Fine aggregate Size variation
Coarse Sand 2.0mm – 0.5mm
Medium sand 0.5mm – 0.25mm
Fine sand 0.25mm – 0.06mm
Silt 0.06mm – 0.002mm
Clay <0.002
Coarse aggregate Size
Fine gravel 4mm – 8mm
Medium gravel 8mm – 16mm
Coarse gravel 16mm – 64mm
Cobbles 64mm – 256mm
Boulders >256mm

12.  Properties: Strength, Hardness, Toughness, Durable,
particle shape, Non-pourous, absorption and surface moisture,
Chemically inactive
Uses:
Aggregate can be used in a number of ways in construction. In
roads and railway ballast, concrete etc…The uses of aggregates can
be summarized in to the following three categories
• As a Load Bearing Material
• As a Filling Material
• As an Infiltrating Material
Quality Measures…
1: seive analysis test
This test is performed to have well
graded aggregates
2: Abrasion test
To check the hardness of aggregates
3: Specific gravity &water absorbtion test
To check specific gravity and water absorbtion of
aggregates

13. Paint is a Solution or suspension
(emulsion) of pigment, binder, and mineral solvent
(or water) that on drying forms an adhering film on
he surface it is applied for protection and decoration.
History: In 2001 and 2004, South African
archeologists reported finds in Blombos Cave of a
100,000-year-old human-made ochre-based
mixture that could have been used like paint. Further
excavation in the same cave resulted in the 2011 report of a complete toolkit
for grinding pigments and making a primitive paint-like substance. Although
researchers could find a cave painting of only 40,000 years old upto now.
Distempers: Distempers may be defined as water paints consisting o
whiting (powdered chalk), some colouring pigment (if desired) and glue
size mixed in water.
Varnishes: Varnish is a clear, pale solution of a resinous substance (like
amber, copal, shellac) dissolved in either oil, turpentine or alcohol.
Paints Paints Types:
1. OIL PAINTS
2. SYNTHETIC
PAINTS
3. EMULSION
PAINTS
4. CELLULOSE
PAINTS
5. VARNISHES
6. WATER PAINTS
(distemper)
7. SPECIAL PAINTS

14. Properties of Good Paints:
 Should have Ease of Workability & give smooth surfaces.
 Sticky with wall & capable of filling pores.
 Should have Covering ability & Ease of cleaning
 Should Dry rapidly & economical.
 Environmentally Friendly.
 Should not fade over time.
 Protection of the Surface against weathering,
corrosion, decaying.
Uses:
 It is used to give a high-class finish.
 It is used to give attractive colours.
 It is used to give smooth surfaces.
 To make the materials long lasting.
 Protection of the Surface against water,
weathering, corrosion, decaying.
 Use for decorative purposes…etc
Process of
painting:
01.
Preparation of
surface
02. Knotting
03. Priming
04. Stopping
05. coatings
06. Finishing
coat
Composition:
 A base
 An inert filler or
extender
 Coloring pigment
 A vehicle
 A solvent or thinner

15. BricksBrick is a basic building unit which is in the form of rectangular
block in which length to breadth ratio is 2 but height can be different.
• Normal size (standard size)
9''×4½" ×3"
• Architectural size (Working/architectural size)
81
⅟16" x 4⁵⁄₁₆" x 21
⅟16“
• In its history , the first bricks were dried
(Mud), dating before 7500 BC, were found at
Tell Aswad, in the upper Tigris region and in
southeast Anatolia close to Diyarbakir.
• With the pessage of time, Burnt mud bricks,
stone bricks & now a days , even concreted
bricks have been using.This trend was set up by
the China and Europe.
Standard Imperial
Australia 9 × 4⅓ × 3 in
Denmark 9 × 4¼ × 2¼ in
Germany 9 × 4¼ × 2¾ in
India 9 × 4¼ × 2¾ in
Romania 9 × 4¼ × 2½ in
Russia 10 × 4¾ × 2½ in
KSA 8¾ × 4 × 3 in
Sweden 10 × 4¾ × 2½ in
UK 8½ × 4 × 2½ in

16. Composition:
a. Clay (Alumina) 20 to 30 percent
b. Silt 20 to 35 percent
c. Sand 35 to 50 percent
Properties:
• They are durable.
• They are low cost material.
• They possess good strength.
• They are easily available.
• Brick are light in compared to stone
Uses:
• Bricks are used in wall masonry construction of building
• Used in brick lintal construction
• Bats of brick are used in concrete in foundation work
• Etc.
Requirements:
• The color of the brick should be red or copper and uniform.
• It should be well burnt in kilns.
• The surface should be even and free from cracks.
• The edges should be sharp..

17. Stones: A stone is a small piece of rock.
History: The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during
which stone was widely used to make implements with an edge, a
point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted roughly 3.4 million
years, and ended between 8700 BCE] and 2000 BCE with the advent
of Metal working.
Marbleis a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized
carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble
may be foliated Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to
metamorphosed limestone & is use as a building material.
A Tileis a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such
as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass, generally used for covering
roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletop
Types:
1)Igneous (Born of Fire) 2) Sedimentary (Cementing of Grains)
3)Metamorphic (Changed in Structure)

18. Composition:
• Silicates(silica/Quartz)
• Calcium Carbonates(limestone/marbles)
Properties:
• Siliceous rocks are hard and durable.& resistive to weathering actions.
• Argillaceous rocks may be dense and compact or they may be soft.
• The Durability of calcareous rocks will depend upon the constituents present in
surrounding atmosphere.
• Marble and quartzite have compact crystalline structure.
• Igneous rocks contain many minerals. Various minerals having wide range of different
distinctive characteristics
Uses:
• They are used to make concrete as coarse aggregate
• They are used in hydraulic structures like dams etc.
• They are used as road metal in road construction.
• They are used in retaining wall masonry.
• They are used as ballast for in railways..
Requirements:
• Structure shape required…!!!
• Appearance-Colour Texture
• Weight
• Fineness of Grains
• Durability
• Strength
• Hardness
• Facility of
Working and Dressing
STONES

19. Marble
Tiles

20. Metals: A metal(from Greek μέταλλον métallon,
"mine, quarry, metal”) is a material (an element, )
compound, or alloy) that is typically hard, opaque,
shiny, and has good electrical and thermal conductivity.
 In its History, man first discovered copper
(Around 9000BC),a naturally occurring, relatively pure
metal, by native to many countries. . Later on, discovery of
metals continued…& making their place to periodic table.
 About 91 of the 118 elements in the periodic table are metal,
the others are nonmetals(13+7) & metalloids(7).
Requirements of metal…for civil Engineering.
 They should provide sufficient strength to bear the loads
coming on them
 They should provide resistance to corrosion and weather actions
 They should provided resistance to heat and fire.
 They should have good adhesion with cement concrete

21. Steelis an alloy of iron and other elements, primarily carbon, that is widely
used in construction and other applications because of its high tensile strength and
low cost. Iron is the source of making steel.
Structural steel is a steel type used as a
constr. material for making structural steel.
History, The noun steel originates from the
Proto-Germanicadjective stakhlijan (made of
steel), which is related to stakhla (standing
firm). The Chinese of the Warring States
period (403–221 BC) had quench-hardened
steel, while Chinese of the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) created steel by melting
together wrought iron with cast iron, gaining an ultimate product of a carbon-
intermediate steel by the 1st century AD.
E-VALUE for steel is 185-230GPa & 200GPa is average.
Unit weight of steel is 7.85g/c.c or 7850kg/m^3
or 77KN/m^3. in compare with steel, concrete
has unit wt. of 23.6KN/m^3.
Steel type %age C
Low C-
steel
<0.15
Mild C-
steel
0.15-
0.29
Medium
C-steel
0.3-0.59

22.  Requirements/Properties of steel are Strength,
Toughness, Ductility, Weld ability, Durability, Etc….same as that
of metals.
 Iron and steel are used widely in the construction of roads,
railways, other infrastructure, appliances, and buildings,
stadiums and skyscrapers, bridges, and airport,. R.C.C,
bolts, nails, and screws and other household products and
cooking utensils, shipbuilding , pipelines, mining, offshore
construction, aerospace, white goods(e.g. washing
machines), heavy equipment such as bulldozers,
furniture, steel wool, tools, and
armour in the form of personal
vests or vehicle armour(better
known as rolled homogeneous
armour in this role.
Steel is of Two Types on the
basis of manufacturing….
1) Hot Rolled Steel(1700 F) 2) Cold Rolled Steel(room T)
 Common steel shapes :
Grade Strain
(%age
)
280 >12
300 >12
420 >9
520 >7

23. WOOD/TIMBER
• Wood: is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and
roots of trees, and other wood plants. It is an organic material, a
natural composite of cellulose fibers which are strong in tension
embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression.
• Composition: Wood is
a heterogeneous, hygroscopic, cellular and anisotropic material. It consists
of cells, and the cell walls are composed of micro-fibrils
of cellulose (40% – 50%) and hemicellulose (15% – 25%) impregnated
with lignin (15% – 30%).
• Seasoning:
The seasoning of timber is typically either kiln- or air-dried. Defects due to
seasoning are the main cause of splinters and slivers.
• Timber:
wood prepared for use in building and carpentry.
Timber was used as a dominant building material in most of the ancient
temples of Kerala and coastal Karnataka of India

24. Requirements of timber…
It should be dense.
It should have uniform texture.
It should have dark uniform color.
It should be workable, good machinability.
The medullary rays should be compact.
Uses
Railway sleepers, bridges, pipes.
Furniture, decorative pieces, doors.
Packing material, piles, cart wheels.
Poles, pen, rafter.
Roofs, partition walls, boats etc.
Properties:
It has low heat conductivity.
It has small bulk density.
It is relatively high strength.
It is susceptible to decay.
It is susceptible to flame.
TYPES
• Natural timber
babul, oak, pine, mango, sal, teak, neem, palms, chir.
• Industrial timber
veneers, plywoods, fiberboards, impreg timber, compreg timber
Plywood a type
of strong thin
wooden board
consisting of two
or more layers
glued and
pressed together
with the direction
of the grain
alternating.
•

25. Glass: Glass is a non-crystalline amorphous solid that is often transparent and has
widespread practical, technological, and decorative usage in, for example ,
window panes, tableware, and optoelectronics.
The history of glassmaking can be traced back to 3500 BC in Mesopotamia. Archaeological
evidence suggests that the first true glass was made in coastal north Syria, Mesopotamia or
Ancient Egypt.
In England, glass became common in the windows of ordinary homes only in the early 17th
century whereas windows made up of panes of flattened animal horn were used as early as
the 14th century.
Ingredients:
1) Sand or Silica-(main constituent & source)
2) Potash- (give fire resistance properties)
3) Sodium Carbonate- (accelerate fusion of glass)
4) Lime (gives durability/toughness/hardness)
5) Lead oxide-(gives color)
6) Cullet-(broken pieces of glass , reuse to reduce cost)
Other Additives.
--Lead – to make crystal glasses.
--Boron –changes the thermal and electrical properties of the glass .
--Iron-(imparts colours) etc

26. PROPERTIES (OR) CHARACTERISTICS OF GLASS:
(1) It has highly shining appearance and takes good polish.
(2) It is not affected by temperature except in some
exceptional cases.
(3) It is fire retardant.
(4) It provides heat insulation.
(5) It also ensures transmission of light.
(6) It is available in various varieties.
(7) It transmits light but also provide
privacy by obstructing vision.
(8) Glass blocks provide heat and sound
proof properties.
USES OF GLASS:
(1) Glass is extensively used in building
construction since long time for glazing doors and windows.
(2) It is also used for decoration.
(3) It is also used for sound insulation purposes.
(4) It is used for cut glass work, electric bulbs (lead glass).
(5) It is used for manufacturing of laboratory equipments
and cooking utensils (Boro-silicate glass).
(6) It is used for partition walls.
(7) It is used for cabinets, show cases, shop fronts.
(8) It is also used as fire retarder

27. Ceramic Materials
The word ceramic, derives its name from the Greek
keramos, meaning "pottery", which in turn is derived
from an older Sanskrit root, meaning "to burn". The
Greeks used the term to mean "burnt stuff" or "burned
earth". Thus the word was used to refer to a product
obtained through the action of fire upon earthy materials
A wide-ranging group of materials whose
ingredients are clays, sand and felspar,
metals, polymers etc.
Archeologists have uncovered human-made ceramics that
date back to at least 24,000 BC in Czechoslovakia
Requirement of ceramics
•They should provide resistance to stains
•They should be easy to clean
•They should be non- slippary while wet
•The colours of ceramic products should be long lasting
•They should be durable

28. Types
 Crystalline
 Non crystalline
 Glass bonded
Properties:
It has low ductility.
It has low resistance to impact low
toughness.
It has excellent dielectric properties.
It has good resistance to corrosion.
It has good chemical resistance.
USES:
 It is use in manufacturing Bricks, Terra cotta,
Tiles, Pipes, Chimney….
 It is used in Bathroom/kitchen/Household
accessories etc…
Further …
The products of technical ceramics
include tiles used in the Space Shuttle
program, gas burner nozzles ballistic
protection, nuclear fuel uranium oxide
pellets, bio-medical implants jet
engine turbine blades, and missile nose
cones….

29. Other Materials…
 Mud.
 D.P.C.
 R.C.C.
 Lime Mortar(binder).
 Aluminum Window.
 Ropes/Cables.
 Wall partitioning Boards.
 Building Fabrics(shells/shades).
 Foam(insulator & decorative).
 Electronics(part of building).
 Thatch(straw/leaves roofs)
 Oils/Water Proofing Products.
 Translucent Sheeting Materials.
 Roof Tiles.
 Plastic Paris.
 Plastics(coatings,pipes,decorative purpose etc.)
Asbestos( for insulation & Binding)
Rubber.(for insulation & Decoration)
Cork.(for insulation).
Glss Wool: fibres(For insulation)
Ebonite: Plastic(insulation).
Mica.(Insulation)
Bakelite.(for insulation & Decoration)
Linolium.(for decoration,
Hygienic & Insulation)
etc….

30. Unusual Construction
In the WORLD…
 Ice Hotel.
 Silos’ House.
 Wood Pallets.
 House boats.
 Corn Cob House.
 Buddhist beer temple.
 Scrap Metal House.
 Aero-plane house.
 cardboard Construction.
 Lego Brick 2-Storey's house.
 Aluminum Cans’ House(50,000 cans).
 Miscellaneous recyclables (“Earthships”), Use Of Tyres….!!!
 Salt-Based Hotel(1 million salt bricks).
 Shipping Containers.
 Cake Room.(sweetest building material).
 Etc…..