This document provides an overview of common construction materials. It begins by defining building materials as materials used for structures like buildings, dams, roads, and bridges. It then discusses the historical evolution of materials from the Stone Age to the Iron Age to modern times. The document primarily focuses on natural materials like stone, sand, wood, clay and their uses in construction. It provides classifications, properties, and examples of how these materials are used.

1. LECTURE 2 :CONSTRUCTION
MATERIALS
DR. MEGHA JAIN

2. INTRODUCTION
Building material is material used for construction of
any type of structure e.g. Building, Dam ,Road, Bridge
etc.

3. INTRODUCTION
• The choice of building material depends on :
• the size and nature of building,
• its design,
• intended purposes,
• availability of resources
• location.

4. • Since the beginning of time, people have created shelter
out of whatever was at hand.
• Caves were convenient ready made shelters and live in
them.
• But after emerging from the caves shelters were
constructed of wood, grasses, skins, stone and any other
suitable readily available resources.
Historical Perspective

5. Materials are so important in the development of civilization that we associate Ages
with them.
In the origin of human life on Earth, the Stone Age, people used only natural
materials, like stone, clay, skins, and wood.
When people found copper and how to make it harder by alloying, the Bronze Age
started about 3000 BC.
The use of iron and steel, a stronger material that gave advantage in wars started at
about 1200 BC.
The next big step was the discovery of a cheap process to make steel around 1850,
which enabled the railroads and the building of the modern infrastructure of the
industrial world.

6. TYPES OF BUILDING MATERIALS
Like many other things, materials are
classified in groups. One could classify them
according to its origin.
• Naturally Available Material
• Synthetic (Humanly made) materials

7. NATURAL BUILDING MATERIAL
• Stone (Obtained from rock)
• Sand/ Fine Aggregate
• Wood/ Timber
• Clay/ Mud

8. Uses of stone
Qualities of Stones

10. Physical
Classificatio
n
GEOLOGICAL
CLASSIFICATI
O N
Chemical
Classificatio
n

14. Metamorphism

18. 18

19. 4.Basic material: Stones are disintegrated and
converted to form a basic material for cement concrete,
morum of roads, calcareous cements, artificial stones,
hallow blocks etc.
5.Misalliances: Stones are also used for (i) ballast for
railways (ii) flux in blast furnace (iii) Blocks in the
construction of bridges, piers, abutments, retaining
walls, light houses, dams etc.
19

20. QUALITIES OF A GOOD
BUILDING STONE
20
 Crushing strength: For a good building stone, the
crushing strength should be greater than l000kg per cm2.
 Appearance: Good building stone should be a uniform
colour, and free from clay holes, spots of other colour
bands etc capable of preserving the colour for longtime.
 Durability: A good building stone should be durable. The
factors like heat and cold alternative wet and dry,
dissolved gases in rain, high wind velocity etc affect the
durability.
 Fracture: For good building stone its fracture should be
sharp, even and clear.

21.  Hardness: The hardness greater than 17, treated as hard
used in road works. It is between 14 to 17, medium
hardness, less 14 said be poor hardness.
 Percentage wear: For a good building stone, the
percentage wear should be equal to or less then 3 percent.
 Resistance to fire: A good building stone be fire proof.
Sandstone, Argillaceous stone resists fire quite well
 Specific gravity: For a good building stone the specific
gravity should be greater then 8.7 or so.
 Texture: A good building stone should have compact fine
crystalline structure should be free from cavities, cracks or
patches of stuff orloose material.
29

22.  Water absorption: For a good building stone, the
percentage absorption by weight after 24 hours
should not exceed 0.60.
22

23. NATURAL MATERIAL-SAND
 What is sand
 Sand as Building Material !
How?
 Classification of sand
 Properties of sand

24. WHAT IS SAND?
• Sand is a naturally occurring granular material
composed of finely divided rock and mineral
particles.
• The most common constituent of sand is silica
(silicon dioxide, or SiO2), usually in the form of
quartz.
• It is formed by the decomposition of
SANDSTONES due to various weathering
agents, like water, air, temperature variations.

25. SAND AS BUILDING MATERIAL ! HOW
Sand is mixed with cementing materials for following reasons:-
• It sub divides the paste of cementing material into thin films and
allows it to adhere and spread.
• It prevents shrinkage of the cementing material.
• It adds to the density of the mortar.
• It allows carbon di oxide from the atmosphere to penetrate
deeply,
and thereby improves setting.
• It reduces cost of concrete.
• It fills gaps between building blocks and spreads the binding
material easily.
• Silica of sand contributes to the formation of silicates, resulting in
formation of hard mass.

26. CLASSIFICATION OF
SAND
SAND
FORMATION
PIT RIVER SEA
SIZE
FINE COARSE
GRAVEL
COMPOSITION
CLEAN SILTY CLAYEY

27. CLASSIFICATION ON THE
BASIS OF FORMATION

28. • PIT SAND

29. • PIT SAND
• RIVER SAND

30. • PIT SAND
• RIVER SAND
• SEA SAND

31. PIT SAND
• This sand is obtained by forming pits in soil.
• It is excavated from a depth of about 1-2 m from the ground
level.
• This sand is found as deposits in soil and it consists of
sharp angular grains, which are free from salts.
• It serves as an excellent material for mortar /concrete work.
• Pit sand must be made free from clay and organic
materials before it can used in mortar.

32. EXTRACTION OF PIT SAND

33. RIVER SAND
• This sand is widely used for all purposes. It is
obtained from the banks or beds of rivers and it
consists of fine rounded grains.
• The presence of fine rounded grains is due to
mutual attrition under the action of water current.
• The river sand is available in clean conditions.
• The river sand is almost white in color.
• It is mainly used for plastering.
• In north India , Yamuna banks are a great source
of River sand.

34. EXTRACTION OF RIVER SAND

35. SEA SAND
• This is obtained from sea shores.
• It is brown in color and it also has the fine rounded
grain.
• As it is obtained from sea it contains salt, which is used
in attracting moisture from atmosphere.
• Such absorption causes dampness and efflorescence
disintegration of work.
• It is generally not used for engineering purpose due
to its retards setting action of cement.
• It is normally used for non structural purposes like
filling.

36. EXTRACTION OF SEA SAND

37. M SAND / ARTIFICIAL SAND
• It is also known as crushed sand.
• Due to shortage of natural sand, stones are
crushed into required size.
• It is a substitute for River Sand, fine
aggregates which manufactured by crushing
either granite or basalt rock using 3 stage
crushing process.
• It is also obtained as a by product when rocks
are crushed to get coarse aggregates.

38. CRUSHER

39. ON THE BASIS OF SIZE
OF PARTICLES

40. FINE SAND
The sand passing through a sieve with clear openings of 1.5mm
is known as fine sand. Fine sand is mainly used for plastering.

41. COARSE SAND
The sand passing through a sieve with clear openings of 3.5mm is
known as Coarse Sand. Coarse Sand is generally used for
masonry work.

42. GRAVEL SAND
The sand passing through the sieve of 7.62mm is known as
Gravelly Sand. It is generally used for concrete work.

43. ON THE BASIS
OF
COMPOSITIO
N

44. CLEAN SAND
•These are well graded sand containing mostly quartz
(SiO2)
•It is free from any organic or inorganic impurities
•It is perfect for construction purposes

45. SILTY SAND
•These are poorly graded sand with considerable amount
of Silt
•The size of silt particles are very small and form lump
•Not good for construction purpose

46. CLAYEY SAND
This sand have prominent clay fraction and
plastic fines.
Traditionally used for the construction of walls
Also used as mortar for bricks because of its high
adhesive property

47. ANGULAR
SAND

48. SHARP/GRIT SAND

49. ROUND SAND

50. USE OF SAND IN
CONSTRUCTION
1) Mortar-
2) Concrete
It is the basic material for every construction. Most of the raw material
for construction consists of some ratio of sand. Main use of sand as
ingredients for making of following two important material:-

51. SAND FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKS
• Different construction works require different standards of
sand for construction.
• Brick Works: finest modulus of fine sand should be
• 1.2 to 1.5 and silt contents should not be more than 4%.
Finest modulus of fine sand. The size of grains must
be between 1.2 – 1.5 mm. it is formed by mixingclay and
sand with small quantities of lime magnesia and iron
oxide. Sand gives more shapely and uniform texture to the
bricks. An excess of sand, however render the bricks too
brittle and destroys cohesion.25% of sand is said to be a
good proportion.

52. PROPERTIES OF GOOD SAND
 It should be clean and coarse.
 It should be free from any organic or vegetable
matter; usually 3-4 per cent clay is permitted.
 It should be chemically inert.
 It should contain sharp, angular, coarse and durable
grains.
 It should not contain salts which attract moisture
from the atmosphere.
 It should be well graded, i.e., it should contain
particles of various sizes in suitable proportions.
 It should be strong and durable.
 It should be clean and free from coatings of clay and
silt.

53. NATURAL MATERIAL - MUD AND CLAY :
Mud and clay are the most commonly used materials in
residential buildings.
Buildings made primarily of mud and clay can easily endure
many years.
Using mud and clay in buildings is a very good option for
warm places,
Soil and especially clay is good thermal mass; it is very good
at keeping temperatures at a constant level.
Homes built with earth tend to be naturally cool in the summer
heat and warm in cold weather.

54. NATURAL MATERIAL - WOOD /TIMBER:
A NATURAL MATERIAL FOR BUILDING
DWELLINGS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
Wood was also used to make Churches in the past.
Wood is an aesthetically pleasing material that never goes out
of trend completely,
Wood obtained from certain plants is quite durable, however
low quality wood is open to many extremities.
These days wood is mostly used for making cabinets,
furniture or wardrobes.

55. TIMBER
Definition:
Timber denotes wood which is suitable for
building or carpentry and for various
engineering and other purposes.

56. WOOD:
The organic matter obtained from
trees is called wood.

57. Tree
s
Exogeno
us
Conifer
s
Deciduou
s
Endogeno
us
CLASSIFICATION OF
TREES

58. TYPES OF TREES:
Trees are classified into two groups .
1. Endogenous trees:
The trees which grow inwards in longitudinal fibrous
mass are called endogenous trees.

59. 2. EXOGENOUS TRESS :
The trees which grow in out wards across horizontal
section of stem are called exogenous trees. These
trees are only fit for engineering construction.

60. EXOGENOUS TREES ARE AGAIN
SUBDIVIDED IN TO TWO TYPES.
Conifers or Evergreen:
•They give soft wood.
•They have pointed leaves.
Example
s:
Deodar Pine Chir
Kail,etc

61. Deciduous or Broad leaf
Trees:
•These have hard
wood.
•These have broad
leaves.
Example
s:
Teak Sal
Shisham,
etc.

62. Structure of tree:
From the visibility aspect, the
structure of a tree can be
divided into two categories
1.Macro structure
2.Micro structure

63. 1. MACRO STRUCTURE:
The structure of wood
visible to the naked eye
or at a small
magnification is called
macro structure. The
following figure shows
the macro structure of
exogenous tree.

64. (a)Pith: The innermost central portion or core of
the tree
is called pith or medulla.
(b)Heart wood: The inner annual rings
surrounding the pith is known as heart wood.
(c)Sap wood: The cuter annual rings between
heart wood and cambium layer is known as
sap wood.
(d)Cambium layer: Thin layer of sap between
sap wood and inner bark is known as
cambium layer.

65. (e)Inner bark: The inner skin or layer covering
the
cambium layer is known as inner bark.
(f)Outer Bark: The outer skin or cover of the
tree is known as outer bark.
(g)Medullary rays: The thin radial fibers
extending from pith to cambium layer are
known as medullary rays.

66. 2. Micro structure:
The structure of wood apparent only
at great magnifications is
called micro structure.
•Conductive cells
•Mechanical cells
•Storage cells

67. Appearance: A freshly cut surface of timber should
exhibit
hard and of shining appearance.
Color: A color should preferably be dark
Defects: A good timber should be free from series
defects
such as knots, flaws, shakes etc
Durability: A good timber should be durable and
capable of resisting the action of fungi, insects,
chemicals, physical agencies, and mechanical
agencies.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
TIMBERS

68. Elasticity: The timber returns to its original shape when
load causing its deformation is removed.
Fire resistance: A dense wood offers good resistance to
fire.
Hardness: A good timber should be hard.
Mechanical wear: A good timber should not deteriorate
easily due to mechanical wear or abrasion.

69. Shape: A good timber should be capable of retaining
its
shape during conversion or seasoning
Smell: A good timber should have sweet smell.
Unpleasant smell indicates decayed timber
Sound: A good timber should give a clear ringing
sound when struck
Strength: A good timber should be sufficiently
strong for working as structural member such as
joist, beam, rafter etc.

70. Structure: The structure should be
uniform.
Toughness: A good timber should be
tough (i.e.) capable of offering resistance
to shocks due to vibration.
Water permeability: A good timber should
have low water permeability, which is
measured by the quantity of water filtered
through unit surface area of specimen of
wood.

71. Weight: The timber with heavy weight is
considered to
be sound and strong.
Working conditions: Timber should be
easily workable. It
should not clog the teeth of saw.

72. SEASONING OF TIMBER:
As fresh timber which is obtained from
trees contains about 30 to 40 % sap or
moisture. This sap is very harmful for the
life of a timber. Therefore, it is necessary
to remove that sap by applying some
special methods.
All those methods which are used for
removing the sap from timber are
collectively termed as seasoning of
timber.

73. USES OF TIMEBR:
Timber is used in:
1.Building construction, 2.Construction
of house posts, 3.Construction of
beams, 4.Construction of rafters,
5.Construction of bridges,
6.Construction of piles, poles and
railway sleepers,
Continued--------

74. 6.For furniture making.
7.For light packing cases,
8.For high packing cases (for machinery and
similar stores),
9.For manufacturing of agricultural implements,
10.For making toys, etc,
11.For manufacturing of veneers and ply woods.
USES OF TIMEBR:

75. HUMAN MADE MATERIAL-METALS / STEEL :
Metal is used as structural framework for larger buildings such
as Skyscrapers, or as an external surface covering.
Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, and is
the usual choice for metal structural building materials.
It is strong, flexible, and if refined well and/or treated lasts a
long time.
The lower density and better corrosion resistance of
aluminium alloys and tin sometimes overcome their greater
cost.

76. HUMAN MADE MATERIAL- CEMENT

77. INTRODUCTION
 Cement is a building material
for binding bricks, stones or
aggregates.
 Used for making mortar or
concrete.
 Cements natural and artificial.
 Natural cement-burning and
crushing of stones and lime.
 Artificial cement-burning at
high temperature and
gypsum is added.

78. COMPOSITION
ingredient range approximate
lime 60-65% 63
Silica 17-25% 21
Alumina 4-8% 6
Iron oxide 1-6% 3
Magnesia 1-3% 1.5
Calcium sulphate 3-5% 4
Sulphur 1-3% 1
Alkalies 0.2-1% 0.5

79. MANUFACTURING OF CEMENT
 Mixing of raw material(wet or dry)
 Burning
 Grinding

81. KILN

82. THE CEMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Quarry face
1. BLASTING 2. TRANSPORT
quarry
3. CRUSHING & TRANSPORTATION
1.BLASTING : The raw materials that are used to manufacture cement (mainly limestone and clay) are blasted
from the quarry.
2.TRANSPORT : The raw materials are loaded into a dumper.
3.CRUSHING AND TRANSPORTATION : The raw materials, after crushing, are transported to the plant by
conveyor. The plant stores the materials before they are homogenized.
crushing
conveyor
dumper
storage at
the plant
loader

83. 1. RAW GRINDING
RAW GRINDING AND
BURNING
2. BURNING
1. RAW GRINDING : The raw materials are very finely ground in order to produce the raw mix.
2. BURNING : The raw mix is preheated before it goes into the kiln, which is heated by a flame that can be as
hot as 2000 °C. The raw mix burns at 1500 °C producing clinker which, when it leaves the kiln, is rapidly
cooled with air fans. So, the raw mix is burnt to produce clinker : the basic material needed to make cement.
conveyor
Raw mix
kiln
cooling
preheating
clinker
storage at
the plant
Raw mill

84. 1. GRINDING
GRINDING, STORAGE, PACKING,
DISPATCH
2. STORAGE, PACKING, DISPATCH
1.GRINDING : The clinker and the gypsum are very finely ground giving a “pure cement”. Other secondary
additives and cementitious materials can also be added to make a blended cement.
2.STORAGE, PACKING, DISPATCH :The cement is stored in silos before being dispatched either in bulk or in
bags to its final destination.
clinker
storage
Gypsum and the secondary additives are added
to the clinker.
silos
dispatch
bags
Finish grinding

85. CHARACTERISTICS
 Strength- atleast 175kg/cm2
 Fineness
 Colour
 Resistant to moisture.
 Setting time

86. TYPES OF CEMENT
 Ordinary portland cement
 Rapid hardening cement
 High alumina cement
 Blast furnace slag cement
 Super sulphated cement
 Low heat cement
 Air entraining cement
 Quick setting cement
 Coloured cement
 White cement
 Acid resistance cement
 Hydrophobic cement

87. APPLICATION OF CEMENT
 Cement as mortar
◦ For laying or binding
masonry units (bricks ,
stones
,etc)
◦ For pointing themasonry
joints
◦ For plastering the surface to
protect from weather.
◦ For decorative finish
◦ For filler material in
ferro cement
construction.
◦ For damp proof course
below the ground level.
◦ Water proofing, crack
repairs and structures.

88.  Cement as concrete
◦ For manufacturing solid
and hollow concrete
blocks.
◦ For laying subfloors and
floors
◦ For RCC constructions
(slab, beam, column,
stairs, footings, etc)

89. HUMAN MADE MATERIAL -GLASS :
Glass is generally made from mixtures of sand and
silicates, in a very hot fire stove called a klin and is very
brittle.
Very often additives are added to the mixture when
making to produce glass with shades of colors or various
characteristics.
The use of glass in architectural buildings has become very
popular in the modern culture.
Glassmaking is considered an art form as well as an industrial
process or material.
Clear windows have been used since the invention of glass to
cover small openings in a building.

90. HUMAN MADE MATERIAL -PLASTIC :
The term plastics covers a range of synthetic or semi-
synthetic organic condesition or polymerzation products that
can be molded or extruded into objects or films or fibers.
Plastics vary immensely in heat tolerance, hardness, and
resiliency. Combined with this adaptability,
Plastic is a light, flexible substance, used mostly for piping in
buildings.
Their name is derived from the fact that in their semi-liquid
state they are malleable, or have the property of plasticity.