the different types of engineering materials available in todays world.

1. STRUCTURE'S ASSIGNMENT
ENGINEERING MATERIALS
SiyaPrabhuDesai
Roll No.:35
Goa College of Architecture

2. List downthe variousmaterialsusedasstructural componentsinbuildingconstructionincluding
steel,timber, cement,concrete,bricksandstones.explainthe propertiesof eachof these materials
whichmake themgoodstructural materials.
The engineeringstructuresare composedof materials.These materialsare known asbuilding
materialsandare broadly classifiedintothree maincategories:
 Cementmaterialssuchaslime,cement,mortar
 Protective materialssuchaspaints, varnishes,plasteretc
 Solidmaterials suchasstones,bricks,iron,timberetc
1) STONES:
The stonesare beingusedinconstructionsince the ancienttimes.
Uses:
 Structure:the stonesare usedfor foundation,walls,columns,lintels,arches,roofs,floors,
dampproof coursesetc
 Face work:theyare adoptedtogive massive appearance tothe structure.Thisisknow an
composite masonry.
 Paving:theyusedtocoverfloorsof building of varioustypessuchasresidential,
commercial,industrial,etc. Theyare alsoadoptedtoformatpavingof roads,footpaths etc.
 Basic materials:the stonesare disintegrated andconverted toforma basicmaterial for
cement,murumof roads,calcareouscements,artificialstones,hollow blocksetc.
 Miscellaneous: ballastforrailway andflux inblastfurnaces.
Artificial Stones
Theymay take up variousformsas follows:
I. Cementconcrete:itismixture of cement,fineaggregate, coarse aggregate andwater.
II. Mosaic Tiles:theyare previouscastconcrete tileswithmarble chipsattopsurface.
III. Terrazzo:mixture of marble chipsandcement.Usedforbath roomsand temples.
Advantages:
 Cavitiesandgroovescanbe made in the stoneswhichcan usedforfixingvariousfittingsand
to conveypipes,electrical cablesetcrespectively.
 It can be cast indesiredshape.
 Can be made in single piece forlintels,beams.
 It ischeap andeconomical
 Good inresistingdeterioration anddisintegration.
 More durable thanthe natural stone.

3. 2) CERAMIC MATERIALS:
The term ceremicisusedto indicate the pottersartor articlesmade bythe potter.The ceremic
productsare broadlydividedintofollowingthree categories:
 Clayproducts
 Refractories
 Glass
Advantages:
 Theyare veryeasyto clean.
 Sanitarywareslike bathtub,WC,washbasinsgenerallyremainwet.Theycanbe maintained
cleanand nonslippery.
 All ceramicmaterialsgive anewandmodernlookto buildingsdue totheirdifferentcolours,
designsandlustre.
3) BRICK:
Properties:
1. lowmaintenance
2. loadbearing,strengthcanbe specifiedasrequired
3. fire resistant
4. economical
5. environmentfriendly
6. provide thermal andsoundinsulation
4) CEMENT:
The natural cementisobtainedbyburningandcrushingthe stonescontainingclay,carbonate of
lime andsome amountof carbonate of magnesia.itisnotso strong as artificial cement.
the artificial cementisobtainedbyburningata veryhightemperature a mixture of calcareousand
argillaceousmaterials.A small quantityof gypsmisaddedtothe clinkerandit inthenpulverisedinto
verysmall fine powdercalledcement.
Advantages
1. it givesstrengthtothe masonry
2. it isan excellentbindingmaterial
3. it iseasilyworkable
4. it offersgoodresistance tothe moisture
5. it possessesagoodplasticity

4. 5) MORTAR:
The term mortar is used to indicate a paste prepared by addding required quantity of water to
mixture of binding material like cement or lime and ine aggregate like sand.
Depending on the kind of binding material they are divided into five categories
I. lime mortar
II. gauged mortar
III. surkhi mortar
IV. gypsum mortar
V. cement mortar
Advantages of good mortar mix
1. it should develop good adhesion with building materials
2. it should developed the designed stresss
3. it should be cheap, durable and easily workable.
Uses of Mortar:
 to bind the building units such as bricks, stones, etc. into a solid mass,
 to carry out pointing and plasterwork on exposed surface of masonary,
 to form an even and soft bedding layer for building units,
 to form joints of pipe,
 to improve the general appearance of structure,
 to prepare moulds for coping, corbels, cornice ,etc.,
 to serve as a matrix or cavity to hold coarse aggregate , etc.
 to distribute uniformly the super incumbent weight from upper layer to
lower layer of bricks or stones,
 to hide the open joints of brick work and stonework,
 to fill up the cracks detected in the structure during maintenance process,
etc.
6)TIMBER:
the word timberisderivedfromanoldEnglish
wordtimberianwhichmeanstobuild.The timber
thusdenoteswoodwhichissuitable forbuilding
or carpentryor variousotherengineeringpurposes
and itis appliedtothe treesmeasuringnotlessthan600 mmin girthor circumference of the trunk.
Industrial Timber:
The timberwhichispreparedscientificallyinafactoryistermedas the industrial timber and as such
timber possesses desired shape, appearance, strength, etc., Following are the five varieties of
industrial timber.

5. 1. Veneers: These are thin sheets or slices of wood of superior quality. The thickness of veneers
from 0.44 mm to 6mm or more.
2. Plywoods:The plywoodsare boardswhichare preparedfromthinlayersof wood or veeners . the
three or more veneersinoddnumbersare placedone above the otherwiththe directionof grainsof
successive layers at right angles to each other. They are held in position by application of suitable
adhesives.
Advantages of Plywoods:
 As a plies are placed at right angles to each other, the expansion and
shrinkages are comparatively very low.
 They are available in a variety of decorative appearance.
 They are available in very large sizes.
 They are light in weight.
 They are not easily affected by moisture.
 They are stronger then solid boards.
 They are very easy to work and they can be made to suit any design.
3. Fibre Boards:
These are rigid boards and they are also known as the pressed wood or reconstructed wood, The
thicknessvariesfrom3mm to 12mm. The maximumandminimumlimitsof weight are respectively
9600 N/𝑚3and 500 to 600 N/𝑚3.
4. Impreg timber:
The timber which is fully or partly covered with resin is known as the impreg timber.
Advantages:
 It is not affected by moisture and weather conditions.
 It is strong and durable .
 It possesses more electrical insulation.
 The contractionand expansionof impregtimbersare about 25 to 40 percent
less than ordinary timber.
5. Compreg Timber:
The process of preparing compreg timber is same as that of impreg timber except that curing is
carried out under pressure.
6. Block boards and Lamin Boards:
Black boards are boards having a core made up of strips of wood, each not exceeding 25mm in
width. When the thickness of core stripes does not exceed 7 mm, such boards are known as lamin
boards.
7. Glulam: It mean glued and laminated wood. it is not made of veneers bur with solid wood.

6. Advantages of Timber Construction:
 It can be easilyhandledandcanbe planed, sawnand joinedwithordinary
toolsof carpenter.
 It can be usedeitherforloadbearing membersorfornon-loadbearing
members.
 it combineslightweight withstrengthandhence itisgenerallypreferredfor
the buildinginthe earthquake-prone regions.
 It iseconomical andcheap.
 Ii is usedto prepare furniture of decentappearanceandcomfortable design.
 The houseswithtimberconstructionsare foundto be cool in summerand
warm inwinters.
 It iseasilyavailableandcanbe speedilytransportedbysimple meansof
communication.
7) STEEL:
As far as the carbon content is concerned , the steel forms an intermediate stage between caste -
ironand wrought -ironsteel becomesharderandtougher as its carbon content goes on increasing.
the steel issuitable forall constructionpurpose ingeneral andhence ithaspractically replaced cast-
iron and wrought-iron in the present day practice of building construction. It is equally strong in
compression as well as in tension.
Uses of Steel:
Dependinguponthe carboncontent,the steel isdesignedasthe mildsteel or medium carbon steel
or high carbon steel.
Properties:
 can be recycled without degradation of properties
 can span greater distances, increase design flexibility
 can be erected in much shorter span of time
 excellent low waste credentials
8) GLASS:
Glass has come out as the most versatile engineering material of the modern times.
Classification of Glass:
The glass may be grouped into the following five main categories.
o Soda -lime glass or commercial glass.
o Potash-lime glass

7. o Potash - lead glass
o Common glass
o Borosilicate glass.
Properties:
1) transparency: allows visual connection with the world
2) U value: it has a low U value so better at keeping the heat or cold out
3) strength: it can resist deformation under load
4) recyclable
5) easy to work with and can be manufactured in various sizes and shapes.
9) PLASTIC:
The plasticis one of the recentengineeringmaterialwhich
has appearedinthe marketall overthe world.
PVC Pipes in building:
The PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride is the most versatile plastics and the use of PVC pipes in building is
becoming popular day by day.
Advantages offered by PVC doors and windows:
i. Theyare totallyrust-proof ,rot-proof,termite-proofandwater-proof
ii. Theyare unaffectedbythe coastal saline air,dryheat,sub-zero
temperature ortropical rains.
iii. Theydo not fade.corrode,flake,orwrapandconsequently,require no
maintenance.
iv. Theyprovide analternative towood.
The advantages of PVC pipes can be summarised as follows:
i. They have good insulating properties and hence the temperature of water
passing through such pipes is not affected by the outside temperature.
ii. They permit high, smooth, and undiminished flow of water.
iii. They have no problems of Incrustation.
iv. They prove to be economical
v. They provide resistance to a variety of chemicals.
Biodegradable Plastic
biodegradableplasticdecomposes in the natural environment. it is produced from the biopolymer
called polhydroxyalkanote ( PHA).
this reduces problems with litter and reduces harmful effects on wildlife.
Fibre Glass Reinforced Plastic

8. FRP isformed byusingtwomaterialsinconjunctionwitheachothertoforma composite material of
altogetherdifferentproperties.itisalsosometimesreferredastoas Glass Fibre ReinforcedPlasticor
GRP.
Properties of FRP
a) Aesthetic appeal
b) Corrosion resistance
c) easy to repair and energy saving
Application of FRP
a) Concrete shuttering
b) Domes, doors and window frames
c) Internal partitions and wall panelling and roof sheets