CIVL 111 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION
1.1 MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION
The world is composed of various materials. The materials science and
engineering serves as ground for all technology branches such as electronics, energy,
communication, environment, and healthy engineering. Construction materials are the
most widely used materials and their usage is the largest in tonnage in the world.
Through the history of human civilization, many materials have been used in the
construction of buildings, bridges, roads and other structures. The focus of our study is
on modern construction materials including concrete, steel, wood, bituminous materials
as well as polymers and fibrous composites. Among these materials, concrete will
receive the most attention in this course, for two reasons. First, the civil engineer is
responsible for designing the concrete he/she uses and for ensuring its long term
performance. On the other hand, steel and wood products are designed by material and
mechanical engineers, who supply them to us according to our specifications. Second,
concrete (reinforced concrete) is the most widely used construction material in the world
and of course in Hong Kong, too. For any civil engineer who will be practicing in Hong
Kong, a good knowledge of concrete behaviour is essential.
Besides concrete, steel and wood are the other two most commonly used
construction materials in the world. In the US, for example, most residential houses are
built with wood and over half of the office buildings are constructed with steel. This is
due to the abundant supply of both materials, making them economical. Steel, besides its
use as structural members on its own, is also used as reinforcements or prestressing
tendons for concrete structures. Understanding steel behaviour is hence an important
component in the studying of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete design.
Bituminous materials are used all over the world in the construction of road pavements.
In recent years, polymers and polymeric composites have been gaining popularity in the
construction industry, due to their light weight and good durability. Polymers have been
used in pipes, fabrics for large roofing as well as geotextiles for slope protection.

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Reinforcing bars and grids have been made with fiber reinforced composites to replace
metals in corrosive environments.
Soil is also an important construction material, but it is covered in a separate
course. Masonry (bricks and blocks) are widely used in building walls. Since they are
not the primary load carrying components, we will not discuss them here. In buildings,
many non-structural materials are also employed. These include floor and wall
coverings, tiles, glass, insulation materials, sealants etc. Most of them are specified for
aesthetic purposes by the architect or the interior designer. They will not be studied in
this course.

1.2 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN

Construction materials and structural design are two closely related fields. To
design a building or a bridge, we often starts with a given structural form. Once the
loading on the structure is determined, structural analysis allows us to obtain the
moments and shear forces in each of the members. We then choose member sizes to
ensure that failure or excessive deflection will not occur. Moreover, in case failure
occurs, we want it to be gradual, rather than sudden and without warning. In order to
perform this task, two questions need to be answered. First, how can one relate the
maximum stress and deflection of a member to the applied moment and shear as well as
the member size and material stiffness. The answer to this question is provided by the
theories in mechanics of materials. Second, what is the strength (or maximum stress
capacity) and stiffness of the material, and what is its failure mode. The answer lies in
the study of the behaviour of construction materials, and is best presented in terms of the
stress-strain diagram (or constitutive relation) of the material (Fig.1.1).

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 (a) (b)
σ σ

ε ε
Fig.1.1 Stress Strain Diagrams for (a) Brittle and (b) Ductile Materials

The initial slope of the stress strain diagram reflects the stiffness of the material.
The higher the slope, the more difficult it is to deform the material. If a structural
member is made with a stiffer material, its deflection will be reduced. Fig.1.1(a) shows
the stress strain relation for a brittle material such as glass. Once a critical stress value
(the strength) is reached, failure will occur suddenly with no warning. The stress strain
relation shown in Fig.1.1(b) represents that of mild steel (up to a certain strain level).
After the critical value is reached, the material can still carry stress on further
deformation. This deformation capability is called ductility. The implication is that the
structural member will undergo significant deflections before failure occurs, providing
warning to people in and around the structure.
In the above discussion, we start with the structure form, and then consider the
relevance of material stress-strain relation in choosing the member size. In reality, the
stress-strain relation of a material often determines the structural form. For example, due
to the high compressive strength but low tensile strength of natural stone, historical stone
structures are built in the arch form. With the development of high strength steel, cable
suspended and cable stayed bridges are designed. The fact that structural form is affected
by material behaviour is usually taken for granted, since we have sufficient experience
with materials like concrete, wood and steel to prescribe the structural form. When new
materials (such as fiber reinforced composites) are introduced, civil engineers should
come up with new structural forms which would take full advantage of the materials.
In recent years, due to the infrastructure decay problem in many developed
countries, the long term performance of structures has become an important concern. In

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other words, we are interested in knowing how the stress-strain relation may change with
time. For example, under chemical attack and repeated loading from the traffic, would
the strength of concrete or steel be reduced over time. Under sustained loading over
many years, would the stiffness of polymers becomes a lot lower, hence leading to
excessive deflection. These are important issues to be addressed and will be one of the
major foci of discussion throughout the course.
Besides the mechanical properties, physical properties and chemical properties of
construction materials are also important. The weight of materials governs the dead load
on a structure. Its porosity governs water and gas penetration that affects material
durability. The chemical properties govern the likelihood of chemical reaction and
deterioration under various environments, and are clearly important in the study of long
term performance of materials.
Before closing of the introduction chapter, let’s mention the fact that construction
materials are always evolving. Forty years ago, concrete of 50 MPa is considered high
strength. Today, 50 MPa concrete can be easily produced anywhere and 130 MPa
concrete has been employed in the construction of high rise buildings. Thirty years ago,
polymeric composites are only commonly used in the aerospace industry. Today,
composite reinforcing bars are commercially available, at a price only slightly higher
than epoxy-coated steel (which is widely used in bridges in the U.S. - the epoxy coating
is to provide corrosion protection). Readers of civil engineering magazines will notice
advertisements of new materials all the time, some used on their own, while others used
as additives to improve the properties of concrete. With knowledge developing at an
ever-increasing rate, civil engineers of this generation will likely encounter new
construction materials in their career. How, then, can a sound judgement be made
regarding the use of such a material? The answer lies again in the behaviour of the
material. With a good understanding of the physical basis of material behaviour, factors
that may affect it and its relation to structural behaviour, we will be able to ask the right
question about any new material, and perform the right tests to assess its applicability.
The second chapter will provide a concise summary of mechanical properties of
materials. This will provide a background for the understanding of material behaviour in
general, and be helpful in the study of specific construction materials in the later chapters.