Civil Engineering Materials

Types of Foundations In this article, broad guidelines for fixing the dimensions of foundation are given and different types of foundations are explained. Dimensions of Foundation Guidelines for minimum dimensions are given below: (a) Depth of Foundation: For all types of foundations minimum depth required is calculated using Rankine’s Formula: where p = safe bearing […]

These foundations are known as deep foundations. A pile is a slender column made of wood, concrete or steel. A pile is either driven into the soil or formed in situ by excavating a hole and then filling it with concrete. A group of piles are driven to the required depth and are capped with

Cement is a commonly used binding material in the construction. The cement is obtained by burning a mixture of calcarious (calcium) and argillaceous (clay) material at a very high temperature and then grinding the clinker so produced to a fine powder. It was first produced by a mason Joseph Aspdin in England in 1924. He

Fineness Test: It is conducted by sieve analysis. 100 gms of cement is taken and sieved through IS sieve No. 9 for fifteen minutes. Residue on the sieve is weighed. This should not exceed 10 percent by weight of sample taken. Setting Time Test of Cement Initial setting time and final setting time are the

Timber refers to wood used for construction works. In fact the word timber is derived from an old English word ‘Timbrian’ which means ‘to build’. A tree that yields good wood for construction is called ‘Standing Timber.’ After felling a tree, its branches are cut and its stem is roughly converted into pieces of suitable

Defects in Timber Good timber is free from defects like dead knots, shakes and cracks. Various defects which are likely to occur in timber may be grouped into the following three: Due to natural forces Due to defective seasoning and conversions. Due to attack by fungi and insects. Defects in Timber due to Natural Forces

Seasoning of Timber This is a process by which moisture content in a freshly cut tree is reduced to a suitable level. By doing so the durability of timber is increased. The various methods of seasoning used may be classified into: Natural seasoning Artificial seasoning. Natural Seasoning of Timber It may be air seasoning or

Mortar is an intimate mixture of binding material, fine aggregate and water. When water is added to the dry mixture of binding material and the inert material, binding material develops the property that binds not only the inert material but also the surrounding stones and bricks. If the cement is the binding material, then the

Preparing and Placing of Concrete The following steps are involved in the concreting: 1. Batching: The measurement of materials for making concrete is known as batching. The following two methods of batching is practiced: (a) Volume batching (b) Weight batching. (a) Volume Batching: In this method cement, sand and concrete are batched by volume. A

Plain concrete, commonly known as concrete, is an intimate mixture of binding material, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and water. This can be easily moulded to desired shape and size before it loses plasticity and hardens. Plain concrete is strong in compression but very weak in tension. The tensile property is introduced in concrete by inducting