Test of Stones To acertain the required properties of stones, the following tests can be conducted: (i) crushing strength test (ii) water absorption test (iii) abrasion test (iv) impact test (v) acid test. Crushing Strength Test For conducting this test, specimen of size 40 × 40 × 40 mm are prepared from parent stone. Then […]
Every family needs a building to reside. Apart from residential purposes buildings are required for educational, institutional, business, assembly and for industrial purposes. Buildings are required for the storage of materials also. In this chapter basic requirements of buildings are presented and then planning of the building with respect to orientation, utility of space, energy
Brick is obtained by moulding good clay into a block, which is dried and then burnt. This is the oldest building block to replace stone. Manufacture of brick started with hand moulding, sun drying and burning in clamps. A considerable amount of technological development has taken place with better knowledge about to properties of raw
Planning of Buildings All buildings should be properly planned, keeping in view the various requirements of a good building. Except strength requirement, all other requirements of good buildings are taken care at the stage of planning. Strength requirement is taken care during structural design of building components. However in planning the building by-laws of the
Tests on Bricks The following laboratory tests may be conducted on the bricks to find their suitability: (i) Crushing strength (ii) Absorption (iii) Shape and size and (iv) Efflorescence. (i) Crushing Strength: The brick specimen are immersed in water for 24 hours. The frog of the brick is filled flush with 1:3 cement mortar and
Lime is an important binding material used in building construction. Lime has been used as the material of construction from ancient time. When it is mixed with sand it provides lime mortar and when mixed with sand and coarse aggregate, it forms lime concrete. Types of Lime and their Properties The limes are classified as
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