Most of the materials that we use are not pure but consist of a mixture of one or more constituents. Each of the three material states of gases, liquids and solids may consist of a mixture of different components, e.g. in alloys of two metals. These components are called phases, with each phase being homogeneous. […]
Pure metals in the ‘as-cast’ condition after slow cooling are generally soft, have low yield stresses and are very ductile; this is a consequence of the ease of dislocation movement or slip. They are therefore unsuitable for use as a structural material, with perhaps the most critical property for design being the low yield stress.
Many construction materials, particularly metals and some ceramics, consist of small crystals or grains within which the atoms are packed in regular, repeating, three-dimensional patterns giving a longrange order. The grains are ‘glued’ together at the grain boundaries; we will consider the importance of these later, but first we will discuss the possible arrangements of
Having produced and formed a metal, it is necessary to ensure that it performs well during service. A major consideration in this is corrosion. This involves loss of material from the metal’s surface and can be divided into two processes: dry oxidation and wet corrosion. Oxidation and Corrosion of Metals Dry Oxidation The earth’s atmosphere
Corrosion Prevention and Control by Design At ambient temperatures significant corrosion occurs only if moisture is present. Thus, surfaces should be exposed as little as possible to moisture and arranged so that they dry out quickly after wetting. In practice all surfaces are at risk, vertical surfaces suffer ‘run off’, flat surfaces retain moisture on
Cement is the essential component of concrete which, when hydrated, binds the aggregates together to form the hard, strong and monolithic whole that is so useful. Well over 95% of the cement used in concrete throughout the world is Portland cement in its various forms. It is by no means a simple material, and its
Manufacturing, Properties, Composition of Portland Cement Read More »
For an initial period after mixing, the fluidity or consistence of a paste of cement and water appears to remain relatively constant. In fact, a small but gradual loss of fluidity occurs, which can be partially recovered on remixing. At a time called the initial set, normally between two and four hours after mixing at
We have seen that, at any stage of hydration, the HCP consists of: a residue of unhydrated cement, at the centre of the original grains the hydrates (the gel), chiefly calcium silicates (C-S-H) but also some calcium aluminates, sulphoaluminates and ferrites, which have a complex fibrous form and contain the gel pores, which are between
It is a good idea to begin the design of the foundations of a building at the same time as architectural design work commences. Subsurface conditions beneath a site can strongly influence fundamental decisions about a building—its location on the site, its size and shape, its weight, and the required degree of flexibility of its
Testing of Hardened Concrete Many tests are used to evaluate the hardened concrete properties, either in the laboratory or in the field. Some of these tests are destructive, while others are nondestructive. Tests can be performed for different purposes; however, they are mostly conducted to control the quality of the concrete and to check specification