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Construction Materials
A. Concrete
cement, sand, gravel, water, and usually additives. The cement is the material that causes
the other ingredients to adhere to one another. The water is needed to cause the cement to
hydrate. Concrete does not harder by drying, but by hydration. The aggregate used to make
concrete should be uniformly graded to provide a good fill the small spaces between the
individual pieces of aggregate. The sand will fill the small spaces in the mix. Gap-graded
aggregates have certain particle sizes entirely or mostly absent. The lack of two or more
successive sizes can create segregation problems with the concrete mix.
Concrete is most especially used for the beams and slabs of the structure. Beams
are structural members which are oriented horizontally and are supported by supports on
both ends. Typically, the cross-sectional dimensions of beams do not exceed one-tenth of
its span. The structural function of beams is to carry vertical loads. On the other hand, a
concrete slab is a flat piece of concrete, put on the walls or columns of the structure. It
serves as a walking surface but may also serve as a load bearing member, as in slab homes.
(Wikipedia, n.d.).
B. .Portland Cement
Common type of powdery cementitious building material made from finely pulverized
alumina, iron oxide, lime, magnesia, and silica burnt together in a kiln. When mixed with
water and sand (or gravel) it turns into masonry mortar (or concrete) and, after a series of
complex internal reactions, sets like a stone. Invented in 1824 by the UK bricklayer Joseph
Aspdin (1779-1855), it gets its name from its resemblance (upon hardening) to the famous
Portland limestone (obtained from quarries on the Isle Of Portland), the traditionally
Portland cement, which is to be used, is not a brand but a type of hydraulic cement that
is used in road and highway constructions. It is mixed with water, aggregates and
including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates.
Aggregates are the most mined materials in the world. Aggregates are a component
of composite materials such as concrete and asphalt concrete; the aggregate serves as
reinforcement to add strength to the overall composite material. Due to the relatively high
hydraulic conductivity value as compared to most soils, aggregates are widely used in
drainage applications such as foundation and French drains, septic drain fields, retaining
wall drains, and road side edge drains. Aggregates are also used as base material under
foundations, roads, and railroads. In other words, aggregates are used as a stable foundation
or road/rail base with predictable, uniform properties (e.g. to help prevent differential
settling under the road or building), or as a low-cost extender that binds with more
Aggregates are inert materials that form concrete when bound together into a
conglomerate mass by Portland cement and water. It comprises about 75% of the total mass
of concrete (Fajardo, 2001). The aggregates to be used are sand and gravel which are to be
steel and reinforcement steel,[1] is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device
in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and hold the
concrete in tension. Rebar's surface is often patterned to form a better bond with the
concrete. Compared with concrete, the strength of reinforcing steel (shown below) is
fifteen times greater in compression, and more than a hundred times in tension. Although
steel is more expensive than concrete, it is useful when combined with concrete. While
the most widely used masonry material for all types of construction such as walls,
partitions, dividers, fences, etc. It is a building module resembling large bricks that are
molded from sand and cement. The CHB will be used to build the walls of the lounge.
F. Steel
Steel Construction has been found to be advantageous through its increased market
share to more than 90% for one-storey industrial buildings and to greater than 70% for
multi-storey non-residential buildings. Its versatility makes it easy for architects turn their
ideal design into reality. It is an important component of most business since painting and
construction materials. First is speed of construction. Steel structures are built faster
because its components have calculated capacities. Second is the cost savings, since the
price of steel from more than a decade has decreased, thus increasing its productivity for
high demand. Another area is its long life durability. This includes its adaptability and
flexibility which allows the steel to be extended with less hassle and expenses. Finally, it
considers health and safety. Surveys have shown steel to be the safest material. In fact,
offsite fabrication and on-site assembly is what makes steel the safest.
The most common and costly type of materials degradation is the corrosion of steels
and concrete. The US Department of Transformation states that the annual direct cost of
corrosion in the United States is a staggering 276 billion dollars. Steel corrosion, or
rusting, happens if there is a loss of electrons in the iron atoms. It can be prevented by
avoiding contact with water through coatings or a building envelope (Exponent, n.d.).
All types of educational buildings require a strong, durable and clean design. One
way to satisfy the requirement is to select the corrosion protection system depending on
whether the steels exposure is internal or external. Usually hot-dip coating is used for
covered steel and high-build coating for the exposed one (Steel Construction, n.d.).
G. Glass
Glass door
silica (silicon dioxide or quartz), which is the primary constituent of sand, the most
historical and oldest types of glass are silicate glasses. Many applications of silicate
glasses derive from their optical transparency, giving rise to their primary use as window
panes. Glass will transmit, reflect and refract light. Although brittle, silicate glass is
extremely durable. Scientifically, the term glass is often define in a broader sense,
and that exhibits a glass transition when heated towards the liquid state.
.
Construction Methodology
Fajardo (2001) defines layout and staking as the process of establishing the point
considered. It also includes demolition, clearing, staking, batter boards and establishing the
exact location of the building post and walls that will rest on the ground. Some pine trees
need to be cut down so that the space will be big enough for the lounge to be constructed.
B. Excavation
Excavation is the process of moving earth, rock or other materials with tools,
the most common applications for excavation. Excavation is used in construction to create
building foundations, reservoirs and roads. Some of the different processes used in
excavation include trenching, digging, dredging and site development. Each of these
processes requires unique techniques, tools and machinery to get the job done right. The
processes used will depend upon the structure that will result from the construction process.
Excavation is classified into two: the shallow excavation and the deep excavation.
commonly defined as digging of soil after outlining the ground. However, factors such as
the topographic condition of the ground and the depth of excavation must be considered so
that materials, time and labor for adjustment will not be wasted (Fajardo, 2001). The
As stated by Fajardo (2001), Masonry is the art of building with stone, bricks,
concrete blocks, or other similar materials. The formation of the walls is done through the
D. Roofing
Nowadays, flat roof is the most preferred type of roofing in many residential and
commercial buildings. The authors of this project decided to have a flat concrete slab roof
in order to make use of the concrete than spending for another material for roofing.
Concrete flat roof is also stronger against wind and earthquake loads compared to other
roofing materials.
E. Finishing Works
Finishing involves tiling and painting the building. Ceramic tile is one of the oldest
building materials that is still widely used due to its infinite selection of design, color, and
practical purposes (Fajardo, 2000). In this project, the latex paint colors to be used are blue-
green for the exterior walls, and cream white for the interior ones. For less expense on