7/31/2017

Construction
Definition of Properties of
Materials and Testing Engineering Materials
INTRODUCTION

Physical Properties

 A physical property is any property that is measurable,

whose value describes a state of a physical system. The
changes in the physical properties of a system can be
used to describe its transformations or evolutions
between its momentary states.
Physical properties are often referred to as observables.
Physical Properties


 Density, Specific gravity, porosity, void ratio, water

absorption, weathering resistance, water permeability,
frost resistance

Density Density of Materials

Material Bulk Density (kg/cubic m)
Brick 1700
 Density is defined as mass per unit volume for a material. The Mastic Asphalt 2100
derived unit usually used by engineers is the kg/m3 . Relative density Cement 2306
is the density of the material compared with the density of the water
Glass 2520
at 4˚C.
𝑚 Concrete 1:2:4 2260
𝜌=
𝑉 Limestone 2310
 Bulk Density ρb - It is the ratio of material mass to total volume of Granite 2662
material, including spaces. V = Vsolids + Vvoids & M = Msolids + Mwater Steel 7850
 Solid Density ρs - It is the ratio of the mass of solid material to the Aluminum 2700
volume of solid material without any spaces. Copper 9000
Lead 11340
Hardwoods 769
Softwoods (plywood) 513

1
 7/31/2017

Unit Weight Specific Gravity

 It is the ratio of the material weight to the material volume.  A ratio of solid density of material and density of distilled water at a
𝑊 temperature of 4˚C. It is the other term for relative density
𝛾= 𝑉
or 𝛾 = 𝜌𝑔 𝜌𝑠
𝐺𝑠 =
 Where the weight of the body is the mass of the body multiplied to 𝜌𝑤
the acceleration due to gravity.  Where
𝑔 𝑘𝑔
 𝜌𝑤 = 1 𝑜𝑟 1000
𝑚𝑙 𝑚3

Porosity Void Ratio

 It is the ratio of the volume of the spaces in the material to the over  It is the ratio between the size of voids to the volume of solid
all volume. material.
𝑉𝑣 𝑉𝑣
𝑛= 𝑒=
𝑉 𝑉𝑠
 Where  Where
 𝑉𝑣 − 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑠  𝑉𝑠 − 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑠

Water absorption Water Absorption

 It denotes the ability of the material to absorb and retain water. It is  The properties of building materials are greatly influenced when
expressed as the percentage in weight or of the volume of dry saturated. The ratio of compressive strength of material saturated
material. with water to that in dry state is known as coefficient of softening
𝑀𝑠𝑎𝑡 − 𝑀𝑑𝑟𝑦 and describes the water resistance of materials. For materials like
𝑊𝑤 = 𝑥100
𝑀 𝑑𝑟𝑦 clay which soak readily it is zero, whereas for materials like glass and
𝑉𝑠𝑎𝑡 − 𝑉𝑑𝑟𝑦 metals it is one. Materials with coefficient of softening less than 0.8
𝑊𝑣 = 𝑥100 should not be recommended in the situations permanently exposed
𝑉𝑑𝑟𝑦
to the action of moisture.

2
 7/31/2017

Weathering Resistance Water permeability

 It is the ability of a material to endure alternate wet and dry  It is the capacity of a material to allow water to penetrate under
conditions for a long period without considerable deformation and pressure. Materials like glass, steel and bitumen are impervious.
loss of mechanical strength.

Frost Resistance

 It denotes the ability of a water-saturated material to endure

repeated freezing and thawing with considerable decrease of
mechanical strength. Under such conditions the water contained by
the pores increases in volume even up to 9 percent on freezing.

Mechanical Properties

Mechanical Properties Brittleness

 The properties which relate to material behavior under applied
forces define as mechanical properties.
 The common mechanical properties: Tensile strength, compressive
strength, rigidity, hardness. Creep, fatigue, and others
 A material is brittle if, when subjected to stress, it breaks without
significant plastic deformation. Brittle materials absorb relatively little
energy prior to fracture, even those of high strength. Breaking is
often accompanied by a snapping sound.

3

Bulk Modulus
 The bulk modulus (K or B) of a substance is a measure of how
incompressible/resistant to compressibility that substance is. It is
defined as the ratio of the infinitesimal pressure increase to the
resulting relative decrease of the volume.
Creep
 In materials science, creep (sometimes called cold flow) is the
tendency of a solid material to move slowly or deform permanently
under the influence of mechanical stresses. It can occur as a result
of long-term exposure to high levels of stress that are still below the
yield strength of the material. Creep is more severe in materials that
are subjected to heat for long periods, and generally increases as
they near their melting point.
Durability
 Durability is the ability of a product to perform its required function
over a lengthy period under normal conditions of use without
excessive expenditure on maintenance or repair.
7/31/2017
Compressive and Tensile Strength
 Compressive strength or compression strength is the capacity of a
material or structure to withstand loads tending to reduce size, as
opposed to tensile strength, which withstands loads tending to
elongate. In other words, compressive strength resists compression
(being pushed together), whereas tensile strength resists tension
(being pulled apart).
Ductility
 In materials science, ductility is a solid material's ability to deform
under tensile stress; this is often characterized by the material's ability
to be stretched into a wire. Malleability, a similar property, is a
material's ability to deform under compressive stress; this is often
characterized by the material's ability to form a thin sheet by
hammering or rolling.
Elasticity
 elasticity is the ability of a body to resist a distorting influence or
deforming force and to return to its original size and shape when
that influence or force is removed.
4
 7/31/2017

Fatigue Limit Flexural Modulus

 Fatigue limit, endurance limit, and fatigue strength are all  In mechanics, the flexural modulus or bending modulus is an
expressions used to describe a property of materials: the amplitude intensive property that is computed as the ratio of stress to strain in
(or range) of cyclic stress that can be applied to the material flexural deformation, or the tendency for a material to bend.
without causing fatigue failure.

Flexural Strength Fracture Toughness

 Flexural strength, also known as modulus of rupture, or bend  In materials science, fracture toughness is a property which
strength, or transverse rupture strength is a material property, describes the ability of a material containing a crack to resist
defined as the stress in a material just before it yields in a flexure test. fracture, and is one of the most important properties of any material
for many design applications.

Hardness Poisson’s Ratio

 Hardness is a measure of how resistant solid matter is to various kinds  Poisson's ratio, denoted υ (nu) and named after Siméon Poisson, is
of permanent shape change when a compressive force is applied. the signed ratio of transverse strain to axial strain. For small values of
Some materials (e.g. metals) are harder than others (e.g. plastics). these changes, nu is the amount of transversal expansion divided
by the amount of axial compression.

5
 7/31/2017

Resilience Shear Modulus

 In material science, resilience is the ability of a material to absorb  In materials science, shear modulus or modulus of rigidity, denoted
energy when it is deformed elastically, and release that energy by G, or sometimes S or μ, is defined as the ratio of shear stress to the
upon unloading. Proof resilience is defined as the maximum energy shear strain.
that can be absorbed up to the elastic limit, without creating a
permanent distortion. The modulus of resilience is defined as the
maximum energy that can be absorbed per unit volume without
creating a permanent distortion.

Shear Strength Specific Strength

 Shear strength is the strength of a material or component against  The specific strength is a material's strength (force per unit area at
the type of yield or structural failure where the material or failure) divided by its density. It is also known as the strength-to-
component fails in shear. weight ratio or strength/weight ratio. In fiber or textile applications,
tenacity is the usual measure of specific strength.

Toughness Viscosity

 In materials science and metallurgy, toughness is the ability of a  The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual
material to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing. deformation by shear stress or tensile stress. For liquids, it corresponds
It is also defined as a material's resistance to fracture when stressed. to the informal concept of "thickness"; for example, honey has a
much higher viscosity than water.

6
 7/31/2017

Yield Strength

 A yield strength or yield stress is the material property defined as the

stress at which a material begins to deform plastically whereas yield
point is the point where nonlinear (elastic + plastic) deformation
begins.