Testing of Construction Materials

Bahurudeen A, P.V.P. Moorthi

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000329285
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Engineering General
• Index: Technology & Engineering

This book provides an understanding of peer-reviewed international construction materials and their testing methods in a simplified manner at a high technical level. It focuses on specific construction materials, such as cement, concrete, bricks, lime, paints, steel and so forth, distributed in ten different chapters. Using real-time quality control as the underlying determinant, the book material exclusively follows Indian, American, European, German and South African standards. Relevant modern sophisticated material testing techniques, like scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD), are also described. Aimed at undergraduate, senior undergraduate and early career professionals in civil engineering and construction engineering, this book

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• Gives a clear background of material testing and its importance

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• Includes step-by-step procedures for easy understanding of and for performing the tests

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• Covers Indian, ASTM, South African, DIN German and European Standards

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• Includes basic and advanced techniques for chemical admixtures

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• Each chapter concludes with practice questions, including 400+ solved questions and 50+ test procedures in total

1 Cement

1.1 Introduction

Binding materials are extensively used in the construction sector, specifically in concrete. In early age, construction materials were evolved from dry clay. Afterwards, lime was introduced in Egypt as a construction material. Usage of gypsum as a binding material was inadequate due to its limitation with respect to moisture. Fine volcanic ashes were obtained and used in different regions along with lime and sand that not only provided better strength but also contributed higher longevity. A material obtained from Mount Vesuvius named as “Pozzolana” which had an extraordinary binding ability with lime and crushed stone started to harden when it came in contact with water. This process kept on evolving, and around 1824 clayey materials (Argillaceous) that consist of SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ as their major constituent along with limestone (Calcareous), which consists majorly of CaCO_3, were burnt at lower temperatures that produced binders of reasonable quality.

John Smeaton planned and constructed Eddystone Lighthouse tower in 1756. During the construction, he discovered that the reactivity of lime, which consists of a high degree of clayey matter, is high. In the long run, such a lime was used along with pozzolana in equal quantities. In the early 1800s, Vicat proposed a method of calcination to achieve high reactivity lime. A mixture of limestone (chalk) and clay was used as the raw material in the calcination process, and this was the principal forerunner to the invention of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). Afterwards, Joseph Aspdin attempted further improvement in the process to invent hydraulic cement, which had significant strength attainment, desirable setting properties and durability compared to other binders. Then around 1845, based on different laboratory experiments, the optimum proportion of Argillaceous and Calcareous materials were identified and also higher-temperature calcination was adopted during the process, leading to the best binder.

1.2 Cement production

1.2.1 Blending Process of Raw Materials

Limestone and clay ...