Author: Haroon Khalil

The ability of a material by which it can be drawn into a wire by external forces is known as ductility. Thus, a ductile material can withstand large deformation before failure. During the process of extension, a ductile material may show a certain degree of elasticity together with a considerable extent of plasticity. Some of…

Plasticity is the property of a material by which a strained material retains the deformed position even after the removal of the external load which caused the deformation. Under large loads of forces, most materials become plastic.

Elasticity is the ability of a material, which under stress, recovers its original shape after the removal of the external load. If the material regains its original shape then it is said to be perfectly elastic. Steel, copper, aluminium, etc., may be grouped under perfectly elastic materials within certain limits of deformation. Thus, for each…

Abrasion is the property of the material which resists the force caused by a moving load

Various mechanical properties of materials are discussed below

The important physical properties of building materials are as follows: Bulk Density Bulk density is the mass per unit volume of a material in its natural state. This is obtained by finding the ratio of the mass of the material to the volume of the material. Most of the technical properties such as strength, conductivity,…

Properties of construction materials, which are of use in engineering works, are classified as follows: Properties of construction materials which are relevant to building construction are dealt with in the following sections.

Engineering materials may be broadly classified into civil engineering materials, electrical engineering materials and mechanical engineering materials. However, some materials may be used in other disciplines also. Soils, building stones, bricks and clay products, lime, cement, concrete, mortar, timber, metals, alloys, etc., may be mainly grouped under civil engineering materials. Conductors, semi-conductors, insulators, magnetic materials…

Many naturally available materials have been in use for construction purposes since pre-historic times. Some of the materials are soil (earth), stone, rock, wood and water. These materials are available abundantly in nature. While some of these materials may be directly used without processing, others may need additional refinement to fit in the exact requirement.…