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HousingandSpaceManagement:CharacteristicsOfBuildingMaterials
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Lesson21:BuildingMaterials
CharacteristicsOfBuildingMaterials

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1.Naturalmaterials

Mud:
It is the most commonly used material in the house construction. Ever since man felt the n
house,mudiswidelyused.Itsmainfeaturesareasfollows.

Abundantlyavailablenaturalmaterial.
Costischeap.
Easilymadeandrepaired.
Sufficientlylasting.
Maintainequitabletemperaturebothinwinterandsummer.
Highlyusefulforlowincomepeople.Theuseofmudmixedwithchoppedstrawandcowd
for coating the inner and outer walls of the house. A thin coating of mud and cement ma
surfaceinagoodcondition.

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CharacteristicsOf
BuildingMaterials

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Stone:
Stoneisanaturalmaterialofconstructionandisobtainedfromquarries.Sinceprehistoricdays
usedfor

Constructingdifferentcomponentsofbuildingslikefoundation,walls,lintels,floors,roofse
Thestonesusedforfoundationandwallsshouldbesoundandfreefromcracksanddecay.
Stonesofdifferentformssuchasgranite,marble,slate,sandstoneandlimestonearecomm
asbuildingmaterials.
Waxingandpolishingmakethemmoreattractive.
Gravelwhicharestonesnotlargerthan2cmsisessentiallyneededforbuilding.Careshoul
inusingpropersizesofstonesandcorrectinterlockinginthewidthofwalls.

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Sand:
It consists of small grains of silica and is formed by the disintegration of rocks caused by we
shouldhavethefollowingqualities.

Itishard,durable,clean,freefromorganicmatteranddoesnotcontainappreciableamoun
It should not contain harmful impurities such as iron pyrites, salts, Coal, mica, alkalin
materials,whichwillaffecthardening.
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This should be coarse, clean, hard, strong, uncoated and free from clay, dust, mica and
particlessuchasofshell.
Sandrequiredformortarforbrickworkneedstobesievedthrougha3/8in.Meshsieve.

Surkhi:

Where sand is not available or is very costly, surkhi is substituted in preparing lime
generallyconsistsofcrushedbrickbats.Whenthesearenotavailableinlargequantities,r
ofclayaremade,burntintokilnandcrushedorgroundtofinepowder.
Crushedstoneisalsousedbutitshouldbefreefromexcessiveproportionofveryfinepa
dust.
Thebestsurkhiismadeofclayscontaining10to20%oflimekunkarandthisshouldbeun
Claycontaininglittleornolimemustbethoroughlyburnttobringouttheexcellentqualit
fromit.
Surkhishouldnotbeusedinlimemortarforplaster,sinceitislikelytodisintegrateafter
todestructiveagenciesofatmosphere.
Lime:

Limehasbeenusedasacementingmaterialsincetimeimmemorial.InIndiatillrecently
beenextensivelyusedforalltypesofconstructionpurposes.Bigpalaces,forts,monument
bridges that were constructed centuries back and that still exist in good condition substa
theuseoflimeforconstructionalpurposeshadreachedperfectioninthepast.
Limemortarshavesomeadvantageouspropertieslikegoodworkability,plasticity,lesssh
dryinganddurability.
Limeischeaperandeasilyavailable,eventhoughcementhasreplacedtheuseoflime.

Asbestos:

It is available in nature as a mineral in Marwar , Garhwal (Uttar pradesh) and B

Madhyapradesh.
It is silicate of calcium and magnesium found in the form of very thin fibres which are e
capableofbeingwovenintofabrics.
Itcanwithstandhightemperatureandacidswithoutanychange.Itisusedforroof,bathr
andpartitions.
Howeveritisnotadvisabletouseasbestosasaroofingmaterialessentiallyinourcountry
transferheat.

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b

Leaves
Grass, palm leaves and Palmyra leaves are used for roof structure. They are temporary
inflammable.
Wood:Itisthenaturesmostabundantusefulbuildingmaterial.

Itiscomparativelyinexpensive,strong,durableandeasytowork.
Mainlywoodisusedforpaneling,ceiling,roofing,partitions,doors,windowsandformaki
andplywood.
Plywood is made of odd number of woodpiles or layers laminated with plastic resins u
temperatureandpressure.
Itisusedfordoors,cupboardsanddecorativepaneling.
Deodar,teak,mango,jack,toon,mahoganyandbambooaresomeofthecommonIndianti
usedforbuildingpurposes.

2.ManmadeMaterials

Cement:Cementshouldbeusedforthepurposeofdurabilityandstrengthofbuildings.

Ithasthequalitytobindtogetherlooseparticlesofgravel,brokenstonesorotheraggregate
Itsquicksettingproperty,strengthandeasewithwhichitcanbeusedundervarietyofcond
revolutionizedtheconceptofconstruction.
Henceithasbecomethemostpopularcementingmaterial.
Concreteisabuildingmaterialmadebymixingcement,sand,gravellandwater,whichbec
hard,whendryandset.
Itisfireproof,sturdyandcanwithstandhighpressure.
Becauseofthesequalities,almostallhugestructuresaremoldedbyconcrete.

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Brick:
Themostextensivelyusedconstructionmaterialbecauseitislocallyavailable,cheap,strong,
and it has the good insulating property against heat and sound. It can be
mouldedtoanyshapeorsize.Thestandardsizeofbricksis9X4X3,
thoughthesizevariesaccordingtolocalpracticeinIndia.
Thecharacteristicsofagoodbrickarethat

It should be so hard that it should not be possible to make a scratch on the surface with
nail,
Itshouldgivearingingsoundwhenstruck
o
Itshouldbeheavy,andifalloweditshouldnotabsorbwatermorethan
ofitsownweight
Ifkeptimmersedfortwohoursinwater.
Itshouldbefreefromanylumpsandthemostimportanttestisthat,if5
or 6 bricks, selected at random, be kept immersed in water overnight,
noneofthemshouldshowacrackandatendencytofalltopieces
If this happens, it may be assumed that the brick contains particles of
lime kunker in its clay, which have been converted into quick lime by burning. These
unsuitableforwork.
Colourofbricksisnotest,because,itdependsuponthenatureandconstituentsofthecl
fuelusedforburning.

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Tiles:
Tilesusedforconstructionareofdifferenttypessuchasflooringtiles,countrytilesandmarble

TheCountrytilesandMangaloretilesaregenerallyusedforroofinginruralareas.
Floortilesconsistsofterrazzo,whicharepolishedtilesmadeoutofmarblechipsmixedwit
sand.
Mosaic tiles are cement tiles polished with a portable machine after laying. Though
expensive,theyareeasytomaintain.

Metals:
Metalsandtheiralloysarethebackbonesofallengineeringproductsusedforconstruction.Me
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constructioncanbeclassifiedintotwocategories.

Ferrousmetalswhereinironisthemainconstituent.(e.g.)Castiron,wroughtironandsteel
NonFerrous metals wherein iron is not the main constituent. (e.g.) Aluminium, Copper,
andtin.
Ironandsteeloccupythemostimportantplaceintheconstructionofhugestructures.
Steel is produced by combining iron and carbon chemically, heating it to redhot and
suddenly.
Steelisusedasreinforcementinreinforcedcementconcrete.
Metalhavegreattensilestrengthandarelighterthanwood.
Metalsarebothmalleable(Capableofbeingbeatenintoanyshapeorrolledintosheets)a
(Capableofbeingdrawnintowiresofvariablethickness).

Glass:
Glasshasbeenextensivelyusedforglazingdoorsandwindows,forinsulationandfordecoratio

Rapidadvancesinglasstechnologyhaveopenedupnewavenuesforitsuse.
Glassplateisheatedandthensuddenlycooledtotemperit.
Thistemperedglassismuchstrongerandisusedforglazingentrancedoors,orinmaking
shelves,counters,etc.
Glassesarealsousedforsoundproofpartitions.

Plastics:
Plastichavebecomeaversatilematerialofmoderntimes.
Plasticsareavailableinavarietyofformstosuitvariedrequirements.
Itisfastreplacingmanyconventionalmaterialsliketimber,aluminiumetc.
Plastics are used in electric and sanitary fittings like electric points, switches, holders,
waterclosetseatsanddomesticfurniture.

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Index

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