Substitutes or Alternatives of Bricks used for Construction in India! According to one study, our country needs about 60 billion bricks every year and if no suitable substitute is found out, this would exhaust about 1600 x 106 kN of clay fields or other agricultural land annually. It will thus make barren about 3000 hectares of fertile land. The extent [...]
Learn about the comparison or differences between clamp-burning and kiln burning of bricks. Comparison # Clamp-Burning: 1. Capacity: About 20000 to 100000 bricks can be prepared at a time. 2. Cost of Fuel: Low as grass, cow dung, litter, etc. may be used. 3. Initial Cost: Very low as no structures are to be built. 4. Quality of Bricks: The [...]
The use of lime as a cementing material has been made since ancient times. The Egyptians and Romans made remarkable application of this material for various constructional purposes. Even in India, the various engineering structures such as big palaces, bridges, temples, forts, monuments, etc. were constructed with lime as a cementing material and some of these structures still exist in [...]
The upcoming discussion will update you about the difference between fat lime and hydraulic lime. There are mainly two varieties of limes, namely, fat lime and hydraulic lime. Difference # Fat Lime: 1. Composition: It is obtained from comparatively pure carbonate of lime containing only 5 per cent of clayey impurities. 2. Slaking Action: It slakes vigorously. Its volume is [...]
In this article we will discuss about: 1. General Properties of Engineering Materials 2. Physical Properties of Engineering Materials 3. Mechanical Properties. General Properties of Engineering Materials: The economists mainly concerned with the industries manufacturing engineering materials are interested in finding out ways in which the engineering materials can be used or applied in the best economic way. The economist should [...]
Following are the qualities or characteristics or requirements properties of a good building stone: 1. Crushing Strength: For a good structural stone, the crushing strength should be greater than 100 N/mm3. The approximate values of crushing strength of some of the stones are shown in table 2-1. 2. Appearance: The stones which are to be used for face work should [...]
The following tests are conducted for determining the qualities of a good building stone! (1) Acid test (2) Attrition test (3) Crushing test (4) Crystallisation test (5) Freezing and thawing test (6) Hardness test (7) Impact test (8) Microscopic test (9) Smith's test (10) Water absorption test. Each of these test will now be briefly described. 1. Acid Test: In [...]
The following types of cement are used in Construction. 1. Acid-Resistant Cement: Acid-resistant cement is composed of the following: (i) Acid-resistant aggregates such as quartz, quartzites, etc. (ii) Additive such as sodium fluosilicate Na2 SiF6; and (iii) Aqueous solution of sodium silicate or soluble glass. The addition of additive sodium fluosilicate accelerates the hardening process of soluble glass and it [...]
The exhaustive tests are carried out in laboratory to decide precisely the quality of cement. The extreme care should be taken to collect the sample of cement from site. In order to make a representative sample, it is desirable to collect in nearly equal portions as follows: (1) When Cement is Loose: It should be taken from at least 12 [...]
In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Natural Sources of Sand 2. Classification of Sand 3. Bulking Of Sand 4. Properties of Good Sand 5. Function of Sand in Mortar 6. Tests Conducted for Sand 7. Substitutes for Sand. Natural Sources of Sand: The sand particles consist of small grains of silica (SiO2). It is formed by the decomposition [...]