CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS - 2021/2

Module Overview

This module provides an overview of modern construction materials and their use in civil engineering applications. The course focuses on the main material types, e.g. concrete (plain & reinforced), metals (ferrous and non-ferrous), timber and masonry, but also includes engineering polymers, fibre reinforced composites, glass and bituminous materials. The lectures provide an explanation of the composition, manufacture, properties and behaviour of these materials and the hazards and risks they may pose both during construction and subsequent operation of a structure. The concept of micro-structure is reviewed and related to the physical, mechanical, and durability performance of engineering components and structures manufactured from these materials. The problem of “material selection” in considered in relation to:

• Material resources (and their financial and environmental costs),


• Required performance and design life, and


• Environmental exposure and associated overall durability.

This module is supplemented by two laboratory sessions covering the manufacture and testing of fresh and hardened concrete.

Module provider

Sustainability, Civil & Env Engineering

Module Leader

MULHERON Michael (Civl Env Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Material Resources, Uses and Sustainability:

• Classes of engineering materials – properties and typical applications.


• Materials supply – resources and reserves.


• Design and materials selection criteria – Whole-life issues


• Sustainability – embodied energy, CO2 foot print, pollution, reuse, recycling

Engineering Properties of Materials:

• Mechanics properties – stress, strain, stiffness, elastic, plastic and vico-elastic behaviour


• Property data – Young’s modulus, strength (yield, ultimate, proof), strain capacity


• Fracture and failure – yield, stress concentrations, fracture toughness, critical crack size


• Time dependent failure – fatigue and creep

Metals and Alloys:

• Solidification and microstructure of metals and alloys (Thermal Equilibrium diagrams)


• Fabrication methods – casting, rolling, forging, extrusion, drawing, welding, adhesives


• Commercial metals – properties, specification and uses


• Ferrous metals – Iron (wrought & cast), carbon steels, stainless steel, weathering steel


• Non-ferrous metals – aluminium, titanium


• Durability and long-term performance including end-of-life recycling

Concrete Technology:

• Concrete as a composite material – constituents, mix proportions, sustainability


• Properties of fresh concrete – factors controlling and methods of testing


• Properties of hardened concrete – factors controlling and methods of testing Dimensional stability and deformation – factors controlling and methods of testing


• Concrete mix design methods

Reinforced Concrete:

• History, properties and perfromance of reinforced concrete structures


• Durability and long-term performance including repair and recycling

Masonry, brick and blockwork:

• Bricks and blocks – properties and uses


• Mortar types – properties and uses


• Construction types – bond styles and properties


• Engineering properties, uses and long-term performance including end-of-life recycling

Timber:

• The structure of timber – macroscopic, microscopic, molecular


• Moisture in timber – Strength, stiffness and toughness


• Current uses of timber in construction


• Durability and long-term performance including end-of-life recycling

Polymer Materials:

• Principal classes of Polymer materials – thermoplastic vs thermoset


• Engineering properties, uses and long-term performance including end-of-life recycling

Fibre Reinforced Composites:

• Theory of fibre reinforcement – fibre composites


• Common fibre reinforcement – glass, carbon, Kevlar


• Common matrix systems – epoxy, polyester


• FRC engineering properties, applications and long-term performance

Bituminous materials:

• Bitumen properties and test methods


• Aggregate properties and test methods


• Asphalt properties and test methods


• Uses in road construction including end-of-life recycling

Glass:

• Glass in construction: Production and history


• Engineering properties and uses

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

LABORATORY WORK - FRESH CONCRETE: Report based on virtual lab class and associated data set. LABORATORY WORK - HARDENED CONCRETE: Report based on virtual lab class and associated data set.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to:

• Recognise and describe a range of materials commonly used in civil engineering construction and discuss the sustainability issues that might arise from their use.


• Outline the structure/property relationships for a range of construction and any related hazards and risks and explain their significance for construction practice.


• Characterise engineering materials in terms of their key physical/mechanical properties and associated durability in different environments.


• Evaluate candidate materials that might be used for a particular application taking account of the competing requirements of design, sustainability and health and safety.


• Undertake the testing of fresh and hardened concrete and interpret the results in terms of the relevant compliance criteria.

The summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Examination [Learning outcomes: 1-3,8] (2 hours, 60%)


• Coursework: Case study [Learning outcomes: 4,6,8] (24 hours, 20%)


• Laboratory reports on testing fresh concrete (10%) and hardened concrete (10%) [Learning outcomes:5,6,7] (16 hours, 20%)

Formative assessment and feedback

Formative assessment, in the form of a discussions,comments and (where appropriate) worked solutions, is provided during the lecture and tutorial sessions. The laboratory classes, laboratory reports and coursework also provide a vehicle for formative written and verbal feedback.

Module aims

• To provide students with an appreciation of the composition, manufacture, properties and behaviour of a range of engineering materials commonly used in Civil Engineering construction.
• To introduce students to the problem of “material selection” in relation to material resources (availability, cost, security of supply, etc), required design life for a given environmental exposure and overall durability.
• To encourage students to develop, and better integrate, their understanding of the threads of Design, Health & Safety and Sustainability.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The module is based on a series of lectures and integrated tutorial sessions supported by a set of detailed notes. Audio recordings of the content of each learning session (and any associated presentation slides etc) are made available via SurreyLearn to enable individual students to review the material presented and extend their knowledge and understanding using the supplied notes. Students are encouraged to develop an appropriate knowledge-base that they can apply to the main issues relating to the selection and use of construction materials within the context of the (whole-life) design and operation of civil engineering structures. Students are encouraged to apply their existing understanding of sustainable engineering and develop a deeper appreciation of its application within the design of durable infrastructure.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• A series of lectures to provide students with an overview of the main issues relating to the properties, uses and long-term performance of construction materials.


• A series of tutorial sessions to support the development of ideas explored within the lectures and encourage both peer-to-peer learning and independent enquiry.


• A piece of coursework requiring students to undertake an individual case study of a structure and review its design and structural form in relation to the materials selection and long-term sustainability.


• A set of detailed supporting notes (and references) which students may use to reinforce and deepen their knowledge of the subject and link to other modules in the programme.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENG2100

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.