Metals as Building Materials

Various metals used for building works be broadly classified as ferrous metals and non-
ferrous metals.
The properties and uses of ferrous metals and some of important non-ferrous materials
like aluminium
and copper are explained in this chapter.
4.1 FERROUS METALS
A ferrous material is the one in which iron is a main constituent. Iron ore is first
converted into pig iron
and then pig iron is subjected to various metallurgical processes to mix different
percentage of carbon
and to get the following three useful ferrous materials:
1. Cast iron—carbon content 1.7% to 4.5%
2. Wrought iron—carbon content 0.05% to 0.15%
3. Steel—carbon content 0.25% to 0.25%.
All ferrous materials contain about 0.5 to 3% silica, less than 2% manganese, 0.15%
sulphur and
0.6% phosphorous.
1. Cast Iron: Important properties of cast iron are:
(a) Compression strength is 700 N/mm2 and tensile strength is 150 N/mm2.
(b) It is brittle and does not absorb shocks
(c) Its specific gravity is 7.5.
(d) Its structure is coarse, crystalline and fibrous.
(e) It cannot be magnetised.
(f) It does not rust-easily.
(g) It has low melting point of about 1200°C.
Uses of Cast Iron:
(a) 1. It is used for making rain water and sanitary pipes, sanitary fittings and manhole
covers.
2. It is used for making railings and spiral stair cases.
3. Fire gratings, cover for pumps and motors and brackets are made with cast irons.
56 BASIC CIVIL ENGINEERING
2. Wrought Iron: It is almost pure iron. It contains less than 0.15% carbon. Attempts
are made
to reduce the other impurities during the process of manufacturing.
Properties of Wrought Iron:
1. Its ultimate compressive strength is 200 N/mm 2 and ultimate tensile strength is 375
N/mm2.
2. It is ductile and brittle.
3. Its unit weight is 77 kN/m3.
4. It melts at about 1500°C. It becomes so soft at 900°C that two pieces can be joined
by
hammering.
5. It can absorb shocks very well.
6. It forms temporary magnets but it cannot be magnetised permanently.
7. It rusts more easily.
Uses of Wrought Iron:
1. It is used for making nails nuts and botts, wires and chains.
2. It is used for making roofing sheets, grills, fences, window gaurds etc.
3. Steel: It is extensively used building material. The following three varieties of steel
are
extensively used:
(a) Mild steel
(b) High carbon steel and
(c) High tensile steel.
(a) Mild Steel: It contains a maximum of 0.25% carbon, 0.055% of sulphur and 0.55%
of
phosphorus.
Properties of Mild Steel:
(i) It is malleable and ductile
(ii) It is more elastic
(iii) It can be magnetized permanently.
(iv) Its specific gravity is 7.8.
(v) Its Young’s modulus is 2.1 × 10 5 N/mm2.
(vi) It can be welded easily.
(vii) It is equally strong in tension and in compression.
Uses of Mild Steel:
(i) Round bars are extensively used as reinforcement in R.C.C. works.
(ii) Rolled sections like I, T, L, C, plates etc. are used to build steel columns, beams,
trusses etc.
(iii) Tubular sections are used as poles and members of trusses.
(iv) Plain and corrugated mild steel are used as roofing materials.
(v) Mild steel sections are used in making parts of many machineries.
METALS AS BUILDING MATERIALS 57
(b) High Carbon Steel: The carbon containts in this steel is 0.7% to 1.5%.
Properties of Carbon Steel:
(i) It is more tough and elastic compared to mild steel.
(ii) Welding is difficult.
(iii) It can be magnetized permanently.
(iv) It is stronger in compression than in tension.
(v) It withstands shocks and vibrations better.
Uses of High Carbon Steel:
(i) It is used for making tools such as drills, files, chisels.
(ii) Many machine parts are made with high carbon steel since it is capable of
withstanding
shocks and vibrations.
(c) High Tensile Steel: It contains 0.8% carbon and 0.6% manganese. The strength of
this steel
is quite high. High tensile steel wires are used in prestressed concrete works.

ALUMINIUM
It is present on the surface of earth crust in most of the rooks and clay. But to produce
the metal bauxite
(Al2O3. 2H2O) is ideally suited ore.
Properties of Aluminium
1. It is having silver colour and bright lustre.
2. It is very light in weight.
3. It is good conductor of electricity.
4. It has very good resistance to corrosion.
5. It melts at 66°C.
6. It is highly ductile and malleable.
7. It has high strength to weight ratio.
Uses of Aluminium
[Link] is used to make door and window frames.
[Link] structural members are becoming popular.
[Link] wires are used as conductors of electricity.
[Link] is used as a foil.
[Link] powder serves as pigments in paints.
58 BASIC CIVIL ENGINEERING

COPPER
It is a naturally available metal in the form of ores which contain small amount of iron
and sulphur.
After removing impurities, it is processed electrolytically to get purest metal. This metal
is almost
indestructible. Copper scrap can be processed to get original copper.
Properties of Copper
1. It is having reddish brown colour.
2. Its structure is crystalline.
3. It is highly ductile and malleable.
4. It resists corrossion.
5. It can be welded easily at red heat condition.
6. Dents on the copper can be hammered out.
7. It has high electric and thermal conductivity.
8. Its melting point is at 1083°C.
Uses of Copper
1. It is used as electric wire and cable.
2. It is used as lighting conductor.
3. For water proofing the construction joints copper plates are used.
4. Copper tubes are used for hot and cold water supply, gas and sanitation connections.
5. It forms a major constituent of brass and bronze.

Glass, plastics, bitumen, asbestos, paints, distemper and varnishes are some of the
miscellaneous materials
used in building constructions. Their properties and uses are briefly presented in this
chapter.
GLASS
Silica is the main constituent of glass. But it is to be added with sodium potassium
carbonate to bring
down melting point. To make it durable lime or lead oxide is also added. Manganese
oxide is added to
nullify the adverse effects of unwanted iron present in the impure silica. The raw
materials are ground
and sieved. They are mixed in specific proportion and melted in furnace. Then glass
items are
manufactured by blowing, flat drawing, rolling and pressing.
Important Properties of Glass
1. It absorbs, refracts or transmits light. It can be made transparent or translucent.
2. It can take excellent polish.
3. It is an excellent electrical insulator.
4. It is strong and brittle.
5. It can be blown, drawn or pressed.
6. It is not affected by atmosphere.
7. It has excellent resistance to chemicals.
8. It is available in various beautiful colours.
9. With the advancement in technology, it is possible to make glass lighter than cork or
stronger
than steel.
10. Glass panes can be cleaned easily.
Types of Glass
The glass may be broadly classified as:
1. Soda-lime glass 2. Potash lime glass
3. Potash lead glass 4. Common glass and
5. Special glasses.
1. Soda Lime Glass: It is mainly a mixture of sodium silicate and calcium silicate. It is
fusible
at low temperature. In the fusion condition it can be blown or welded easily. It is
colourless.
It is used as window panes and for the laboratory tubes and apparatus.
2. Potash Lime Glass: It is mainly a mixture of potassium silicate and calcium silicate. It
is also
known as hard glass. It fuses at high temperature. It is used in the manufacture of glass
articles which have to with stand high temperatures.
3. Potash Lead Glass: It is mainly a mixture of potassium silicate and lead silicate. It
possesses
bright lustre and great refractive power. It is used in the manufacture of artificial gems,
electric bulbs, lenses, prisms etc.
4. Common Glass: It is mainly a mixture of sodium silicate, calcium silicate and iron
silicate. It
is brown, green or yellow in colour. It is mainly used in the manufacture of medicine
bottles.
5. Special Glasses: Properties of glasses can be suitably altered by changing basic
ingradients
and adding few more ingradients. It has now emerged as versatile material to meet
many
special requirement in engineering. The following is the list of some of the special
glasses:
(a) Fibre glass (b) Foam glass
(c) Bullet proof glass (d) Structural glass
(e) Glass black (f) Wired glass
(g) Ultraviolet ray glass (h) Perforated glass.