TOPIC 1: Material Testing
Material Testing is the measurement of the characteristics and behaviour of materials such as metals,
concrete, ceramics or plastics under various conditions. The information obtained as the resuit of testis
specifies the suitabilitiy of materials for various applications (e.g. building or aircraft construction,
machinery and packaging etc.). Generally, materials testing is performed to certify material for a given
specification or to verify that it meets a certain criterion.
Importance of Material Testing:
1. Meeting the regulatory requirements like National Building Code, National Structural Code of the
Philippines, international organization and others.
2. Selection of the appropriate materials and treatments for application
3. Evaluation of product and design and improvement of specifications
4 Verification of the production processed.
Types of Material Testing
I. Mechanical Testing
Aims to find out the properties of the materials such as the yield strength or hardness, toughness where
the materials are physically tested to destruction.
•Ductility
•Toughness
•Hardness
• Elasticity
•Strength
II. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
is a kind of testing and analysis technique used to evaluate the properties of materials, component,
structure or system for characteristic differences or welding defects and discontinuities without causing
damage to the original part.
Five (5) types of construction materials:
I. AGGREGATES is a collective term for the mineral materials such as sand, gravel and crushed stone that
are used with a binding medium (such as water, bitumen, portland cement, lime, etc.) to form
compound materials (such as asphalt concrete and portand cement concrete).
•Sieve Analysis
•Water Absorption
•Aggregate Abrasion Value
•The aggregate impact value
•Aggregate Crushing Value
II. BITUMEN
Bitumen or asphalt are any of various mixtures of hydrocarbons (such as tar) often together with their
non-metallic derivatives that occur naturally or are obtained as residues ater heat-refining natural
substances (such as petroleum). Bitumen is also defined as substance produced through the distillation
of crude oil that is known for its waterproofing and adhesive properties. Bitumen production through
distillation removes lighter crude oil components, such as gasoline and diesel, leaving the 'heavier"
bitumen behind. The producer often refines it several times to improve its grade.
•Bitumen binder content
•Flash and Fire point ofbitumen
-Flash Point
-Fire Point
•Penetration of bitumen
•Softening point of bitumen
III. CEMENT
Cement is a fine gray powder that is mixed with water and other substances to make mortar or
Concrete. It is a key building material in both residential and commercial construction work. Cement is
manufactured through a closely controlled chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron and
other ingredients. Common materials used to manufacture cement include limestone, shells, and chalk
or marl combined with shale, clay, slate, blast furmace slag, silica sand, and iron ore. These ingredients,
when heated at high temperatures form a rock-like substance that is ground into the fine powder that
we commonly think of as cement.
•Fineness Test
•Soundness Test
•Consistency
IV. CONCRETE
Concrete is a construction material composed of cement, fine aggregates (sand) and coarse aggregates
mixed with water which hardens with time. Concrete is a mixture of paste and aggregates, or rocks. The
paste, composed of portland cement and water, coats the surface of the fine (small) and coarse (larger)
aggregates. Through a chemical reaction called hydration, the paste hardens and gains strength to form
the rock-like mass known as concrete. In a building construction, concrete is used for the construction of
foundations, columns, beams, slabs and other load bearing elements
•Test of Fresh Concrete Slump Test
•Compaction Factor test
•Vee Bee Test
•K-Slump Test
•Test of Hardened Concrete
V. STEEL REINFORCEMENT
Rebar, also known as reinforcement steel and reinforcing steel, is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used
in reinforced concrete and masonry structures to strengthen and hold the concrete in tension. Steel
reinforcement bars or rebars are used to improve the tensile strength of the Concrete, since concrete is
very weak in tension, but is strong in compression. Steel is only used as rebar betause steel due to high
temperatures (thermal expansion coeffcient) crete. Ru casting rebar into Concrete, it IS to cary tensile
loads and incrose nwerall strenath.
•Tensile Strength Test
•Bend Test
•Re-bend Test
•Shear Test
•Brinell Hardness
