Selection of Building Materials: Raw Materials, Manufacturing Process, Onsite Installation, Testing Techniques, Advantages and Disadvantages

Selection of building materials 1
SELECTION OF BUILDING MATERIALS
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

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QUESTION 1
Introduction
Concrete refers to a toughened material usually made by merging a chemically inert collection
(gravel, crushed stones or sand), a binder usually synthetic or natural cement, water, and
chemical additives. Most individuals use the term ‘cement' to refer to concrete the term, in fact, it
denotes different constituents; Cement usually comprises an extensive different types of fine
crushed dusts which toughen the moment they are mixed with water (Amato, 2013). As the
concrete hardens up, it obtains a stone-like uniformity which makes it the best construction
material for the construction of bridges, roads, sewage systems, waterways, airports, factories,
railroad, bulk transit systems, buildings among other structures.
Raw materials for the manufacturing of concrete
The concrete is usually made up of cement, fine mineral aggregate, course mineral aggregate, in
the ratio of 1:2:4. Even though these ratios are habitually diverse depending on flexibility and
strength in order achieve desired use of the concrete. Additionally, concrete encompasses a
varied variety of chemicals that instill the desired features for the particular use. The Portland
cement used is made up of a mixture of a calcareous material mostly aluminum, silica and
limestone usually found as shale or clay (Wang, Yang, et al. 2012).
Concrete contains in small amount magnesium and iron oxide. Aggregates comprise 75% of the
of the concrete in volume. The aggregates usually improve the flow and the formation of cement
paste at the same improves structural performance of concrete. The fine grade is made of

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constituent part of up to 20mm in size, while the course grade aggregates include particles from
20mm.In the massive construction, aggregate particles sizes can be more than 38millimeters.
The aggregates can also be grouped depending on the rocks which are made up of granite, basalt,
and flint among others. Another type of aggregates which are used to make concrete is known as
pozzolana, a siliceous and aluminous that forms the calcium silicate hydrates which are the
foundation of the cement.
Manufacturing process of concrete.
The process of manufacturing concrete is simple. Firstly, the preparation of Portland cement is
done. Afterwards, the other constituents of concrete such as aggregates, admixtures any
necessary fibers together with water are mixed to create concrete. Then the concrete is
dispatched to the site and positioned, compressed and treated (Aïtcin, 2011).
Preparation of Portland cement
Silica, limestone and alumina which are the basic constituents of Portland cement are dried on
the ground and converted into fine powder, then mixed with set amounts, warmed and heated
again to very high temperatures which sets ablaze all the contaminants without necessary
blending the ingredients. Thereafter, the mix is burned in a huge rotary (kiln) at a temperature of
2550 degree Fahrenheit. At this temperature, the materials to some extent fuse into the substance
usually referred to as clinker. A up-to-date kiln can also produce as much as 6200 tons of clinker
per day.

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The obtained clinker is cooled and then ground to a fine powder in a ball mill or a tube. Ball mill
refers to a strong rotating drum that is full with steel balls of various sizes which grid and crush
the clinker. Then Gypsum is supplemented to it during the process of grinding. The last
component comprises of quite a number of compounds: calcium silicate, tricalcium silicate, tetra
calcium aluminoferrite and tricalcium aluminate (Baeza et al. 2014).
Mixing of Portland cement with other materials
The prepared Portland cement blended with other constituents: admixtures, aggregates, water
and fiber. The aggregates are added or pre-blended at the ready-mix concrete plant under
ordinary working conditions. Mixing process applies stirring or rotation to cover the superficial
of aggregate with cement cream and mix the other components evenly. A range of continuous or
batch blenders are applied. Fibers can be added if preferred through a variety of ways such as
premixing, direct spraying, impregnating or hand laying up (Li et al. 2011). The silica emission