Materials Science in Construction: Honeycomb Defect and Its Solution

Materials Science in Construction 1
MATERIALS SCIENCE IN CONSTRUCTION
A Research Paper on Construction By
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Materials Science in Construction 2
INTRODUCTION
This research paper involves assessment and selection of a construction material that has
a defect within the Sydney location. Some of the factors that are considered during the evaluation
of this construction material include the properties of the material used in the construction of the
structure with the defect, the function of the materials used in construction, the description of the
defect, and the solution to the defect. For the structure with a defect under consideration, the
material used in its construction is the concrete construction material.
Properties of Concrete Construction Material
Concrete is a material used for hardening structures and is created by combining a
mineral aggregate (that is chemically inert such as crushed stone, gravel, or sand), a binder
(synthetic or natural cement), water, a chemical additive. During the process of drying of
concrete, it attains a stone-like consistency that renders it ideal for construction of structures.
Aggregates are normally designated as either course which ranges from 6.5mm to 38mm or fine
which ranges from 0.025mm to 6.5mm (Agency, 2013).
All materials used as aggregates such as crushed stones, gravel, or sand must be clean
and free from admixture with vegetable matter or soft particles since even small organic
compounds quantities of may result in the chemical reaction which may seriously affect the
concrete strength. Despite the portion of the cement in the concrete being on 25% of the total
volume, it is the component of the concrete that gives the physical properties in strength and
durability of the concrete. The figure below shows concrete wall for the structure being
evaluated:

Materials Science in Construction 3
Figure 1: Concrete wall of the structure in Sydney location
The functions of Concrete Material
Some of the characteristics of the concrete construction materials that makes it preferred
as a construction material include durability, strength, and high tensile strength. These properties
help the structure to be more durable since it is rarely affected by wearing out caused by strong
winds blowing against the concrete walls. The concrete durability can be defined as the
capability of the concrete structure to resist abrasion, chemical attack, and weathering action or
any other deterioration process. The concrete ensures that the construction retains its original
serviceability, quality, and form when exposed to the environment (Emmons, 2009).
The concrete construction material also protects the structure from fire and flooding since
it is known to be fire-proof water resistant. The concrete material cannot be affected by the fire
and hence protects the structure from fire. During heavy rains, the concrete material used in the
construction of the structure protects the building from flooding due to its ability to resist water.
The concrete construction material also assists in retaining the heat within the house due to the
thermal mass efficiency of the concrete material that makes the structure to be more energy
efficient. This has led to the reduction in the billing cost spent during air conditioning by the
occupants (Hanna, 2010).