Cement is a commonly used binding material in the construction. The cement is obtained by burning a mixture of calcareous (calcium) and argillaceous (clay) material at a very high temperature and then grinding the clinker so produced to a fine powder. It was first produced by a mason Joseph Aspdin in England in 1924. He patented it…
Marbles are used principally for buildings and monuments, interior decoration, statuary, table tops, and novelties. Colour and appearance are their most important qualities. Resistance to abrasion, which is a function of cohesion between grains as well as the hardness of the component minerals, is important for floor and stair treads. The ability to transmit light is important for statuary marble,…
The planning and construction of a building should be aimed at fulfilling the following requirements: 1. Strength and stability 2. Dimensional stability 3. Resistance to dampness 4. Resistance to fire 5. Heat insulation 6. Sound insulation 7. Protection against termite attack 8. Durability 9. Security against burglary 10. Lighting and ventilation 11. Comforts and convenience…
Wall, structural element used to divide or enclose, and, in building construction, to form the periphery of a room or a building. In traditional masonry construction, walls supported the weight of floors and roofs, but modern steel and reinforced concrete frames, as well as heavy timber and other skeletal structures, require exterior walls only for shelter and sometimes dispense with them on the…
Pavement engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to design and maintain flexible (asphalt) and rigid (concrete) pavements. This includes streets and highways and involves knowledge of soils, hydraulics, and material properties. Pavement engineering involves new construction as well as rehabilitation and maintenance of existing pavements. Maintenance often involves using engineering judgment to make maintenance repairs…
General Approach The composition of concurrent forces by graphical method and the analytical method of composition of two force system has been discussed. In this article composition of concurrent coplanar forces is explained by a general analytic method. Analytical method consists in finding the components of given forces in two mutually perpendicular directions and then…
The third stage of the waste management chain (Figure 9.1) begins when a householder or business employee puts their waste in a container. The choice of container will depend on several factors, including the wealth of the household and the amount of waste to be collected. It will also depend on the collection system –…
When several forces of different magnitude and direction act upon a body, they constitute a system of forces. If all the forces in a system lie in a single plane, it is called a coplanar force system. If the line of action of all the forces in a system pass through a single point it…
Portland cement can be made by following two different processes – a dry one and a wet one. The manufacturing process has moved on significantly since bricklayer Joseph Aspdin first made portland cement in his kitchen stove in England in the 19th century. Manufacturing Portland Cement The basic ingredients of both the dry and wet processes are the same. By…
This chapter focuses on stone-masonry bridges that were built in Greece during the last 300 years and most of them survive today (Figure 1a and b). FIGURE 1. (a) Konitsa Bridge, Ipiros, Greece and (b) Kokorou Bridge, Ipiros, Greece. FIGURE 2. The royal tomb of Atreus at Mycenae in Peloponnese, Southern Greece. The use of the stone-masonry arch…