How To Protect Masonry During Construction?

Protection Of Masonry During Construction It is necessary to protect masonry during construction when the mortar is green or when masonry has not been laterally supported, against damage due to rain, frost, storm, etc. It is also necessary to protect some vulnerable parts of masonry such as jambs, corners and sills and expose masonry, during…

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What are the Basic Properties of Heat Insulating Materials?

The Basic Properties Of Heat-Insulating Material In architecture, the material which prevents the outflow of indoor heat is normally called adiabator. On the other hand, the material which prevents the inflow of outdoor heat is called heat insulator. These two are collectively called heat-insulating materials. This kind of material is mainly used for walls, ceilings,…

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6 Defects In Brickwork Due To Poor Workmanship

Defects in brickwork EFFECTS OF WORKMANSHIP ON MASONRY STRENGTH Masonry has a very long tradition of building by craftsmen, without engineering supervision of the kind applied to reinforced concrete construction. Consequently, it is frequently regarded with some suspicion as a structural material and carries very much higher safety factors than concrete. There is, of course,…

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What Are The Properties Of Air Entrained Concrete?

Air entrained concrete A major advance in concrete technology in recent years is the introduction of tiny disconnected air bubbles into concrete called air entrainment. Air entrained concrete results from using either an air-entraining cement or an air-entraining admixture during mixing. Adding entrained air to concrete provides important benefits in both plastic and hardened concrete,…

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Plastering – Things Every Engineer Should Know

PLASTERING                        plastering The following topics are covered in this post. 1.      What is plastering? 2.      What are the requirements of good plaster? 3.      Different types of mortars for plastering 4.      Number of coats of plastering 5.      How to preparation of background before plastering? 6.      What are the recommended mortars mixes for different situation? 7.      What are the defects in plastering? WHAT IS…

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Whether Or Not To Select Concrete For Construction?

Factors affecting choice of concrete for a structure The choice of whether a structure should be built of concrete, steel, masonry, or timber depends on the availability of materials and on a number of value decisions. 1. ECONOMY Frequently, the foremost consideration is the overall cost of the structure. This is, of course, a function of…

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Quality Control Checklist For Excavation Work

Earth Excavation Checklist                                         excavation checklist The following checklist should be used as a guide for better quality control over earth excavation. (1) Prior to the start of excavation operations, take photographs of the construction area, make sure that sufficient cross—sections are taken, and continue to take progress photographs during construction. (2) Review the log of…

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How To Check Suitability Of Water For Concrete Mixing?

Suitability Of Water For Concrete Mixing OBJECTIVE To assess suitability of water for use in concrete mix. EQUIPMENT §  Measuring cylinder §  Cube moulds §  Trowel §  Tamping rod §  Vibrating table §  Testing machine PROCEDURE 1.      Analyse water for its chemical compositions as per IS 3025-1964 and compare these with permissible limits given in IS: 456-2000. 2.      In case water does not satisfy the permissible limits or…

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Scaffolds & Ladders – Safety At Construction

Scaffolds and ladders 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS 1.      Where work cannot safely be done on or from the ground or from part of a building or other permanent structure, a safe and suitable scaffold should be provided and maintained or other equally safe and suitable provision should be made. 2.      Scaffolds should be provided with safe means of access,…

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How Beam Column Joints Resists Earthquakes?

In RC buildings, portions of columns that are common to beams at their intersections are called beam-column joints (Figure 1). Since their constituent materials have limited strengths, the joints have limited force carrying capacity. When forces larger than these are applied during earthquakes, joints are severely damaged. Repairing damaged joints is difficult, and so damage…

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