Essential Construction Materials: Properties and Applications

Binders

Binders are materials that, when mixed with water, produce a chemical reaction that gives cohesion to particles. They are used to join construction pieces.

Chalk

• A naturally occurring calcium sulfate.
• Cooked to 180 °C, it becomes soft.
• Cannot be used outdoors as it becomes solid quickly and oxidizes iron.
• Uses: Wall cladding and ceilings.
• Variety: Plaster, used for plasterboard, decoration, molds, prosthetics, and orthopedic arts.

Lime

• Calcium carbonate, obtained by heating to about 900 °C.
• Highly reactive with water, which can raise the reaction temperature to 150 °C.
• Replaced cement until its discovery.
• Applications: Additive in mortars, whitewashed walls, purification tanks.

Cement

• A mixture of clay and limestone, heated to about 1600 °C.
• Properties consolidate after 4 hours, up to 28 days, depending on the type.
• Possesses good compressive strength but poor tensile strength.
• Several types exist, with Portland cement being the most characteristic.

Conglomerates

Conglomerates are mixtures of binders with other particles such as sand, gravel, etc. They improve strength, reduce fragility, and save material.

Mortar

• A mixture of cement and sand.
• Uses: Joining ceramic tiles, plastering walls.

Concrete

• A mixture of cement, sand, and gravel.
• Uses: Foundations, floors, precast concrete vaults, tiles, stairs, walls.

Reinforced Concrete

• Concrete with steel reinforcement bars.
• Uses: Structural elements like beams, slabs, foundations, pillars.

Stones

Main Stone Types

• Limestone

  • Typically gray (e.g., Figueres stone).

• Granite

  • An igneous rock formed by quartz, feldspar, and mica.
  • Resistant to acids and suitable for outdoor use.
  • Available in green, brown, whitish, gray, and other colors.
  • Uses: Flooring, kitchen countertops, outdoor applications.

• Marble

  • Main component is calcium carbonate.
  • Wide spectrum of colors: white, pink, gray, veined, etc.
  • Limited resistance to weathering and chemicals.

• Slate

  • A clayey metamorphic rock, dark and layered.
  • Uses: Roofs, decoration, paving areas.

• Basalt

  • A black, flint-like rock, highly heat resistant.

Stone Forms and Utility

• Rough Stone Blocks

  • Blocks of stone used in construction.
  • Typically cut and chipped from quarries.

• Laminated Stone

  • Thin slices of stone of uniform thickness.
  • Can be presented as rough-hewn, sawn, or polished.
  • Uses: Coatings on walls, floors, stairs, bars.

• Crushed Stone

  • Used with other stone materials for continuous paving, flooring, and forming artificial stone.

Metals

Steel

• An alloy of iron and carbon (up to 1.76%).
• Gray, ductile, and malleable, with good mechanical strength.
• Low resistance to oxidation and corrosion.
• Is forgeable and melts at about 1400 °C.
• In construction, it is used in several ways:

  • Structural Profiles

    • Such as I-beams, H-beams, U-channels, L-angles, and T-sections.
    • Uses: Construction of structures, pillars, beams.

  • Reinforcing Bars (Rebar)

    • Bars with deformations or ribs.
    • Uses: Reinforcement in beams, slabs, foundations, pillars, fences.

Copper

• Reddish, melts at 1083 °C.
• Ductile and malleable, corrosion resistant.
• Good electrical and heat conductor.

• Applications

  • Electrical conductors, hot water and gas pipes, heating boilers.