Defects in Buildings

Failures in Buildings | Important Construction Materials

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Defects in Buildings | Building Materials used in Construction

In my previous article, we began with a discussion on Building Materials used for Construction. We have already discussed the two major building materials such as Sand and Mud. Now we will go on and discuss the role of water, Cement and Cement Mortar in Construction.

Water in Construction

Salt free water should be used on the construction site for the mixing of cement. If salty water is used in the construction, it will result in formation of cracks in the building.

For example: Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, India has brine water below 100’. That is why, the bore cannot be dug to more than 80’ feet for water to be used on the construction site.

Cement in Construction

There are various grades of cement available for the purpose of construction.

For example: M15, M20, M25 etc

The grade of cement to be used for construction is decided on the basis of the kind of construction and the structural design.

Cement is always used along with steel, that is RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) construction. Only cement cannot be used because it develops cracks.

Grooves are made over the layer of cement mortar.

For example: When cement flooring is done, a thin layer of cement is laid and grooves are made on the cement layer to prevent cracks.

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Defects in Construction | Building Materials used in Construction

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Building Materials used in Construction | Defects in Buildings

The building materials used for construction of the building are the major factors of a successful structure or a failed structure. The major core materials that are responsible for the standing structure are:

  1. Sand
  2. Mud
  3. Cement
  4. Water
  5. Cement Mortar

Usually, the failure of a building is due to the development of cracks. The intensity of damage describes the kind of crack and the repair measures to be taken….

There are two major types of cracks:

  1. Minor causes of Cracks resulting in minor cracks or surface cracks in Buildings
  2. Major causes of cracks resulting in major cracks or structural cracks in Buildings
Villas Construction site, India
Villas Construction site, India

The purpose of writing this article was to figure out the different building materials used for different purposes and how their quality or the quality of their mixture affects the structure as a whole.

Uses of Sand in Construction

Sand is the major building material used in any kind of construction. It is used in every phase of the construction project, i.e. from the foundation to the finishing of the floor.

There are three major varieties of sand:

a) Fine sand

b) Coarse sand

c) Medium sand

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