What is Corrosion of Steel? The term corrosion is defined as an act or process of gradual wearing away of a metal due to chemical or electro-chemical reaction by its surroundings such that the metal is converted into an oxide, salt or some other compound. A substance known as rust results from such a process. … Read more
Types of Backfill Materials Different types of backfill materials are used in construction industry. Backfill materials that are commonly used are described below with their engineering properties. 1. Coarse-grained soils Coarse-grained soils include gravelly and sandy soils and range from clayey sands (SC) through the well-graded gravels of gravel-sand mixtures (GW) with little or no … Read more
Type of Pier Pier is usually used as a general term for any type of substructure located between horizontal spans and foundations. However, from time to time, it is also used particularly for a solid wall in order to distinguish it from columns or bents. From a structural point of view, a column is a … Read more
Impurities in Sand Clay, silt, salts, mica and organic matter are a source of impurities in sand. All sands are generally found to contain some percentage of silt and clay. Mica is easily discernible from its shining surface. A certain percentage of impurities are inevitable in sand; a maximum of 6 % of silt and … Read more
Quality Control for Brickwork Bricks should be soaked in water for at least one hour before use for brickwork in cement and lime mortars. The bricks should be sufficiently soaked before use but not excessively so. The absence of bubbling when the soaked brick is immersed in water is the test for through soaking. Also … Read more
Selection of Type of Foundation The selection of a particular type of foundation is often based on a number of factors, such as: 1. Adequate depth The foundation must have an adequate depth to prevent frost damage. For such foundations as bridge piers, the depth of the foundation must be sufficient to prevent undermining by … Read more
Concrete Placing As with the handling of concrete, certain fundamental considerations govern placing techniques. First and perhaps foremost is the need to avoid segregation of the concrete caused by improper techniques. Second is the need to ensure thorough compaction of the concrete. The manner in which concrete is placed can have a significant influence on … Read more
What is Contraction Joint? A contraction joint is one in which the two concrete surfaces are free to move away from one another as a result of shrinkage or thermal movement. Relative movement in the plane of the joint is prevented. Why to Provide Contraction Joint? As concrete hardens and dries out, it shrinks. Unless … Read more
Mix Concrete Manually Proper mixing of concrete ingredient is very much necessary as it affects the quality of concrete in its fresh state as well as in hardened state. A concrete is said to be well mixed if it fulfills the following requirements. Concrete mix should be uniform in colour Concrete should achieve proper consistency … Read more
What is Efflorescence in Concrete? Efflorescence in concrete simply means appearance of white colored powdered material on the concrete surface. Efflorescence is the formation of salt deposits, usually white, on or near the surface of concrete after it has been finished and causing a change in the appearance. Light-coloured concrete shows the deposit much less … Read more
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