Civil Engineering Blog

 B19 Bricks are the building blocks of a building. If the quality of brick used in a structure is not good then it can lead to serious damages to the building. Therefore it is necessary to check the quality of brick before using it in any construction activities. There are some field tests that we can conduct in the field in order to check the quality of bricks. These tests are as follows. Clap Test Drop Test Shape and Size Test Water Absorption Test Efflorescence  Color Test Hardness Structure Examine frog in Brick Here are some simple yet effective brick tests you can take to check the quality of bricks, 1- Clap Test: If you clap two bricks together, they should make a metallic, clear ringing sound. This test helps you determine the reaction of bricks against sudden impact. 2- Drop Test: Drop a brick from a 4 feet height, if it does not break then the brick is of good quality. If the bricks are broken it indicates low impact value and is therefore not good for construction. ...

B18 Q: Why are Abbreviations used? A:  Construction blueprints, also called construction plans or drawings, are full of abbreviations and acronyms to save space and neaten the overall appearance of the presentation. Remembering all of this shorthand can be tricky, especially when this is added to the challenge of reading all the symbols and deciphering the conventions that might be used by a particular draftsperson or designer. Fortunately, many blueprint abbreviations have widely accepted meanings and are used in all sorts of blueprints, from framing plans to engineering drawings. Abbreviations are often used to facilitate and shorten written narratives. This is an acceptable practice as long as it is universally recognized and understood abbreviations are used. Examples Alphabetically: A: AB: Air Brick ABR: Alternate Bars Reversed AC: Alternating current or air conditioning ACOP: Approved code of practice AGG: Aggregate AISTRUCTE: Associate of the Institution of Structural E...

 B17 Steel & Portland cement actually have similar thermal expansion rates. It’s really an awesome serendipitous discovery. Modern life would not be possible. Highrise buildings, highways, bridges, tunnels, piers, and dams. The reason brick fell out of favor was that it had a different rate than Portland cement mortar. Thus the freezing & thawing cycle led to cracks. For centuries bricks were bonded with lime mortar. They actually have similar thermal expansion rates too. Now the problem is that steel corrodes. Leading to spalling. So older structures are modified by connecting the steel to sacrificial anodes like zinc. Or by using fiberglass/resin reinforcing bars in new constructions. So far I haven’t seen any articles about the downsides to this combination. Tell us:  What do you wish you understood about the above blog?  (tell us in comment)  we provide free of cost  first cut  consulting If you want to need a  free consultant  then cl...

 B16 Underwater concrete contains three ingredients: sand or gravel, water, and cement to hold it all together. The type of cement used for most construction, including underwater construction, is Portland cement. Made from heated clay and lime, Portland cement is the secret to concrete’s ability to set underwater. The Roman invented underwater cement and one can still see the concrete that was manufactured two thousand plus years ago. We should use  Portland-pozzolana cement (PPC)  for any type of underground construction works. During the construction of bridges, dams, or any structure where the foundation is most likely to lie underwater, the underwater construction has opted. During underwater Construction, the main objective is to create a dry and water-free environment for working so that the stability of the structure is balanced. Cement- Weight of 1 kg cement bag – 50 kg. The volume of 1 kg cement bag – 0.035 cum. m Weight of 1 cum. m of cement – 1440 kg or 28.80 ...