Advanced Builder Materials

ADVANCED BUILDER
MATERIALS
Date: 29th April 2017
Time: 2pm - 6pm
By: Stephen To
Advanced Builder Materials | 2
What will you learn today?

Understand what common materials are used in construction
Why they are chosen for their specific purpose
How are these materials commonly used and to practice these uses
Be able to choose different materials for different purposes

What will you do today?

Short Brief
Stations for Materials
Special Project
What are some common materials used in construction?
Concrete
Timber
Bricks and mortar
Metals
Plastics
And more...
How do you choose the right material?

Fit for Function.

Will the material work?
Difficulty to Work With the Material

Can you install it?
Do you have the time to install?

Do you have enough people to
install it?
Cost of Material
Is your solution cost effective?
Do we have enough of the material?
And
Aesthetics aka. Looks

Will it look good?
Anything Else to Consider?

Each material has a specific purpose.

Each material has its strengths and weaknesses.
But nothing can be done about poor workmanship,

Stations
Brick and Mortar
Timber
Fibre Cement
Plastic
Concrete
Bricks and Mortar

Bricks and Mortar

Bricks are used all over the world because they use common materials!
A basic brick = Clay + sand is then molded and then dried.
Can be dried through the sun, or fire.
Examples of types of bricks:
Concrete brick Compressed Earth Block

Sand Lime Brick Clay Brick
Mortar
The glue that holds bricks together, made of cement, sand and water.
Ratio of 1:3 add water until smooth.
Mortar is
1.5 cm - 2 cm
1 bucket : 3 buckets Thick

Basic Brick-Laying
1. Plan your brick work Level
2. Start with a foundation
3. Make your mortar Mortar
4. Add your mortar
5. Lay your brick
Bricks
6. Level
7. Repeat Steps 4 - 7.
Foundation
to lay brick
Bonds
Bonds are the pattern that bricks are laid.
They are used for different purposes, allow electrical wiring through, make it
look good but most importantly ensure the load is spread through the wall.
Types of Bonds
There are dozens of different types of bonds:
Your Brick Laying Task

Make a 3 layer brick wall using a stretcher bond.
Timber
Timber
What is timber?
Where do we use it?
How do we differentiate timber? - By its size and dimensions? By its uses? By

its name?
2 x 4 by 12 ft
the wall stud , the Floor Joist, the beam
Meranti , Plywood
Types of Timber
Natural Timber - most common, wood is typically
used for its looks, and structure, can last years.
Natural defects occur in the wood such as knots
Engineered Timber - wood that is recycled and

glued together, predictable behaviour and
uniformity. Glue from wood can be hazardous
Wood is a living product and is heavily affected by

its environment!
Weather, moisture, bugs, mold, termites.

Sawn vs. Plane

Or, rough timber vs less rough timber What does it matter to you?
Sawn timber is used to denote rough timber

that has been cut but not planed. Typically
used for internal, and non-touched surfaces.
Plane timber has been cut and planed to

produce a smoother, uniform surface.
Typically used for its good looks, and
surfaces to touch.
You can always plane/sandpaper sawn

timber yourself.
Why does timber warp and how to deal.

Moisture and how it is cut.
As timber dries and moisture content decreases the timber

will bend different ways.
A rift sawn cut is less likely to warp, than a quarter sawn cut,
than a plain saw cut piece of timber. But Plain saw is cheaper.
3. 1. 2.
How to deal with timber warp

Dealing with warp there are two easy fixes: Letting it dry and plane-ing the right size or adding a finish
to prevent moisture coming in.
BUT On site there is not much you can do to fix the warping, it needs to dry.
If it is a bigger piece than needed, you can plane it. (if you have a planer)
If there is no choice and you have to use it:
Always turn the warp into an =( unhappy face where a load is placed.
Using nail or screw or glue? - It depends...

Nails are hard to remove
Screws are easy to remove
Glue is very hard to remove (when dried)
Nails are more bendy (more ductile) but less strong
Screw are less bendy (less ductile) but more strong
Typically timber to timber we use nails
The bigger and longer the nail or screw the stronger it will be.
Fibre Cement
Advanced Builder Materials |
Fibre Cement
Not used structurally, but as cladding for outer surfaces like roofing or walls.
Made from, sand, fibres, cement and water.
Is made by layering fiber cement into different shapes.

Why use fibre cement

Cost effective versus alternative materials Dust from cutting is
hazardous
Light weight
Low impact resistance - when
Durable - low maintenance required VS. thin easy to break
Weatherproof
Stiff
Thermal - proof (doesnt absorb heat)
Metals
Types of Steel
Loads of types of Steel
Top hat purlins
BRC Wire Mesh
Galvanised Iron pipe Hollow Sections

What is steel used for and why?

Typically the structural frame of a building
Reinforcement of concrete
There are many different types of steel

It is used everywhere in construction: Structure
Because it has a high strength to weight ratio
Stronger and lighter than timber
Recyclable
But harder to work with. Labour intensive.
Reinforcement
How do you join steel?
Nuts and Bolts Riveting
Brazing / soldering
Welding And Glue

Prefabrication
Typically steel is built in the factory to be easily assembled together on site
How do you use it?

For a builder it is very rare to repurpose steel that has been designed for a
specific purpose, if you cannot weld.
Attach using L brackets

Plastics
What Plastics do we use?
Polypipe
Polycarbonate
Loads of connections PVC pipe or UPVC pipe

Why Plastics
Advantages Disadvantages and limitations
Plastics are strong yet lightweight, and so they are Plastics may be degraded under the action of direct
easy to transport & manoeuvre. sunlight which reduces their mechanical strength.
They are durable, knock-and scratch resistant with Many plastics are flammable unless treated.
excellent weatherability. Unsuitable for load-bearing applications.
They do not rot or corrode. Thermoplastics are subject to creep and soften at
Plastics are easy to install; many have a snap-fit kind moderate temperatures.
of jointing procedures. Thermal expansion for most plastics is high:
The plastics are low conductors of heat and thus are adequate thermal movement has to be allowed in
used as insulation materials in green building detailing.
concepts.
The plastics products can achieve tight seals.
They can be easily removed and recycled.
How to join pipes What to look out for.

1. Plan out your pipes Typically glued which means you cannot
2. Cut your pipes replace when dry. (measure twice cut once)
3. Clean your pipes
4. Dry fit your pipes Always test to make sure the seal is tight.
5. Mark your pipes
6. Sandpaper your pipes Plastic is not load bearing. Meaning you
7. Glue your pipes cannot put heavy weight on it.
Or look here: Seriously, you cant step on it too.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/plumbing
/how-to-glue-and-join-pvc-plastic-pipe/view
-all
Concrete
Concrete
Concrete is used everywhere in construction
today.
Main ingredients are cement, sand and

gravel (normally 20mm)
Common mix ratio 1:2:4 by volume
Why Concrete?
Its strong in compression (good when pushed) Weak in tension (bad when pulled)
Durable over many years Susceptible to shrinking and cracking
Mouldable to any shape Heavy
Can be made on site Concrete dust is hazardous
Concrete can be recycled for future concrete

Reinforced Concrete
Concrete is weak in tension and good in
compression.
When steel is added to concrete, steel is good

in tension and can give its strength to
concrete.
Reinforcements and wire mesh stop the

Concrete from cracking.
How to make concrete

1. Plan
2. Build formwork
3. Add dry ingredients (cement, sand and
gravel)
4. Add wet ingredients (water)
5. Stir
6. Pour into mould
7. Smooth
8. Wait
Concrete left to dry becomes stronger over

time. It takes 28 days to reach full strength.
But you can start work 2-3 days later. Concrete formwork

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ADVANCED BUILDER

What will you learn today?

Why they are chosen for their specific purpose

Be able to choose different materials for different purposes

What will you do today?

Stations for Materials

What are some common materials used in construction?

Bricks and mortar

How do you choose the right material?

Fit for Function.

Difficulty to Work With the Material

Do you have the time to install?

Do we have enough of the material?

Aesthetics aka. Looks

Anything Else to Consider?

Each material has a specific purpose.

But nothing can be done about poor workmanship,

Bricks and Mortar

Bricks and Mortar

A basic brick = Clay + sand is then molded and then dried.

Can be dried through the sun, or fire.

Examples of types of bricks:

Concrete brick Compressed Earth Block

Ratio of 1:3 add water until smooth.

1 bucket : 3 buckets Thick

Your Brick Laying Task

Where do we use it?

How do we differentiate timber? - By its size and dimensions? By its uses? By

the wall stud , the Floor Joist, the beam

Engineered Timber - wood that is recycled and

Wood is a living product and is heavily affected by

Weather, moisture, bugs, mold, termites.

Sawn vs. Plane

Sawn timber is used to denote rough timber

Plane timber has been cut and planed to

You can always plane/sandpaper sawn

Why does timber warp and how to deal.

As timber dries and moisture content decreases the timber

How to deal with timber warp

Using nail or screw or glue? - It depends...

Screws are easy to remove

Glue is very hard to remove (when dried)

Nails are more bendy (more ductile) but less strong

Screw are less bendy (less ductile) but more strong

Typically timber to timber we use nails

Made from, sand, fibres, cement and water.

Is made by layering fiber cement into different shapes.

Why use fibre cement

Top hat purlins

BRC Wire Mesh

Galvanised Iron pipe Hollow Sections

What is steel used for and why?

There are many different types of steel

How do you join steel?

Nuts and Bolts Riveting

Welding And Glue

How do you use it?

Attach using L brackets

What Plastics do we use?

Loads of connections PVC pipe or UPVC pipe

How to join pipes What to look out for.

Or look here: Seriously, you cant step on it too.

Main ingredients are cement, sand and

Durable over many years Susceptible to shrinking and cracking