MATERIALS ENGINEERING CONCEPTS - Materials for Civil and Construction Engineers - page 41

industry, applications of ceramics and plastics are increasing as manufactur-
ers strive for better performance, economy, and safety, while pushing to re-
duce emissions. Likewise, civil and construction engineers are continuously
looking for materials with better quality and higher performance. Advanced
composite materials, geotextiles, and various synthetic products are currently
competing with traditional civil engineering materials. Although traditional
materials such as steel, concrete, wood, and asphalt will continue to be used
for some time, improvements of these materials will proceed by changing the
molecular structure of such materials and using modifiers to improve their
performance. Examples of such improvements include fiber-reinforced con-
crete, polymer-modified concrete and asphalt, low temperature- susceptible
asphalt binder, high-early-strength concrete, superplasticizers, epoxy-coated
steel reinforcement, synthetic bar reinforcement, rapid-set concrete patching
compounds, prefabricated drainage geocomposites, lightweight aggregates,
fire-resistant building materials, and earthquake-resistant joints. Civil engi-
neers are also recycling old materials in an effort to save materials cost, reduce
energy, and improve the environment.

QUESTIONS AND

PROBLEMS

1.1 State three examples of a static load application and three examples

of a dynamic load application.

1.2 A material has the stress-strain behavior shown in Figure P1.2.

What is the material strength at rupture? What is the toughness of
this material?

Point of Rupture

50

40

30

20

10

0

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4

Strain, %

FIGURE P1.2