Stone as Building Material

UNIT I

STONES - BRICKS – CONCRETE - BLOCKS LIME

Stone as building material - Criteria for selection - Tests on stones - Bricks -Classification -Manufacturing of clay bricks - Tests on bricks - Compressive strength - Water Absorption - Efflorescence - Lime - Preparation of lime mortar - Concrete hollow blocks - Lightweight concrete blocks.

Stones, bricks, lime are the conventional materials used in Civil Engineering constructions for many centuries. In this chapter classification, properties, tests and uses of these materials are explained. In addition to these materials concrete blocks are also discussed.

STONE AS BUILDING MATERIAL

Stone is a natural construction material which is used from the prehistoric days. It is obtained from quarries in the form of rocks, which is then cut into required shape and size and used as building stones. Stones that are used for building construction are known as building stones. These are used for constructing different building components like foundations, walls, lintels, floors, roof etc. In India most of the ancient forts and temples were built using stones. Some of the examples of buildings constructed using stones are Red Fort, Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhawan at Delhi; The Taj and the Victoria Memorial at Calcutta; Vidhan Sabha at Bangalore.