MAKERERE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, DESIGN, ART AND TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

CIV2203: CIVIL ENGINEERING MATERIALS
TEST 1, 2020
DATE: Monday 9th November 2020 TIME: 10:00AM – 1:00 PM

INSTRUCTIONS:
[1] Answer all the Five (5) questions for full marks.
[2] Make any reasonable assumptions where you deem necessary and clearly state them.
[3] The weight of each question is indicated.

Question 1 [20 marks]

a.) What are the significance and use of each of the following tests on cement?
i. Setting time
ii. Compressive strength
iii. Specific surface
iv. Heat of hydration
v. Pozzolanic performance (5 marks)
b.) Discuss the effect of water-cement ratio on the quality of hardened concrete. Explain why this
effect happens. (5 marks)
c.) What type of cement would you use in each of the following cases? Why? (10 marks)
i. Construction of a concrete gravity dam
ii. Concreting works in hot weather such as the Rift Valley regions of Kasese
iii. Construction of a concrete retaining wall in a soil with sulfate exposure
iv. In a precast concrete plant with controlled exposure conditions
v. Concreting works on a site where exposure limits curing to about 2 days.
Question 2 [20 Marks]
a.) Briefly discuss at least 5 factors that influence workability of fresh concrete? (5 marks)
b.) What factors control segregation in fresh concrete? (5 marks)
c.) A concrete trial mix developed for in-situ production using mechanical means is proportioned by
mass with Course Aggregates = 125kg, Fine Aggregates = 75kg, Portland Cement = 15kg,
Mixing Water = 28kg, and Natural Pozzolana admixture = 7kg.
The materials have physical characteristics as follows
 Density of coarse aggregates= 2400 kg/m3
 Density of fine aggregates = 2500 kg/m3
 Density of Portland cement = 3140 kg/m3
 Density of natural pozzolan = 2700 kg/m3
 Absorption capacity for both course and fine aggregates = 1.5%
 Moisture content for course aggregates = 2.5%

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  Moisture content for fine aggregates = 1.0%
Using the information provided above, calculate the density of concrete (10 marks)
Question 3 [20 Marks]
a) Why is it important that concrete masonry units meet certain absorption requirements?
(4 marks)
b) Define Efflorescence and state its mechanism of occurrence in both burnt clay bricks and
concrete blocks. (3 marks)
c) State at least four (4) functional requirements of a wall and explain how they are achieved in
construction. (6 marks)
d) Explain the three main groups of asphalt products from straight run asphalts (3 marks)
e) State at least four types of glass and discuss their application in construction. (4 marks)

Question 4 [20 Marks]

a.) Name four primary factors that make aluminium an attractive structural engineering material.
(4 marks)
b.) Define corrosion of steel and its dangers to civil engineering structures. Why is reinforcing steel
used in concrete? Draw a graph showing the stress strain relationship of normal steel indicating the
Yield Point (yield stress, limit of proportionality, elastic limit), Plateau of Productivity, Ultimate
Tensile Strength and Point of Fracture . (6 marks)
c.) Sketch the following ten (10) shapes commonly used in structural steel applications; circular hollow
section, rectangular hollow section, wide-flange/column, I-beam, channel, equal-legs angle,
unequal-legs angle, tee, sheet piling, and rail. (10 marks)

Question 5 [20 Marks]

a.) What is fiber saturation point and what is its effect on shrinkage of wood in different
directions? (5 marks)
b.) A 200 mm wide mahogany plank is cut in such a way that the width is in the tangential
direction to annual rings. Compute the change in width as the moisture content changes
from 10% to 35% given that the fiber saturation point of mahogany is 25% and its shrinkage
6.2% in drying from fiber saturation point to oven dry in the tangential direction.
(3 marks)
c.) State and define at least 4 defects of lumber that affects it mechanical properties.
(4 marks)
d.) Discuss the fundamental components of paints that are used in protection and decorative
coatings. (8 marks)
END

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 Appendix

Table 1: Typical Relationship Between Water-Cement Ratio and

Compressive Strength of Concrete (ACI 318, 1999)
Water-Cement Ratio by Weight
Compressive strength at
Non-Air-Entrained Air-Entrained
28 days (MPa)
Concrete Concrete
48 0.33 −
41 0.41 0.32
35 0.48 0.4
28 0.57 0.48
21 0.68 0.59
14 0.82 0.74

Table 2: Requirements for Concrete Exposed to

Sulfates in Soil or Water (ACI 318, 2008)
Sulfate Maximum Water-Cement Ratio 𝑓 ′ 𝑐𝑟 = 𝑓 ′ 𝑐 + 1.34𝑠
Exposure by Weight
Negligible −
Moderate 0.5 𝑓 ′ 𝑐𝑟 = 𝑓 ′ 𝑐 + 2.33𝑠 − 3.45
Severe 0.45
Very Severe 0.4

Nominal Maximum Size of Table 4: Bulk Volume of Dry-Rodded Coarse Aggregate per
Aggregate, mm Unit Volume of Concrete for Different Fineness Moduli of
Fine Aggregate (ACI 211.1)
Fineness Modulus
2.40 2.60 2.80 3.00
9.5 0.5 0.48 0.46 0.44
12.5 0.59 0.57 0.55 0.53
19 0.66 0.64 0.62 0.6
25 0.71 0.69 0.67 0.65
37.5 0.75 0.73 0.71 0.69
50 0.78 0.76 0.74 0.72
75 0.82 0.8 0.78 0.76
150 0.87 0.85 0.83 0.81

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Table 5: Approximate Target Percent Air Content Requirements for Different Nominal Maximum
Sizes of Aggregates (ACI 211.1 and ACI 318)
Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size (mm)
9.5 12.5 37.5 150
19 mm 25 mm 50 mm 75 mm
mm mm mm mm
Non-air-entrained
3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.3 0.2
Concrete
Air-entrained
Concrete
Mild Exposure 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0
Moderate Exposure 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0
Severe Exposure 7.5 7.0 6.0 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0

Table 6: Effect of aggregate shape on water content requirement

Aggregate shape Reduction in Water Content, kg/m3
Subangular 12
Gravel with crushed particles 21.0
Rounded gravel 27

Table7: Recommended Slumps for Various Types of Construction (ACI 211.1)

Slump, mm
Concrete Construction
Maximum Minimum
Reinforced foundation walls and footings 75 25
Plain footings, caissons, and substructure walls 75 25
Beams and reinforced walls 100 25
Building columns 100 25
Pavements and slabs 75 25
Mass concrete 75 25

Table8: Approximate Mixing Water in kg/m3 for Different Slumps and Nominal Maximum
Aggregate Sizes for Air-entrained Concrete
Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size in mm
Slump, mm
9.5 12.5 19 25 37.5 50 75 150

25 to 50 181 175 168 160 150 142 122 107

75 to 100 202 193 184 175 165 157 133 119

150 to 175 216 205 197 184 174 166 154 −

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