Basic construction materials

By Prof. Manu Santhanam, Prof. Radhakrishna G. Pillai | IIT Madras, IIT Madras

Learners enrolled: 3130 | Exam registration: 202

ABOUT THE COURSE :
The course intends to provide basic information on the structure and properties of construction materials to undergraduate students. The contents of the course will focus on a fundamental understanding of the structure of common materials, the types of bonds, and mechanisms of damage and failure in materials. It will then introduce the different materials used in construction, with respect to the approached to their design and use. At the end of the course, the student should be able to link the material choice with the application in construction.

INTENDED AUDIENCE : Open to all in construction sector

INDUSTRIES SUPPORT : None – this is a basic UG course

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Civil Engineering Construction Materials Technology
Credit Points :	3
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	20 Jan 2025
End Date :	11 Apr 2025
Enrollment Ends :	27 Jan 2025
Exam Registration Ends :	14 Feb 2025
Exam Date :	27 Apr 2025 IST

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: Structure and properties of materials

Fundamentals of material structure, from atomic bonding to failure theories;structure-property relationships; general engineering properties of materials

Week 2: Structure and properties of materials

Fundamentals of material structure, from atomic bonding to failure theories;structure-property relationships; general engineering properties of materials

Week 3: Structure and properties of materials

Fundamentals of material structure, from atomic bonding to failure theories;structure-property relationships; general engineering properties of materials

Week 4: Stone / Brick / Mortar

Properties and application of masonry materials; types of bonding; deterioration processes

Week 5: Cement and Concrete

Cement composition and properties; properties of other ingredients;basic concrete mixture proportioning; Early age and long term properties;construction methods with concrete

Week 6: Cement and Concrete

Cement composition and properties; properties of other ingredients;basic concrete mixture proportioning; Early age and long term properties;construction methods with concrete

Week 7: Cement and Concrete

Cement composition and properties; properties of other ingredients;basic concrete mixture proportioning; Early age and long term properties;construction methods with concrete

Week 8: Steel / Aluminium / Copper

Structure of iron and steel – phase diagrams; properties of reinforcing steel and structural steel; corrosion; properties and applications of Al and Cu

Week 9: Steel / Aluminium / Copper

Structure of iron and steel – phase diagrams; properties of reinforcing steel and structural steel; corrosion; properties and applications of Al and Cu

Week 10: Composite materials / FRP / Polymers and Plastics

Particulate and fibre reinforced composites; structure and behaviour of polymers and plastics

Week 11: Wood / Glass

Structure of wood; processing of timber for construction; defects and deterioration of wood; properties and applications of glass

Week 12: Pavement materials

Basic pavement materials such as WBM and WMM; structure and properties of asphalt; proportioning and application of bituminous concrete for flexible pavements;understanding of rigid pavements – jointed, doweled and continuously reinforced

Books and references

(a). Michael S. Mamlouk and John P. Zaniewski, “Materials for Civil and Construction Engineers,” Addison Wesley Longman Inc., USA, 1999

(b). William D. Callister, Jr., “Materials Science and Engineering – An Introduction,” 3rd Ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1994.

(c). P.C. Varghese, “Building Materials,” Prentice-Hall of India, New Delhi, 2008

(d). Shan Somayaji, “Civil Engineering Materials,” 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2008

Instructor bio

Prof. Manu Santhanam

IIT Madras

Prof. Manu Santhanam is a Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Madras. His research interests are in multi-scale characterization of concrete, supplementary cementing materials, durability and non-destructive evaluation.

Prof. Radhakrishna G. Pillai

IIT Madras

Dr. Radhakrishna G. Pillai is an Associate professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India, where he is working since 2010. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, Texas, USA. He has co-authored more than 70 publications in the areas of structural and materials performance, concrete technology, and corrosion mechanisms and service life estimation in concrete structures. In addition, he is a lead investigator for various research projects funded by public and private agencies involving corrosion, condition assessment and restoration of concrete structures.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: April 27, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.

Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Madras .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team