Course syllabus for Building materials

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-16 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameByggnadsmaterial
  • CodeACE035
  • Credits6 Credits
  • OwnerTKATK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture and Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • ThemeEnvironment 1 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 46115
  • Maximum participants50
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0118 Laboratory 2 c
Grading: UG		1 c1 c
0218 Examination 4 c
Grading: TH		 4 c
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Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites


Aim

Access to raw materials and the knowledge about how to transform these natural resources into functional and durable building materials with a low environmental impact are basic prerequisites for a modern construction sector. Large sales and market values of building materials also trigger many innovations in the production, application, and reuse of building materials. The "story" of building materials is thus both rich and long and begins with this basic course whose purpose is to introduce established theoretical concepts and practical techniques for describing, testing, and predicting properties, function, and environmental impact of traditional building materials such as wood, concrete, and steel.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

- related to properties of building materials

1. Describe the commonly used building materials and their overall functions in buildings.
2. Explain the basic strength and deformation properties of conventional construction materials.
3. Explain the basic properties of commonly used building materials for heat transport and storage, as well as moisture transport and fixation.
4. Describe the important factors that may affect the mechanical and physical properties of commonly used construction materials.
5. Calculate and/or predict material properties with established definitions and equations together (if possible) with risk analysis.
6. Implement measurements of material properties with suitable measurement techniques, and analyze and evaluate the measurement results.

- related to environmental impact of building materials

7. Describe and give examples of technical and environmental properties in a life cycle perspective that provides different conditions for sustainable construction and resource utilization in society.
8. Create a decision basis that is based on objective and neutral arguments for a choice of material, resulting from a life cycle comparison.

Content

The course provides a review of general knowledge of building materials. The course covers various building materials arranged in groups of materials and their function in the building. For each group of materials it deals with raw materials, manufacturing, chemical and structural construction, material properties and essential parameters, as well as common applications, durability and service life in different environments. A specific, relatively large section deals with the construction materials concrete, steel and wood, including their basic strength and deformation as well as the important factors that may affect the mechanical and physical properties, durability and service life. 

The course also addresses the fundamental theory of heat transport and storage by conduction, radiation and convection; moisture transport and fixation by diffusion, convection and capillary suction; and the methodology of calculation of one-dimensional stationary heat and moisture transport in materials and structures. Chemistry, physics and mathematics (in parallel courses) are applied to explain and illustrate the manner of action and phenomena such as heat and moisture transport.

In a previous Sustainable Development module (study period 1), the focus was on constructing a flow chart and carrying out a simpler calculation of the environmental impact from a building. In this Sustainable Development and LCA module, LCA studies are used to compare the building materials and to create a decision basis for the choice of load-bearing materials. Important concepts are functional unit, environmental impact category, system boundaries, uncertainties and life cycle perspectives. 

Organisation

The course covers the following activities:

  • Lectures (department and possible guest lecture)
  • Calculation and method exercises (active learning through problem solving)
  • Laboratory (active learning through real observations of phenomena and measurements of properties)

Literature

Burström, P G, Byggnadsmaterial - Uppbyggnad, tillverkning och egenskaper, Studentlitteratur, Lund, 2019 or later.

Handed out lecture material

Examination including compulsory elements

The examination consists of two parts:
  • Completed laboratory course (approved/failed)
  • Exam (graded)

Exam examines general learning outcomes. At the written exam students are expected to individually answer questions in different ways, including multiple choice, written description and calculation.

To obtain the final grade, the approval of both parts are required as well as approved method exercise in Sustainable Development module. 

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.