Course syllabus for Building materials

Course syllabus adopted 2025-02-17 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameByggnadsmaterial
  • CodeBOM195
  • Credits6 Credits
  • OwnerTKSAM
  • 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 58138
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0115 Laboratory 2 c
Grading: UG		 2 c
0215 Examination 4 c
Grading: TH		 4 c

In programmes

Examiner

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

Introduction to civil engineering and the built environment

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 an overview of building materials and their use. It covers different material groups and their functions in buildings. For each material group, raw materials, manufacturing, chemical and structural composition, material properties, and important parameters are discussed, as well as common applications, durability, and lifespan in various environments. Special focus is placed on construction materials such as concrete, steel, and wood, including their basic strength and deformation properties, as well as factors affecting their mechanical and physical properties, durability, and lifespan.

The course also covers basic theory on heat transport through conduction, radiation, and convection; moisture transport and fixation through diffusion, convection, and capillary suction; and calculation methods for one-dimensional steady-state heat and moisture transport in materials and structures. Chemistry, physics, and mathematics (in parallel courses) are used to explain and illustrate phenomena such as heat and moisture transport. In the sustainable development module, LCA studies are used to compare materials and create decision bases for the selection of structural materials.

Organisation

The course covers the following activities:
  • Lectures (department and possibly 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)

The exam examines general learning objectives where students are expected to individually answer different types of questions (theory and calculation problems). The written exam is available at a specific time but can be taken at any location.

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 about disability study support.