"Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that cures over time."
Knowledge of various materials used in construction such as concrete, steel, wood, and their properties and uses, along with different construction techniques.
Materials Science: An interdisciplinary field that deals with the properties, behavior, and application of various materials, such as metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, and biomaterials.
Structural Mechanics: The study of how loads and forces act on structures, analyzing the stress and strain behavior of structural components, and designing them to withstand various types of loads and deformations.
Concrete Technology: The science of designing and making concrete mixtures, including the selection of raw materials, proportioning, mixing, placing, curing, and testing, along with the various types and properties of concrete.
Steel Construction: The use of steel in building structures, including the properties and behavior of steel, the different types of steel sections, and their design for strength, stiffness, and stability.
Masonry Construction: The use of bricks, stones, or concrete blocks in building walls, including the types, properties, and behavior of these materials, and the various techniques for bonding and laying them.
Timber Construction: The use of wood in building structures, including the properties and behavior of wood, the different types and forms of timber construction, and its design and detailing.
Building Envelope Systems: The design and construction of exterior walls, roofs, and other surfaces that form the boundary between the interior and exterior space, including the selection of materials, insulation, ventilation, and waterproofing.
HVAC Systems: The design and installation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, including the selection of equipment, ducting, controls, and energy management.
Electrical Systems: The design and installation of electrical systems, including lighting, power, communications, and safety, and the selection of equipment, wiring, and controls.
Plumbing Systems: The design and installation of plumbing systems, including water supply, drainage, sewage, and fixtures, and the selection of materials, piping, and controls.
Fire Protection Systems: The design and installation of fire sprinklers, alarms, smoke detectors, and other safety systems, and the selection of materials and controls.
Sustainable Design: The integration of environmentally conscious and energy-efficient strategies in building design, construction, operation, and maintenance, including the selection of materials, systems, and technologies that reduce energy, water, and waste.
Building Codes and Standards: The regulatory framework that governs the design, construction, and operation of buildings, including the codes, standards, and guidelines adopted by local, state, and federal agencies.
Concrete: A versatile construction material made of a mixture of cement, water, aggregates, and additives that hardens over time and can support heavy loads.
Steel: A durable and strong construction material that is widely used for its tensile strength and resistance to corrosion.
Brick: A traditional building material made of fired clay that is durable, fire-resistant, and offers good insulation.
Wood: A widely used building material due to its low cost, flexibility, and thermal properties.
Glass: A transparent material that is used for its aesthetic appeal, energy efficiency, and natural lighting benefits.
Plastics: A group of synthetic materials that are often used for their lightweight, durable, and low-maintenance properties.
Stone: A natural building material that is highly durable and long-lasting, often used for decorative purposes.
Masonry: A construction method that uses mortar and bricks, concrete blocks, or stones to build walls, columns, and other structures.
Steel framing: A method of construction that uses steel beams, columns, and trusses, generally providing a more efficient and consistent structural framework.
Pre-cast concrete: A construction method where structural components or entire buildings are pre-manufactured in a factory and transported to the site for installation.
Timber frame: A construction method which uses pre-manufactured wooden frames and panels to build a structure.
Prefabricated building: A construction method where entire buildings or modules are pre-manufactured in a factory and assembled on the site.
"Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most widely used building material."
"The cement reacts with the water through a process called concrete hydration that hardens it over several hours to form a hard matrix."
"The hydration process is exothermic, which means ambient temperature plays a significant role in how long it takes concrete to set."
"Often, additives (such as pozzolans or superplasticizers) are included in the mixture to improve the physical properties of the wet mix, delay or accelerate the curing time, or otherwise change the finished material."
"Most concrete is poured with reinforcing materials (such as steel rebar) embedded to provide tensile strength, yielding reinforced concrete."
"In the past, lime based cement binders, such as lime putty, were often used but sometimes with other hydraulic cements, such as a calcium aluminate cement or with Portland cement to form Portland cement concrete."
"Many other non-cementitious types of concrete exist with other methods of binding aggregate together, including asphalt concrete with a bitumen binder and polymer concretes that use polymers as a binder."
"Whereas concrete is itself a building material, mortar is a bonding agent that typically holds bricks, tiles, and other masonry units together."
"Grout is another material associated with concrete and cement. It does not contain coarse aggregates and is usually either pourable or thixotropic, and is used to fill gaps between masonry components or coarse aggregate which has already been put in place."
"This time allows concrete to not only be cast in forms, but also to have a variety of tooled processes performed."
"Aggregate is mixed with dry Portland cement and water to form a fluid slurry that is easily poured and molded into shape."
"The hard matrix formed during hydration binds the materials together into a durable stone-like material that has many uses."
"The cement reacts with the water through a process called concrete hydration that hardens it over several hours to form a hard matrix."
"Additives (such as pozzolans or superplasticizers) are included in the mixture to improve the physical properties of the wet mix, delay or accelerate the curing time, or otherwise change the finished material."
"Most concrete is poured with reinforcing materials (such as steel rebar) embedded to provide tensile strength, yielding reinforced concrete."
"Lime based cement binders, such as lime putty, were used sometimes with other hydraulic cements, such as a calcium aluminate cement or with Portland cement to form Portland cement concrete (named for its visual resemblance to Portland stone)."
"Asphalt concrete with a bitumen binder is frequently used for road surfaces."
"Polymer concretes use polymers as a binder, offering a different method of binding aggregate together."
"Some methods of concrete manufacture and repair involve pumping grout into the gaps to make up a solid mass in situ."