History of building materials

All the buildings erected nowadays are of two main types: they are intended either for housing or industrial purposes.

The main building materials are timber, stone (brick), concrete, steel, light metals, glass and plastics. Timber was one of the first materials to be used by man for constructional purposes. It is highly probable that it will be one of the last. Timber is unique among the materials of construction. It will be available when the earth's capital deposits of iron, coal, clay and the rest have been consumed.

The buildings made of stone or brick are durable and fireproof, they have a poor heat conductivity.

Concrete made with natural hydraulic binders was used in antiquity, particularly by the Romans. After the decline of the Roman Empire the art of making concrete has been forgotten, and the revival came much later.

Portland cement was produced more than a century ago. From the time of its first production there was a steady and gradual improvement in its compressive strength.

Reinforced concrete is hardly 100 years old, but its practical application in building began only 90 years ago. Today reinforced concrete is used in all civilized countries as one of the most important building materials. One of the essential properties of concrete is its compressive strength.

    The history of building in iron and steel is hardly more than a hundred years old. The construction of the first railways has given considerable impetus to cast and wrought iron production. The commonest quality of steel for building construction is that known as mild steel (m. s.). Several qualities of high tensile steel are widely used everywhere. They vary both in their chemical composition and their mechanical properties.

The elements used for most steel structures are the hot roiled sections, produced in a great variety by the rolling mills.

Aluminum is the most important of the light metals used in the building industry. Magnesium is still lighter, but it has not yet become a building material. It is used only as an alloying metal in conjunction with aluminum. The major characteristics of aluminum in which the architect is interested are its durability and its light weight.

Glass is now generally employed in the construction of industrial buildings, office blocks and schools. In recent years it has eclipsed all other materials for heat and sound insulation purposes.

Plastics are a new building material. Nearly all the plastics are compounds of such simple elements as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and sometimes nitrogen. The characteristics of the various plastics depend upon the way in which these elements are combined. Plastics are used where the older materials are not satisfactory, or for the development of entirely new uses.

New vocabulary:

Suitable – подходящий                                                              carpentry - плотницкие работы

scarce – недостаточный                                                                           compounds – составляющие компоненты

incombustible – невоспламеняющийся                                   to endure – терпеть

to decline – снизиться                                                                amenable – поддающийся

to lack - испытывать недостаток                                         kiln – печь

durability – долговечность                                                       substances – вещества

legacy – наследство                                                                   masonry – каменный

to cohere – сцеплять                                                                   gravity - сила тяжести

mortar - известковый раствор                                                truly waterproof cement - настоящий

abundant – избыточный                                                            водонепроницаемый цемент

moreover - кроме того                                                                steel rods - стальные пруты

impetus - стимул

1. Combine the following pairs of sentences according to the model:

Model: Т.: Plastics will be widely used. Metals will have been consumed. (when)

St.: Plastics will be widely used when metals have been consumed.

1. This plant will have been constructed. You will come to our city again. (before)

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2. The engineers will be able to continue their investigations. They will be given due time. (provided)

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3. We shall obtain any desired properties of two or three metals. We shall combine them in an alloy. (if)

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4. We shall do work. We shall rub two surfaces together. (when)

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5. There will be no danger of overheating. Temperature will remain constant. (as long as)

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6. These substances will ionize completely. They will be dissolved in natural water. (as soon as)

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7. Timber will be widely used. New plastics will be developed. (until)

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2. Change the following sentences according to the model:

Model: A.: If the plant gets all the material tomorrow, they will finish this experiment in time.

В.: If the plant got all the material tomorrow, they would finish this experiment in time.

C.: If the plant had got all the material yesterday, they would have finished this experiment in time.

1. If these oxides react with acid, salts will be formed.

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2. If two or more pure metals are mixed in molten state, we shall have an alloy after cooling.

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3. If native metals are mined, they will need very little refining.

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4. If the two elements form a solid solution, the alloy will be harder and stronger.

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5. If the two elements do not form solid solutions or compounds, their alloys will have properties intermediate between the two elements.

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3.Answer the following questions:

1. What are buildings intended for?

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2. What are the main building materials?

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3. When was Portland cement produced?

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4. When was concrete first used?

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5. What are the earth's capital deposits?

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6. When was the first railway constructed?

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7. What is the commonest quality of steel for building?

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8. What is the most important of the light metals?

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9. Where are plastics used?

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10. What are the major characteristics of aluminum?

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11. For what purposes is glass employed in construction?

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4. Translate into Russian paying attention to the word 'one':

1. To determine the density of a body one must know its mass and its volume.

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2. Ductile materials have greater strength than brittle ones.

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3. Copper is one of the metals used in the prehistoric times.

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5. Put in the missing prepositions:

1. Modern buildings can be divided _______ two types.

2. These buildings are made ____________ stone and brick.

3. Plastics are used ________ the development ______________ new uses.

4. Glass is employed _________ the construction __________ industrial buildings.

5. Timber was one ___________ the first materials used _______________ man.