Importance of Laboratory Testing of Environmental and Building Materials
The developmental changes that have accompanied human civilization throughout the world have relied a lot, among a number of important parameters, on the infrastructural growth and the associated technologies. Infrastructure implies all those things and structures which form the basis or foundation of a progressing society, and finally of a nation. Infrastructure includes buildings, highways, bridges, railway and metro projects, and all those ingredients which form an integral part of the global image of a country. Now, the key to building an infrastructural marvel is the civil engineering techniques, technologies, and most importantly the building/construction materials. Construction materials include cement, aggregate, concrete, reinforced steel, structural clays (bricks), bitumen, various types of plastics etc. Proper assurance of the properties of these materials is vital to ensuring the quality and durability of the final structures that are made with them. But having said all these, we should not forget about our environment that allows us to live and breathe. Often the environmental concerns are either ignored or are sacrificed at the altar of economic progress, which actually jeopardize our future. There have been a number of irreversible changes that have been inflicted on our environment due to reckless and thoughtless activities of mankind. One such example is the €Greenhouse Effect' and the various global effects associated with it. Any major civil project has to be analyzed, before it gets underway, for its compatibility (with environment) and feasibility. Hence, the importance of environmental testing can not be ignored. The reliability of the test results is a very important issue, and here accredited laboratories tend to have an edge over other laboratories because of certified competence.
The basic properties of engineering or building materials can be broadly categorized into three types: Physical, Mechanical and Chemical. All these three test types are used to characterize the test items in terms of their respective properties. Mechanical properties describe the behavior of the materials under the application of external loads. Some of the mechanical properties are Compressive strength, tensile strength, Young's modulus, Hardness etc. The physical properties arise due to the physical state or composition of the substance, and some of the common properties are density, specific gravity, soundness, permeability, porosity, moisture, texture etc. Last but not the least, the chemical properties reveal about the chemical composition and the chemical characteristics which arise as a result of various relevant chemical reactions involving the test item. Some such properties include pH, acidity, alkalinity, ash content, chemical composition of key ingredients (like cations, anions, chemical compounds) in cement, minerals etc. Building materials testing not only involves testing of all the key ingredients of construction, like cement, aggregate, concrete, reinforced steel etc., but also involves soil testing and water testing used for construction. The testing of such materials is done at various stages of the construction activities, and hence form an important part of the Quality Assurance program.
Environmental testing is generally done in tandem with testing of building materials, in order to keep a track of the environmental hazards posed as a result of construction activities. But environmental testing is also carried out to monitor other activities, be it industrial or commercial, that can pose a threat to human health and our ecosystem. Environmental testing differs from a lot other testing fields in the sense that its main aim is to assess the impact that the various anthropogenic activities have on our ecosystem, and hence the test results should not be viewed as mere numbers but understood in a subjective manner.
The basic properties of engineering or building materials can be broadly categorized into three types: Physical, Mechanical and Chemical. All these three test types are used to characterize the test items in terms of their respective properties. Mechanical properties describe the behavior of the materials under the application of external loads. Some of the mechanical properties are Compressive strength, tensile strength, Young's modulus, Hardness etc. The physical properties arise due to the physical state or composition of the substance, and some of the common properties are density, specific gravity, soundness, permeability, porosity, moisture, texture etc. Last but not the least, the chemical properties reveal about the chemical composition and the chemical characteristics which arise as a result of various relevant chemical reactions involving the test item. Some such properties include pH, acidity, alkalinity, ash content, chemical composition of key ingredients (like cations, anions, chemical compounds) in cement, minerals etc. Building materials testing not only involves testing of all the key ingredients of construction, like cement, aggregate, concrete, reinforced steel etc., but also involves soil testing and water testing used for construction. The testing of such materials is done at various stages of the construction activities, and hence form an important part of the Quality Assurance program.
Environmental testing is generally done in tandem with testing of building materials, in order to keep a track of the environmental hazards posed as a result of construction activities. But environmental testing is also carried out to monitor other activities, be it industrial or commercial, that can pose a threat to human health and our ecosystem. Environmental testing differs from a lot other testing fields in the sense that its main aim is to assess the impact that the various anthropogenic activities have on our ecosystem, and hence the test results should not be viewed as mere numbers but understood in a subjective manner.
