Month: September 2019

What is Brick Flooring? Method, Advantages & Disadvantages

What is Brick Flooring?

Brick flooring is one type of floor made of brick. Brick is a cheap material and is available easily at any place; therefore, its construction is comparatively cheap.

This floor is used almost in similar conditions as flagstone floors. It is used for places where heavy articles are to be stored like – godowns, sheds, stores, etc.

In brick flooring, bricks may be laid either on edge or flat, and the brickwork is carried out in cement or lime mortar. Read Also: Types of Bricks.

Method of Construction

In the construction of brick flooring, first of all, depending on the type of soil and structure, an excavation of around 40 cm is made below the proposed surface. The excavation surface is then leveled, watered, and rammed properly.

Over this, a hard sub-grade is prepared by laying about a 25 cm thick layer of rubble boulders or broken brickbats. The layer is then well-rammed and watered.

After preparing a suitable subgrade, a layer of lime concrete about 10 to 15 cm thick is laid over it. In some cases, a layer of lean concrete (1 cement: 3 sand: 6 coarse aggregates) is laid in place of lime concrete.

After this, bricks are laid in the desired shape( maybe in parallel rows or herring-bond pattern) on a layer of lime mortar about 2.5 cm thick.

The vertical joints of bricks are usually set in cement mortar 1:3. The thickness of vertical joints may vary from 1.5 mm to 6 mm. Fine joints can be obtained by adopting rubbed bricks.

Advantages of Brick Flooring

The following are the major advantages of brick flooring:

It offers a durable and sufficient hard floor surface.
It provides a non-slippery surface.
It offers a fir-resisting surface.
It is cheaper than terrazzo flooring, mosaic flooring, cement concrete, and marble flooring.
The maintenance process is easy.

Disadvantages of Brick Flooring

The main disadvantage is that it is absorbent.
It is more costly than mud flooring and muram flooring.

Read Also:

Granolithic Flooring

Rubber Flooring

Linoleum Flooring

Functions of Thin Bituminous Surface

The following are the functions of the thin bituminous surface:

⇨The thin bituminous surface course prevents the surface water from entering the layers of the pavement at the time of rain, and thus, it acts as a guard for the base and other layers of the pavement below.

⇨With proper surfacing and an effective drainage layer, the soil subgrade can be kept in a comparatively dry condition, and its stability can be retained.

⇨The thin bituminous surfacing acts as a wearing course for the traffic. Even in dry weather, it provides a dust-free pavement surface.

⇨Bituminous surface courses of different types and specifications are in use in India. Thin bituminous layers such as Surface Dressing, 20 mm thick Pre-mixed Bituminous Carpet with Seal Coat and 20 mm thick Mixed Seal Surface are usually used in the wearing course of roads with low traffic volume with less proportion of heavy commercial vehicles.

Read More:

Bituminous Road Construction

WBM Road Construction

8 Requirements of an Ideal Rail || Railway Engineering

8 Requirements of an Ideal Rail

The requirements of an ideal rail are as follows:

1. An ideal rail should be of adequate steel composition and manufactured by open hearth or duplex process.

8 Requirements of an Ideal Rail || Railway Engineering

2. The vertical stiffness of an ideal rail should be high in order to transmit the load to the below sleepers.

3. The head of the rail should have enough depth to allow for vertical wear.

4. The wearing surface of the rail should be hard enough.

5. The web and foot should be of sufficient thickness so as to withstand stress after allowing for loss due to corrosion.

6. The foot of an ideal rail should be wide enough for stability against overturning.

7. The design of the rail section should be such that it can be economically and efficiently acted.

8. It is recommended that the tensile strength of a rail should be always more than 72 kg/sq.m.

Read More:

TYPES OF RAILS

FUNCTIONS OF RAILS

Permanent Way In Railway

Requirements Of An Ideal Sleeper

Side Drain and its Types || Highway Engineering

Side Drain

A side drain is a longitudinal drain that is provided parallel to the road. The main purpose of providing a side drain is to collect and dispose of the surface water.

They are usually trapezoidal in shape given by cutting the subgrade soil at an appropriate range from the road surface.

For roads in the embankment, the distance of side drains should not be less than 1.85m from the toe of the embankment.
For roads in cutting, side drains are provided just after the shoulder edges.

Types of Side Drain

Generally, side drains are two types which are as follows:

Closed or covered drain
Open drain

Closed Drain

The closed drain is one type of side drain, This type of drain is constructed at a place where there is a limitation of space, and the construction of an open drain is unacceptable. Closed drains are of two types: (a) Drain provided with gratings. (b) Jelly drain.

Open Drain

This is another type of side drain. It is suitable for the place where the traffic volume is very low, and there is no restriction on space.

Read Also:

Necessity of Road Drainage

Method of Ventilation of House Drains System

Granolithic Flooring | Building Construction

Granolithic Flooring

Granolithic flooring is the same as cement concrete flooring, except that the finishing layer. This layer is done with a granolithic finish which is cement concrete made of a specially chosen aggregate.

⇛The granolithic finish makes the floor hard, abrasion-resistant, and durable. The granolithic concrete layer thickness should not be less than 13 mm.

⇛It is necessary to obtain the coarse aggregate from hard fine granite, basalt, limestone, or quartzite.

⇛For granolithic flooring, a typical grading of coarse aggregate as recommended by the National Building Organization (N.B.O) is as follows:

Read Also: Different Types of Flooring

I.S Sieve	Percentage by Weight Passing Each Sieve
125 mm	100 %
10 mm	85 – 100 %
No. 480	0 – 20 %
No. 240	0 – 5 %

⇛ A mix of 1:1:2 is appropriate for the granolithic finish when the granolithic topping thickness is between 13 mm and 40 mm. The finish should be laid in one layer and monolithic with the base.

⇛ It should be laid in two layers if the thickness exceeds 40 mm. The top layer is placed when the bottom layer remains in a plastic state.

⇛ It is preferred to use crushed aggregate to get the granolithic finish. Sometimes, granulated aggregate is used as coarse aggregate.

Method of Granolithic Flooring Construction

For the construction of granolithic flooring, first of all, the base concrete, which is 2.5 cm thick cement concrete over 10 to 15 cm of lean cement or lime concrete, is laid and consolidated before laying the topping.

It is necessary to finish the top surface of this base in such a way as to create the required bond between the base course and the topping.

Granolithic concrete is prepared in a proportion of 1:1:2 by mixing cement, fine aggregate & specially chosen aggregate, and laying the topping layer over the prepared base.

The granolithic topping surface is allowed to be set for 7 days and the surface may then be rubbed to obtain a good surface. The surface is kept wet while it is being rubbed.

Read Also:

Muram Flooring | Building Construction

Muram Flooring

Muram flooring is usually made in the Kutcha village house. It is also a cheap floor like a mud floor, and it can only be adopted for the ground floor.

It maintains and adjusts the temperature in both summer and winter. This floor is most appropriate, especially when individuals have to use it bare-footed. Muram flooring, also known as namely murram or moorum flooring.

Read Also: Types of Flooring

Method of Muram Flooring Construction

⇰ For the construction of muram flooring, first of all, a subgrade or hard bed is made by laying a layer of rubble boulders or hard broken bricks. This layer is rammed hard, and sufficient water is given during the process of ramming.

⇰ After this process, a layer of muram about 150 mm thick is laid over the prepared subgrade, and it is well-consolidated and well-watered every time. Finally, a 25mm thickness of powder or fine muram is spread, and the entire surface of the floor is freely sprinkled with water. The surface is then well-rammed.

⇰ After ramming, the surface is immersed with water until the floor is fully saturated with water, and about a 6 mm thick water layer is formed on the top of the floor.

⇰ The surface is then well trampled under the feet of laborers and leveled till the cream of muram rises to the top. The surface is then leveled and left for a day in that state.

⇰ It is then rammed again with the help of a wooden rammer or thapies for three days. Ramming should be started every day for three days after sprinkling little water over it so that a hard surface is formed.

⇰ This surface is then coated with a paste of cow dung and rammed again with thapies for two days.

⇰ Finally, finishing is done with a cement cow-dung plaster ratio of 1:4 and is wiped clean immediately by hand.

Maintenance of Muram Flooring

For maintenance of muram flooring, a thin wash of cow-dung and cement should be provided to the surface of the floor and wiped clean instantly to keep the surface in good condition.

If applied thick wash, it would be quickly caked and peeled off. Wash may be implemented once or twice a week depending on the intensity of traffic over the floor.

Advantages of Muram Flooring

The following are the advantages of muram flooring:

1. This floor is hard and very cheap.

2. It is smooth and easy to construct.

3. Muram flooring gives comfort in all seasons.

4. It has a long life if well-maintained.

Disadvantages of Muram Flooring

1. Frequent maintenance is required.

2. This floor is less impermeable.

Read More:

10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Canal Lining

Canal lining has some advantages and some disadvantages which are as follows:

Advantages of Canal Lining

The following are the advantages of canal lining:

1. Seepage Control

Canal lining helps to prevent water loss due to seepage. Heavy seepage losses in canals would require a large reservoir and a bigger dam to be built. Therefore, preventing seepage by lining would decrease their impounding capacity, thus reducing the construction costs of these works.

2. Prevention of Waterlogging

In simple words, the rising of the water table near the ground surface is known as waterlogging. The water table in the surrounding field of the canal rises near the ground surface level because of the continuous seepage through the unlined canal.

As a result, it brings up harmful salts near the ground surface, which makes the land unsuitable for cultivation. Thus, the lining of the canal prevents waterlogging, and it helps to increase food production.

3. Increase in Commanded Area

A lined canal reduces the evaporation loss as well as seepage loss. Which saves more water for irrigation. Additional areas may be brought under irrigation from the water saved by the lining.

4. Prevent Weed Growth

Unlined canal sides and beds are very favorable for the growth of weeds. It reduces the velocity of the water flow through the canal. Hence, by providing lining, the growth of weeds can be prevented.

5. Others

High velocity prevents silting of the canal.
The lining makes the bank more stable.

Disadvantages of Canal Lining

The following are the disadvantages of canal lining:

1. It requires a very heavy initial expenditure.

2. When the lining gets old, cracks usually develop. It is very hard to check leakage through cracks.

3. The portion of the lining joints always creates problems.

4. The outlet shifting process is very difficult.

Read More:

Soil-Cement Lining

Methods of River Bank Protection

6 Functions of Paint

The paint is a coating of liquid material that is used over the surface of plaster, timber, and metals. The functions of the paint are as follows:

1. It provides a smooth and attractive surface.

2. It prevents corrosion in metal structures.

3. It guards the surface against weathering effects of the atmosphere and action by other liquids, fumes, and gases.

4. It is used to give a decorative effect on the surface.

5. It prevents the formation of bacteria and fungi, which are unhygienic and give an ugly look to the wall.

6. It prevents the decay of woodwork.

Functions of Thin Bituminous Surface

40 Paint Colors for Living Room to Give Colorful Vibes

10 Sage Green Paint Colors

What is Terracotta? Advantages & Disadvantages of Terracotta

What is Terracotta?

Terracotta means ”baked earth’‘, it is one type of ceramic material.

Manufacture of terracotta

Preparation of clay
Molding
Drying
Burning

Types of Terracotta

Porous Terracotta
Polished Terracotta

Advantages of Terracotta

Following are the 6 advantages of terracotta:

It is a strong and durable material
It is available in different colors.
It is not affected by atmospheric agents and acids and is better able to withstand weathering actions than most types of stones.
It is easily cleaned and moulded in desired shapes.
It is a fireproof material, therefore, it can be conveniently used with R.C.C. works.
This type of material is light in weight

Disadvantages of Terracotta

It cannot be fixed during the progress of work.
Twisting is happened due to unequal shrinkage in drying and burning.

Use of Terracotta

It is used for all types of ornamental work.

More Details are Coming Soon…

Soil-Cement Lining || Civilnoteppt

Soil-Cement Lining

When the lining is done by using a mixture of soil and cement is known as soil-cement lining. The quantity of the used cement in the soil-cement lining is 5 to 10 % of the weight of dry soil.

The mixture, in a proportion of 5 to 10% cement and 90 to 95 % is uniformly mixed dry, and then water is added, and again thoroughly mixed so as to bring the soil to its optimum moisture content. The mixture is placed at the site, and it is made properly compact. For at least seven days it is kept covered with wet sand for curing.

4 Methods of River Bank Protection