Materials Research

Concrete

Concrete has great compressive strength but quite poor tensile strength. This means that it is difficult to crush concrete but easier to pull it apart. This is why structural concrete requires steel reinforcement. Concrete has a very low thermal  differentiation between hot and cold but in extreme conditions and if not calculated properly cracks may appear and effect the strength quite drastically. Concretes low thermal coefficient is why it is used as a barrier to protect steel frame structures from fires.

Cracking of concrete is will happen to all concrete to a certain extent. Some causes of concrete cracking are from shrinkage and tension. Even though concrete is prone to cracking there is a technique called creeping which allows the concrete to give in a little and reduce the the cracking, this technique must be calculated quite carefully.

Accessed from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Properties_of_concrete on the 20th October 2013

Marble

Marble is an extremely hard metamorphic stone which is used in construction both cosmetically and structurally. Its is a re-crystalisation of limestone from geological processes. 

Natural processes have a degrading of its appearance and its structural strength. Agents such as rain, snow, thermal, wind and pollution all have an affect on marble. The weathering process makes marble lose its polish and detailing. Little can be done to restore this issue. Marble is also susceptible to erosion as it is a natural stone. The efects of erosion are general loss of detail, sharpness and the erosion is generally localised to the effected area of contact from wind or what ever it may be.

Discolouration of marble or staining can be caused by a variety of exterior substances, internal occlusions and structural elements. These things may include oil and grease stains, dyes and inks, organic stains, dirt stains and metallic stains.

Accessed from http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/111858 on the 20th October 2013

Glass

Glass is generally known as a fragile material. It is composed of mainly sand, soda ashes and limestone heated to an extreme tempurature and then quickly cooled to create glass. It is a clear material used to let in natural light and is generally not used as a structural component.

As soon as the structural components of the building is damaged I would imagine that the glass will just simply crack and crumble. Moss and fog also attach it self to glass and create a type of staining of the glass. Glass could also be stained by natural dirt and grease and almost anything due to its transparency.

Accessed from http://www.ask.com/question/what-are-the-properties-of-glass on the 20th October 2013