Course Details

Experimental Laboratory Methods

Academic Year 2024/25

BJA011 course is part of 1 study plan

BPC-SI / M Summer Semester 3rd year

The course is a review of routine and special laboratory methods and instrumentation used in the silicate industry, with a focus on the fields of ceramics, refractories and mortars and the field of technology in the evaluation of materials in terms of their suitability in the process and the assessment of performance of finished products and degradation construction materials.
Students will improve their knowledge in the implementation of physical-mechanical laboratory tests and become familiar with special methods such as high pressure mercury porosimetry, X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Discusses the principles and methods of measuring the rheology of suspensions and tests, viscosity measurements of heat capacity and heat of reaction calorimetry, peculiarities of measuring pH in the hydrating cements, as well as the different nature of glass stability in acidic and alkaline environments, corrosion processes, the protection of steel reinforcement in concrete.
Lectures are supplemented by measurements on these laboratory and testing facilities in the exercise.

Credits

4 credits

Language of instruction

Czech

Semester

summer

Course Guarantor

Institute

Forms and criteria of assessment

course-unit credit and examination

Entry Knowledge

Theoretical fundamentals of silicates structure and chemistry, fundamentals of production technology and properties of building materials based on silicates, such as binders, ceramics, concrete etc.

Aims

Obtaining knowledge concerning common and special laboratory methods and measuring, instruments used in silicate industry and especially in production of building materials and components, utilization of these methods for evaluation of raw materials suitability for building materials production and for determination of physico-mechanical and technological properties of readymade products
The student would manage the goal of the subject by acquiring knowledge and overview of common and special laboratory methods and equipment used in silicate industry, mainly in the production of construction substances and components.

Basic Literature

Šašek L. a kol.: Laboratorní metody v oboru silikátů. SNTL Praha, 1981. ISBN 80-7252-057-11, (cs)
Frumar M.: Chemie pevných látek I, skripta VŠCHT Pardubice, 1992 (cs)
Pavlíková M. Keppert M.: Chemie stavebních materiálů. Česká technika-nakladatelství ČVUT, 2009. ISBN: 978-80-01-04237-3

(cs)
Goncalves M. C., Margarido F.: Materials for Construction and Civil Engineering. Springer, 2015. ISBN: 978-3-319-34841-4 (en)

Recommended Reading

Dobrý O., Palek L: Koroze betonu ve stavební praxi, SNTL, 1988,. SNTL, 1988. ISBN 80-214-1158-1 (cs)
Lach, V., Daňková, M: Mikrostruktura stavebních látek. SNTL, 1999. (cs)
Vondráček Vlastimil: Metody studia struktury. Technická Universita Ostrava, 2012. ISBN 978-80 (cs)

Offered to foreign students

Not to offer

Course on BUT site

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  • 1. Familiarization with the subject content, survey of laboratory methods in the branch of silicates.
  • 2. Sampling, preparation and treatment of samples for individual methods.
  • 3. X-ray diffraction analysis, apparatuses, principle and utilization.
  • 4. Microscopy in the range of the visible spectrum, apparatuses, principle and preparations.
  • 5. Electron transmission microscopy, principle, apparatuses, utilization.
  • 6. Scanning electron microscopy, principle, apparatuses, utilization.
  • 7. Methods of grain size and specific surface determination.
  • 8. Methods of density, volume mass and absorption determination.
  • 9. High pressure mercury porozimetry, principle, apparatuses, utilization.
  • 10. Differential thermal analysis, principle apparatuses, utilization.
  • 11. Gravimetric thermal analysis, principle, utilization.
  • 12. Contraction dilatometric thermal analysis, principle, utilization.
  • 13. Principles of building materials testing, quality control, harmonization of 13standards and regulations.

Exercise

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

  • 1. Introduction exercise. Students are introduced with the laboratory procedure and safety. They are introduced with filling exercise and the conditions for obtaining the credit,
  • 2. The methods used for thermal analysis – typical model (sample) for differential thermal analysis,
  • 3. The use of differential thermal analysis in the evaluation of specific building materials,
  • 4. The practical example of the use of dilatation contraction thermal analysis,
  • 5. X-ray diffraction analysis - a case study,
  • 6. Use of X-ray diffraction analysis in the evaluation of specific building materials,
  • 7. Methods for determining the porosity of the material. A practical example of high-pressure porosimetry interpretation of the results, a sample calculation of method BET,
  • 8. Utilization X-ray fluorescence methods in the analysis of silicate materials,
  • 9. Excursion to the workplace equipped with sophisticated laboratory equipment,
  • 10. Utilization infrared absorption spectrography methods in the evaluation of building materials,
  • 11. Utilization methods for determining particle size - sedimentation methods, using the laser beam, etc.,
  • 12. The comprehensive assessment of the state respectively. rate of degradation of a particular building material,
  • 13. Credit test, grant of the credit.