Arthur Lyons was formerly Head of Quality, principal lecturer and teacher fellow for construction materials in the Leicester School of Architecture, Faculty of Arts, Design & Humanities, De Montfort University, UK. He was a lecturer in building materials within schools of architecture and surveying for 35 years, and is now an established writer on construction materials.

Contents

About the author

Preface to sixth edition

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Abbreviations

1 Bricks and brickwork

Introduction

Clay bricks

Unfired clay bricks

Reclaimed clay bricks

Brickwork

Calcium silicate bricks

Concrete bricks

References

2 Blocks and blockwork

Introduction

Concrete blocks

Clay blocks

Non-clay blocks

Blockwork

Beam and block flooring

Landscape blockwork

References

3 Lime, cement and concrete

Introduction

Lime

Cement

Concrete

Reinforced concrete

Visual concrete

Concrete components

References

4 Timber and timber products

Introduction

Timber

Timber products

Recycling timber

References

5 Ferrous and non-ferrous metals

Introduction

Ferrous metals

Ferrous alloys

Coated steels

Aluminium

Copper

Lead

Zinc

Titanium

Process of metallic corrosion

References

6 Bitumen and flat roofing materials

Introduction

Warm, cold and inverted roofs

Reinforced bitumen membranes

Mastic asphalt

Single-ply roofing systems

Liquid coatings

Green roofs

References

7 Glass

Introduction

Manufacture

Non-sheet products

Sheet products

Intelligent glass facades

Glass supporting systems

Glazing check list

References

8 Ceramic materials

Introduction

Ceramic products

References

9 Stone and cast stone

Introduction

Types of stone

Stonework

Deterioration of stone

Maintenance of stonework

Cast stone

References

10 Plastics

Introduction

Polymerisation

Polymer types

Additives

Degradation of plastics

Properties of plastics

Plastics forming processes

Plastics in construction

Recycling of plastics

References

11 Glassfibre-reinforced plastics, concrete and gypsum

Introduction

Glass fibres

Glassfibre-reinforced plastics

Glassfibre-reinforced concrete

Glassfibre-reinforced gypsum

References

12 Plaster and board materials

Introduction

Gypsum plaster

Lime plaster

Calcium silicate boards

References

13 Insulation materials

Introduction

Thermal and sound insulation materials

Inorganic insulation materials

Organic insulation materials

Aluminium foil

Panel systems

References

14 Sealants, gaskets and adhesives

Introduction

Sealants

Types of sealant

Gaskets

Adhesives

References

15 Paints, wood stains, varnishes and colour

Introduction

Colour

Paints

Wood finishes

References

16 Energy-saving materials and components

Introduction

Photovoltaics

Combined photovoltaic and soar collectors

Solar collectors

Solar air heating systems

Light pipes

Air and ground source heat pumps

Groundwater cooling systems

Wind catchers

Mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems

Wind turbine systems

Water management systems

Phase change systems

Energy-generating paving slabs

References

17 Recycled and ecological materials

Introduction

Straw bales

Cardboard

Rammed earth and cob construction

Earth-sheltered buildings

Clay products

Recycled tyres

Papercrete

Biomaterials

Sandbags

References

18 Sustainability and BIM

Introduction

Zero carbon targets

Specification of materials

Recycling and deconstruction

Building information modelling

References

Index