What are Building Materials?
When building materials are mentioned, the first ones that come to mind are lime, mortar and concrete as well as decorative building materials such as glass, porcelain, ceramics and paint. As known, lime is one of the most important binders used for a long time. In construction works, lime is mixed with water and slaked lime is obtained. Slaked lime hardens over time. However, the actual hardening of lime is achieved by reacting with carbon dioxide in the air.
It is used for making mortar by mixing with lime, water and sand. The mortar is used for bonding materials such as stones and bricks in building construction or plastering walls. The binders of the mortar are lime or cement. Mortars are classified according to the size of materials such as sand or gravel used in the construction of the mortar. For the mortar to harden, the mortar needs to dry out and the quicklime in its structure crystallizes and carbonates by combining it with carbon dioxide gas in the air.
It is a kind of mortar obtained by mixing concrete, sand, cement and water and it is the most widely used building material. Concrete is used in all kinds of construction works. Concrete is a structural element that provides both carrier and building durability. It is especially fire resistant, waterproof and a good sound insulator.
The main raw materials of the glass are sand, soda and lime. These materials are melted at high temperature and glass is obtained. Glass making has different properties in terms of both the materials used in its production and the purposes for which glass is used.
Ceramics and porcelain are other building materials whose main material is clay.
Another building material is paints. It is applied to give decorative appearance to the materials, to protect from external factors and to give color. Essentially the components of the paint are solvents, binders and colorants. In addition, other chemicals are added to the mixture.
In addition to the first ones that come to mind, there are wood, plaster, brick, tile, insulation materials and other building materials. Building materials are generally of high quality, high performance, easy to be provided, easy to store, price is appropriate, without loss, long-term warranty and features such as specifications are required.
What is the Construction Materials Regulation?
The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization published the Construction Materials Regulation in 2013. This regulation aims to:
- To determine the basic requirements and basic characteristics of building materials for construction works
- To determine the principles for the content and regulation of the performance statement
- To establish rules for the CE marking on construction materials
- Explain the obligations of manufacturers, importers and distributors
This regulation has been prepared in accordance with the principles of Construction Materials Directive 305 / 2011 / EU issued in European Union countries.
The Construction Products Regulation also regulates the principles for harmonized standards. Harmonized standards cover the criteria and methods used in the evaluation of the performance of the basic properties of building materials. These standards include technical details for the implementation of systems for assessing and verifying factory production control, performance permanence, taking into account the specific conditions in the production process of building materials.
The most recent harmonization standards were announced by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization with the following communiqué: Communiqué on the publication of technical specifications to be implemented within the scope of the Construction Products Regulation (305 / 2011 / EU) (Communiqué No: MHG / 2017-01). These standards are also important in the process of affixing CE marking to building materials.
If any building material falls within the scope of a harmonized standard published in the annex of the communiqué or if there is a European Technical Assessment prepared in this respect, the manufacturers shall issue a performance declaration when presenting these building materials to the consumers.
The CE marking on construction materials is subject to the CE Marking Regulation published in 2012. The CE marking on construction materials depends primarily on the manufacturer's declaration of performance. If the declaration of performance is not issued, CE marking cannot be placed on these building materials. Producers are committed to the following by placing the CE mark on the products:
- Compliance with the declared performance of this building material
- Compliance with the principles of CE Marking Regulation
- Compliance with legal regulations prepared in line with European Union directives on marking
Unless the construction materials bearing the CE marking are in violation of the declared performance values for the intended use, national requirements and legal regulations, their use and presentation to consumers may not be restricted or prevented.
Here are a few examples of standards that are considered by test and inspection organizations in building materials testing:
- TS EN 197-1 Cement - Part 1: General cements - Composition, properties and conformity criteria
- TS EN 459-1 Building lime - Part 1: Definitions, specifications and conformity criteria
- TS EN 197-2 Cement - Part 2: Conformity assessment
- TS EN 934-1 Chemical additives - For concrete, mortar and grout - Part 1: Common requirements for additives
- TS 706 EN 12620 Concrete aggregates
- TS EN 13055 Lightweight aggregates
- TS EN 1504-2 Concrete structures - Products and systems for protection and repair - Definitions, specifications, quality control and conformity assessment - Part 2: Surface protection systems for concrete
- TS EN 1504-4 ... Section 4: Structural bonding
- TS EN 1504-5 ... Section 5: Concrete injection
In this way, the preparation of standards, limiting the range of products, combining the size and determination of quality conditions and benefits in terms of control. At least the improvement of quality and keeping it under control ensures the strength of the building materials.
There are many standards for building materials, which can be grouped in various ways. For example, basic standards, term and symbol standards, size and format standards, value and union standards, analysis and control standards, application standards and engineering standards.
It is important that the organizations that will perform these highly specialized tests have accreditation from a local or foreign organization in accordance with the standard of TS EN ISO / IEC 17025 General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories.
