EGB270 Civil Engineering Materials

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

Civil engineers in the fields of structural, geotechnical and construction engineering use knowledge and skills bases in civil engineering materials that you will learn in this unit to meet stakeholders' needs for safe, economical and sustainable infrastructure. You will learn core concepts of civil engineering materials science, along with acquisition, manufacturing and testing of materials such as concrete, steel, timber and soils, and factors that influence their properties, quality, and application in real-world infrastructure projects.

You will be introduced to common and advanced civil engineering materials used in the Australian and global contexts. You will further develop your professional skills, in particular communication and reflection towards developing your professional engineering competency. This unit draws upon your learning in EGB121 Engineering Mechanics. Structural, geotechnical, and construction engineering units will build upon this unit.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Explain the mechanical, chemical and physical properties of civil engineering materials at a developed level.
2. Design concrete mixes to achieve specified performance criteria for use in civil engineering materials applications at an introduced level.
3. Perform a laboratory practical task to analyse the behaviour of civil engineering materials at an introduced level.
4. Compose a technical report of a civil engineering materials laboratory practical task that adheres to a template at an introduced level.
5. Reflect upon a civil engineering materials laboratory practical experience in developing professional engineering competency at an introduced level.

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you can expect to experience the following timetabled activities:

• Formal lectures from experienced professional civil engineers to give you insight into knowledge, skills,
  and attributes. You have the opportunity to ask questions during these lectures.
• Tutorial classes will give you the opportunity to work collaboratively with your peers to solve problems.
  They will be facilitated by tutors and will provide an opportunity to test your understanding and gain
  feedback on your work.
• Laboratory classes where you will work in a group to develop and test concrete mix and test steel
  samples. You will also test road construction material provided from an active project by a road
  authority as a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) component.

These activities will be detailed by week of semester on the unit schedule. You can also expect to be provided
with learning resources including video presentations and readings on a unit Canvas site, which you can
access flexibly to complete your learning in this unit.

At the beginning of the unit, you will be made aware of the ways in which you can ask questions or seek
clarification from the unit coordinator, lecturers, and tutors/ demonstrators.

You are expected to:

• Engage with timetabled learning activities on campus and ask questions.
• Engage with online resources outside of timetabled learning activities. They will be available on the unit Canvas site. You will receive regular email announcements regarding the release of these resources.
• Consult with your group while preparing your individual laboratory report.
• While there will be time during timetabled tutorial classes, you will also need to undertake independent work outside of that time to complete assessment tasks, including for areas of individual responsibility.
• Prepare for learning activities according to the unit schedule, and follow up on any work not completed.
• Complete assessment tasks by working consistently throughout the semester and meeting the due dates that are published via the unit Canvas site.
• Reflect on and document your professional learning in your lab report, tying your foundational level, professional learning in this unit to specific competencies of the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard required of engineering graduates.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

During tutorial classes, you will share your formative ideas for your assessments and you will receive feedback from your tutor. As a member of an effective group you will share the outcomes of your laboratory task with your tutor for marking and feedback. You are encouraged to view your group as a learning community and to share and discuss emergent ideas about civil engineering materials and your understandings of civil engineering professional practice. Each assessment submission will be graded against criteria and standards that will be shared with you at the beginning of semester through Assessment Task Descriptions and Marking Rubrics. Marked assessment will include feedback given by the markers against the criteria.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in this unit has been designed to give you the opportunity to show your learning against the unit
learning outcomes. You will work as an individual to prepare and submit a laboratory report during the
semester, deploying work practices that align to civil engineering professional practice (such as management
of information, application of engineering techniques, social and professional accountability). You will be
expected to work with group members to undertake the laboratory practical. You will sit an examination
individually during the central examination period at the end of semester, where you will show your overall
learning in the unit.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Laboratory Report

You will work as an individual but in consultation with a group to undertake a laboratory
practical that demonstrates your development of knowledge and skills bases in soil
classification and compaction (10% towards mark), concrete mix design and testing of
wet and hardened concrete (20% towards mark), and tensile testing of steel coupons
(10% towards mark). You will communicate your work as an individual in a technical
report that at adheres to a template.

Assessment: Invigilated Written Examination

You will be required to explain the mechanical, chemical and physical properties of civil
engineering materials, explain design of concrete mixes to achieve specified
performance criteria for use in civil engineering materials applications, and explain
laboratory practical work to analyses the behaviour of civil engineering materials. You will
be presented with descriptions of the problems and will need to diagnose the problem
type, make use of appropriate theory or methods, demonstrate knowledge and skills
bases, show your working, and communicate a complete answer in writing and
graphically.

Assessment: Professional Reflection

You will reflect upon the soil laboratory practical experience in the context of
professional engineering practices such as understanding the scope, principles,
standards requirements, social and professional accountability, management of
information and application of testing techniques to real life civil engineering projects.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Reference book(s)

M. Clara Gonçalves, Fernanda Margarido, 2015. Materials for Construction and Civil
Engineering - Science, Processing, and Design, 1st ed, Springer International Publishing

Pijush Samui, Dookie Kim, Nagesh R. Iyer & Sandeep Chaudhary. 2020. New Materials in Civil Engineering, 1st ed, Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier Science & Technology
Neville A.M. 2012. Properties of Concrete, 5th Edition.

Risk Assessment Statement

You are required to have completed a valid Undergraduate Health, Safety and Environment Induction course. In
any laboratory practicals you will be advised of requirements of safe and responsible behaviour and you are
required to wear appropriate protective items (e.g. covered shoes or steel capped shoes and eye protection).

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineer

1: Knowledge and Skill Base

1. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Invigilated Written Examination
2. 
   Relates to: Invigilated Written Examination
3. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Invigilated Written Examination
4. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report
5. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Invigilated Written Examination, Professional Reflection

2: Engineering Application Ability

1. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Invigilated Written Examination
2. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Professional Reflection

3: Professional and Personal Attributes

1. 
   Relates to: Professional Reflection
2. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report
3. 
   Relates to: Professional Reflection

Course Learning Outcomes

EN01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

1. Make decisions ethically within the social, cultural, and organisational contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Professional Reflection
2. Engage stakeholders professionally and communicate the outcomes of your work effectively to expert and non-expert audiences using appropriate modes.
   Relates to: Laboratory Report
3. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Professional Reflection
4. Manage projects to solve complex engineering problems, using appropriate information, engineering methods, and technologies.
   Relates to: Professional Reflection
5. Deploy appropriate approaches to engineering design and quality.
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Invigilated Written Examination
6. Engage with and apply regulatory requirements relating to safety, risk management, and sustainability in professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Invigilated Written Examination
7. Demonstrate coherent knowledge and skills of physical, mathematical, statistical, computer, and information sciences that are fundamental to professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Invigilated Written Examination
8. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of one engineering discipline, its research directions, and its application in contemporary professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Invigilated Written Examination