Reinforced Concrete

Concrete is the composite construction materials, which collects cement and other cementitious  materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate, water, and chemical admixture.  Reinforced concrete is the most widely used concrete. The reinforced concrete is the one which incorporates the, reinforcement bars, reinforcement grids, plates to strengthen the concrete in tension. The concrete that is reinforced with iron or steel is referring to Ferro concrete. Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension, but adding the reinforcement will increases the strength in tension. A singly reinforced beam is one in which the concrete element is only reinforced near the tensile face and the reinforcement called tension steel and is designed to oppose the tension. The reinforcement should have the following properties for strong, ductile, and durable construction.

• High strength
• High tensile strength
• Good bond to the concrete
• Thermal compatibility

In construction

Concrete is reinforced to yield the extra tensile strength, without reinforcement. It is not possible to have these many concrete buildings. This reinforced concrete will include many types of structures and components that include slabs, walls, beams, columns, foundations, frames, etc. this concrete is classified as precast or cast in situ concrete. The reinforcing concrete placed on the floor system will have more focus. The key to the optimal building structures are designing and implementing the efficient floor system. Even a small change in the design of the floor system can have the major impact on the material costs, construction schedules, ultimate strength, operating costs, occupancy levels and use of a building.

Materials

The concrete is the mixture of stone or brick chips and fine (sand) aggregates with a binder material. When cement is mixed with small amount of water, concrete solidifies and hardens due to chemical process known as hydration. A reinforced concrete section, where the concrete resist the compressions and steel resist the tension can be made into any shape and size for the construction industry.

Key characteristics

The coefficient of the thermal expansion of the concrete is similar to the steel, due to the differences in thermal expansion or contraction it eliminates the large internal stress. When the cement paste within the concrete hardens, this confirms the surface details of the steel that allows any stress to be transmitted efficiently between the different materials. Normally the steel bars are roughened to further improve the bond between concrete and steel.

Questions:

• What is reinforced concrete?
• How reinforced concrete is used in construction?