Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University

Bacolor, Pampanga
Name: Cadiang, Jose Albin Jr. R
Subject: Reinforced Concrete Design 1 (WSD)

Date: June 16, 2016

Prof: Engr. Raul Duya

A. Definition of Reinforce Concrete

Reinforced concrete is one of the most widely used modern building materials. Concrete is an
artificial stone obtained by mixing cement, sand, and aggregates with water. Fresh concrete can be
molded into almost any shape, giving it an inherent advantage over other materials. The small stone and
gravel (aggregate) is the reinforcement and the cement is the matrix that binds it together. Concrete has
good strength under compression but it is weak in tension. It can be made stronger under tension by
adding metal rods, wires, mesh or cables to the composite. The concrete is cast around the rods.

Example of Structural Concrete includes:

Slab - horizontal slab elements in building floors and roof. They may carry gravity loads as well as
lateral loads. The depth of the slab is usually very small relatively to its length and width.
Beams - long horizontal or inclined members with limited width and height are called beams. Their
main function is to transfer loads from the slab to the columns.
Column - vertical members that support loads from the beam or slabs. They may be subjected to
axial loads or moments.
Frames - structural members that consists of combination of slab, beams and columns
Footings - pads or strips that support columns and spread their load directly to the soil.
Walls - vertical plate elements resisting gravity as well as lateral loads e.g. retaining walls, etc.
However, concrete is very weak when under a tension (also known as a tensile force). If a concrete
beam was to be used as a lintel, above a door, it would not be able to support the weight of the bricks
above. Consequently, it would fail and collapse. Study the diagram below.

However, concrete can be reinforced by adding steel rods to the concrete mixture, allowing the
concrete to set solid. The steel rods ensures that reinforced concrete can withstand tensile forces. This
makes reinforced concrete a versatile, composite material. It is used widely in the construction industry.

Reinforced concrete has long steel rods passing through its length, adding great strength to the
final composite material, especially the ability to resist tensile forces. The drawing below shows the
concrete as being transparent. This is so the grid of steel rods can be seen in position.

B. Advantages and Disadvantages of Reinforced Concrete as a Construction Material

Advantages of reinforced concrete:

Reinforced concrete has greater compressive strength as compared to most other materials used
for construction besides good in tension.
It has better resistance to fire than steel and capable of resisting fire for a longer time.
It has long service life with low maintenance cost.
In some types of structures, such as dams, piers and footings, it is the most economical structural
material.
It can be cast to take the shape required, making it widely used in pre-cast structural components.
It yields rigid members with minimum apparent deflection.
Yield strength of steel is about 15 times the compressive strength of structural concrete and well
over 100 times its tensile strength.
By using steel, cross sectional dimensions of structural members can be reduced e.g. in lower floor
columns
Less skilled labor is required for erection of structures as compared to other materials such as
structural steel.

All these criteria make concrete an attractive material for wide range of structural applications such as
buildings, dams, reservoirs, tanks, etc.
Disadvantages of reinforced concrete:

It needs mixing, casting and curing, all of which affect the final strength of concrete.
The cost of the forms used to cast concrete is relatively high.
It has low compressive strength as compared to steel (the ratio is about 1:10 depending on
material) which leads to large sections in columns/beams of multistory buildings Cracks develop in
concrete due to shrinkage and the application of live loads.

C. Material Used in Reinforced Concrete

1. Cement - The adhesive in a mortar mix, cement binds together the components and dries to a
stable and hard finish. It must be stored in a dry atmosphere and is unusable if it gets damp.

2. Aggregates - construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse

particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled
concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined materials in the world.
Aggregates are a component of composite materials such as concrete and asphalt concrete; the
aggregate serves as reinforcement to add strength to the overall composite material.

3. Water - required for preparation of mortar, mixing of cement concrete and for curing work etc
during construction work. The quality and quantity of water has much effect on the strength of
mortar and cement concrete in construction work.
4. Reinforcing Bar - or rebar, is a common steel bar that is hot rolled and is used widely in the
construction industry, especially for concrete reinforcement. Steel rebar is most commonly used as
a tensioning devise to reinforce concrete and other masonry structures to help hold the concrete in
a compressed state. Concrete is a material that is very strong in compression, but virtually without
strength in tension. To compensate for this imbalance in a concrete slab's behavior, reinforcement
bar is cast into it to carry the tensile loads.

D. Properties of Reinforced Concrete

Reinforced concrete is a composite material that provides superior compressive and tensile strength,
according to the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute. Commonly used in the construction of bridges and
highways, reinforced concrete is one of the most economical and durable construction materials available.
The steel bars used to make reinforced concrete are created by pouring molten metal into casters before
shaping the steel into bars. Cross-hatchings are used to secure the steel bars and to ensure that weight is
shared equally between the steel bars and hardened concrete. Concrete is then poured over the
assembled steel bars, which allows the finished composite material to provide superior durability.