Reinforced Concrete Structure

Concrete is reinforced to provide it extra strength - without such reinforcement several building projects will be impossible. Reinforced concrete can be utilized for various kinds of structures and components and can be made into nearly every shape or size. The material is produced by incorporating steel reinforcement bars plates or fibres into the standard concrete mix.

Concrete reinforcement was initially used in the middle of 1800s by French building contractor Francois Coignet. His own home, constructed with reinforced concrete, still stands some 150 years after construction. The creation of reinforced concrete in the 19 century revolutionised the construction sector, and also concrete started to be one of the world's most popular and most essential building materials.

You can also check about the concrete steel in a closer look at stainless steel round bar.

Generally used for highways, retaining walls, sewerage tanks and concrete foundations, reinforced concrete offers extra strength for heavy duty construction tasks. The reinforcement provides added strength by taking up the tension stresses, while the concrete takes up the compression stresses; which means the two materials behave together as resisting forces.

The coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete is just like that of steel, removing internal stresses because of differences in thermal expansion or contraction. In concrete reinforcement, the cement paste hardens and adapts to the surface details of the steel, which means that any stress could be efficiently passed between the two materials. Steel bars in many cases are roughened or corrugated to improve the bond between the concrete and steel. Adding alkaline creating Calcium carbonate leads to a passivating film to form on the surface steel, making it a lot more resistant to corrosion than it might be in neutral or acidic conditions.