Concrete and Reinforced Concrete

Concrete is a composite building material made from a mixture of sand, gravel, crushed
rock, or other aggregates (coarse and fine) held together in a stone like mass with a binder such
as cement and water. The stone like mass is formed due to the hydration of cement and
eventually due to its hardening. Sometimes one or more admixtures (plasticizers, super
plasticizers, accelerators, retarders, pazolonic materials, air entertaining agents, fibers, polymers
and silica furies) are added to change certain characteristics of the concrete such as its
workability, durability, and time of hardening. Hardened concrete has a high compressive
strength and a very low tensile strength.
Concrete is one of the most popular materials for buildings because it has high
compressive strength, flexibility in its form and it is widely available. The history of concrete
usage dates back for over a thousand years. Contemporary cement concrete has been used since
the early nineteenth century with the development of Portland cement.
Reinforced concrete can be moulded to any complex shape using suitable form work. It
has high durability, better appearance, fire resistance and is economical. It is a combination of
concrete and steel wherein the steel reinforcement provides the tensile strength which is lacking
in the concrete. For a strong, ductile and durable construction, the reinforcement is to have high
strength, high tensile strain and good bond to concrete and thermal compatibility. Steel
reinforcement is also capable of resisting compression forces and is used in columns as well as in
other locations. Building components like slab walls, beams, columns foundation and frames are
constructed with reinforced concrete. Reinforced concrete can be cast in-situ concreted or can be
precast concrete.
Advantages and disadvantages of reinforced concrete as a structural material
Reinforced concrete is an important material available for construction. It is a universal
construction material and is used in one form or another for almost all structures, great or small
such as buildings, bridges, pavements, dams, retaining walls, tunnels, drainage and irrigation
facilities, tanks etc. The numerous advantages of reinforced concrete are given below.
 It has considerable compressive strength per unit cost compared with most other
materials.
 It has high resistance to the actions of fire and water and, in fact, is the best structural
material available for situations where water is present. During fires of average intensity,
members with a satisfactory cover of concrete over the reinforcement bars suffer only
surface damage without failure.
 Reinforced concrete structures are very rigid.
 It has a low-maintenance cost.
 As compared with other materials, it has a very long service life. Under proper
conditions, reinforced concrete structures can be used indefinitely without reduction of
their load carrying capabilities. This can be explained by the fact that the strength of
concrete does not decrease with time but actually increases over a very long period,
measured in years, because of the lengthy process of the solidification of the cement
paste.
 It is usually the only economical material available for footings, floor slabs, basement
walls, piers, and similar applications.
  A special feature of concrete is its ability to be cast into an extraordinary variety of
shapes from simple slabs, beams, and columns to great arches and shells, making it
widely used in precast structural components.
 In most areas, concrete takes advantage of inexpensive local materials (sand, gravel, and
water) and requires relatively small amounts of cement and reinforcing steel.
 A lower grade of skilled labour is needed for erection as compared with other materials
such as structural steel.
For using reinforced concrete successfully, the designer must be completely familiar with its
weak points in addition to its strong ones. The disadvantages of the reinforced concrete are given
below.
 Concrete has a very low tensile strength, requiring the use of tensile reinforcement (zero
strength after cracks develop).
 It needs mixing, casting, and curing, all of which affect the final strength of concrete.
 Forms are required to hold the concrete in place until it hardens sufficiently. In addition,
false work or shoring may be necessary to keep the forms in place for roofs, walls, floors,
and similar structures until the concrete members gain sufficient strength to support
themselves. The cost of the forms used to cast concrete is relatively high. The cost of
form material and artisanry may be equal to the cost of concrete placed in the forms.
 It has a lower compressive strength than steel (about 1/10, depending on material), which
requires large sections in columns of multistory buildings.
 The low strength per unit of weight of concrete leads to heavy members. This becomes an
increasingly important matter for long span structures, where concrete’s large dead
weight has a great effect on bending moments. Lightweight aggregates can be used to
reduce concrete weight, but the cost of the concrete is increased.
 Similarly, the low strength per unit of volume of concrete means members are relatively
large, an important consideration for tall buildings and long span structures.
 The properties of concrete vary widely because of variations in its proportioning and
mixing. Furthermore, the placing and curing of concrete is not as carefully controlled as
is the production of other materials, such as structural steel and laminated wood.
 Cracks develop in concrete due to shrinkage and the application of live loads.
 Two other characteristics that can cause problems are concrete’s shrinkage and creep.’

Reinforced Concrete Members in Building Structures

Steel Structure and Reinforced Concrete
Steel Structures are a type of building
that uses steel as the main material for support
and framing. Steel buildings have become
more and more popular due to a number of

advantages such as strength, durability,

flexibility, and so on.
 Steel structures are strong and durable, so they are suitable for constructions that require
large spaces like warehouses, factories, and so on. Besides, their ability to resist fire, seismic
force, etc. means that they can provide a high level of safety and security. Steel material is also
flexible, making it easy to be shaped into configurations that meet the demands of building
owners.
Reinforced concrete is a versatile construction material that combines the strength of
concrete with the added tensile strength of steel reinforcement. It is widely used due to its
durability, ability to withstand both compression and tension and versatility in design. Reinforced
concrete is utilized in a range of construction projects to create strong structures capable of
withstanding heavy loads and harsh environmental conditions.
Comparison between steel structure and reinforced concrete structure
Weight

Steel elements has small, compact cross-sections making them approximately 60% lighter than
concrete. Reinforced concrete members are bulky and may reach 2700 kg/m³ in weight.

Cost

Steel Structure is economical. Huge portion of the market supply comes from recycling, making
steel much cheaper than other materials. Being lightweight, it delivers huge reduction in labor
cost due to easier handling and transportation and faster installation.
Concrete has many ingredients such as cement, sand & gravel, water, and various additives. And
to produce a reinforced concrete member, reinforcing bars must be integrated then formed and
cast to the desired section. The number of ingredients and its lengthy assembly results to high
construction expenditures.
According to a study, typical Steel Structure framing system costs 5 to 7% less than reinforced
concrete framing system.

Strength

Steel has the highest strength to weight ratio among building materials, including concrete. Steel
is eight times (8X) stronger than concrete in tension and shear; steel is resilient unlike concrete;
and steel has better resistance to tensile, compressive, and flexural stress.
Japanese engineers generally refuse to use concrete for above-grade structures because it is rigid,
weak and heavy, and quality control is a difficult task to perform.

Construction

Steel Structure components are fabricated offsite while reinforced concrete components are
mostly cast-in-situ. Using Steel Structure has a huge advantage over reinforced concrete in this
scenario because fabrication of multi steel components can be done simultaneously while
reinforced concrete components are cast step by step, part by part, one at a time with 28 days
interval (curing) after another.
Furthermore, given that Steel Structure is relatively lightweight, structures especially Steel
Structure with steel frame require smaller foundations than reinforced concrete structures. When
modifications are necessary, simple removal of steel structure member is way more possible than
demolishing a bulky reinforced concrete member.

Design

Concrete can be easily formed into limit-less desirable shapes but unlike steel, they have limited
capability to span huge heights and distances. Steel Structure members can be laid-out in long
segments without the need of intermediate supports, eliminating obstructions thus maximizing
spaces.

Safety

Steel Structure and reinforced concrete both produce structures that are strong enough to
withstand fire, strong winds, heavy snows, termites, and fires. However, steel structures might
have the most significant advantage over reinforced concrete structures when comes to behaving
against Earthquakes.

Lightness and ductility of steel helps the structural frame to absorb and reduce earthquake’s
destructive impact. High-strength steel connections allow slight deformation at the joints but
manage to hold members from separating, preventing easy collapse of the building or sections
under stress. According to The New York Times, steel has better performance than concrete in
earthquake zones.

Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Up to 90% of all Steel Structures in the market today is created from recycling. Steel can be
recycled over and over without losing its strength. The Steel Industry has maintained greenhouse
gases below allowable manufacturing levels and still getting better. Concrete ingredients are
natural to our environment, meaning they are not harmful to our world.

Materials Used in Reinforced Concrete

Cement

Cement, a hydraulic binder (that needs water to react), is a fine

powder that, mixed with water, produces a slurry that in a few
hours hardens due to a chemical reaction of hydration. The
hydration process continues as long as there is available water
in concrete, leading to an increase in the strength of it. The
most common cement is Portland cement, obtained finely
grinding clinker, that in turn is produced by sintering (fusing
together without melting) limestone and clay into a special
oven (the cement kiln). Cement today contains also different components to improve its
characteristics.
Aggregates
Aggregates are the solid skeleton of concrete and constitute the main part, in weight, of concrete.
Their quality is important for a good concrete. Aggregates are made by gravel and sand, mixed in
different sizes to get a suitable granulometry — the percentage of voids in the aggregate should
be as low as possible to have a good concrete using the least possible amount of cement.
Steel
Steel reinforcement usually comes as round bars of mild
steel with diameters ranging from 5 mm to 40
mm. Square, twisted, or ribbed-tor steel bars are also
used, and sheets of rolled steel or steel lath may be used
for road slabs and similar constructions.

Water
This is the least expensive but most important
ingredient of concrete. The water, which is used for making
concrete, should be clean and free from harmful impurities
such as oil, alkali, acid, etc. In general, the water which is
fit for drinking should be used for making concrete.
Water in concrete serves two purposes
1. reacts with cement, turning the slurry in a
solid mass and
2. acts as a fluidificant, permitting to cast the slurry in forms.
Admixtures
Admixtures can improve concrete's strength, hardness, workability, and water-resisting
power. Commonly used admixtures include alum, aluminum sulfate, barium oxide, bitumen,
calcium chloride, coal ash, common salt, iron oxide, lime, mineral oils, organic oils, potassium
chloride, silicate of soda, tar products, volcanic ashes, and zinc chromate.