The term “reinforced concrete” refers to a mixture of conventional cement concrete and reinforcement bars. This combination is designed to use both the compressive and tensile strengths of concrete and steel, enabling them to function cooperatively to withstand a variety of loading conditions.
The word “reinforced concrete” refers to the fact that steel strengthens the concrete, making it a stronger building material.
This type of construction material must be precisely engineered. If the concrete is not well reinforced, it can be brittle and prone to failure.
Along with many benefits, reinforced concrete has a few drawbacks. Reinforced concrete can be formed and shaped in ways that other materials cannot, allowing for imaginative and visually appealing design.
Since reinforced concrete is extremely powerful, simple to work with, adaptable, flexible, resilient, and inexpensive, it is a common building material. It is often used to create foundations for houses, highways, roads, and traffic, precast structures, floating structures, and hydro-power tunnels, irrigation canals, and drains, among other structures.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Reinforced Concrete
1. Strength
Reinforced concrete is extremely strong in both tension and compression. As a result, concrete is a highly desirable building material.
2. Cost-effective
Concrete constituents are readily available and reasonably priced in the world. Similarly, the cost of producing concrete is extremely low. There is an overall economic benefit of using reinforced concrete because its maintenance costs are low due to its long life.
Due to the longevity, strength, low maintenance requirements, and energy performance of reinforced concrete buildings, operating costs associated with energy use, maintenance, and disaster recovery are reduced.
3. Adaptability
At the construction site, concrete may be mounted in a variety of shuttering or formwork configurations to create desired shapes, forms, surfaces, textures, and sizes. This is because fresh concrete is liquid and flowable. As a result, it is well suited to architectural specifications.
4. Durability
Reinforced concrete structures, when built and laid correctly, are extremely durable. The material is impervious to environmental conditions such as rain and snow, and it can last up to 100 years.
Due to its low permeability, concrete can withstand chemicals dissolved in water such as sulfates, chloride, and carbon dioxide without significant degradation.
As a result, reinforced concrete is well-suited for underwater and submerged applications such as building infrastructure, pipes, dams, canals, linings, and coastal structures.
5. Resistance to fire
Concrete’s chemical composition prevents it from catching fire or burning. It can withstand heat for up to 2–6 hours, providing enough time for rescue operations in the event of a fire. Reinforced concrete structures are more resistant to fire than other widely used building materials such as steel and wood.
It is compatible with fireproof steel and is used in applications involving high temperatures and blasting.
6. Ductility
Steel reinforcement gives reinforced concrete buildings their ductility. Due to its ductility, concrete can exhibit distress symptoms such as cracking and deflection when reinforced concrete members are overloaded. This allows engineers to consider appropriate preventative measures to avoid further concrete damage.
7. Resistance to Seismology
Reinforced concrete structures that are engineered properly are highly resistant to earthquakes.
8. Constructability
In comparison to steel structures, reinforced concrete structures need less skilled labor to erect.
9. Capacity for Waste Use and Recycling
Numerous industrial wastes and by-products, including fly ash, slag (also known as GGBFS or ground granulated blast-furnace slag), waste glass, and even ground vehicle tires, can be recycled to replace asphalt, concrete, or supplementary materials.
As a result, concrete manufacturing minimizes environmental impacts associated with industrial waste and enhances the properties of concrete, ensuring that the structure’s durability is not compromised.
Concrete can be recycled as aggregate for use as a sub-base material in roadbeds and parking lots, as gabion walls, as riprap to protect shorelines, or in other applications, or as granular material, thus eliminating material waste and the need for virgin materials in new construction.
10. Application with Several Modes
One of the most significant benefits of concrete is its adaptability to a variety of application methodologies.
Concrete is applied by hand, poured, pumped, sprayed, and grouted, as well as used in specialized applications such as shotcrete and tunnels.
The Disadvantages of Reinforced Concrete
Reinforced concrete structures are much heavier than structures made of steel, wood, or glass.
Concrete structures require extensive formwork, centering, and shuttering to be repaired. As a result, it needs a significant amount of site space and labor.
Concrete takes time to reach its maximum strength. As a result, unlike steel structures, it cannot be used directly after completion.
When using reinforced concrete, the primary phases are mixing, casting, and curing. Each of these factors has an effect on the final power.
The types used to cast RC are comparatively more expensive.
Shrinkage results in the formation of cracks and a loss of strength.
Reinforced Concrete Applications
1. Structures
2. ViaductsÂ
3. Flyovers
4. Water Storage Tanks
5. Highways
6. Submerged Structures
7. Fundamentals
8. Submerged Structures
9. Conduits and Pipes
10. Precast Structures
11. Chimneys and Towers
12. Retaining Walls
13. Bunker Complexes and Silos