Lecture 1 Reinforced Concrete Properties

Reinforced concrete structures are typified by their strength, beauty, bulk and longevity. It is the material of choice for many structures where these characteristics are required. Concrete-framed structures have many desirable advantages over other construction materials including:

Concrete can be molded to form almost any imaginable shape The entire building can be made of concrete walls, floors, structure Concrete frames are inherently stable (vs. steel & wood) Concrete structures are heavy excellent for wind-prone areas Concrete is a readily-available material Concrete is very fire-resistant Weather-resistant (if built properly) Relatively inexpensive material
Concrete is considered green when using certain admixtures such as fly-ash

However, reinforced concrete structures have several shortcomings which may preclude it as a building material, including: Very labor-intensive Quality control Formwork Longer construction schedule due to curing time Much larger, heavier member sizes (vs. steel-framed) Poor insulation values

Sydney Opera House, Austrailia

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Concrete Materials: Concrete is a mixture of the following materials: 1. Portland Cement The active ingredient that glues the other materials together, conforming to ASTM C 150-99a. The raw materials used in portland cement consist mainly of limestone, and clays & shales. Different types of portland cement include: a) Type I General purpose b) Type II Moderate sulfate protection and lower heat of hydration c) Type III High-early strength d) Type IV Low heat of hydration used for massive concrete structures such as dams e) Type V High sulfate resistance 2. Water Water is necessary to create the chemical reaction of hardening the cement called hydration. It should be clean and free from any impurities (i.e., potable). 3. Aggregates Aggregates typically occupy 70% to 75% of the volume of the hardened concrete mass. Fine aggregate (sand) defined as consisting of particles passing through a #4 sieve (4 opening per linear inch), and coarse aggregate (gravel), typically dia. max. In no case shall the aggregate size be larger than 75% of the spacing between bars. Aggregate shall conform to ASTM C 33. 4. Admixtures Other ingredients added to enhance properties:
a) Air Entrainment Tiny bubbles used to reduce cracking in concrete subject to freeze-thaw cycles. Conforming to ASTM C 260 with an air content of 4% - 8% by volume. b) Superplasticizers Also called High Range Water Reducers, used to increase concretes flow (workability) instead of adding water. Conforming to ASTM C 494 Type F. c) Retarders Used to slow the hydration process. Conforming to ASTM C494 Type D. d) Accelerators Used to speed-up the curing process, conforming to ASTM C494 Type C or E. e) Insulating beads Increases the R value, but diminishes strength. f) Fly Ash The byproduct of coal-burning electric generating plants. Used to decrease the amount of portland cement required. Maximum fly ash content should not exceed 25% of the volume of portland cement. Conforming to ASTM C 618 Class F. g) Colors Can be mixed to produce any desirable color.

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Reinforced Concrete Properties: 1) Compressive Strength The specified concrete compressive strength, fc, is actually a stress. It is the most important structural property of concrete and is VERY DEPENDENT upon the water-to-cement ratio. This is the ratio of the weight of water divided by the weight of cement. A low w/c ratio = high fc and high w/c ratio = low fc. A low w/c ratio is very stiff and difficult to work with, therefore necessitating the need for superplasticizers. Normal concrete has w/c ratios ranging from about 0.23 (very strong) up to a maximum of about 0.50 but preferably should not exceed 0.45. Values of fc are based on 28 days of curing. Typical ranges of fc are: fc = 3000 PSI (slab-on-grade, footings, foundation walls) = 3500 5000 PSI (beams, framed slabs) = 4000 14000 PSI (columns) The condition in which concrete cures affects the ultimate strength of the hardened concretes fc. Allowing the freshly-placed concrete to have continuous moisture applied will significantly increase the strength, fc. Conversely, subjecting the freshly-placed concrete to constant air will decrease the fc. See the graph below:

Affect of moist curing on concrete strength

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2) Tensile Strength Concrete is a brittle material and has very small tensile strength (about 10% of fc). It is usually assumed that concrete has zero tensile strength. 3) Modulus of Elasticity Determined by formula below: Econc = 57000 f 'c

where fc = concrete specified compressive stress in PSI Example: GIVEN: Concrete with fc = 4000 PSI. REQUIRED: Determine Econc Econc = 57000 f 'c

= 57000 4000 PSI = 3,605,000 PSI Econc = 3605 KSI

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4) Reinforcing Bars Used to carry ALL of the tension in a concrete member, as well as helping to carry shear and compression. The steel uses for bars is typically new billet steel having the usual modulus of elasticity E = 29,000 KSI. The size of a bar refers to its diameter in 1/8ths. For example a #5 bar is in diameter (see table below). Rebar should conform to ASTM A615 for deformed (ribbed) bars. Typical grades of bars include: a) Grade 60 Has a yield stress Fy = 60 KSI, used for all bars b) Grade 40 Has a yield stress Fy = 40 KSI, used for low-strength applications only
Fy = 60 KSI

Stress (KSI)

Bar Size: #3
Yield Yield point Fracture Strain (in/in) Elastic range

#4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11

Stress Strain

Steel Stress-Strain Curve

Diameter: 3 " 8 5 " 8 7 " 8 1 1 1 " 8 1 3 1 " 8

Area (in2): 0.11 0.20 0.31 0.44 0.60 0.79 1.00 1.27 1.56

Reinforcing Bar Dimensions The following diagram shows the typical markings on a deformed reinforcing bar:

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Epoxy-coated reinforcing bars are regular bars with a shop-applied coating of epoxy. Epoxy coated bars conform to ASTM A775. These bars have exceptional resistance to corrosion and are used in situations where there is high water/salt exposure (such as road bridge decks, marine structures, etc.). They are smooth to the touch and usually green in color. Codes MAY allow the placement of epoxy-coated bars to be closer to the surface than regular bars because of the increased resistance to corrosion. This may result in a thinner, lighter concrete beam or slab.

Bridge deck constructed with epoxy-coated reinforcing bars

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Reinforcing bars are placed a certain minimum distance away from the edge of the member to ensure that it will not be susceptible to water/salt infusion. This is referred to as cover distance. The cover distance requirements shown below are obtained from ACI 318-05 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete.

Required minimum cover distance

Concrete member Reinforcing bars

Required minimum cover distance

Minimum Concrete Cover Over Reinforcing Bars

Condition: Concrete cast against and permanently exposed to earth Concrete exposed to earth or No. 6 through No. 18 bars weather No. 5 and smaller bars Concrete NOT exposed to Slabs, walls No. 14 & earth or weather & joists No. 18 No. 11 and smaller Beams, Main reinf., columns stirrups, ties, spirals Shells, No. 6 and folded larger plates No. 5 and smaller Minimum cover: 3 2 1 1 1

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5) Slump Fresh concrete uses a slump test to determine the workability of the concrete as per ASTM C 143. It is, however, not a very useful measure of the concretes strength. It is possible to get very workable concrete with high slump (i.e., very fluid) with the use of superplasticizers. The test involves taking a cone-shaped mold and pouring a sample of concrete into it. Next, the cone is removed upward and the vertical displacement of the concrete is measured.

Technicians performing a slump test on fresh concrete

Recommended Slumps for Various Types of Construction

Type of Concrete Member: Foundation walls & footings Beams and walls Columns Pavements and slabs Mass concrete Slump: Maximum Minimum 3 1 4 1 4 1 3 1 2 1

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