INTRODUCTION TO

REINFORCED CONCRETE

Objectives
define

important terms related to

reinforced concrete,
enumerate
the
different
materials of reinforced concrete,
explain the uses of the different
types of cement,
explain why concrete and steel
are
compatible
structural
materials,

Concrete
Concrete

is a non-homogenous manufactured
stone composed of graded, granular inert
materials, which are held together by the action
of cement and water.
The inert materials usually consist of gravel or
large particles of crushed stone, and sand or
pulverized stone. Manufactured lightweight
materials are also used.
The inert materials are called aggregates. The
large particles are called coarse aggregates and
the small particles are called fine aggregates.

Concrete

behaves very well when

subjected to compressive forces
but ruptures suddenly when small
tension forces are applied. In
order to utilize this material
effectively, steel reinforcement is
placed in the areas subjected to
tension.

Reinforced Concrete
Reinforced

Concrete is a composite
material, which utilizes the concrete in
resisting compression forces, and some
other material usually steel bars or
wires to resist the tension forces.
Steel is also often used to assist the
concrete in resisting compression
forces. Concrete is always assumed to
be incapable of resisting tension, even
though it actually can resist a small
amount of tension.

 The

properties of the finished concrete,

including its strength, weight, color, and
porosity, are subject to considerable
variation.
Variables include the type of cement; the
ratio of water to cement; the type, size,
and proportionate amount of the inert
materials; various actions performed while
mixing and depositing the concrete mix;
and the conditions that occur while the
concrete is hardening (called the curing
period).

ADVANTAGES OF REINFORCED
CONCRETE AS A STRUCTURAL
MATERIAL:
It

has considerable compressive strength as

compared to most other material.
Reinforced Concrete has great resistance to
the actions of fire and water.
Reinforced Concrete structures are very rigid.
It is a low maintenance material.
It has very long service life under proper
conditions, Reinforced Concrete can be
indefinitely used without reduction of their
load carrying abilities.
Usually the only economical material
available for footings, basement walls, etc.

ADVANTAGES OF REINFORCED CONCRETE AS A

STRUCTURAL MATERIAL:
A

special feature of concrete is its

ability to be cast into an extraordinary
variety of shapes from simple slabs,
beams, and columns to the great
arches and shells.
In most areas, concrete takes
advantage of local materials available
(sand, gravel, water).
A lower grade or skilled labor is
required for erection as compared to
other materials.

DISADVANTAGES OF CONCRETE AS
A STRUCTURAL MATERIAL:
Concrete

has low tensile strength requiring the

use of tensile reinforcement.
Forms are required to hold the concrete in place
until it hardens sufficiently, in addition,
falsework or shoring may be necessary to keep
the forms in place.
The low strength per unit weight of concrete
leads to heavy members.
Similarly, the low strength per unit of volume of
concrete means members will be relatively
large.
The properties of concrete varies widely due to
variations in its proportioning and mixing.

MATERIALS FOR CONRETE:

CEMENT - the cement used most extensively in building
construction is Portland cement and is generally
available in a number of different types:
Normal

Portland Cement used for general purposes

when specific properties are not required.

Modified

Portland Cement for use when low heat of

hydration is desired, such as in mass concrete, huge
piers, heavy abutments and heavy retaining walls,
particularly when the weather is hot.

High-early-strength

Portland cement for use when

very high strength is desired at an early age.

MATERIALS FOR CONRETE:

Low-heat-of-hydration

Portland cement for use in

large masses such as dams. Low heat of hydration is
desirable to reduce cracking and shrinkage.

Sulfate-resistant

Portland cement for use when the

structure will be exposed to soil or water having a high
alkali content.

Air-entrained

Portland cement for use when severe

frost action is present, or when salt application is sued
to remove snow or ice from the structure.

Shrinkage-compressing

Portland cement (expansive

cement) which expands as the concrete cures, thus
compensating for some shrinkage.

MATERIALS FOR CONRETE:

MIXING WATER
The water used in making concrete should be clean
and free from injurious amounts of oil, acid, alkali,
organic matter, or other deleterious substances,
excessive impurities may affect setting time and
concrete
strength
and
cause
corrosion
of
reinforcement.
Although seawater containing as much as 3.5% salt
can be employed in making plain concrete, it should
not employed for reinforced concrete because of the
risk of corrosion of the steel reinforcement.

MATERIALS FOR CONRETE:

AGGREGATES

the materials held

together by the paste formed of
cement and water.

They form the bulk of the concrete

components.
Fine aggregates consist of sand or other fine
grained inert materials usually less than
(6.4 mm) maximum size.
Coarse aggregates consist of gravel or crushed
rock usually larger than (6.4 mm) size and
usually less than 3: (76 mm) size.

 LIGHTWEIGHT

AGGREGATES

the
aggregates discussed above are those used
in the production of normal-weight concrete,
that is concrete weighing about 135 to 160
lb/ft3.

Structural

light-weight concretes ranging

from about 85 to 115 lb/ft3 are made with
expanded shale, clay, slate, and slag as
aggregates.

Such materials produce concrete of sufficient

strength for many purposes, and, in comparison
with stone concrete reduce the loads appreciably.

MATERIALS FOR CONRETE:

ADMIXTURES

substances added
to
concrete
to
improve
its
workability, accelerate its set,
harden its surface, and increase its
waterproof qualities are known as
admixtures.
The term embraces all materials other
than
the
cement,
water,
and
aggregates that are added just before
or during mixing.

1.

Accelerating Admixtures reduce time of

setting and accelerate early strength
development.

2.

Air entraining admixtures form minute

bubbles 1 mm in diameter or smaller in
concrete or mortar to increase workability of
the mix during placing and the frost
resistance of the finished product.

3.

Water-reducing and set-controlling

admixtures increase strength of concrete,
enable reducing the cement content in
proportion to the reduction of water content.

4.

Finely Divided Admixtures mineral admixtures

used to rectify deficiencies on concrete mix by
providing missing fines from the fine aggregates.

5.

Admixtures for no-slump concrete no slump

concrete of 1-inch slump immediately after
mixing.

6.

Polymers enable producing concretes of very

high strength up to a compressive strength of
15,000 psi or higher and a tensile splitting
strength of 1500 psi or higher.

7.

Superplasticizers high range, water reducing

chemical admixtures.

MATERIALS FOR CONRETE:

STEEL

REINFORCEMENT the most

common
type
of
steel
reinforcement
employed
in
concrete
building
construction
consists of round bars, usually of
the deformed type, with lugs or
projections on their surfaces.

MATERIALS FOR CONRETE:

The purpose of the surface deformations is to
develop a greater bond between the concrete
and
the
steel.
The
bars
used
for
reinforcement are made from billet steel, rail
steel, or axle steel, conforming to ASTM
Specifications A615, A616, and A617,
respectively.
The most common grades of reinforcing steel
are Grade 40 and Grade 60, with yield
strengths (fy) of 40,000 and 60,000 lb/in 2
(psi) respectively.

What is PNS 49?

Steel bars are covered by a mandatory
standard called the Philippine National
Standard 49 or PNS 49, as formulated
by the Bureau of Product Standards
(BPS) of the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) with the help of the
Steel Industry, the Association of
Structural Engineers of the Philippines,
and
the
Philippine
Construction
Association.

Rebar

Grades

in accordance with Philippine National

Standards for Steel Bars for Concrete
Reinforcement, under PNS-49:2002.
Specifications

and Grading

The three grades under this specification:

Grades PNS 230, 275, and 415 trace their roots to
ASTM specifications.
the terms Structural, Intermediate, and Hightensile originated from earlier versions of ASTMA615 but remained unchanged in deference to
custom and familiarity among users.

 The table below provides a handy reference

as to the common understanding in the
market regarding these grades
ASTM vs PNS Codes

Popular

Typical Application

Nomenclatur
Grade 33 / PNS 230

e
Structural

Buildings and Low

Grade 40 / PNS 275

Grade
Intermediate

Loading Conditions
Medium-rise

Grade

Structures /

High-Tensile

Infrastructure Work
Medium & High-rise

Grade

Structures /

Grade 60 / PNS 415

Infrastructure

Sample PS Marks of BPS

registered companies

Identifying mark on rebar

Manufacturer's Identifying Mark / Company Logo registered symbols / logos thru Philippine Patent Office.

The three grades are distinguished by the

different color markings painted at the
ends of each bar, as shown in the following
table:

The Nominal Size of a Rebar

For

both the plain round bar and the rebar, the word
size and nominal diameter are used interchangeably.

For

a rebar, alternatively known as a deformed steel

bar, its size specifically refers to the size of a plain
round bar having the same weight per meter as the
rebar.

specific size of plain round bar refers to its nominal

diameter. This size also refers to the diameter of a
circular plain round bar having a certain unit mass or
weight per meter.

plain round bar and a rebar of the same size will

have the same unit mass or weight per meter of bar.

 Rebar

Sizes The standard sizes that the

Company manufactures and sells are as
follows: 10mm, 12mm, 16mm, 20mm,
25mm, 28mm, 32mm, and 36mm. For
special orders, it can also make 40mm and
50mm bars

The Proper Way of Measuring a

Plain Round Bar
For

a plain round bar, determining its 'size'

involves simply taking a direct physical
measurement of its diameter since its
circular cross section should remain quite
uniform throughout its length.

plain round bar is considered to be

dimensionally acceptable if its diameter, as
measured, falls within the dimensional
tolerances allowed by the Standard.

The Proper Way of Measuring a

Rebar
A rebar however is not measured in the same
way as a plain round bar.
Because

of its non-uniform cross section, a

rebar must comply with the allowable
Variation in Mass (VIM) in lieu of
measurement of its diameter.

Checking

for this VIM involves taking and

weighing one meter of rebar and comparing
the findings against the standard value.

Weight Tolerance
Because

variation in cross sectional

area occurs during hot rolling, a
corresponding variation in linear
weight is to be expected.

For

this reason, PNS-49 provides for an

allowable variation in mass (VIM) of
6%, measured using one meter of
rebar.

Length Tolerance
The

cut length of a rebar varies

as well because of shrinkage as it
cools down.
The standard however limits this
shrinkage, and the minimum
lengths of the finished rebar are
shown below.

The most important properties of Reinforcing steel:

Elastic

modulus,
ormodulus
of
elasticity
is
the
mathematical
description of an object or substance's
tendency to be deformed elastically (i.e.,
non-permanently) when a force is applied
to it.

The

elastic modulus of an object is defined

as theslope of itsstress-strain curvein
the elastic deformation region:

stiffer material will have a higher elastic

modulus.

The most important properties of Reinforcing steel:

Modulus

of Elasticity, (Es) - the modulus of elasticity of

steel is considered to be 29,000,000 psi or 200,000
MPa.

Specifying how stress and strain are to be measured,

including directions, allows for many types of elastic
moduli to be defined. The three primary ones are:
Young's

modulus (E) describes tensile elasticity, or the

tendency of an object to deform along an axis when
opposing forces are applied along that axis;
it
is
defined
as
the
ratio
of
tensile
stresstotensilestrain.
- it is often referred to simply as theelastic modulus.

The most important properties of Reinforcing steel:

shear

modulus ormodulus of rigidity(Gor)

describes an object's tendency to shear (the
deformation of shape at constant volume) when
acted upon by opposing forces;
- it is defined asshear stressovershear strain. The
shear modulus is part of the derivation ofviscosity.

bulk

modulus (K) describes volumetric elasticity, or

the tendency of an object to deform in all
directions when uniformly loaded in all directions;
- it is defined as volumetric stressover volumetric
strain, and is the inverse ofcompressibility .
-The bulk modulus is an extension of Young's
modulus to three dimensions.