CHAPTER 3

REINFORCED CONCRETE

IN THIS TOPIC, THE STUDENTS WILL LEARN:

1) THE CHARACTERISTICS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE.
2) THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT.
3) THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONCRETE AND STEEL.
Forces in Concrete Structures
3.1 BASIC CONCEPT OF REINFORCED CONCRETE

3.1.1 DEFINE THE REINFORCED CONCRETE

1) Concrete in which steel is embedded in such a manner that the two
materials act together in resisting forces.
2) The reinforcing steel—rods, bars, or mesh—absorbs the tensile, shear,
and sometimes the compressive stresses in a concrete structure.
3) Plain concrete does not easily withstand tensile and shear stresses
caused by wind, earthquakes, vibrations, and other forces and is
therefore unsuitable in most structural applications.
4) Concrete is strong in compression, but weak in tension, thus adding
reinforcement increases the strength in tension.
5) In reinforced concrete, the tensile strength of steel and the compressive
strength of concrete work together to allow the member to sustain these
stresses over considerable spans.
6) In addition, the failure strain of concrete in tension is so low that the
reinforcement has to hold the cracked sections together.
3.1.2 REINFORCED CONCRETE USED IN CONSTRUCTION
1) Concrete is reinforced to give it extra tensile strength; without
reinforcement, many concrete buildings would not have been
possible.
2) Reinforced concrete can encompass many types of structures and
components, including slabs, walls, beams, columns, foundations,
frames and more.
3) Reinforced concrete can be classified as precast or cast in-situ
concrete.
4) Much of the focus on reinforcing concrete is placed on floor
systems.
5) Designing and implementing the most efficient floor system is key
to creating optimal building structures.
6) Small changes in the design of a floor system can have significant
3.1.3 PROPERTIES OF REINFORCED CONCRETE
1) Reinforced concrete structures are typified by their strength,
beauty, bulk and longevity.
2) It is the material of choice for many structures where these
characteristics are required.
3) For a strong, ductile and durable construction the reinforcement
shall have the following properties:
 High strength.
 High tensile strain.
 Good bond to the concrete.
 Thermal compatibility.
 Durability in the concrete environment.
 In most cases reinforced concrete uses steel rebars that have
been inserted to add strength.
4) However, reinforced concrete structures have several shortcomings
which may preclude it as a building material, including:
a) It needs mixing, casting and curing, all of which affect the final
strength of concrete.
b) The cost of the forms used to cast concrete is relatively high.
c) It has low compressive strength as compared to steel (the ratio is
about 1:10 depending on material) which leads to large sections
in columns/beams of multistory buildings cracks develop in
concrete due to shrinkage and the application of live loads.
3.2 STEEL REINFORCEMENT

3.2.1 INTRODUCTION
1. A rebar (short for reinforcing bar), also known as reinforcing steel,
reinforcement steel, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is
commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced
masonry structures holding the concrete in compression.
2. It is usually formed from carbon steel, and is given ridges for better
mechanical anchoring into the concrete.
3. Concrete is very strong in compression, but has almost no strength in
tension. To compensate for this inequity in concrete's behavior, rebar steel
are placed into it to support the heavy loads.
4. Masonry structures and the mortar holding them together have close to the
properties of concrete, and as well have a limited ability to carry a tensile
load.
5. Some masonry blocks and bricks are made with strategically placed spaces
3.2.2 CHARACTERISTIC OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT
1. Rebar steel have a series of ridges that bind it automatically to the
concrete with friction, but it can still be pulled out of the concrete with
enough force, an occurrence that often comes before a collapse of the
building.
2. To prevent such a failure, rebar is either deeply inserted into
surrounding structural areas, or bent and hooked at the ends which
locks it around the rebars and concrete.
3. Rebar steel that are made of unfinished steel make it easy to rust.
4. Rust causes very harsh internal pressure on the surrounding concrete,
leading to cracking, splintering and finally structural failure.
5. This is a noticeable problem where the concrete is exposed to salt water,
or in bridges built in areas where roadways are salted in winter, or in
marine applications.
6. Stainless steel rebar may be used in these occurrences at greater initial
3.2.3 TYPES OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT
1. Reinforcing bars are produced in three (3) grades:
a) Hot Rolled Mild Steel which have a yield strength by 250 N/mm 2.
b) Hot Rolled High Yield Steel have a yield strength by 460 N/mm 2.
c) Cold Worked High Yield Steel have a yield strength by 460 N/mm 2.
2. Hot-rolled mild steel usually has a smooth surface. Therefore, this type of
steel is bent easily and requires a small radius. For example, wire bonding
steel poles or small logs.
3. Hot rolled high yield steel is steel with a carbon content of more than mild
steel. It is manufactured with a rough surface that overlap.
4. Cold Worked High Yield Steel have overlapping surface-shaped spindles,
also known as "deformed bar.“.
5. Bar for reinforcement are available with diameters of 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 25,
35 and 40 mm.
6. Type of steel reinforcement are indicated by the code R for mild steel and Y
for the high yield steel.
The process of hot rolling involves rolling steel at a temperature above the steel’s
recrystallization temperature, which takes place over 1700 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cold rolled steel is manufactured at temperatures below its recrystallization
temperature, typically at around room temperature.
3.2.3 PROPERTIES OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT
1. All reinforcement shall be clean and free from rust, oil, grease, paint or
layers of other steel before it is placed in the concrete.
2. Reinforcement used should be compatible with the latest British Standard
(BS) specification for the design of the structure.
3. The reinforcement should not be heated or burned.
4. All the reinforcement defects such as bent, twisted, cracked and others, if
they are in need of repair, shall be made in cold condition.
3.2.3.1 MINIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN STEEL BARS
5. Reinforcement distance in structural members is important because if too
close, it is difficult for the compression work to be done.
6. Cause of that, the required concrete strength is not reached.
7. If the distance too long, the possibility of shear failure will occur.
8. Therefore, practical codes in CP 110 have suggested the following:
a) Individual Bar – Horizontal distances not less than Hagg = maximum
aggregate size.
 b) Pairs Bar – Horizontal distances not less than H agg + 5 mm.

Vertical distances not less than 2/3 Hagg. If the bar is paired side

by side, the vertical distance must be not less than H agg + 5 mm.
c) A Group of Bar – Horizontal and vertical distances not less than
Hagg + 15 mm.

3.2.4 ADVANTAGES OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT

d) Steel reinforcement is easy to place.
e) It minimizes random cracking.
f) Curling and displacement can be minimized with steel reinforced
concrete.
g) Steel reinforcement reduces and controls crack width.
h) It can increases reserve strength of concrete slab up to 16 %.
i) Steel reinforcement saves costs over lifespan of the concrete slab.
Distance between steel bars
Steel Arrangement Details
Steel Arrangement Details
Steel Arrangement Details
3.3 DIFFERENCES STEEL & CONCRETE

3.3.1 COMPARISON BETWEEN STEEL AND CONCRETE

PROPERTIES CONCRET STEEL

E

Tensile Strength WEAK GOOD

Compression GOOD BETTER

Strength (Slender Steel will Bend & Loose)

Shear Strength AVERAGE GOOD

Durability GOOD WILL CORRODE IF NOT PROTECTED

Fire Resistant GOOD WEEK

(To Lose Strength Rapidly at High
 Tensile – Tegangan. Temperature)
 Compression – Mampatan.
 Shear – Ricihan.
3.3.2 THE REINFORCEMENT USED DUE TO TENSION & COMPRESSION
FORCE 1) If the load is applied in the
center of plane, bending will
occurs.
2) When bending occurs, the
surface of the plane is compress
due to the COMPRESSION
FORCE and the bottom is a state
of stretcher caused by TENSION
FORCES.
3) Max. force is occurred in the
arch bottom of bending surface.

4) If plane is made without the

rebar, it will crack and
eventually collapse.
5) Adding the rebar at bottom
plane can prevent the plane from
collapse.
3.3.3 THE REINFORCEMENT USED DUE TO SHEAR FORCES

A shear load is a force that tends to produce

a sliding failure on a material along a plane
that is parallel to the direction of the force.

Shear strength of a plane is held in a plane

that is connected between the compression
force of concrete & steel tension force.

One way to overcome this shear is inclined

to the steel rebar to the right angle (90˚) of
the crack.
Rebar in the longitudinal plane is to
withstand bending and to resist shear
The most effective method to overcome
especially if it is combined with metal
this problem is to have a 45˚ bend bar
fasteners (see Figure A)
across the plane which crack is expected to
3.3.3.1 CANTILEVER BEAM (BALAK JULUR)

A cantilever is a beam supported on

only one end. The beam carries the
load to the support where it is resisted
by compression and tension stresses.

3.3.3.2 SIMPLY SUPPORTED BEAM (BALAK TERIKAT)

Simply supported is beam that

supported on both ends. Normally,
reinforcement is provided in the
compression & tension zone.

A, C and E have a tensile stress.

B, D and M has a compressive stress.
3.3.3.3 CONTINUOUS BEAM (BALAK SELANJAR)

i. A continuous beam is a structural component that provides

resistance to bending when a load or force is applied.
ii. These beams are commonly used in bridges.
iii. A continuous beam has more than two points of support along its
length.
iv. These are usually in the same horizontal plane, and the spans
between the supports are in one straight line.