If you’re not entirely familiar with the construction industry, reinforcing bars might sound like an unusual concept to you. Most would usually assume that reinforcing steel bars are like the commonly used set of bars that are placed to set and shape a construction along with concrete.
However, the concept of reinforcing bars is much more than that. Not only are these more rounded unlike other steel bars, these are made with the usage of carbon steel and formed with ridges which help anchor the concrete in case of tension forces. Standalone concrete, although strong enough to withstand compression forces have a chance of cracking by tension forces and that is where reinforcing steel bars come into the picture.
These deformations or ridges in the bars assist in shifting the load between the steel bars and the concrete. Where the concrete, by itself provides compressive strength to the construction material, these bars provide the required tensile strength which keeps the material from crumbling under pressure.
Although the usage of deformed bars in the construction industry goes back to 1968, plain reinforcing bars are still preferred in situations where the steel may slide. These reinforcing bars are created by hot-rolling different kinds of steel materials. Most of these bars are made from using new steel billets but some also use steel debris and even railroad rails for rolling.
Reinforcing bars can be segmented into a variety of categories ranging from carbon steel bars and welded wire fabric to stainless steel reinforcing bars and galvanized reinforcing bars. Commonly referred to as reinforcement steel bar, these bars are available in a varying range of grades with numerous specifications. Basis the specifications, they are used depending upon their strength, composition and the elongation percentage.
Measured in fractions that vary by 1/8th inch thickness, the sizes can range from #3 bar to #18 bar. The grade designated to the bar is same as its minimum yield strength. For instance, a steel bar designated at 40 grade will have a minimum yield strength capacity of 40 kilo-pound per square inch. The most commonly used grade for concrete construction is 60. For concrete constructions that are relatively low stress like sidewalks, grade 40 steel bar usage is preferred whereas for heavy-duty constructions like plants and bridges, grade 75 steel bar is used.
For any constructions however, it is essential to correctly determine the capacity of the equipment as the bar measurement varies the type of construction. Although it provides the required strength to the concrete, one should primarily focus on the base slab; unless the slab is placed properly to hold the concrete, it will fail to serve its purpose.