Benefits of Steel Reinforcement in Concrete Slabs

Concrete is widely used material in construction industry today. Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension. Because of this the cement holding the aggregate in place can crack, leading to structural failure. Reinforced concrete solves these problems by adding either steel reinforcing bars or plastic fiber to bear tensile loads. Some designers claim that use of admixtures can increase the strength of the concrete and reduce the slab thickness thus saving costs compared to steel reinforced slabs.

But research shows that concrete slabs with admixtures still cracks and many of the cracks are very wide. Also more intermediate cracks are occurring in the slab. These problems increase maintenance costs for the owners. With concrete steel reinforcement one can bring down slab thickness by just replacing the strength of a thicker slab with the strength of the steel.  Correctly positioned steel reinforcement in concrete will greatly enhance the structural performance and also offer the necessary shrinkage and temperature protection. Of course, fewer control joints can be considered when steel reinforcement is used. More cost-effective designs may be realized with these ideas in mind!

Advantages of steel reinforced concrete slabs
-> Steel reinforcement is easy to place
-> It minimizes random cracking
-> Curling and displacement can be minimized with steel reinforced concrete
-> Steel reinforcement reduces and controls crack width
-> It can increases reserve strength of concrete slab upto 16 percent
-> Steel reinforcement saves costs over lifespan of the concrete slab

It is also essential that steel reinforcement be placed, spaced and sized properly. Of course, total quality can only be achieved when well qualified structural concrete designers and detailers provide effective solutions for the construction site.

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