ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES

BY AMANUEL LEMI
(MSC STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING)
 INTRODUCTION

• Most of engineering structures are constructed using Reinforced concrete.

• Reinforced concrete is a dominant structural material in engineered construction
• Reinforced concrete is used for different structures like
• Buildings
• Bridges
• Dams
• Water tanks and
• Tunnels
Structural Engineering: - is the science and art of planning, designing and constructing safe,
aesthetic and economical structure that will serve their intended purposes.
Structural Analysis- Given an existing structure subjected to a certain load determine internal
forces (axial, shear, flexural, torsional; or stresses), deflections, and verify that no unstable failure
can occur.
Structural Design-Given a set of forces(axial, shear, flexural, torsional; or stresses), dimension the
structural element
CONCRETE
What is Concrete?

Concrete: -Concrete is stone like material obtained

artificially by hardening of the mixture of cement, inert-
aggregate materials (fine & course) and water in
predetermined proportions.
Concrete making materials are:
• Hydraulic cement-hardens because of chemical reactions between the cement and water
• Aggregates (fine and coarse)
• Water
• Admixture(s)- a material added to plastic (fresh) concrete or mortar before or during
mixing.

• When these ingredients are mixed, they form a plastic mass which can be
poured in suitable moulds (forms) and set-on standing into hard solid mass,
as a result of exothermic chemical reaction between cement and water.
• The reason for popularity of concrete can be found in the excellent technical
properties of concrete as well as in the economy of this material.
• The strength of concrete depends upon the quality of its ingredients, their
relative quantities and the manner in which they are mixed, compacted and
cured
Function of cement:
• Is to react with the water forming a plastic mass when the concrete is fresh and a solid mass when
the concrete is hard.
Function of water:
• Enabling the chemical reactions which cause setting and hardening to proceed.
• Lubricate the mixture of aggregates and cement in order to facilitate placing.

Function of the paste:

• Fills the voids b/n the particles of the inert aggregates and provides lubrication of the fresh plastic
mass and upon hardening, it acts as a binder cementing the particles of aggregate together in a
permanent solid mass.
• It gives strength and water tightness to the hardened mass.

Function of Aggregates:
• Form the inert mineral filler material which the cement paste binds together.
• Reduce the volume changes resulting from the setting and hardening process and from moisture
changes in the paste.
Why Admixtures?
To change one or more properties of
fresh or hardened concrete.
Types of Effects
Admixture
Accelerating Accelerate setting time
admixture and rate of hydration,
early strength
development
Retarding Delay setting time and
admixture rate of hydration
Water reducer Reduce water content;
increase strength
Air entraining Protect against freeze
admixture thaw cycles
 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

1. Compressive strength- A wide range of strength properties can be

obtained for concrete by appropriate adjustment of the proportions of the
constituent materials, using different degree of the compaction and the
conditions of temperature and moisture under which it is placed and cured.
Factors affecting compressive strength W/c ratio by The 28 days compressive
weight strength of concrete (Mpa)
• Water/Cement ratio
0.41 41
• Aggregate (type, texture and grading) 0.48 34
0.57 28
• Age of concrete
0.68 21
• Curing 0.82 14

• Temperature
 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE
2. Creep of Concrete
• Creep is the continuous deformation of a member under
sustained compressive stress over a considerable length of time
(under long-term loading). It is a phenomenon associated with
brittle materials (concrete is a brittle material).
• Creep deformation depends on the stress in concrete, duration of
loading and water-cement ratio.
• The effect of creep has to be considered in design of reinforced
concrete member subjected to compressive stress mainly caused
by long term loading (dead load).
• To reduce creep deformation, it is necessary to provide nominal
reinforcement in the compression zone of the beam.
 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

3. Shrinkage and Thermal Movement

• Concrete may under go deformations and volume changes with out
application of loading. This phenomenon may be caused by shrinkage and
thermal-movement in fresh and hardened concrete.
• Shrinkage of concrete is liable to cause cracking, but it has the beneficial
effect of strengthening the bond between the reinforcing steel and the
surrounding concrete.
• Shrinkage of concrete caused initially by the absorption of water by cement
and aggregate, and further by evaporation of water which rises to surface
as a result of capillary action.
• During setting process the hydration of cement causes a great deal of heat
to be generated, and as the concrete cools, further shrinkage takes place
due to thermal contraction.
4. Tensile strength of Concrete
• Even though concrete is weak in tension, its tensile
strength is important in a variety of items.
• Shear and torsion resistance of RC members primarily
depend on tensile strength of concrete. Further, the
conditions under which cracks form and propagate on
tension zone of RC flexural members depend strongly on
the tensile strength of concrete.
• Generally, it is known that, the tensile strength of
concrete is relatively low, and it is about 10 to 15% of
compressive strength of concrete.
 TESTS ON CONCRETE

Workability Test
• Workability- is the property of freshly mixed concrete or mortar which
determines the ease and homogeneity with which it can be mixed, placed,
consolidated and finished
Workability comprises three separate properties:
• Compactability or the ease with which the concrete can be compacted
and the air voids be removed.
• Mobility or the ease with which concrete can flow into moulds, around
reinforcing steel and be remoulded.
• Stability or the ability of concrete to remain a stable, coherent
homogeneous mass during handling and vibration with out the constituents
segregating.
WORKABILITY TEST
STRENGTH TEST
• Of the various strength properties of concrete it is generally the compressive strength
which attracts the greatest interest.
• Since most concrete structures are designed to resist compressive stress, it is this
property which usually prescribed by codes.
• The strength of concrete primarily depends up on the strength of cement paste. The
strength of cement paste increases with cement content and decreases with air and
water content.
• The strength of concrete is affected by a number of factors:
• Effect of water/cement ratio and degree of compaction
• Effect of cement
• Effect of aggregate
• Effect of age and curing condition
• Effect of compaction
Cube test
• Most common type, owing to the cheapness of the cube moulds &
comparative simplicity of a manufacture and testing of cubes.
• Samples of the concrete mix are placed and compacted in steel moulds.
• Bonding with the steel is prevented by coating with release agent.
• After 24 hours the cube is removed and cured under water until tested.
• The cube is then placed centrally b/n the plates of a compression-testing
machine, & load is applied such that stress increases at a given constant
rate until failure.
• The max. load is recorded. Cube in sizes of either 200 mm, 150 mm or 100
mm are common.
 REINFORCEMENT BARS
• Steel reinforcements are available in the form of round bars and welded wire fabric.
• The most commonly used bars have projected ribs on the surface of bar. Such bars
are called deformed bars. The ribs of deformed bar improve the bond between steel
and the surrounding concrete in RC members by providing mechanical keys.
• Most bars except 6mm diameter are deformed one. Some of the common bar size
with their application in concrete works are given in table below.
• Reinforcing steel is capable of resisting both tension and compression.
• Compared with concrete, it is a high strength material. For instance, the strength of
ordinary reinforcing steel is about 10 and 100 times, the compressive and tensile
strength of common structural concrete.
 REINFORCED CONCRETE AS A COMPOSITE
MATERIAL
• It is known that plain concrete is quite strong in compression, weak in tension.
• On the other hand, steel is a high cost material which able to resist both
tension & compression.
• The two materials (plain concrete and reinforcing steel) are best be utilized in
logical combination if steel bars are embedded in the plain concrete in tension
zone close to the surface.
• In this case, plain concrete is made to resist the compressive stresses and
reinforcing steel resists the tensile stresses.
• Both plain concrete and reinforcing steel bar together assumed to act as one
composite unit and it is termed as Reinforced concrete (RC).
• The tensile stresses developed in the section are transferred to reinforcing steel
by the bond between the interfaces of the two materials.
CONT…
• on the assumption that concrete does not resist any tensile stresses.
• All the tensile stresses are assumed to be resisted by the reinforcing steel
imbedded in tension zone.
• Some times if necessary, reinforcing steel is provided in compression zone
to assist the concrete resisting compression in addition to reducing creep
deformation.
Reinforcing steel and concrete may work readily in combinations due to the
following reasons.
1. Bond between the bars and the surrounding concrete prevents slip of the bars
relative to the concrete. Adequate concrete cover for steel bar and embedment
length of bar are required to transfer stress between steel and concrete without
slipping.
2. Proper concrete mixes provide adequate impermeability of concrete against bar
corrosion.
 ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE

ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGE
• Strength S
• Economy • Heavier in weight
• Versatility • Needs massive formwork
• Durability • Take time to attain its full
• Fire resistance strength

• Ductility • Strength is affected by

manufacturing process and
• Seismic resistance material properties
• Ease of construction