Lecture 1 – Reinforced Concrete Properties

Reinforced concrete structures are typified by their strength, beauty, bulk and
longevity. It is the material of choice for many structures where these
characteristics are required. Concrete-framed structures have many desirable
advantages over other construction materials including:

 Concrete can be “molded” to form almost any imaginable shape

 The entire building can be made of concrete – walls, floors, structure
 Concrete frames are inherently stable (vs. steel & wood)
 Concrete structures are heavy – excellent for wind-prone areas
 Concrete is a readily-available material
 Concrete is very fire-resistant
 Weather-resistant (if built properly)
 Relatively inexpensive material
 Concrete is considered “green” when using certain admixtures such as fly-ash

However, reinforced concrete structures have several shortcomings which may

preclude it as a building material, including:

 Very labor-intensive
 Quality control
 Formwork
 Longer construction schedule due to curing time
 Much larger, heavier member sizes (vs. steel-framed)
 Poor insulation values

Sydney Opera House, Austrailia

Lecture 1 - Page 1 of 8
Concrete Materials:

Concrete is a mixture of the following materials:

1. Portland Cement – The active ingredient that “glues” the other

materials together, conforming to ASTM C 150-99a. The raw
materials used in portland cement consist mainly of limestone, and
clays & shales. Different types of portland cement include:

a) Type I – General purpose

b) Type II – Moderate sulfate protection and lower heat of
hydration
c) Type III – High-early strength
d) Type IV – Low heat of hydration used for massive concrete
structures such as dams
e) Type V – High sulfate resistance

2. Water – Water is necessary to create the chemical reaction of

hardening the cement called “hydration.” It should be clean and free
from any impurities (i.e., potable).

3. Aggregates – Aggregates typically occupy 70% to 75% of the

volume of the hardened concrete mass. Fine aggregate (sand) –
defined as consisting of particles passing through a #4 sieve (4
opening per linear inch), and coarse aggregate (gravel), typically ¾”
dia. max. In no case shall the aggregate size be larger than 75% of
the spacing between bars. Aggregate shall conform to ASTM C 33.

4. Admixtures – Other ingredients added to enhance properties:

a) Air Entrainment – Tiny bubbles used to reduce cracking in

concrete subject to freeze-thaw cycles. Conforming to ASTM C
260 with an air content of 4% - 8% by volume.
b) Superplasticizers – Also called “High Range Water Reducers”,
used to increase concrete’s flow (workability) instead of adding
water. Conforming to ASTM C 494 Type F.
c) Retarders – Used to slow the hydration process. Conforming to
ASTM C494 Type D.
d) Accelerators – Used to speed-up the curing process, conforming
to ASTM C494 Type C or E.
e) Insulating beads – Increases the “R” value, but diminishes
strength.
f) Fly Ash – The byproduct of coal-burning electric generating plants.
Used to decrease the amount of portland cement required.
Maximum fly ash content should not exceed 25% of the volume of
portland cement. Conforming to ASTM C 618 Class F.
g) Colors – Can be mixed to produce any desirable color.

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Reinforced Concrete Properties:

1) Compressive Strength

The specified concrete compressive strength, f’c, is actually a stress. It

is the most important structural property of concrete and is VERY
DEPENDENT upon the water-to-cement ratio. This is the ratio of the
weight of water divided by the weight of cement. A low w/c ratio = high
f’c and high w/c ratio = low f’c. A low w/c ratio is very stiff and difficult to
work with, therefore necessitating the need for superplasticizers.
Normal concrete has w/c ratios ranging from about 0.23 (very strong)
up to a maximum of about 0.50 but preferably should not exceed 0.45.
Values of f’c are based on 28 days of curing. Typical ranges of f’c are:

f’c = 3000 PSI (slab-on-grade, footings, foundation walls)

= 3500 – 5000 PSI (beams, framed slabs)
= 4000 – 14000 PSI (columns)

The condition in which concrete cures affects the ultimate strength of

the hardened concrete’s f’c. Allowing the freshly-placed concrete to
have continuous moisture applied will significantly increase the
strength, f’c. Conversely, subjecting the freshly-placed concrete to
constant air will decrease the f’c. See the graph below:

Affect of moist curing on concrete strength

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2) Tensile Strength

Concrete is a brittle material and has very small tensile strength (about
10% of f’c). It is usually assumed that concrete has zero tensile
strength.

3) Modulus of Elasticity – Determined by formula below:

Econc = 57000 f 'c

where f’c = concrete specified compressive stress in PSI

Example:
GIVEN: Concrete with f’c = 4000 PSI.
REQUIRED: Determine Econc

Econc = 57000 f 'c

= 57000 4000 PSI

= 3,605,000 PSI

Econc = 3605 KSI

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 4) Reinforcing Bars – Used to carry ALL of the tension in a concrete
member, as well as helping to carry shear and compression. The steel
uses for bars is typically new “billet” steel having the usual modulus of
elasticity “E” = 29,000 KSI. The size of a bar refers to its diameter in
1/8ths. For example a #5 bar is ⅝” in diameter (see table below). Rebar
should conform to ASTM A615 for deformed (ribbed) bars. Typical
grades of bars include:

a) Grade 60 – Has a yield stress Fy = 60 KSI, used for all bars

b) Grade 40 – Has a yield stress Fy = 40 KSI, used for low-strength
applications only

Area (in2):
Fy = 60 KSI

Bar Size: Diameter:

#3 3 0.11
Stress (KSI)

"
8
Yield
#4 ½” 0.20
#5 5 0.31
Yield point
Fracture "
8
#6 ¾” 0.44
Strain (in/in) #7 7 0.60
"
Elastic range 8
Stress #8 1” 0.79
E
Strain #9 1 1.00
1 "
8
#10 1¼” 1.27
Steel Stress-Strain Curve #11 3 1.56
1 "
8

Reinforcing Bar Dimensions

The following diagram shows the typical markings on a deformed reinforcing bar:

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Epoxy-coated reinforcing bars are regular bars with a shop-applied
coating of epoxy. Epoxy coated bars conform to ASTM A775. These bars
have exceptional resistance to corrosion and are used in situations where
there is high water/salt exposure (such as road bridge decks, marine
structures, etc.). They are smooth to the touch and usually green in color.
Codes MAY allow the placement of epoxy-coated bars to be closer to the
surface than regular bars because of the increased resistance to
corrosion. This may result in a thinner, lighter concrete beam or slab.

Bridge deck constructed with epoxy-coated reinforcing bars

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 Reinforcing bars are placed a certain minimum distance away from the
edge of the member to ensure that it will not be susceptible to water/salt
infusion. This is referred to as cover distance. The cover distance
requirements shown below are obtained from ACI 318-05 “Building Code
Requirements for Structural Concrete.”

Required
minimum cover
distance Concrete member

Reinforcing bars

Required minimum
cover distance

Minimum Concrete Cover Over Reinforcing Bars

Condition: Minimum cover:
Concrete cast against and permanently exposed to earth 3”
Concrete exposed to earth or No. 6 through No. 18 bars 2”
weather No. 5 and smaller bars 1½”
Concrete NOT exposed to Slabs, walls No. 14 & 1½”
earth or weather & joists No. 18
No. 11 and ¾”
smaller
Beams, Main reinf., 1½”
columns stirrups,
ties, spirals
Shells, No. 6 and ¾”
folded larger
plates No. 5 and ½”
smaller

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 5) Slump – Fresh concrete uses a slump test to determine the workability
of the concrete as per ASTM C 143. It is, however, not a very useful
measure of the concrete’s strength. It is possible to get very workable
concrete with high slump (i.e., very fluid) with the use of
superplasticizers.

The test involves taking a cone-shaped mold and pouring a sample of

concrete into it. Next, the cone is removed upward and the vertical
displacement of the concrete is measured.

Technicians performing a slump test on fresh concrete

Recommended Slumps for Various Types of Construction

Type of Concrete Member: Slump:
Maximum Minimum
Foundation walls & footings 3” 1”
Beams and walls 4” 1”
Columns 4” 1”
Pavements and slabs 3” 1”
Mass concrete 2” 1”

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