Advantages and disadvantages of Reinforced Concrete

Reinforced cement concrete: Concrete belongs to a hard material and is sturdy in compression. It is feeble in tension. In order to intensify and reinforce the tensile strength of concrete, steel is utilized.

The steel should contain exact deformations to make strong connections and unification of both materials. If it is fully encircled with the solidified concrete mass it develops an undivided part of the two materials, that is called "Reinforced Concrete".

Pros and cons of reinforced concrete - Flexural Strength of Concrete: Reinforced Concrete stands for a structural material that is extensively applied in various types of structures. It can compete with steel if it is designed and implemented inexpensively.

Pros of reinforced concrete:

1. Reinforced concrete contains superior compressive strength with regard to various other materials generally applied in construction. It has also good tensile strength.
2. It has superior fire-proof capability as compared to steel and it can withstand fire for a prolonged period.
3. It has enduring service life with little maintenance cost

4. For some specific types of structures, like dams, piers and footings, it is considered as the most cost-effective structural material
5. It can be easily casted to transform into the necessary shape. It is extensively utilized in pre-cast structural components
6. It bends rigid members with lowest apparent deflection
7. Bending strength of steel is approximately 15 times the compressive strength of structural concrete and surpassing 100 times its tensile strength

8. With steel, cross sectional dimensions of structural members are minimized e.g in lower floor columns
9. Unskilled labor can be employed for formation of structures with regard to other materials like structural steel.

Image Courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org

Cons of reinforced concrete:

1. It requires mixing, casting and curing, all these can change the final strength of concrete
2. To cast concrete, various forms are utilized and these are comparatively expensive
3. It contains low compressive strength with regard to steel (the ratio is about 1:10 based on material) which create large sections in columns/beams of multistory buildings. So, cracks grow in concrete because of shrinkage and applying live loads.