Why Is Steel Used To Reinforce Concrete For Many Construction Applications
Concrete is the most effective material used in the construction industry nowadays. It is used in extensive applications because of its cost-effectiveness and a high degree of forte and resilience. Concrete is not naturally occurring in nature but is prepared by mixing Portland cement, water, and aggregate (gravel, rock or sand). Mixing of gravel and sand enhances the binding strength of cement. Concrete is reinforced with steel for various applications and is called steel-reinforced concrete. The reinforced cement concrete is called reinforced cement concrete (RCC).
Advantage of reinforced concrete material
The construction industry has got a significant advantage over reinforced concrete material. Reinforced concrete is one of the most pervasive building materials in the world. Concrete without reinforcement is tough and robust, like a rock developed from a powdered formula, but bare concrete is useful for limited applications. Steel is helpful to overcome concrete's weakness to make it suitable for extended applications. Steel provides strength to the concrete's brittleness. Concrete reinforced with steel is widely used for constructing foundations, columns, slabs, frames, walls and more.
Why is steel used in RCC?
Steel is a highly ductile substance. It acts like a skeleton system in the human body that adds strength and resilience. Steel is added in concrete before cement to bent it into the desired shape based on the construction design. Steel's ductility is useful as a component of the reinforced concrete. It supports the structure build with the reinforced concrete. The structure can be repaired when it has got damage.
Steel's compatibility with concrete
Why is steel suitable to combine with simple concrete for creating steel reinforced concrete? Steel and concrete are known to have very comparable coefficients of thermal expansion. Thus, both materials expand or shrink at the same rate when subjected to heat or cold. If both materials' thermal expansion coefficient could be different, concrete couldn't be reinforced with steel.
RCC use in the UK
Steel reinforced concreteis widely used in the UK's construction industry. Specialized concrete contractors do concrete construction. You can search for many such contractors in the Leeds area on the internet with the keywords "Leeds Reinforced Steel Contractors." They are best for construction applications requiring the use of reinforced concrete.