Principles of reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete involves incorporating steel reinforcement into the concrete when it is poured. This technique dates back to the 19th century, and has continued to evolve and become more widespread.

The combination of two complementary and interdependent materials enables the creation of structures capable of accepting much greater loads than ordinary concrete. Thanks to the phenomenon of steel-concrete bonding, which must be as intimate as possible for optimum stress transfer, this type of concrete also withstands more varied tensile, flexural and compressive stresses. Surface finish, cleanliness, diameter and length of reinforcement all have a major influence on these mechanical characteristics. The texts governing the rules and standards for the design and dimensioning of reinforced concrete structures are presented.