Reinforced
cement concrete (RCC) today has become an integral part of every
structure, be
it a multi-storeyed building, a tunnel, a flyover, a TV tower, a
bridge, a
nuclear reactor, an industrial unit or a residential
apartment.
With
RCC so
much coming under use, the engineers are constantly striving to devise
ways and
means to reduce its cost and bring economy in construction. Among its
constituent materials, RCC has steel as
the costliest material
accounting for 30 to 40%
of the cost of RCC. Therefore, the focus has been more on
steel than
on any other constituent material.
The
need for reduction in the steel used for
concrete reinforcement has prompted most countries to switch to
reinforcement
bars of higher yield strengths of say 500 and 550 MPa (& even
higher).
The
direct benefits (to customers) of using high reinforcement bars are: ¶
Reduced
total weight of reinforcement bars leading to reduced cost to the
customer.
¶ Reduced manpower for reinforcement fabrication.
¶ Lower transportation costs
References: “Latest developments on
steel front” by Jagvir
Goyal “Thermex Quenching and
Tempering Technology” by R.K. Markan, the
Chairman and Managing Director
of H&K India Websites
of SAIL,
Rajuri
steel & Evcon
